Small Space Library

I love books — all kinds of books. In a small home, books can become quite impractical. I have always dreamed of having a real library.

In lieu of a real full-sized library the Lese+Lebe by Niles Holger Moormann is a great alternative. Described by Moormann as a locomotive dining car or a beach chair, the Lese+Lebe is just a great place to sit and read. It is a combination bookshelf and comfortable seat with pullout foot rests. It is an ingenious design with true multifunction. When seated, there are shelves that fold down to form a table area that is perfect for a tea and snack while reading. Any piece of furniture that packs this much storage space and looks this good is a winner in my book.

Dwell Magazine

I read lots of magazines. I have several favorites and Dwell has been right there at the top of the list for years.

Dwell is a great magazine. Every month you can count on lush spreads of the very best in modern architecture. Dwell is so much more than just pretty houses. They are at the forefront of all things green. There are monthly product reviews, relevant interviews and did I mention the pretty houses?

The most current issue of Dwell, March 2008, has “Small Wonders Homes Under 1000 Square Feet” as the cover story. There are three fresh, new small spaces displayed. They range from the 912 square foot Zizmor Residence to the diminutive 205 square foot Boxhome. Pick it up and check them out.

I would also be remiss if I did not mention the Dwell daily blog. It’s on my daily read list and — although not entirely about small space living — it contains a wealth of products and homes.

Mini Valentine Gift Guide

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner — seven short days left. I thought I would help you guy’s stay out of trouble by steering you in the right direction.I have picked several Etsy items that I’m sure your valentine will love.

Sweetheart Candy Box HatBy: Terry Graziano Hats
If your valentine is at all like mine, then she loves hats. This is a great hat. It can be worn in a multitude of ways so it’s like buying several hats in one. Terry Graziano Hats are very well made. The Sweetheart Candy Box Hat is constructed of lightweight wool and lined with silk. It even comes in it’s own hatbox!


Say Anything Note CardBy: Annie Cho
Valentine’s Day means Valentine Cards. This one by Annie Cho is perfect. I know my valentine and I enjoy 80’s movies and Say Anything is classic. I like the fact that this card has the simple Lloyd Dobler (john Cusack) image and nothing else. You are free to deliver any message you would like and Lloyd and his boom box are there to back you up.

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Faceted 50’s Vintage Glass Button RingBy: Mom O Matic’s AUTOMAT
You can never lose with jewelry on Valentine’s Day. This cherry red ring is made from a 50’s glass button. It’s adjustable so it will fit your valentine and it’s inexpensive so it will fit your budget.

Skeppshult Bikes

Photo Credits Skeppshult Bikes
Bikes are an ideal mode of transportation in the city, epically if you live in a bike-friendly city. Pittsburgh is a fairly bike-friendly as far as the infrastructure goes. There are paved bike trails everywhere, and bike lanes on many streets. The geography is slightly less bike-friendly — if you have ever been here, you know it’s a hilly bugger of a city. Despite the geography handicap, I continually see more and more people on bikes.

If you intend to make a real go of commuting on a bike or even using it for short jaunts, you need a good bike. When your bike is constantly breaking down or it is not tough enough to deal with the rigors of city life it makes biking a lot less fun.

Skeppshult has been producing classic bikes in Sweden for nearly 100 years. Bikes are far more prevalent in all of Europe than here in the US. I think these rugged handsome bikes have a good deal to do with that. Skeppshult Bikes are built to last. Their most popular model, the Nature, is the quintessential classic bicycle. There is just something romantic and enduring about the design of this bike.

As spring nears, get out there on your bike. If you can’t ride to work, take it to the corner store. Or just cruise about your neighborhood. Its great exercise and better for the environment than your car.

Tubelor Trashcan

We all have trash and we all shop. My wife and I always try to bring reusable bags when we shop for groceries. We still some how end up with a never-ending supply of plastic bags. I guess it’s the little things we buy — the un-planned shopping excursions.

The Tubelor Trashcan is the perfect mate for your plastic bag collection. It’s a simple design that provides a small trashcan and a colorful cover. Simply place your plastic shoping bag in the can and use the cover to hide the unsightly edges and handles. It’s an easy way to recycle plastic bags. Six designer colors are available, so it will be easy to match your decore.

Small Space Radio

I love the radio. As I have mentioned before I spend far more time listening to the radio than I do watching television.

Two years ago I received a PogoProducts Radio Your Way LX as a Christmas present. I cannot think of any product that I use with more frequency, no pun intended. It’s a fantastic little radio. It gets great reception; it is very small and it’s easy to use. The size is comparable to an iPod, just a smidge thicker but a bit lighter. In addition to the radio, it also functions as an MP3 player with a slightly less innovative interface than an iPod. The MP3’s are stored on SD cards or internal memory.

By far the best feature of the Radio Your Way LX is its ability to record. It can be programmed to record any radio show to its internal memory or SD card. You just program and let it catch your favorite show for you. The Radio Your Way LX is also capable of recording from an external microphone. The recordings are directly encoded to MP3 at bit rates of up to 256 Kbps, making perfect for bootlegging concerts, not that we condone that sort of activity.

If you need a small radio that’s big on features, you will love the Radio Your Way. I use mine every day and I’ve not been disappointed yet.