Let’s be honest here for a moment.  As a modern-design fiend I personally spend a lot of my “down” time on the internet, googling what essentially equates to tons of pretty pictures of awesome modern architecture and design.  When I find something super cool – I love to share it with our team here at Design Public so that we can all oooh and aaahh over it  together.

So recently when we had the opportunity to partner with the folks at Modern Home Tours we knew, based on our history of fawning over well-designed things and our commitment to sharing those things with you, that we simply had to do it.  So we did – and we’re proud to announce that our first tour as a sponsor is happening this weekend in Denver, Colorado.

The photos in this post are actual photos from some of the 8 homes that will be on display this Saturday, June 2nd.  If you’re in the Denver area, you should be sure to go and check it out.  The self-guided driving tour features 8 homes, all of which will open their doors for 6 hours – from 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM on Saturday, June 2, for viewing.

Wanna save a bit of moola?  As a friend of ours, you get 5 smackeroos off of the price of each Denver Modern Home Tours ticket – just use code DESIGNPUBLIC at checkout!

And ooh – are you in the Denver area?  We have 3 pairs of tickets to give away to a commenter here on Hatch.  Leave a comment and make sure you leave an email address for us to reach you – we promise not to spam you.   You must comment by 2 pm PST on Thursday, May 31st to be eligible.  We will choose a winner at random.  Good luck!

Hurray!  Winter is well on its way out the door and not only is spring totally here, but I see hints of summer popping up all over!  To me, everything good that I associate with the summer happens outdoors - barbecues with family, kids in the swimming pool, and sitting around the fire pit sipping a margarita with friends and watching the sunset.

In celebration of summer, we have teamed up with our friends at Offi to offer a huge Outdoors with Offi Sale – meaning all of their awesome outdoor products are on sale for 20% off!  From today, 5/22 through Tuesday, 5/29 you can snatch up the Mod Lounger, Tote Table, Martini Table, Tiki Stool, Conic Pot, Hugo Pot, and Teenager Chair all for 20% off!

To celebrate, we thought it might be nice to reward one of our customers with their very own Offi Mod Lounger.  This chair is so cool – big enough for an adult and a child, or two kids – it is perfect for indoor or outdoor use.  The sleek design makes it very comfortable but yet it will definitely be the focal point of all of your summer gatherings – it just looks so chic!  It comes in 6 different colors (you can see the options below) and is made of #4 recyclable plastic.

We are so excited to give one away – you choose the color!  You can enter using the widget below – but hurry, you only have a week to enter!  The more you share, the more chances you have to win!  Also, don’t let this stop you from purchasing your Mod Lounger using the discount – it saves you $100 off the regular price.  If you purchase, you’ll receive an additional entry into the contest and if you win, we will actually refund your money – so buy with confidence!

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dads often (usually) get the shaft when it comes to baby products.  Almost all products seem to be made with women in mind – as if we will be the only ones carrying them or taking care of the baby.  The reality is that now more than ever we are seeing dad play an equal role in raising his kids – which is great.  But because of that fact, we often see dads at the playground, in the mall, and in the preschool pick up line that look a bit like this…

C’mon.  That’s just cruel – and the sad thing is you know you’ve seen it.  Of course, it takes a very secure man to pull this off, but the fact remains that he shouldn’t have to pull it off – it’s about time that we have amazing diaper bags available that appeal to dad just as much as mom.

That’s where Petunia Pickle Bottom comes in.  They might have a cute name that appeals to mom, but their awesome line of Scout Bags and baby carriers will most definitely appeal to the men in your life, and would make an amazing gift for Father’s Day.

Pictured here is the Scout Satellite Sling, one of the many “manly” options available as a gift for the new dad in your life.  To celebrate Father’s all around the United States, Petunia Pickle Bottom and Design Public are teaming up to bring you 3 weeks of Father’s Day giveaways, beginning today with the Scout Satellite Sling!  Would you like to win this amazing bag?  Great – enter using the widget below and we will announce the winner on Monday, May 28th!  If you don’t win this week be sure to stay tuned – we are giving away a Scout Walkabout Baby Carrier next week, and the Scout Nomad Knapsack the week after that – so you have lots of chances to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

With Spring in full swing and all of us looking forward to summer, I thought now would be an ideal time to daydream about floating our cares away in some of the most amazing modern pools that the world has to offer.  I definitely have pool envy after seeing all of these – how about you?

