A Modern Chair with A Peel!

There are a lot of cool modern chairs out there, modern chairs of all shapes sizes and colors. But only a few are so inspiringly awesome that they leave my mouth hanging open with just a little hint of drool in desire. I have to say that the Peel designed by Norwegian furniture designer Olav Eldøy for Variér Furniture is one of those amazing chairs that throw me right into modern chair Nirvana.

Called simply Peel, I am sure it was named because of its abstract resemblance to the peel of an orange removed in a single spiraling piece. It has a simple, yet elegantly organic design that feels incredibly natural and comfortable to lounge in if you get the chance. But watch out…you may not want to get up again.

The double-spring swivel mechanism easily shifts into any of three distinct positions with just a shift in your body weight and the matching footrest allows for maximum relaxation. This modern recliner doesn’t just adjust the back, the entire chair pivots into perfect lounging  position. The headrest can be adjusted both up and down and side to side to provide support almost any body type.

I first ran into the Peel Chair at a luxury day spa where I found it almost irresistible and I found that it was very comfortable no matter what position I sat in. Even though it was in a commercial setting, I think that it would be outstanding for residential use. The Peel Chair also has a smaller companion chair called the Peel Club that has the same spiral shape but without the headrest and footrest. However, the Peel Club is no less comfortable and relaxing to sit in.

The Peel Club has a more compact design and rotates 360 degrees but it does not recline like the Peel Chair but its smaller size and modern style looks great in a contemporary home. Both styles come in both fabric and leather upholstery options in several colors but most places carry black and white with the bright and vivid colors requiring a special order.

The Peel Chair and the Peel Club are available online from allmodern.com.

This month’s featured modern furniture retailer is Thrive Home Furnishings, a manufacturer and retailer that really takes the quality of their products seriously. Thrive Furniture has a goal…no a mission: to bring eclectic, mid-century modern, 50’s style furniture back into the main stream. To achieve this mission, Thrive Furniture has created an outstanding collection of amazing mid-century style furniture, dynamic retro style lighting, neat and crisp home office furniture as well as really cool and hip modern bathroom vanities.

Thrive’s furniture has that distinct mid-century retro style of the 1950′s and early 1960′s. Their furniture is a combination of creative original designs done “in the style of” that golden era of modern furniture, and loving reproductions of classic (if somewhat obscure) mid-century furniture pieces. Each piece bears a name like Eisenhower, Coolidge, Dylan and Matthers. Names that harken back to the time period that the furniture represents, half tribute I think, and half inside joke.

Wallace Credenza

Modern and mid-century furniture inevitably inspires copies, it is the nature of the business where an original piece can cost thousands of dollars. Thrive Home Furnishings perfectly defines the difference between a “knock off” and a reproduction. Most “knock offs” are made overseas quickly and cheaply, taking shortcuts in quality and construction in order to keep the price low and production high. But each one of the mid-century furnishings, reproduction or original design, are made in America, right in the heart of Los Angeles California Every step from the early design to the final stages of production. They literally design their products 15 feet away from where they produce them. They pride themselves in using only the best American-based raw materials and craftsmenship. Nothing is outsourced, nothing is left to someone else.

King Sized Nixon Bed

This pride in their workmanship shows in the lifetime warranty and 21 day guarantee that lets you live with your purchase long enough to decide that you absolutely love it or they pay to ship it back and give you your money back. All of it, no restocking fees or hidden costs. I call that confidence in their own products and workmanship. Of course they also pick up the tab for getting the furniture to you as well. This is all part of their outstanding dedication to servicing the customer.

Knowing all of this, what really amazes me is the tremendous value of Thrive Home Furnishings products. The prices are extremely affordable, much lower in price than most name brand modern furniture. Comparable to some “knock offs” or even good quality affordable modern furniture with far less daring and original designs. So if you are like me and love fun and funky mid-century modern furniture or if you are looking for home furnishing that are stylish, durable and beautiful without spending a small fortune, you better visit the folks at Thrive Home Furnishings.

The Curve Table is an elegantly simple yet beautiful modern side table created by Craig Siebeneck for Alec-Reid Design.

This custom made modern side table has a chunky, laminated wood top that cleverly attaches to the organically curved walnut base by two metal rods that make it look like it is almost floating a few inches in front of it. The hand-carved wood base is made from beautifully grained walnut stained in a dark finish making it the perfect accent to the lighter wedge shaped wood top.

