Here’s the latest from London-based editor and resident zoologist, Justine Aw!

It’s also a great week for design here in London with Clerkenwell Design Week just around the corner and the first ever May Design Series in London. I headed down to ExCel this morning for the first morning of the May Design Series, which brings together kbb LDN, The ARC Show, INTERIORS LDN and DX all under one roof. Some of our show highlights on the next page!

TO PAGE 2 of "Highlights from London's May Design Series"! ----->

On amazing projects at ICFF this year, i’m smitten by metaproject 03 - between RIT School of Design and Areaware. As they describe, “Each student will be required to explore the properties of wood and its use as a primary material in object construction. They will be required to research examples of cuturally specific historical and contemporary toys and to define the meaning of Universal Toy. Ultimately each student will select and research a specific object typology in the domestic sphere and a specific cultural / situational context and respond with an inventive proposal that explores the meaning and notion of how toys integrate into contemporary cultures and lifestyles.” It was hard to ignore the pull of the MANY playful/modern wooden toys on pedestals in the center of the floor… the students did an incredible job bringing the “universal toy” motif to life, and i hope some of them have the chance to become real products! Take a peek at some of my favorites on the next page.

TO PAGE 2 of "TOYS! Metaproject 03 - RIT/Areaware"! ----->

Wow what a day ~ it’s nearly 4:30 in the morning, and i really ought to sleep before ICFF in a few hours… but i wanted to share the fun at Wanted Design with you before i got a quick nap in… i’ll fill in more about what’s what later, but take a peek at the things that jumped out and inspired me so far on the next page!

TO PAGE 2 of "Wanted Design 2013"! ----->

Shawn and i keep falling for the Verso Shelf by Mikko Halonen for One Nordic Furniture Company everywhere we go (well, so far at Home In The Woods and WantedDesign)… It is a beautiful ladder-esque bookshelf that allows you to showcase your books both spine out, or cover first with the addition of simple shelves that slip on. It comes in two widths (one that looks more ladder like, and the other more bookshelf like) an three finishes (black, white, natural). It was the winning design in a competition for a series of classic pocket books at a local publishing company. Apparently it can also be used for clothes, accessories… anything really! Though i’m not sure whether you can actually climb it as a ladder… Really the nicest detail in its simplicity is that the rails alternate sides, giving it a lovely side profile, and creating the perfect depth for your books to lean. Take a peek at all the details on the next page!

TO PAGE 2 of "Verso Shelf - One Nordic Furniture Co."! ----->

Some lights just pull you in, and you can’t help but to peek inside them! Loïc Bard’s Capside Lamps do just that… their faceted woody shell and colorful rope cord are hard to ignore, but when you get glimpses of the bright colors within, you have to peek inside! And as an added bonus (for those who love the details) the inner frame looks like CNC milled wood holding on to the subtly beveled facets… And they can be suspended like pendant lamps, or placed as on one of their many sides for directional, ambient lighting. Take a peek at the stunning lamps on the next page!

TO PAGE 2 of "Loïc Bard Capside Lamps"! ----->

We’ve been curious about the Museum of Math since we first heard it was in the works last year and opened Dec 2012, so we had to check it out while in NYC… as designers with a love of math (particularly as it applies to geometry, design, patterns, puzzles, and more), Shawn and I have been excited to see how the MoMath brought these concepts to life with interactive installations for kids! And as most of you know, my rule on NOTCOT has always been to share the things i LOVE that inspire me! But, as much as i hate breaking my own rule… we are SO disappointed! Sadly, the Yelp reviewers are right ~ It has SO much potential, but unfortunately i wouldn’t recommend it… yet? It’s been open nearly 6 months now and the majority of the interactive exhibits in the spacious two levels are either not functioning, impressively unintuitive, or have taken quite the beating and don’t feel like you’re visiting a brand new museum. (But i must say the docent we ran into upstairs was trying his best, and had great enthusiasm and knowledge even when explaining how exhibits would work… were they functioning.) While it does have a 3D printer, laser cutter, badges that are supposed to sync with various exhibits to send you your creations later, an interactive floor, fractal video cameras to interact with, interactive kinect driven projections, and other digital setups, in the end the analog exhibits are more engaging. Ultimately the bike above is probably the most fun of all the working exhibits (but don’t forget to wear closed toe shoes, which i learned the hard way)… but that isn’t worth the price of admission.

