Since its creation in 1972 by designer Peter Opsvik, The Tripp Trapp chair has been a dinner table icon.  At the time there were few options for children’s seating at the table, and none that would last as long or adapt as well with your child as they grow.   In fact there are few now that can.   Conceived after watching his child struggle to find a comfortable position at the table , Peter Opsvik’s design creates a fully customizable, yet amazingly simple solution.   Originally the chair provided only an adjustable seat and foot rest. While this was enough to accommodate toddlers through adults, the chair did not suit children much smaller than toddlers.   Since then many accessories and attachments have been added (baby set, table top, cushions, and a five-point harness) making the chair useful for any person six months to adult and up to 300 lbs.

continue reading this post…

This week’s review is a simple and inexpensive solution for sorting recycling.  This set of four Recycling Bags from Design Within Reach are made of industrial-strength tarpaulin, a plastic-coated heavy duty fabric.   That means they are weather proof, and can be easily washed out with a hose, are lightweight, and can fold up for storage.  The color coded bags make it easy for small children to help sort recycling (something my daughter loves to do).  The printed labels are interchangeable, so you can use them where you want or not at all.   The fourth bad can either be used for excess material, or as a compost holder.    Attached handles make the bags easy to handle, and Velcro tabs hold them all together when used in a row.

Pros:  Lightweight, easy to carry clean and store, the tarpaulin material is reasonably durable, and at the $30.00 USD price might be one of DWR’s most useful and economical products out there!

Cons:  Tarpaulins are durable, but they can still rip and tear.  Be careful with sharp edges and pointy sticks.

Via Design Within Reach

Designed by Lisa Norinder, the Nisse Folding Chair is one of Ikea’s cheapest chairs.   I have a soft spot in my heart for objects designed with the intention of being mass produced and inexpensive, and the Nisse meets both requirements.
continue reading this post…

The Coatrack Dots by Tveit & Tornøe for the Nordic design studio Muuto are a wonderful combination of form and function. The set contains one large, one medium, and three small hooks, available at DWR.   
continue reading this post…

Though Emeco found early success with their original 1006 Navy Chair, the Pennsylvania-based company almost had to shut its doors for good in the late 1990′s.   The 1006 was a solid chair, built from 80 percent recycled aluminum, and designed to Navy standards (one standard was that it could fit through the doors in a submarine).   Even with the US Navy as its primary customer, Emeco was still facing near disaster.  It was literally on the way to shutter the factory that owner Gregg Buchbinder realized two renown Architects, Frank Gehry and Norman Foster, had been ordering chairs directly from the factory.  That realization changed both their product line and marketing strategy, breathing new life into the dying company.   Now a decade and a half later they are going strong, with the 111 Chair as the newest member in their line of iconic designs.
continue reading this post…

The first year is almost over and it has flown by!  Thank you all for the encouragement  through your comments and emails!  Things slowed down around here with the holiday break, but that gave me a chance to fix some basic function issues, do a little reformatting, and get set for the new year.  I am really excited for the upcoming year, and what it means for Practically Modern!  The new three day schedule should add some consistency, and help people remember the days they like to check PM for a certain type of post.  Mondays will cover homes and interiors, Wednesday we will review a product or design, and Friday will be pretty much whatever we want it to be (products, ideas, featured designers, DIY, etc).  There will be more guest entries/reviews in the upcoming year, as well as DIY posts which will be fun!   Thanks again for the support, and of course for your comments.  Keep emailing, I love to hear from you, and happy holidays!