I love the combination of metal and hand carved hardwoods that allow it to fit in almost any modern or contemporary environment with ease. Yet it’s transitional style makes it equally at ease and unique in a more traditional style home as well.

The Curve Table has smooth, sleek lines and organic shapes that just make it pleasing to look at, as if it has just sprung from the ground, created by nature. But I don’t want to minimize the amount of hard work and craftsmanship that goes into this lovely side table.

This table is petite, almost understated with little room for clutter, just enough room to set a book or a beverage and not much more. It looks great next to a cool modern chair or that small space that wont accommodate a larger side table.

The Curve Table’s smooth and natural curves are delightful to look at with a deep dimensional surface that you only get with the painstaking care of the hand-rubbed linseed oil and wax finish. This also serves to highlight the natural colors and grain of the wood.

Craig Siebeneck learned the traditional wood working techniques he employs in the wood shop of his grandfather, a retired cabinet maker. It is this solid base in the traditional that lets him step forward into his own original design style and create such visually stunning modern furniture. Each Curve Table is signed and dated by Craig Siebeneck and is available from Artful Home for $1950.00.

Frame Your Flat Panel TV!

If you are anything like me you don’t want to have your television as the main focus of your living room. If only there was a good way to hide the TV from view when it is not being used. We no longer need to worry about a big television tube since the development of LCD and plasma TVs which get thinner and thinner each year. This has allowed us to hang our televisions on the wall like a piece of framed art streaming crisp and clear HD images straight into your living room. Well that is fine when the TV is on, but what about that big dark screen when your TV is not in use? It is not really the most attractive thing to look at but I guess there is just no way of getting around that, or is there?

Imagine if you could make your flat panel TV look even more like a work of art by mounting it on your wall and framing it with a custom-built frame of your own choosing, one that perfectly matches your home’s decor. The same sort of frame you would be used on a painting or your favorite print. This would definitely make that wall mounted flat panel TV look more attractive whether it is on or not.

The first question is usually “how can I do this to my TV?” well, the first thing to think about is the actual mounting hardware. The main considerations in TV mounting brackets is between a low profile mount, and an articulating or tilt mount. The articulating mounts lets you to tilt the TV and change the viewing angle, but mounting your TV this way makes it stick out further from the wall, and can be a bit more pricey than the low profile mounts. This will work if you absolutely must have your TV like this but to me it ruins the clean and contemporary look you are trying to achieve.  The low profile mounts are a much better solution for a framed TV, since these mounts allow the TV to be closer to the wall and make the TV appear to be more like framed artwork.

You may wonder if the mounting hardware will be visible or think that the entire side of the TV should be covered all the way to the wall, so that none of the mounting hardware is visible. Really, the frame should not be flush with the wall so you are sure have enough ventilation for the TV. Plasma TVs, especially generate a lot of heat there needs to be a small amount of space to allow this heat a way to dissipate, but even with a small gap, the mounting hardware usually can’t be seen from most angles.

I have seen a few of these setups mounted with a 2-way mirror in front of the screen. This looks pretty cool because when you turn on the television, you can see the image through the mirror, yet when the television is off it just looks like a framed mirror. Although this is an excellent way to hide your TV when not in use, it does alter the contrast of the TV image quite a bit making it look washed out. If you are more concerned with hiding your television and don’t care about the picture quality this works well but I wouldn’t recommend it for those that purchased their high-end flat panel TV so they could count every wrinkle on your local newscasters forehead. If you want a two-way mirror, I would highly recommend putting a sample of it over the TV to see how it looks before you decide.

There are many places out there that can help you create this urban camouflage for your television but there are a few things to look out for. Many of them use a standard frame for all TVs or even worse, the same frame style  for all 40-46 inch TVs. This can create gaps between the edge of the frame and you TVs edge and it will look odd if it does not fit your particular model of television. Nothing looks worse than seeing part of a logo, or half of a speaker showing, you want it to look as clean and slick as possible.

One of the best manufacturers and installers I have found is FrameTheTV.com. They custom cut your frame and mat to fit your specific TV model number, so the frame fits each TV perfectly. The mat makes really makes the frame look like a piece of hanging art and it also lets the sound from any built-in speakers and the remote control signal to pass through. They have worked out how to mound nearly every television brand out there and will take the time to work out how to mount any brand they haven’t done.

