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Drop ceilings are rarely something to be admired, however MIO is changing that with FoldScape, a three-dimensional ceiling tile that ships flat and is folded at the installation site. Talk about an easy way to make a blah-ish ceiling interesting, huh? Available in 24 tile packs, the tiles are lightweight and measure a standard 2’x2′ size.

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This TriBeCa Loft by Office of Architecture and Push shows how loft living doesn’t mean sacrificing privacy and storage. Cabinetry as well as sliding and accordion doors define specific room functions without blocking natural light or interrupting the overall flow of space.

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This might not be to everyone’s taste, but it’s notable nevertheless. Piet Hein Eek’s Scrapwood Wallpaper looks quite real (super high resolution printing) and would give a rustic/antiqued feel to a room in a snap. Plus, you get over 43 square feet of unique planks with no repeat.

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Check out this Barn Conversion by Architecture firm Maxwan in the Netherlands.

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Paintable. Temporary. Wallpaper. How many times have you wished for this? Whether you’re renting or you have kids (or you’re just artistically fickle) this stuff is something to try out. It’s a vinyl coated self adhesive wallpaper, and you can use almost any art supplies to decorate it however you want. Tempaper also has quite a few designs to choose from should you wish for a more traditional patterned paper; my favorites are the Ruby Slate, Skotti, and Etta.

Available from 2modern or directly from Tempaper.

The Hilltop House was originally designed by architect Thornton Ladd in 1953 and was reworked by Marmol Radziner.

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Ceiling fans are not exciting, let’s face it. When you need one, you look online, visit lighting shops, etc., all to have an ‘eh’ response to the semi-suitable ones. They aren’t something that makes your heart beat faster, so it’s more of a ‘which-one-will-blend-in’ decision and ‘which-one-is-within-our-budget’, of course. Being in the position of needing to replace two of our ceiling fans, I found myself asking those two questions this past weekend. Not surprisingly, my choices were whittled down to a few from the Modern Fan Company. The fans are simple enough with modern lines and prices are around the $300 to $400 mark (the previous ~$200 fans crapped out, so decision was made to spend a bit more). Just in case you find yourself in a similar situation, here’s a few that look decent:
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You can take any .jpg and make into a custom tile mosaic. Oh, just think of the possibilities… I’d recommend putting some thought into it as you’ll be spending around $149 per square foot, but man-oh-man, there’s a ton of great images you could use for a bathroom wall (or anywhere else tile is appropriate). Any digital image will work, so if you’ve got a favorite snapshot or piece of artwork, start there. Available from Top Hat Tile.

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A huge whiteboard to sketch out ideas? Yes, please. Rust-Oleum carries Dry Erase Paint, but IdeaPaint seems to focus more on larger areas, offering kits to cover 50 square feet. As the pictures on their site show, you can go completely crazy and cover whole rooms, columns, etc.

50 square feet kits start at $175.00.
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I was perusing MAKE’s portfolio site and came across this exterior home office done for Actor Rainn Wilson. It’s 200 square feet and the exterior is clad in reclaimed lumber.

“Featured on the DIY Network’s “Man Caves”, MAKE work with their production team to produce a detached home office for renowned actor Rainn Wilson from The Office. Perched on the crest of a slope and overlooking the actor’s stable, the office space was conceived as a tree house with views through the generous glazed facade at level with the surrounding tree canopies.”

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Architect Matthew Hofmann recently completed a contemporary renovation of a vintage 1970’s Airstream trailer, which he now calls home with his girlfriend in Santa Barbara, CA. A lesson in living small, the updated Airstream shows thoughtful use of space and storage as well as catering to the modernist aesthetic. Read Mathew’s comments on the project below:

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Any of you who visit Tumblr know that there’s a whole haystack of images to sort through, especially when it comes to lovely interiors. I ran across this pic (via The Diversion Project) yesterday and thought the wallpaper on the kitchen island was a brilliant pop of color in an otherwise white dwelling. So, note to self: when feeling bored with one’s surroundings, pick out a colorful wallpaper and attach it somewhere unexpected like the base of kitchen island. Seeing as it’s a relatively small area, it won’t cost much and will be easier to change out than doing a whole wall or room.

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Viola Park, who most of us know and love for their excellent kitchen cabinetry, has added a new collection of kitchen islands. I am most impressed with the integrated storage modules (shown above) for foodstuff as it cuts down on counter clutter without adding the visual bulk of drawers. If you’re in LA, you can see one of the new islands at Viola Park’s new showroom across from the Pacific Design Center.

The islands range from 5-12K, and can be purchased independently or along with a complete kitchen package. Islands can be mobile or stationary.

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Kris did a post on the Vola Faucet a while back, but I thought it worth a mention to show the various colors. At $780 it’s an expensive choice, of course, but considering the fact that you’d be using it several times a day everyday, it’s probably well worth shelling out the extra cash. Plus, Arne Jacobsen designed it, so you’ve got an instant classic look.

This luscious botanical wallpaper would sure spice up a small (or large?) room. The teaberry (shown above) is my favorite, but for $2 a sample you might want to try out the Heron and Pineland colorways as well. Also, the Ms. Ward design (shown below) is also worth a look, as there’s delightfully large storybook insects involved.

Available at Design Public or Grow House Grow.

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