Baby, it's Cold Outside

If you’re looking for something that combines the modern and the traditional, this collection of wood-burning fireplaces has something to suit every style. The Dinamico flamed copper finish is warm with a twist, while it’s also available in the Dinamico grey satin finish for a cooler, more contemporary aesthetic. Sliding steel doors on either side are adorned with simple square cutouts for added interest, set in front of tempered glass.










The Linea fireplace is an ultra-modern fixture that’s an instant focal point in your living room, den, library or bedroom. The stove’s bold, black finish and slightly pyramid shape complement the upward direction of its flame, which is visible through a tempered glass door. For a touch of Nordic style in your home, check out the Linea fireplace.

The Labirinto and Dedalo are modern fireplaces with an artistic edge. This grey painted steel frame features inserts in black and white for a bold, bicolor statement. The horizontal shape appeals to more traditional settings, while the vertical fireplace design also works well in compact urban homes or rooms with tall ceilings.

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Floating Beds

Lago’s Fluttua is not its only unusual characteristic, or even its most unusual one: what we have here, ladies and gentlemen, is a gravity-defying bed… and we haven’t even left the earth’s orbit yet (so far as we know). Fluttua isn’t the only piece to play with our Newtonian expectations. We’ve seen the amazing, evaporating legs of the Fade Out Chair, as well as the inscrutable two-legged balancing act of Duffy London’s Shadow Chair, but never before have we witnessed such comprehensive airiness in a place of repose. The ostensibly floatational character of Fluttua is ideal in a bed, for what other symbolic/metaphoric device better evokes an idealized slumber? Defying the very pull of the earth, Fluttua’s fortunate inhabitants would seem to become weightless as they slept, drifting into the land of nod atop so many diaphanous and vaporous clouds.

The illusion is lovely, and I believe it will foster the best kind of dream-less sleep, but as the better half of Penn and Teller knows, a great trick only becomes more beautiful when its secret is revealed. Lago knows this as well, so they don’t deign to inform us that the bed’s levitational appearance is achieved via a simple cantilevered concept: the bed frame is mounted to the wall at one end, while a single pedestal foot in the center provides the structural lynchpin for the perfect distribution of weight around the bed’s circumference. The strategy achieves a sort of 360 degree cantilever—distinct from most cantilevered structures, which distribute weight along a rectangular plane. The supportive foot is “hidden,” from most perspectives, because it’s low to the ground and thus out of sight, or obscured by “perfectly” arranged coverlets and duvets. But even with the backstage mechanics of Fluttua revealed, the piece remains exceptionally enchanting. And, if you believe the fairy tales, a nightly dose of enchantment is the perfect segue to the wonderful rejuvenation of deep sleep.

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Little Drummer

Sometimes a trend sneaks up on you. By the time you notice its pervasiveness it is all around you.

In glossy publications like Architectural Digest and even at your local mass retailer (a sure sign of overexposure). Recently the object in question is the ceramic garden stool. Once reserved for Asian inspired interiors and Japanese gardens, this versatile item is popping up everywhere. And I do mean everywhere. Granted, the object itself is not new. Nor is its use in well-designed homes. But over the past year its popularity has soared to such a degree that it has become hard to open a magazine without noticing one tucked into the frame.

If you’re a trend watcher, you’ve no doubt noticed chinoiserie filtering down from luxe hotels to your neighbor’s dining room. As nouveau Asian works its way through the trade publications and high-end design firms it was only a matter of time before these iconic ceramic drums made their appearance in the mass market. And as we are wont to do, modern designers are adding a fresh spin on the iconic form. Classic white stools can still be seen serving as tables, ottomans and extra seating. But my favorite iteration is the mirrored variety making appearances in sleek hotel lounges and posh shops where it is left to the guest to decide whether to rest upon it or place a drink on its glistening surface.-via

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