So if you want to hide your TV, disguise it or just make it look a lot better. You may want to consider framing it!

Finding a modern sectional sofa that has some contemporary style but doesn’t kick you in the pocketbook can be a challenge but the Yorkville Sectional Sofa by Red Living just may fit the bill.  Sectional sofas are very popular in today’s contemporary homes.for many reasons. The 90 degree angle of a sectional sofa fits into the corner of your room and helps to maximize your seating space. a modular sofa can be re-arranged or even separated to create several decorating options for the same living space. In a larger space they can be used to divide out a smaller and more intimate room withing a room.

But the main reason I love the modern sectional sofa is because of the communal space it creates where the entire family can relax and lounge together in a way that a sofa and love seat combination just doesn’t allow. That is what makes the Yorkville Sectional Sofa the ideal choice for a family room or recreation room. The generous proportions of this cool modern modular sofa offers a number of seating, reclining and all out power lounging opportunities for every member of your family. Television time at my house usually involves everyone entwined in there own comfortable position including the family dog.

The durable fabric that the Yorkville Sectional Sofa is upholstered in is another reason that this modern modular sofa is great for a family. The rayon, acrylic and polyester fabric blend makes cleanup much easier for those inevitably mishaps yet it still looks terrific. I have shown the silver upholstery but there are several other fabric colors to choose from and even leather upholstered models if little kids or the family dog isn’t an issue.

The Yorkville Sectional Sofa has the casual, overstuffed look of a sofa designed in the 60′s or 70′s with it’s low, tufted button back and tubular chromed metal feet but it doesn’t just look cool tucked into a corner. This retro style modular sofa works great for dividing a larger room into a smaller more cozy space. The retro, tufted button look continues on the back and sides so it looks hip and cool from all sides. It is available in both a left facing or a right facing version or you can get one of each put both sides together to make one massive seating area.

Best of all this comfortable modern sectional sofa is priced at an affordable $1,799.00, an amazing value considering the price of a comparable modern sofa alone. You can buy the Yorkville Sectional Sofa or just get the three seat sofa or armless two-seater sofa separately but they are only available exclusively from Fashion For Home.

The smooth and curvaceous Koochy Sofa from Zanotta is a study in soft and fluid style. This sofa has a rounded  and inviting shape with not a single straight line to be found. It is a prime example of the contemporary Italian design style that Zanotta is known for.

Established in 1954 by Aurelio Zanotta, they have always been on the forefront of Italian Industrial Design. They support this phenomenon through quality, comfort and functionality of design and by nurturing a series of innovative young designers. In the process, they were literally creating what is now known as “Italian Design”.

The Koochy Sofa was designed in 2007 by Karim Rashid, one of these gifted industrial designers. Rashid is an extremely proficient designer with over 300 international design awards and over 3000 products in production with dozens on the most respected furniture and lighting companies in the world. His designs are known for their organic shapes, fluid forms and sleek almost poetic aesthetic.

The Koochy Sofa is built on a solid steel frame with elastic straps supporting the seat. The entire structure is covered in thick polyurethane foam covered in a fixed nylon internal cover.  This is then encased in a removable external cover in a vast selection of  bright fabrics in or beautiful leathers in with a cool style and textures that can suit any decor. You can even have a cover made in your own fabric if you would like.

This cool contemporary sofa has a low back, about 33″ tall but is quite large in its length at over 101 inches long. It is extremely comfortable and seats a number of people when you are entertaining. It has a fun pop modern style that makes it difficult decide exactly what decade it was designed in. This piece has a fun and modern look that inevitably makes it the focal point in any room.

Like any piece of designer furniture the Koochy Sofa is expensive at $11,295.00, but you do tend to pay a premium for this sort of high design sofa. So if you have the means and appreciate this fine example of Italian design, you can buy the Koochy Sofa from Zanotta in any color of the rainbow from Unicahome.

Looking like an enormous river rock or something that was removed from a giants gall bladder, the Koishi Pouf has a fantastically pleasing bio-organic shape. It was created by the award-winning Japanese designer Naoto Fukasawa for Driade and is can easily suit many different  purposes any contemporary design.

Naoto Fukasawa has won over 50 international design awards for his singular style, a style that is not limited to modern home furnishings alone. He has cast is creative eye on almost every household item you can name from CD players and computer monitors to kitchen appliances and humidifier. Each design is amazing in its simplicity but few are as simple as his Koishi Pouf.

