Are sectionals the new sneaker when it comes to professional athletes? The King, LeBron James, may have you thinking that.
As the NBA trade deadline looms today and everyone wonders if LeBron will stay in Cleveland or make the move to New York or even LA, the Furniture Today drops that LeBron will enter into a license deal with American Signature Furniture and work to develop his own line of furniture.
It's certainly a unique concept and if LeBron can make Cleveland a winner maybe he can do the same for the lagging furniture industry. American Signature seems like a good fit.
Here are some other NBA deals just waiting to happen.
Kobe for Z Gallerie - HIs Black Mamba line would kill it!
Shaq for LazyBoy - The Diesel recliner would be a best seller
Tony Parker for DWR - He and Eva would turn that company around
Tim Duncan for Ethan Allen - Traditional but solid
Steve Nash for IKEA - A reach but he does have a Euro draw with his footie skills
DeWayne Wade for BoConcept - Both modern and well-dressed
Are we on track here?
Last night we attended a panel discussion at the Waterworks store in West Hollywood that was presented by Waterworks and Remodelista. The focus was Online Resources for Designing the Extraordinary Bath.
We were really hoping to come away with true resources but two of the panelists used this "discussion" to pitch their designs and offered little tangible information that I'm sure the other designers in the room were seeking in regards to online resources. They shared a bit of insight into their design process and did bring up some relevant issues in regards to the connection between design and construction.
Julie Carlson from Remodelista took us through a quick tour of their website and it's truly remarkable how they've reached an online audience seeking high-touch and aspirational designs. As everyone laments the demise of high design magazines it is good to know there are independent websites willing to fill this void.
The greatest piece of insight we came away with was from Barbara Sallick the co-founder of Waterworks. She stated that although reading blogs and seeking online information while shopping for baths is a great starting point, you must see, touch and feel these products in person to get a real sense of what you are going to be using every day.
Yesterday I contributed to a Home Hack to Apartment Therapy for hanging snowboards. It's a simple process that requires only a couple stoppers (rubber or cork) and screws. The weight of the hanging board keeps it firmly placed against the wall.
Shown here is my vintage 93' Jeff Brushie (classic trout is still one of the best deck designs ever) and my newer Jamie Lynn Lib-Tech. I don't ride the Brushie but I do enjoy displaying it in my garage even if it's only to remind me of my old school days of boarding.
This storage method also makes it super easy to grab the board and go if there's a chance at first tracks like this week.
I had an opportunity to share a bit about myself this week in the form of a few online interviews. I'm always flattered to be asked and I hope they provide a bit of insight into my background and this website.
Inspiration: Working Inside and Out - Herman Miller
Best Home Improvement Blogs, Take 1 - Fix It Yourself
Interview with Timothy Dahl - Fixr
and a nice introduction to Los Angeles last year from LAist.
The Wall Street Journal is one of my favorite papers and this goes beyond their outstanding business news. If you dig a little deeper you'll find some of the greatest coverage of art, science, fashion and home related stories that you would read anywhere and with newspapers and original reporting becoming more scarce the WSJ is a must-read.
I always peruse the Real Estate/Home Garden sections and they've recently launched a series called Brownstone Diary which will follow the gut renovation of a Harlem Brownstone by a couple who have two kids and both work full-time. She (Julia Angwin) is the senior technology editor for the Journal and it seems the couple has very limited experience in the process of remodeling a home.
We will be following along what should prove to be an interesting journey.
The place needs a complete overhaul: new electrical, new plumbing, new roof, new windows, new floors and all new appliances and cabinetry.
Your home lighting should be near the top of your design priorities. Setting the decor, furnishings and paint isn't complete without considering how it all looks under correct light. It can also be a tremendous chore selecting which lights are controlled by what switch and with a traditional hard-wired home, your choices can be limited to how your switches are setup.
At this years International Builders' Show we were introduced to Verve Living Systems which promises to break you free from a homes wiring system via the wireless controller shown below.
Universal design to benefit seniors and the physically challenged is an under served sector of home and interior design. But with the aging boomer population, there is an opportunity for manufacturers and designers to work with people who have special needs when it comes to living in their home.
There are some designers who do focus on the kitchen and are well-versed in universal design, but a properly designed bathroom is even more vital for people who need assistance.
Universal design was a major theme at the 2010 Builders' Show and Kohler delivered with their assisted living toilet, Fountainhead elongated one-piece toilet.
It was displayed prominently in their gorgeous exhibitor space and you couldn't help but press the buttons to see the seat rise and fall effortlessly. The toilet as all others in their display were working models and this toilet looks as if it was designed by engineers who saw form and function equally.
We appreciate simple products that upon visual inspection are easy to recognize what purpose they serve. The PermaFLOW is one such product. Simply remove your current p-trap located below a kitchen or bathroom sink and replace it with a the PermaFLOW which will allow you to easily remove a drain buildup before a clog develops. This in turn eliminates the use of plunging, toxic drain cleaners and expensive service calls.
If your drain starts to slow down you reach under the sink and give the external dial a spin which moves the debris back into the water stream and you've got a clear drain again. This product is clear which also makes it easy to locate lost jewelry or valuables that may have fallen into a sink. Because it also eliminates the need for drain chemicals your home waste water will always remain much cleaner.
Every builder needs a truck and the big 3 did not disappoint as they had their burliest and baddest trucks on display but none were as cool as the DeWALT Ford F-350 we saw at CES this year.
Surprisingly the truck lineup at IBS 2010 didn't include any foreign options. Toyota and Nissan have both made significant inroads into the full-size truck industry with the Tundra and Titan and we would've like to take a closer look.
If you love looking at the latest trucks then this photo gallery is for you. We took photos of every truck on the floor and to our surprise the new Dodge Ram had the most impressive styling changes. The more aggressive forward sloping grill is a nice touch and the interior was more luxurious than Ram's of past.