The Shaw House

I can imagine relaxing after a long day at The Shaw house, located in Vancouver, Canada, on a narrow slice of waterfront property on English Bay. The house affords amazing views of the mountains as well as the city itself. The lap pool, shown below, is located above the bedroom, study, and music room and stretches along the entire west side of the home.

Photo credit:  top © Paul Warchol, Undine Prohl and bottom, © Benjamin Benschneider,

Villa Midgård

I’m sure I’d be more than at home at Villa Midgård in Stockholm, Sweden.  Finished in 2011, the incredible 3-story home includes an infinity pool that is made from dark concrete to match the lush green surroundings.  Walk downstairs and you’ll get a surprise – the pool also features an aquarium-like bonus!  Human goldfish for the win!

Photo credit:  © ÅkeE:sonLindman

Les Bains des Docks

Can you imagine if your public pool looked like this?  If you’re a resident of In La Havre, France, it actually does.  The notoriously gritty area has been undergoing a revitalization process in the last few years, especially in the area surrounding the city’s docks – and Les Bains des Docks, a $29 million dollar project, is a part of those efforts.  Designed by architect Jean Nouvel, Les Bains offers it’s swimmers the options of recreational pools, an aqueous spa, and dry cardio-fitness areas.  I was only going to include a few pictures, but I couldn’t resist including the only pop of color in the entire building – the children’s play area.

Did this leave you wanting to refresh your own outdoor area?  Check out all of the amazing modern design that we have that is suited to creating the perfect outdoor space for entertaining, or simply for you to enjoy!

Photo credit © Roland Halbe

If you’re not already familiar with the amazing modern bedding from our friends at Area, then you should remedy that, pronto.  Area is a small independent company that creates products for the modern life.  They have an incredible line of furniture and bedding that is based on the modern Scandinavian concept of good design for everyday living.  Area started as a collection of screen-printed cotton duvet covers and has expanded immensely since their inception in 1990, and now they make a wide variety of products such as organic cotton sheets, linen duvets, and blankets made in baby alpaca.

I was able to speak with Area’s designer, Anki Spets, on the phone about a month ago and was struck by her dedication to a product that encompasses beauty, simplicity, modernity and practicality in design. Her talent for imbuing her products with both refined design sensibility and a human touch is what makes each collection truly distinctive.

Anki and I spoke about the most important place in the home – your bedroom.  A bedroom should feel comfortable and peaceful, and your bed is the place where that comfort begins.  I was recently researching Feng Shui for the bedroom and stumbled across an article which states “a ‘good looking’ and well-balanced bed is very important in creating a perfect feng shui bedroom. A good mattress, solid headboard and high quality sheets from natural fibers are also very important in creating harmonious feng shui energy.”

What does your bedroom, and namely your bed, look like?  Are you creating a peaceful environment for your mind and body to rest and recharge or do you have a mish-mash of bedding products that just make you look, well, confused?

Area wants to help you by offering one of our very lucky readers the chance to do a little spring cleaning in their bedroom, and give their bed a complete makeover. The winner of our giveaway will receive the following from Area - 1 fitted sheet, 1 flat sheet, 1 duvet cover, 1 blanket, 2  pillow cases, and 1 body pillow with insert.  That’s a value of over $1,000.

To celebrate, we’re also offering 15% off of Area’s new EDITH & SWEA lines which are both gorgeous and decadent.  Also, don’t let the giveaway stop you from purchasing something – if you win the contest and you’ve purchased the bedding, we will fully refund your money – so make sure you snatch it up now while it’s on sale!

Ready to enter – we have lots of ways to win!  See the entry form below — good luck!

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