Imbalancing Act

I feel for the designer who labored over the asymmetric form of the Elletre sink, only to have a wall faucet insensitively installed on-center, its components in suffocating lock-step. A better complement to the basin's softly irregular shapes would be a hands-free fitting placed off to the left of the concrete bowl. moab80.it

Cultured Kitchen

While the Lacanche range [the Cluny model, I believe] is the tip-off that this is the home of a seriously competent cook, it's the otherwise-ambiguous identity of the space that I find so engaging. A library-cum-kitchen is created with art-filled bookcases, a fabulous window seat, and a spool-leg work table that is the antithesis of the typical island design. jhinteriordesign.com

What Would Superman Say?

Once upon a time, people retreated into glass boxes to make phone calls. More than two million in number, these 'telephone booths' were ubiquitous across America. On street corners in big cities and small towns, in airports, on beaches and highways, they offered a quiet[er] environment for conversation.

Today, rendered virtually obsolete by cell phones, the small structures are creatively repurposed as lending libraries, urban greenhouses, and guerilla art galleries. I have yet to see a booth transformed into a laundromat, but in 1972, Frigidaire may have glimpsed the future.

Talking Chop

It's not hard to spot the favorite cutting board in a cook's kitchen—it's the one that bears the most nicks, scorches, and stains. While those scars confirm its essential role, they're also an eyesore. I like this solution, which is equal parts practical and aesthetic: Suspended from a backsplash rail, a sturdy metal sleeve keeps the trusty board close and concealed. elmarcucine.com

Before and After [Dark]

If I didn't have a full roster of Halloween-appropriate posts already planned, this product would have definitely made the cut. By day, the ceramic brick sports free-hand splatters of colored glazes. By night, the picture changes as an eerie, glowing pattern emerges. The phosphorescent dribbles conjure a poltergeist's scribblings; perhaps communications from the Other Side? stjoris.nl

Seeing Spots

Let me be perfectly clear: There is no disco ball in this bathroom. No patterned wallpaper. Nor has the image been digitally altered. What you're seeing are basically windows. Architect Hiroshi Nakamura punched 1,600 small circles through the walls, ceiling, and floor of the room. Talk about points of light.... nakam.info

Standing Out

In a contemporary context, this kitchen would blend right in—its handle-free cabinets, neutral color scheme, and smooth surfaces are of their own time. Dropped into a traditional rural building in Mantua, though, it becomes a historical marker of sorts, co-existing [quite happily, in my opinion] with the past. vittoriolongheu.it