Frank Lloyd Wright Lego

You can now enjoy incredible architecture from the comfort of your own home, and even help create it — albeit on a very small scale.

Blogs, Twitter and even some mainstream media has been buzzing about the new Lego Architecture building sets, which translate iconic works, brick by brick, into Lego creations.

The series, which currently features six buildings, has launched with the works of Frank Lloyd Wright, including the Guggenheim Museum and "Fallingwater", the home outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Each Lego Architecture set will come with traditional building instructions, exclusive archival historical material and photographs of the building.

The Frank Lloyd Wright collection is available via Brickstructures.com for $45 plus shipping and handling.

No word yet on any other architects to be featured — who would you like to see?

Personally, I think the works of Canadian Arthur Erickson, who died last week, would be a fitting tribute — wouldn't you like a mini Roy Thomson Hall for your shelf?

(Via Wired.com)

A shoe bath?

There was a young lady who bathed in a shoe?

While many women can attest to being avid shoe collectors, I'm guessing very few have incorporated the form into their home decor!

This shoe bathtub from SICIS, made with mosaic tiles, is a luxe (and rather surprising) salute to high heels.

This takes the slipper tub to a whole new level — though perhaps not one I'd want to incorporate in my own house!

(Found via Furniture Store Blog.)

A space to recharge

A new design by industrial designer Karim Rashid (he's the guy behind the Umbra garbage can) for Hollandia International (sorry, no Canadian locations) I can't look at this bed without thinking iPod dock.

But, that's not necessarily a bad thing - I mean, your iPod slides into the dock to power up, why can't you?

While I'm not totally sold on the lime green colour, it certainly is a quirky attention grabber!

I do admire the sleek shape, the high gloss and the fact that it actually is functional - not only is it a bed, but it's got storage to boot!

There are drawers under the bed and in the headboard, as well as cabinet doors in the headboard that swing out to create side tables. And, of course, there's also an iPod docking station.

What do you think? Do you want to recharge just like your iPod?

A little IKEA humour for you

Yes, this was an email forward. But, I needed a laugh this morning and thought maybe some of you could too!

The premise? Ikea has just announced that it will be taking over GM, and soon will be selling cars at all of its stores. For only about $5,000, here's what you will get:

No word on whether you'd have only an Allen key to put it all together!

A tea-off? Sounds like my kind of contest!

'One Teakettle' to rule them all? That's the idea behind the World Kitchen (which counts Corelle, CorningWare and Pyrex among its subsidiaries) Tea-Off. The competition asked designers to update the classic teakettle, and, I must say, I'm impressed. Who would have thought the humble teakettle could be recreated in so many ways?

The winner, the "One Teakettle" by Chicago-based Vessel Ideation, is designed to both boil and serve your tea, with blue-on-white heat-activated designs that appear only when the kettle's contents are hot. It also has an "intuitive magnetic trivet" that attaches to the base only when it's hot, which lets you place it directly on the table for serving.

I, of course, desperately want the Space Invaders one. It toes the line between stylish and nerdy, making it perfect for Mr. Speedy and I. They also designed more classic china patterns for those who aren't quite ready to deck their servingware out with retro video game images.

There were also two impressive runners-up. Martin M. Giroud's "Spin", which is a sphere shaped kettle that is supposed to have a safer, and more controlled way to pour. You pour by sliding a switch that activates a mechanism to tip the spout (not the kettle) forward.

And TEA-GO, by New York's ram industrial design inc, is a heat and go, single cup, design. TEA-GO includes an electric base that allows the user to set the water temperature, a no-spill container, travel cup and a lip to facilitate the steeping and removal of tea bags.

What does your door knob say about you?

I must admit, I never thought that my door knobs revealed anything about me.

In fact, when I first received a press release from Weiser Lock saying that the hardware on your door says a lot about your personality, I couldn't even recall what my door knobs looked like!

According to the release, consumers are looking for a door knob that looks good, suits their taste, and fits their personality.

And, apparently, our choice actually reveals a lot about the kind of people we are — from our style to our likes and dislikes. While I'm not sure if you can really glean that much from your choice of door knob, Weiser's descriptions are certainly entertaining!

Here's what your door knob says about you, according to the folks at Weiser:

Venetian Bronze: A nostalgic homeowner, this person chooses a palette of warm rose and cream colours and likely has a soft spot for classic Victorian decor. This person is conscientious, dependable, steady and conservative. They enjoy "classical music, fine dining, designer clothes and trips to Rome."

Satin Stainless Steel: This person likes clean, modern looks and their home is simple, bright and airy, likely with lots of windows and open spaces. This homeowner is innocent, pure and naive. As for their personal life, they're probably into alternative or indie rock, wear jeans with a t-shirt, vacation on the beach and chow down on sushi.

Rustic Pewter: This homeowner prefers an average home in the burbs to a modern mansion. This person "often has good business sense but tends to work too much." They like classic rock, sporting events, cheeseburgers and camping trips.

