Modern Art(?) Clocks

Karen Krieger's patinated aluminum garden clocks (Guild.com, $175 each)


Giardini's BAC steel and copper clock (Guild.com, $180) and Skoj tempered glass clock (IKEA, $4.99, 6", or $6.99, 11" version)

Thomas Mann's Rabbit clock depicting the Tortise and the Hare (Guild.com, $425)



Pendulum clocks that uses space as much as shape (Wrapables, $39.95, Guild.com, $278) and Yee-Ling Wan's ghost carriage clock in acrylic, which suggests the past (MOMA Store, $125)

Tix LED Clock (ThinkGeek, $49.99). The time displayed--which you read by counting the number of illuminated spots in each set--is 12:34.

Open Edition fragmented LED by Jonas Damon (MossOnline, $85)

T-Clock Shirt, for portable punctuality (ThinkGeek, $39.99)

So Jealous

Dallas has some film and TV scene of its own (Prison Break most notably, and Walker, Texas Ranger among others), but nothing to rival New York and Los Angeles. With filming comes sets, and with sets comes set dressing. And when the filming is done, the stuff's got to go somewhere! In New York, Props for Today is the outlet and sadly we're over 1,500 miles away from what's probably a superb warehouse clearance sale. Pieces on the block include chairs from The Devil Wears Prada, The Good Shepherd, The Sopranos, and Saturday Night Live. They will also have a selection of brand new items from top designers including coffee tables, mirrors, and standing candelabras. Floor samples include daybeds, chaise lounges and sectionals for up to 75% off retail.

While I grumble about missing out on modern, star-touched pieces, I'll have to console myself on the local warehouse options: Ligne Roset, Jan Showers, and Scott and Cooner are still good for a time-to-time fix.

Industrial Strength Home

Joel Hester is a metal craftsman in Deep Ellum who makes some fabulous custom steel beds, perfect for an open-plan, downtown loft vibe, ready for even the most fitful toss-n-turning. He's also made end tables, side tables, rolling loft doors, and several custom pieces based on client requests.

Check out his Craigslist posting for some more examples of his work, or catch his work on Display at the Fort Worth Main Street Arts Festival in April.

Titanic table lamp

The hidenpeek bed designed for Viable London by Gala Wright has a steel frame and a cascading curtain of aluminum ball chain. Other pieces by Wright include a captivating set of occasional tables called Mekong. The Mekong cube table/lamp is opaque mirror when off, then reveals a glowing sphere when turned on. A companion coffee table has the same effect.



The Titanic lamp, from Charles Trevelyan, Wright's partner in the design group, is laquered wood and steel with a white cotton shade. And a ton of wit.
More pieces from Viable are collected in the Design Museum.

Can pool tables be modern?

Just the idea of a pool table brings to my mind a smoky bar with low-hanging, green-shaded lamps and a solid wood-and-slate possibly coil-operated behemoth. Not very modern, is it? Even large, recently-built billiards establishments can't get far away from the stereotype, and most homes that have a bonus room packed with billiard and air-hockey equipment likely don't have much more that the builder's standard overhead fixtures.

There are, however, some more contemporary options for those who take their aesthetics as seriously as their carom shots. Brunswick's Manhattan table ($15,750) has a slick stainless steel base and a slate top. If you look around with a creative eye, you'll find other modernist selections, but one of the most dramatic is the Olhausen Waterfall ($8600). The curvaceous maple-finished table is more than just a gaming surface. Paired with a contemporary pendant fixture, the modern statement will be unmistakable.