Functional Art - furniture that deserves a spotlight

Form follows function. 

Right? 

In the practical since, yes ... but sometimes the concept comes first and drives amazing design. Occasionally art can be practical too. For furniture with an alter ego, check out these pieces that cross the line of art and function.

  

The Bloom MGX lamp by Patrik Jouin  is designed to "bloom" to either diffuse or allow more light.

photo by Thomas Duval

photo by Thomas Duval

Moss Gallery

THe Muslavi Gallery in the UK is a distributor of Laskowscy Design furniture. Their designs try to blur the edge of where the object ends and something else begins. For example the graphic on the Ikebana coffee table spills onto the floor. 

Laskowscy Design

The Artistic 4 Chaise can be yours for the low, low, low price of $6,500 + shipping.... ok I don't mean to be sarcastic. All jokes aside, this piece is designed to follow the curves of the body and is supposedly quite comfortable. In addition to the ergonomically correct construction, this chaise will make a statement in any room.   

http://www.opulentitems.com/Artistic-Furniture.html#

Subway Tile Back Splash Love

SO ... I know that this blog is an apartment/ small spaces blog, that being said I want to nod at my full-time job as a kitchen designer. I recently was asked what my favorite back splash design is and I have to suggest a simple tile - SUBWAY TILE

Subway Tile Always looks Good.

Okay, maybe not always, but it is sure hard to make look bad. Subway tile is classic and looks great in both contemporary and traditional kitchens. Also, by selecting a clean-lined, uniform patterned back splash, you are less likely to date your kitchen. Coming back around to small space design, choosing this style of back splash will not only make an already tight kitchen feel less cluttered but also make the space feel bigger.


This small bright kitchen is one of the winners of Apartment Therapy's Small  Cool Kitchens of 2011. I also love this kitchen, and not just because of the great use of 1x2 subway tiles :) 

 Click here to see more images of this great kitchen

Here are a couple of kitchens that I worked on in the past year in model home world that show subway tile back splashes.







































If you would like to see more subway tile back splash examples check out these sites:

10 pieces of kitchen design wisdom from small cool kitchens
http://www.dreambookdesign.com/2011/01/kitchen-makeover-white-subway-tile.html
http://www.subwaytileoutlet.com/blog/stainless-steel-backsplash/