Father’s Day is Sunday June 16. Are you ready? We’re here to help! Scope out our Dynamite Gifts for Design-Dude Dads section to find the perfect gift for Pops. As a bonus, we’ll have a Memorial Day Sale going on starting today. Do your Father’s Day shopping this weekend and save 15% on your purchase! Simply use coupon code TIMETOGRILL when you make your purchase

For the Joey and Chandler-ish Dad:RS Barcelona Foosball table

For the iPad-Loving Dad:

Sons of Trade Index iPad Sleeve

For GQ Dad:

Braun Men’s Analog Watch

For Funny Dad (this one should probably come from his wife):

Twig Terrarium Boobies!!!

For Audiophile Dad:

Parrot by Starck Zickmu Speaker System

None of these float your Dad’s boat? Check out the wide range of gifts we have for every budget here.

One of the most popular elements Americans are demanding for their homes today harken back to our agricultural roots – barn doors on tracks.

THE BARN DOOR LOOK:

photo via Tineke Triggs

These doors add architectural interest to minimalist rooms, rustic style to cabins and can stand up to the scale of large rooms.

They are also a great way to add character to a pantry or hidden office niche in a kitchen or hallway:

via kitchenlab.com

One tip savvy Do-It-Yourselfers and builders have let me in on is to buy the track hardware from a local farming supply company rather than the ones marketed to homeowners online – you’ll save hundreds of dollars. The track is another design element to consider – options include finishes from metallic to blackened and design details.

TWEAKING THE ELEMENT OF BARN DOORS

picture by Kelly Motschanbacher of The Polished Pebble

You can also use the track hardware to hang other kinds of doors. Interior designer and blogger Kelley Motschenbacher used vintage doors from old changing rooms on tracks as unique doors in this home full of reclaimed items.

via Reclaimed Lumber Products

You can also scour architectural salvage spots for reclaimed original barn doors, or have the doors crafted from reclaimed wood. If you do a quick search of “reclaimed wood carpenter” and your city it’s pretty easy to find someone to make them for you.

image via Clark and Zook Architects

Of course on the flip side, simpler lines and a bold color can give the rustic element of a barn door a more modern look, like this bright laundry room door.

photo via Elle Decor

New traditionalist Darryl Carter has taken the track door to a whole now level with this antique patinaed piece covering a closet niche.

One thing to note: While much like a pocket door these doors eliminate the need for swing clearance, you will need to keep the adjacent wall space empty to allow the door to slide over.

Have you added a barn door to your home? Please share any tips or a link to a picture of it in the Comments below!

Please welcome to architect, interior designer and blogger Elisabetta Rizzato, who will be taking us on a trip to her hometown of Venice, Italy, where we’ll stop by some of her favorite haunts to check out contemporary Ventian style.

In the eyes of a careless observer, the city of Venice might seem like a place that has remained unchanged over the centuries: waterways, streets (“calli”), ancient buildings, everything seems to be indifferent to the passage of time.

But there are many examples of how Venice shows its link with contemporary times: In new architectures, places, commercial activities, art, design and in the people who live and study there. In particular, I would like to talk about some shops in Venice that either demonstrate modernity while maintaining continuity with the past or that have a clear break with the past.

The first category includes numerous examples of how old products or new interpretations of old forms are reproduced and sold in our times; one of the most interesting examples is certainly Venetia Studium, whose main store is located a few steps from San Marco square. Venetia Studium speaks the ancient language of elegance and good taste – rich fabrics, high craftsmanship and attention to detail are the characteristics of the products sold in the store, with a wide range of home furnishings and clothing accessories .

The store also contains the famous Fortuny lamp. A timeless design object, it’s a floor lamp that turned 100 years old in 2007. It was designed by Marià Fortuny Madrazo, also known by the name Mariano Fortuny (Granada, May 11, 1871 – Venice, May 3, 1949), a Spanish painter, designer and set designer. The lamp is considered as one of the most interesting products in the history of industrial design and it has revolutionized the world of lighting, thanks to the special lighting effect it produces – the bulb is turned inward and is projected on a fabric used for reflection. More than a lamp it is a great light projector, which in its dynamic lines evokes a confidence in the future and modernity that make it contemporary.

I stumbled by chance in an upcoming opening of the new store, located on a street side to the Peggy Guggenheim museum:

A shop that always attracts my attention for its clean cut from the past is called Fiorella Gallery and is located at the corner of Campo Santo Stefano, a short walk from the Accademia Bridge. From its windows you can perceive the huge contrast with the surrounding environment: – bright colors, neon and works of irreverent art appear from the traditional architectures of plaster and brick of the field.

Inside, there are unique pieces from contemporary artists and irreverent designers, including works by Gaetano Pesce, Ettore Sottsass, Rod Dudley, Still and works of the owner, Fiorella Mancini. The store has been around since the 1960s and has a very interesting history.

To see more of Elisabetta’s beautiful inspirations and learn more about her work, be sure to visit er interior design.

We are so proud that we offer Saarinen Dining Tables from Knoll. They are a mid-century modern classic designed by Eero Saarinen to help “clear up the slum of legs,” both table and chair. Pedestal bases reduce the number of legs from four to one, and both the tables and chairs have come to be known more commonly as tulip tables and tulip chairs.

Available with marble, laminate, granite, wood veneers and more, the tables come in several sizes. The greatest thing about these tables is that they fit in everywhere, from serving as the main dining table in the center of an elegant dining room to a small kitchen table in a colorful eat-in kitchen. The table is a classic mid-century modern piece that does not go out of style.

A nod to Sputnik. This retro-inspired room by Kristen Grove is definitely mid-century modern inspired, but has a fresh look with its lovely floors and updated takes on .

Clean organic contemporary. Croma Design mixes pedestal and legs, marble and wood with a backdrop of grasscloth in this harmonious contemporary dining space.
A mix of old and new. A wide age-range of furnishings within traditional architecture creates quite the combination. The table fits nicely into a modest-sized corner, and in this case, plays off the curves of the classic Cherner chairs and Patricia Urquoila Caboche light. (via Remodelista, photograph by Photography Lisa Duncan and Wayne Miller)

Paired with its old friends, the Eames and Mr. Nelson. This room has a warm yet somewhat minimal vibe, combining several mid-century classics in including Eames chairs and a Nelson Ball Pendant Light. The sideboard, pewter pieces and artwork warm it up and infuse it with the owners’ personalities, thus keeping it from looking like a catalog shot. (via Plastolux, photograph by Chris Nguyen)

Partying it up with bentwood chairs. A Saarinen table paried with fanciful bentwood chairs makes for an yummy eat-in kitchen table, slum of legs be damned!

Shop all Saarinen tables