contemporary

I hope you’re enjoying the June issue of Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles, one that we dedicated to exceptional examples of global and modern style. Couple that with all the modern fanfare to be found at Modern Atlanta 2010 earlier in the month, and you can guarantee that modern furnishings and decorative objects have been capturing my attention more than ever. I thought I’d share a few of the cool modern pieces that have come my way. Which are your favorites?

Stone Forest‘s new Siena bathroom collection—available in Atlanta exclusively at PDI Plumbing—includes the fabulously curvy Adagia chaise lounge in Siena silver-grey marble. The literature on this collection suggests keeping it in the bathroom to take your daily rituals to another level, but I think it would be just as amazing in an outdoor setting, perhaps surrounded by overgrown container gardens.

Manutti is a manufacturer of incredibly chic, contemporary outdoor furnishings, available locally in Atlanta through Walters Wicker. Though the company’s appropriately titled “Atlanta” collection is gorgeous in its own right, I also love how elements of the new Zendo modular collection can be configured for the ultimate lounging experience—including a makeshift outdoor bed for lounging all day in the sun.

I’ve been eyeing the Porro Synapse dining table by Jean Marie Massaud, available in Atlanta at the Domus International showroom, for a while. It’s a fantastic combination of sleek steel and an almost organic motif. It would make a great oversize desk, as well! Just think about the possibilities of a desk chair to go with it.

A collaboration between McLaughlin Collection—a maker of fine acrylic furniture—and photographer Richard Bettinger, these new C. Tables have a sleek, versatile shape and inset panels featuring Bettinger’s light photography. They’re available in black and white Lucite and a variety of accompanying images. Bettinger’s “Light Speed” photograph, set on a black table, is pictured above. Available locally at Smith Grubbs & Associates.

Tracy Glover, a Rhode Island-based glass artisan, designs these fantastic mouth-blown glass lamps. She offers an expansive inventory but can also make them custom in any color and a variety of shapes. Lampshade fabric and color—as well as metal hardware and more—are also customizable. These sort of remind me of a less expensive, more contemporary version of the Venetian Murano glass lamps of the mid-century. You can pick up these beauties locally through Cantoni for around $925.

I recently happened upon these stunning Harman/Kardon computer speakers, which look like chunky, sparkling cut crystal. They’re actually made from bulletproof glass, which is a cool enough selling point in itself. For audiophiles, the sound quality is a dream. For design enthusiasts, they’re beyond glamorous—more than you’d ever expect from an everyday electronic. Order a pair of them—with woofer—through the Apple Store or at store.apple.com/us for $1000.