Design

Remember the James Bond movie Diamonds Are Forever? If you do, you’ll no doubt remember Willard Whyte’s mansion appearing in it. Of course, that was fiction, but the house certainly wasn’t. That house was the 1960s John Lautner-designed Elrod House in Palm Springs, California, USA, which has just gone up for sale.

It has changed little, on the face of it, in almost 50 years. However, that is probably down to past owner Ron Burkle, who updated the mechanics and restored the interior furnishings during his time on the house.

He isn’t the current owner. According to Curbed, quoting The Desert Sun, property investor Michael Kilroy is the owner of this house. He bought it off Burkle in 2003 for $5.5 million. However, due to financial difficulties which led to eventual bankruptcy, he has been forced to sell Elrod House before the end of 2016 to pay off his creditors.

If you want it, you will have to find something in the region of $8,000,000. Of course you can check out the house in the Bond movie — via WowHaus

Designer Louis Lim and Sawkill Lumber Co have created a two-person seat that is also a see-saw. The Rocking Pacman, as it is called, only works when two people are sitting on it and it’s also a little bit dangerous — via Curbed

The almost-three-month-old Clouded Leopard sisters, Aiya and Shigu, born 29 February at Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo, are developing by leaps and bounds.

At the end of April, the cubs were introduced to the Zoo’s main Clouded Leopard habitat to help keep them safe while they practice their new motor skills — via ZooBorns

Yes, this is the original 1930s design. But the giant outdoor 1227 lights byAnglepoise are much larger and more robust than those vintage lights.

They look amazing, that’s for sure. Take your pick of a giant sized wall light or a super-sized floor lamp, both with the classic articulated movement to focus the light where you want it and with made to withstand the elements for outdoor use.

Various colours to choose from, all of which will create both light and talking point in your garden or on the patio. Downside? Of course, they don’t come cheap. Both the floor lamp and the wall light will set you back £3,750 — via Retro to Go

The Louis B Frederick House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright dates back to 1958 and amazingly, has been in the possession of the same family since. The family obviously love it, as this place looks like it could be out of an interiors magazine from that original era.

Some changes have been made, including a new cedar roof. But overall this prairie-style property still has the architect’s name and style all over it.

The asking price is $795,000, which, as we said, works out at around £551k. Illinois has never sounded more appealing — via WowHaus

With a low-pitched flat roof, open plan interiors, and striking showcase of natural materials in numerous wood built-ins and locally-quarried stone walls, the Frank Lloyd Wright influences are clear in this 1978 home by architect David Uppgren, who is now practising in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Located on a private 4.3 acres in Chanhassen — famously home to late superstar Prince’s Paisley Park studios — the 2,488-square-foot home is further distinguished by its stunning 100-foot-long glass wall with 10-foot-tall French doors, triangular window details, and a lofted living space on the interior.

Last sold in 2000 for $360K, the three-bedroom home went through a number of updates under current owners. These changes include tearing down a wall to open up the kitchen to the living area, adding a custom angular eat-in table, cabinetry, modern appliances, and red concrete counter tops (which were also introduced in the bathroom.) The owners also created a walk-in wine storage room plus new landscaping with a Japanese garden and water feature. It’s on the market for $590,000 — via Curbed

When Spotless Architecture were designing this home in Brussels, Belgium, they decided to include additional storage hidden within the staircase — via CONTEMPORIST

Fallen Furniture is a studio in Bath, UK that takes old aircraft parts and turns them into luxurious pieces of furniture. This chair made from the cowling of a Boeing 737 engine is among them. Its polished aluminium cover brightens up a room. And despite the weight, it’s perfectly balanced, so it spins easily — via Neatorama

If you have money to spare, you could always point in the direction of this stunning Effeffe Berlinetta sports car. Amazingly, this isn’t a vintage car. The Berlinetta is described as a tribute to Italian GT car building half a century ago, bringing back both the looks, the mechanics and the production values of that era — via Retro to Go

Rocking horses, as a general rule, do not fit in very well with a more minimalist decor scheme, probably because they are big wooden horses that are designed for children to sit on. In fact, this rocking horse from Stockholm studio Front is the first minimalist rocking horse we’ve seen. It seems worth wondering whether the elegance of the piece might make it slightly less exciting for children, but honestly who knows what children like — via Curbed

What do you do when you’ve spent 10 years and over $3 million building your intensely customised African Queen home in Springfield, Missouri, listed it yourself for $15 million, and nobody bites? If you’re Porsche dealer Michael Willhoit, who has somehow found himself in this exact situation, you put it up on eBay, still asking $15 million — via Curbed

There’s little point in hot-rodding a Ural for speed, and the aesthetics are on-point from the start. But Queensland man Peter Adams has built a Ural we couldn’t resist showing. It’s designed to transport his Boxer dog Argo and a surfboard — via Bike EXIF

This Robert Lewis designed Palm Springs house has one of the best (and briefest) back stories we’ve ever heard: It was constructed in 1965 and later purchased by Jack Stephan, known as the plumber to the stars, who redecorated the place himself. It is now known as Stephan’s Folly, for reasons that are probably obvious. For reasons that are less obvious (but still marvellous), it has not been updated since. It is now on the market for $899,000 — via Curbed