You know what’s annoying about beach chairs? If you want to read on the beach, what do you do with your book or e-reader? Sure, you can prop the chair up and read, but what about if you want to lay down for some relaxing reading? You’re stuck with tired arms after holding the book up.

To the rescue comes the Ostrich 3-in-1 Patio Chaise Lounge Chair. It has a hole near the top (like a massage table) so that you can lie face down, put your book on the ground and read in comfort.

What do you think? Is this better living through design? Is this something you would find handy for summer? Let us know in the comments!

Image courtesy of Target.

The sink is an simple way to provide a bathroom with a focal point — especially a smaller bath where space is tight. Tthe Kitchen & Bath Show is going on this week, and there have been a lot of new and beautiful sinks in the blogosphere. We especially love this one that Bob Vila found. It’s a real stand-out, made with copper and designed to be seen! Made by Premier Copper Products, it is hand-forged from recycled copper. Gorgeous and green!

If you enjoy the outdoors and communing with nature, and if you’ve ever desired to expand your outside bathroom repotoire beyond camping trips, this might be just the toilet for you!

Architect Sou Fujimoto created this glass toilet stall to take advantage of the beautiful rural landscape in Ichihara City. For use only by women, the toilet stall is, well, interesting to say the least.

What do you think: Interesting architecture or wacky use of space?

Image courtesy of CNet

While perusing Twitter, we came across Nigel Maynard’s Tweet about these interesting hooks. As HomeIQ says, these “will either make you smile or freak you out.”

By artist Nick Davis, these bronze hands and feet are perfect for hanging coats, acting as 3D art and scaring your guests. What do you think? Would you want these in your hallway?

Images courtesy of HomeIQ. 

Are you looking for a multi-person seating alternative to the couch? Have a dream of “swimming” in cushions? Do you really love birds? Then this seating option might be for you!

The Giant Birdsnest by O*GE is “a prototype for new and inspiring socializing space, which can be seen as a morph of furniture and playground.” It looks like it could be used as an unusual sleeping space in addition to seating. Think of the great conversations you could have while in this nest!

Would you ever put something like this in your family room?

Image courtesy of O*GE

Copper and wood are two of nature’s most beautiful materials. Tamasine Osher has used copper piping, along with wood, to create some gorgeous industrial-chic pieces. It’s a very innovative use of a material that might otherwise have been used for scrap! What do you think?

Images courtesy of DigsDigs.

We’ve been taking some time recently to celebrate Marvin’s heritage, values and innovation. Innovation, craftsmanship and attention to detail are a part of every product Marvin makes, but those traits are perhaps most noticeably on display in the creations of Marvin Signature Products and Services.

If you have an ambitious idea that demands a custom solution, our Signature team can bring your vision to life. Marvin Signature Products and Services combines the capabilities of a national brand with the craftsmanship of a local millwork shop. Marvin Signature offers distinctive custom capabilities, personalized service and a solutions-driven approach to our work with new construction, renovation and historic restoration projects.

One favorite example is the round pivot window shown in the photo at right. This window is a creative, stylish solution for gables, cupolas and other challenging spaces. The sash pivots to allow fresh air to flow or can be removed for easy access to the exterior.

See for yourself some of the team’s awesome capabilities in our Signature photo gallery and case study collection.

If you’re going on a fall camping trip…to a lake…in the future, you might want to consider this cool little vehicle we saw on Treehugger. It’s called the Sealander and it’s a camper and boat in one.

Pull it behind your vehicle to the campsite (you can turn the back into a bed). If there’s water nearby, just switch it into a boat! It’s an all-in-one vacation funmobile! As Treehugger notes, it is unfortunately not cheap and won’t be available until at least next year. Would you consider this a wise investment for future vacations or would you rather just invest in a separate camper or boat?

Images courtesy of Treehugger.

Well, now! This definitely goes in the file of cool AND useful products. Check it out: a mini dishwasher that fits neatly into one side of your sink. It works with your sink’s plumbing and can wash up to five place settings at a time.

So what’s the problem? This product was discontinued by KitchenAid. While we’re sure they had good reason to do so, it does seem too bad: here is an easy way to fit a dishwasher into kitchens. People with older kitchens might appreciate not having to rip out cabinets to install a regular, larger dishwasher, and those with dishwashers might like an extra, smaller dishwasher for overflow. Plus, we would venture a guess that it uses less water than a traditional dishwasher.

Charles and Hudson (where we found this) wasn’t able to find out why it was discontinued, but they do note that at $1,800 it wasn’t very budget-friendly for such a small dishwasher. Maybe that is what killed it. Or maybe there were design flaws. Either way, it’s a great product concept that we wish we’d see more of!

Readers–what are some great home products that you loved and are no longer available? Let us know in the comments!

Image courtesy of Charles and Hudson