People, we’re having a sale on all things Vitra for the next week (through Oct. 18, 2012). In honor of that, let’s take a look at some of Vitra’s iconic products.

Vitra produces George Nelson’s mid-century modern clock designs. This is the Sunburst Clock, but there is a slew of diverse designs to choose from.

These are Panton Chairs, also known as “S Chairs” – designed by Vernor Panton back in the sixties. They come in lots of yummy colors. If you’ve been waiting to pull the trigger on some of these, do it this week while you can save 15%.

In addition to the cutest product shot ever, we have the Eames Elephant. The prototype was designed by Charles and Ray Eames back in 1945, and was rendered in plywood. Vitra actually put it into production over 60 years later, this time in polypropylene.

This is Jasper Morrison’s Cork Stool. There are three different shapes to choose from. I like them because they are so versatile – you can tuck them underneath a console table as extra seating in a tight space, use them to hold a table lamp and cocktails as a side table, or just enjoy them as sculpture.

Sori Yanagi’s designed this Butterfly Stool in 1954. I feel calmer just looking at it.

This is a thick composition of Vitra’s Algue. These are plastic pieces that snap together to form anything from small sculptural wall hangings to thick, vine-like screens.

Finally, take a virtual visit to Vitra’s campus in Weil am Rhein, Germany. My favorite building is Vitrahaus and Lounge Chair Atelier by Herzog & de Meuron, which received a ton of buzz when it first went up back in 2010.

The Robin Crib by Oeuf is one of those white whales of the furniture world – hunting down a discount is about as difficult as hunting Moby Dick. However, there is a rare opportunity happening right now; this fabulously modern, sustainable crib is on sale for $499 in the birch/white and espresso/white options. If you’ve been hemming and hawing over which crib to buy, stop it and start clicking “add to cart” right now!

Well, take a few minutes; I understand, this is a big lifetime purchase for you! Here are some compelling reasons to choose this bed:

1. Space in a nursery is very tight; you need all the space-saving help you can get. The Robin Crib is set up so that the Robin Changing Station (sold separately) will fit right on top of it.

2. Your babe will only need a crib for so long, why invest hundreds of dollars in something you may only use for two or three years? Oeuf knows this, so they’ve designed the crib to grow with you. It converts  into your child’s first big-boy or big-girl bed!

This conversion capability is not only sustainable for the environment, but sustainable for your budget!

3. Oops, did I mention safety yet? The Robin Crib meets and exceeds all European, Canadian, Australian and US safety standards. Also, the low height makes it easy to lift child in and out; the mattress height can be adjusted to three positions.

4. Finally, and most superficially, this crib is gorgeous. It has clean and modern lines and it is sleek yet warm. It’s the perfect crib for discerning parents who prefer contemporary style.

Convinced? Hop on over to the sale and pick one up today! The sale will only go on while supplies last!

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!

Read the rest of this entry »

This is my favorite product shot of the day. I’ve always been a sucker for for rainbows, and this shot makes me wish I had an excuse to order one chair in each color. They’d be great at a desk for kids or grown ups, they’d be super cute around a modern dining room or kitchen table, and they also make great extra side chairs. Without further ado, here are the Move Plastic Back and Seat Task Chairs:

Have you been considering a Steelcase purchase for awhile? Perhaps you have an entire office to outfit. If so, do it this week. Why? Tomorrow, Tuesday April 17 through April 23, we’re offering the following discounts on all Steelcase products. Just use the corresponding coupon codes at checkout:

• Spend over $2500 and save 5% – use coupon code steelcase5

• Spend over $5000 and save 10% – use coupon code steelcase10

• Spend over $10,000 and save 15% – use coupon code steelcase15

By the way, you may be familiar with the classic look of Steelcase, but you may not now about some of their new products, like these cool little Details Pisa Task Lamps:

Or this cutie Turnstone Scoop Side Chair, which comes in a wide range of colors. It also comes in counter stool size:

I love the Turnstone Paper Top Table, as “permission to scribble” is very clearly implied!

For those of you outfitting the office, the Steelcase Turnstone Groupwork Mobile Screen is a great addition to any office space. It’s versatile, it doesn’t involve chalk or worse than that, Power Point presentations, and it can be tucked away when you’re done with it.

So, what are you waiting for? Start clicking and pick out your Steelcase!

Take a look around your bathroom. What’s holding up your toothbrush? Lately I’ve found that all the fat-handled toothbrushes I buy don’t fit into those traditional toothbrush holder holes anymore, and mine tends to sit sadly over the sink. A cup tends to get a weird cement-like mixture of water and toothpaste in the bottom, turning it into yuckola.

However, all that can change. The Viktor Toothbrush Holder by Kontextür makes a great gift and will add some shine to your bathroom. We are holding a flash sale for the next four days (that’s December 12-16) for 35% off all Viktor Toothbrush Holders. These come in a set of three fun shapes, and you can choose from 18K gold, real silver…

…or black nickel. They also can hold your razors the same way!

To celebrate our fun sale, we’re also giving away two other awesome Kontextür products – one lucky reader will win a Kontextür Rubber Duck (a new twist on a classic!)…

and another will win one of these chic and modern Kontextür Tissue Boxes!

So, you’re asking yourself – what do I have to do to enter this contest?  Well, here is how you can win!

Mandatory Entry

• Leave a comment telling us why you’d like to win.  Maybe you like design.  Maybe you have a kiddo that would love the duck.  Whatever it may be – we want to hear it!

Bonus Entries (1 entry each)

• Head over and like the Kontextür Facebook Page.  Leave a new comment letting us know.
• Head on over and like Design Public’s Facebook Page.  Leave a new comment letting us know.
• Like any 3 of the posts on Design Public’s Facebook Page. Leave a new comment letting us know.
• Pin any of our items to Pinterest.  Leave a new comment with your Pinterest username letting us know.
• Follow us on Pinterest.  Leave a new comment with your Pinterest username letting us know.
• Follow us on Twitter.  Leave a new comment with your Twitter handle letting us know.

Legal disclaimer:  Thanks for entering!  This contest ends at 11:59 pm PST on December 16, 2011.  A winner will be chosen at random using random.org.  No purchase necessary to enter or win.  Please enter a valid email address at time of entry so that we may contact you if you win.  Winner has 72 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.