Although it is called a pouf, the Kioshi Pouf is as much of coffee table or organic sculpture as it is a footrest. It is larger than what I generally classify as a mere ottoman, standing 15″ high it has and irregular shape that is about 45″ long and 35″ wide. It is formed out of  painted fiberglass  and has a smooth, glossy finish that is available in shocking bright orange, sleek and minimalist white and a grayish blue color that looks like a stone that has been smoothed out by a mighty river. Appropriately, koishi is the Japanese word for pebble.

It makes a great place to kick up your feet in a contemporary seating arrangement but is large enough to easily double as a free-form coffee table. With its slick and curvaceous look, the Kioshi Pouf has the charisma and presence to be used all by itself as a free-standing bio-organic sculpture. I have seem it used very effectively this way several times and it has a uniquely dramatic effect that is natural and organic.

So if what you have in mind is a simple, organic and sculptural pouf or coffee table to complete the contemporary design of your modern home decor, the Kioshi Pouf from Driade may be the perfect piece for you. It is available from UnicaHome in all three colors for $1,539.00.

The Cini Boeri Lounge Collection from Knoll is one of my favorite collection of modern lounge furniture ever to grace the pages of this blog. There is something about the character and European style, combined with it amazing comfort that really makes me smile. Each piece of this modern furniture collection has the personality to stand on its own and make a statement but when used together, they work together in a harmony not always found in all modern lounge collections.

To begin with, lets take the Cini Boeri Lounge Chair, the low slung yet wide proportions of this chair make it perfect for the large, open spaces you find in modern style architecture. I don’t know of any other chair where the word “lounge” is more appropriate. The Chair is a little over 54″ long and with arms that angle on the inside it seems like I can’t sit in this thing without kicking my leg over one arm and reclining on the other. The chair is over 43″ deep, almost the width of many other lounge chairs of this style, the chair itself is only about 30″ high at its highest. That gives you a pretty good idea of the proportions I am talking about.

Some might think that a 43″ deep seat sounds impractical but the chair is designed with multiple seating zones which means there is firm support in the front for when you sit while are working or doing something else that requires you to sit on the edge of your seat. But towards the rear of the chair you gradually move into a softer and more comfortable zone that is perfect for some real power lounging.

The Cini Boeri Lounge Sofa has the same large yet low proportions only it measures a full 84″ in length. It has the same comfortably angles arms and multi-density graduated cushions. Both the Lounge Chair and Sofa sit on a slim profile, tubular tubing base and your choice of either four standard legs or two legs up front and two large swivel casters in the rear. The oversized casters are lockable to stay put but really make moving these large furniture pieces a snap. This feature is great if you are working with a large loft space or open floor plan where you like to mix up your living space on a regular basis.

Probably my favorite piece in the collection is the Cini Boeri Pouf Ottoman. This 33″ square ottoman has rounded edges that reminds me of a used bar of soap. It is the perfect complement to the Lounge Chair and Sofa and can be used with either. In fact, the ottoman is not available with legs, the only option is four swivel casters that are non-locking. I think this is intended to encourage mobility and keep this piece as portable as possible. You can used it as a place to put your laptop, use it as a footstool or just sit cross-legged in the center and have a friend spin you around.

 The entire Cini Boeri Lounge Collection is a very comfortable and resilient choice for a modern living space and a practical and attractive option in a contemporary office or work space. It has a clean and streamlined Italian modern aesthetic yet it still maintains a classic style that wont fall out of fashion.

You can choose from any of the seemingly endless variety of colors, textiles and leathers to target a style that best suits your needs. It can run anywhere from playful and casual to elegant and professional. you can check out the Cini Boeri Lounge Collection at YLiving, the home of modern living.

Designed for Knoll by Finnish architect and designer Eero Saarinen, the modern design classic, the Tulip Chair, is as clean, pure and iconic today as it was in 1956, the year it was introduced.

Eero Saarinen was the son of the director of the famed Cranbrook Academy of Art and respected architect, Eliel Saarinen. Sharing the same birthday as his father, Eero was brought up in the industry and classically trained in architecture, sculpture and furniture design from a very early age. He later became a celebrated architect in his own right and is noted for varying his design style depending on the unique demands of each individual project. Probably one of his best known buildings is the TWA terminal at Kennedy International Airport in New York. Generally speaking, his architectural style is known for its simple, sweeping, arching structural curves. This design aesthetic can also be seen in his furniture designs, especially the Tulip Chair.

