Home Interaction

As a founding member of Desk Lamp Fetishists Anonymous, it was with great interest (read cold sweats) that I learned about the stainless steel Flaca desk lamp by Mexico’s Masiosare Studio. Yes, the stainless steel is sexy, and the 6 W power consumption – courtesy of twelve LEDs – ticks the green boxes, but most exciting is the fact that the Flaca comes as a flat piece of laser-cut steel that the user then bends into shape. We at the DLFA are nuts for flat-pack tool-less assembly, you see.

Once out of the cardboard packaging, only four bends are required to complete the stand.

Read more…

In the midst of bowl game and playoff season (not to mention cold nights for staying in and watching movies), chances are you’re spending more of your down time around the TV these days.

You may be noticing some things that went unnoticed this summer and fall, like the fact that dozens of DVDs are stacked on the floor or a table top, or that unsightly wires from the TV are in view. Or maybe the way your TV is positioned in the room doesn’t offer an optimum vantage point or intimate gathering for relaxation.

Summerton TV Console

There is a solution that will help you enjoy your time around the TV more than ever. Your TV’s best friend is quality, functional entertainment center furniture. Today’s TV consoles are far more than rudimentary TV stands. The high-tech age does not mean you have to give up warmth, charm and design.

Read more…

For people who want portable LED lighting that mounts just about anywhere, there are already devices such as the Joby Gorillatorch, most of which are variations on the tried-and-trusted flashlight form factor. Striker’s new FLEXiT Light takes a bit of a different approach, however. Instead of incorporating three or so LEDs within one lens, it utilizes a bendable array of 16 high-output bulbs.

The FLEXiT’s washable silicone body can be wrapped around objects such as pipes, or bent by hand to focus or spread its light as needed. Its rubberized ABS battery compartment/control unit doubles as a pedestal-type base, allowing it to stand up cobra-like on flat surfaces.

Read more…

As the holidays approach, many of us will be entertaining guests in our homes. We want our homes to look just perfect for these celebrations. However, we also don’t want to spend a lot of time on getting our houses ready since we need that time to cook, prepare gifts, set up decorations and plan out our events. One quick and easy way to make sure that your home looks right for the holidays is to focus on selecting the right lighting for holiday entertainment.

Start with a dramatic entry

The first thing that your guests will see when they enter the home is your foyer, entryway or front hall. This is the area that you should concentrate on for your most dramatic lighting. That way your guests will be impressed as soon as they enter your space. Top lighting ideas for making your entryway more dramatic include:

• Add wall sconces.

Read more…

It will be a red-bow day at your address when you add a wonderful new piece of accent furniture for the holidays.  So when you’re shopping for the tree and the trimmings, think about gifting the house a beautiful new mirror to show off the glory of your decorations. Or why not think about a darling little living room accent table to put chair side for eggnog and cookies–maybe even for Santa on Christmas Eve? Here are some suggestions for your house present.

Mélange Cane Mirrored Writing Desk

• Glamour Floor Mirror: Your room will look bigger and more exciting when this mirror that is 82 inches high shows off your holiday decorations to perfection from Hooker Furniture’s Mélange collection. And after you’ve attached the mirror to the wall, you’ll be able to share its special secret–a felt-lined interior with 42 pouches and 20 hooks.

Read more…

If you’re the kind of person that sometimes finds themselves talking to inanimate objects around the house then it might not be too long before they start talking back – not directly but via an SMS, or email. MIT Media Lab graduates David Carr and John Kestner are looking to hook household objects up to the Web via Twine, a 2.5-inch square (16 cm2) box with internal and/or external sensors that connects to a Wi-Fi network to enable it to send a message when certain user customizable criteria are recognized by the unit’s sensors.

In 1982, a group of students at Carnegie Mellon University connected a Coke machine to the internet so they wouldn’t have to traipse down several floors just to find the machine empty. While the number of devices connected to the internet has exploded since that time, the majority of household appliances and objects have been slow to make the move online.

Read more…