Iron Black: This homeowner likes a mysterious feel and leans toward a dignified and impressive look without being showy. In their personal life, they likely enjoy "emo music, visiting Eastern bloc countries, wearing all black wardrobes and eating at ethnic restaurants."

Bright Brass: The homeowner who chooses bright brass has a sunny personality and a great sense of humour. Their hobbies include "visiting glitzy Las Vegas, wearing bright clothing and accessories, listening to pop music and dining at chain restaurants."

As a renter, I didn't choose my satin silver knobs, but given the choice, I probably would have picked something similar. And the description is moderately apt — I have been known to chow down on sushi while wearing jeans and a t-shirt and listening to indie rock. Then again, I suspect this may describe a lot of my friends and neighbours, regardless of their choice of hardware ...

What do you think? Does your choice of door knob match your personality?

Sit for a cuppa

Or on a cuppa! I've shared my love of tea, and tea time accessories, before, with the Jaws-themed infuser and the Ants on my ... cup and saucer, so it's no surprise these tea party/tea cup stools, which have been making their way round the blogosphere, caught my eye!

Inspired by Alice in Wonderland, the moulded plastic cups were designed by the UK's Holly Palmer. They can be used indoors or out.

At 41 cm high and 58 cm in diameter, the stools offer both adult and child-friendly seating.

With 11 colour options, it should be easy to find one that can complement your decor, or for an additional fee, you can use the colour matching service for a custom hue.

And, if you're not sold yet, Palmer even created wall hooks and a tree for storing the cups when not in use! How cute is that?

Visit Palmer's website for product and shipping details. Cups start around $250 each, and can be shipped internationally.

I think they'd be adorable tucked away in a garden or clustered in a child's room. Or hanging on the wall in my living room.

Pimp my shelf

Today, I'm daydreaming about pimping my shelf. An Ikea EXPEDIT bookcase, to be precise. And not in the whole bling and lowering kits kind of way.

Blogger Kim Vallee posted earlier today about Ikea hacks, and my imagination has been running wild ever since.

Kim featured a shelf hack from the Netherlands-based the Yvestown blog, where Yvonne Eikkendujin pinned wallpaper on the back of her EXPEDIT shelf for a fun and colourful backdrop along with an idea from Super*Junk, who put coloured paper on some of the cubes and lit them from the inside.

I'm inspired to try this lighting idea myself, as it transforms the bookcase from a (relatively) sturdy storage solution to the perfect display for cherished swag. Maybe I'll even add some cool shots of colour in a bold, graphic wallpaper?

Inspired, I then surfed on over to Ikea hacker, where there are a million more ways to transform your ho-hum purchases from the yellow and blue into stunning centrepieces, including a super cool, and colourful, transformation of an EXPEDIT shelf into a vinyl station.

I foresee many a project in Mr. Speedy's future — now I just need to decide where to start!

Have you, successfully or not, hacked any Ikea furniture? Comment below or email me to share your projects and photos. I'll post any responses next week.

For more creative uses of Ikea goods, check out Colin and Justin's sleek and sexy kitchen makeover

Let your imagination soar ...

OK, I admit, it's a weak title. But, it's hard not to have your head in the clouds (I promise, that will be my last lame pun for this post!) when you're admiring a desk created by up-cycling an airplane wing.

This desk is created by Reestore, which takes "everyday waste objects and cheekily turn[s] them into charming yet functional pieces of furniture and accessories."

"Deborah" was created by adding stainless steel legs and toughened glass to an aluminum airplane wing.

It would certainly make a statement in any office!

According to Inhabitat, the piece was originally created as a custom piece for entrepreneur Theo Pahphitis, known for his role in the UK's Dragons' Den.

Reestore is now making them to order, so you can have your own Deborah for £2800, which converts to slightly more than $5,000.

Reestore offers other eco-cool products, too, including Max, a bathtub turned chaise, and Annie, a shopping trolley turned chair.

Check out more quirky products in Vicky Sanderson's Conversation Piece column.

Have a cuppa with ... ants?

"Aw," "cute," and "oooh" are my normal reactions while browsing the fabulous jars of cute blog, whose motto is "stylish cute things bottled daily."

But one of today's goodies was met with a sharp inhale and an "Ewww."

The "Ants on my ..." series, by New York-based Bailey doesn't bark, while appropriately quirky and perfectly crafted, just makes me feel crawly.

Founder Re Jin Lee individually hand painted these tiny ants then transferred them on to decal paper to create the pretty, but creepy crawly, spoons, creamers and the cup and saucer, shown.

There's also an even more disturbing (but still oddly beautiful) "roaches on my cup and saucer" variety.

Perhaps it's still lingering discomfort from an enormous spider jumping into my hair while I was brushing my teeth Monday night (I've been warily peering into corners ever since), but I don't think I'd be able to enjoy my afternoon cuppa in this mug.

I would, however, enjoy serving it to guests and watching their reaction.

Would you use this cup and saucer set?