Designed to compliment the matching Tulip Dining Table and Tulip Stool, the Tulip Chair had a very “space age” look to it at the time of its release by Knoll. Over a decade later the chair was used on the set of the original version of Star Trek. A modified version was used on the bridge of the enterprise and throughout the show’s set. They are easily spotted with just a few plastic details added to the back of the chairs to give them a more futuristic look.

For its time, it was pretty futuristic in its use of materials. The Tulip Chair was originally intended by Saarinen to be a single unit made of fiberglass, a common enough material today but very new at the time. Fiberglass proved to be too brittle to form the base and it tended to break easily.  A cast aluminum base was substituted with a rilsan coated finish to match the upper shell.  The upper shell is still made from fiberglass with a reinforced plastic bonded finish. This gave the appearance of a single unit but solved the stability issues.

The classic Tulip Chair is still produced by Knoll and very much in use today, both in residential and commercial applications. The original design has evolved into several variations and styles. You can get the original fixed base or a swivel-based version; one model has arms while another remains armless; and you can now purchase a very cool looking black finished Tulip Chair as well as the original white finish. The upholstery is available on the seat cushion alone or the back comes fully upholstered giving it a softer, more loungy look similar the the Saarinen Womb Chair. There is a broad range of colors, Mariner Fabrics, Posh Vinyls and even soft and rich Volo Leather offered as upholstery options. They are sold by many modern furniture retailers, but Office Designs is a good source to find every variation, color and upholstery style offered by Knoll.

Replica Tulip Chair

Of course, every modern furniture icon spawns the inevitable knock-offs and rightly so, an actual Tulip Chair by Knoll can be pretty expensive, upwards of $1200 or more depending on the style. These knock-offs are not as well made or durable as the original, being made of plastic rather than the fiberglass of the actual Knoll version.

A decent quality Replica Tulip Chair can be purchased for under $200.00 if you just want to re-create the look, but they don’t come in all the colors or upholstery options available from the original manufacturer. Not to mention the fact that you won’t find the the signature of Eero Saarinen and the KnollStudio logo on the bottom.

The Saarinen Tulip Chair is one of the most recognizable pieces of modernistic design around and makes a great addition to any decor whether it is retro modern or ultra futuristic.

Add a little pizzazz to your modern decor with the sleek and modern Verve Ceiling Fan by Craftmade Fans. With its long and ovular shape and flat blades this contemporary style ceiling fan stands out because it doesn’t look like any other modern fan design out there.  In a time where I am starting to get annoyed with how frustratingly similar many modern fans look to one another, the Verve Ceiling Fan is a refreshingly different breath of fresh air.

Simply designed and streamlined, this true stainless steel fan looks fantastic flushmounted to the ceiling but it looks great ball mounted with a downrod as well if you have a high or angled ceiling. Both mounting systems are included in each package but I must say that I prefer it mounted flush to the ceiling because it looks like one solid unit. It has a 6″ downrod included but with its tall, narrow 7.5″ motor diameter works well in a small space with tall ceilings like a foyer or stairwell.

Not that you can notice it while the fan is running but the blades have a very nice shape that flairs out slightly towards the ends. The flat bamboo blades come in a choice of the walnut finish blades shown above or in a natural bamboo finish which is lighter in color. It has an integrated mini can light on the with a dimmable halogen bulb that can put out a little light or a lot, depending on your need.

Overall, this is a well-built and solidly constructed fan that is extremely steady, stable and quiet when it runs. Craftmade Fans tend to be overbuilt so they last and the Verve Ceiling Fan is no different. The 42″ blades move a lot of air and there are 6 variable speeds to choose from so you can have anything from a gentle breeze to a stiff wind if you would like. It is still pretty energy efficient though with a 2nd generation motor that is much more energy efficient than in the past.

I hate buying a fan and then having to buy the wall unit separately, not to mention if you want a remote control. Each package includes both a DC remote and wall control so there is no added expenses. The modern streamlined Verve Ceiling Fan is pretty reasonably priced at $304.20 and is in stock at Zap Lighting and ready to ship in just a few days so if you are looking for a contemporary ceiling fan that doesn’t look just like all the rest, this might be a good choice.