All of that being said ~ working or not, i took a bunch of pics for those as curious and excited as we were that haven’t been yet to get a peek inside the MoMath. And i’m not giving up hope on it, i just hoped for so much more? Take a peek on the next page…

TO PAGE 2 of "Museum of Math, NYC"! ----->

More inspiration spotted at Home In The Woods NYC exhibition (which you can see our coverage of here), beautifully simple wood and leather stools and table of Lith Lith Lundin, which is a furniture company from Torsåker, Sweden consisting of Erik Lith, Martin Lith and Hannes Lundin. It’s great to hear that in addition to creating objects to last through generations, their about page states, “At the moment we are hard at work building our own furniture factory in an old sawmill in the village. We hope to gain permissionform the Swedish authorities to produce our own electricity to power our production, which we will achieve through restoring the mill’s old hydroelectric power generator.” The current collection consists of the Dome table, triangular Glimm stool, and square Seven stool. These pieces can be packed down as well as assembled easily without glue, nails, etc. It’s lovely the way the tension of the leather straps strengthens the stools and table both literally and visually. Take a peek at the details on the next page!

TO PAGE 2 of "Lith Lith Lundin Stools + Table"! ----->

Spotted at Home In The Woods NYC exhibition (which you can see our coverage of here), here’s My Precious Companion by Lilian de Souza and Martin Altwegg of Nooktu is a stacking pear wood and leather set of containers created to store your precious treasures. The stack is reminiscent of asian bamboo steamers, and the designs of the inserts are stunning. Take a peek at the details and making of on the next page!

TO PAGE 2 of "My Precious Companion by Nooktu"! ----->

Kicking off NY Design Week ~ the Home In The Woods NYC: from Swedish Modern to New Nordic exhibition created by Maria Larsson is beautiful! They describe it as “a story that shows sustainable craftsmanship through innovative historical and contemporary creations. Exploring the artistic boundary with nature as a material and inspiration.” The pieces are displayed in eight curated chapters: luft [air], eld [fire], kol [cox], glöd [glow], jord [soil], aska [ashes], grönska [growth], and vatten [water]. Each chapter is a mix of fashion, art, objects, and more, and each day will have a specific topic for their ‘daily talks’ and the sequences highlighting the sections will be launched day by day on their website and through their social media. Take a peek at some of my favorite pieces from the exhibition on the next page!

TO PAGE 2 of "Home In The Woods NYC"! ----->

Here’s a peek at some of this week’s delectable inspiration from Tasteologie and Liqurious! To explore the deliciousness, click the pictures!

Explorations in 3D printing + growing wearable = Xuedi Chen’s Invasive Growth! We’ve been curiously following along on instagram for some time now… and the project is now live! I love that it’s “…inspired by my fascination with cordyceps, a fungal parasite that attacks arthropods. Once infected, the fungus slowly takes control of the insect both mentally and physically. Before the insect dies, the fungus makes it climb high onto a branch and grip on, giving it an advantageous place to spread spores. Once the insect is dead, the cordyceps protrudes out, breaking through the exoskeleton.” And the final pieces play with moss growing on wearable neck/head pieces… imagine a day when you need to water your jewelry regularly? Take a peek at the process and details on the next page!

TO PAGE 2 of "Invasive Growth by Xuedi Chen"! ----->

Another amazing inspiring week is behind us ~ from video projected in droplets, animal wine bottle creatures, food cut in half, the trash bag tent, how Drive shoots their amazing videos, apps you can draw AROUND, the neoLucida, lego tats, land rover parkour, EPIC meat bars, kaleidescopic glasses and far more… click the pics to find out more!

This post is part of the NOTlabs Laser Challenge: 30 days, 30 experiments! Shawn and I are alternating days with executing and sharing a Laser Cutter involved experiment! And most importantly - we’re supposed to have fun, explore ideas, and it’s less about a fully formed product/concept at the end of the day, but more about seeing where the experiment takes us!

We’ve been meaning to test out the LMM-6000 Metal Marking Material for some time, so Shawn played with it for Laser Challenge #13! Basically ~ you spray a layer down on metal, laser over it, and everywhere the laser hits, a chemical reaction occurs! So Shawn tested things out on his MacBookPro ~ check out the details and process on the next page!

p.s. If you have ideas, or want some laser cutting done, or want to play with us… feel free to use the contact form or leave a comment! And if you’re curious about the laser cutter we’re using, here’s the unboxing.

TO PAGE 2 of "Laser Challenge #13: Laser Metal Marking"! ----->

Progetto Barrique: A new life for wood project from SanPatrignano - “The project is about new starts - both for the wood reclaimed from 230 litre casks and for the young people at SanPatrignano who, thanks to the initiative, have been able to also learn a trade which is dying out. In addition, they have been able to challenge themselves, putting themselves putting themselves to the test with 30 of the world’s best known designers and architects who conceived the design pieces.”

Of the projects, i’m currently smitten with Angela Missoni’s Miss Dondola. A beautiful mix of colorful padding and playful string connecting the wood staves of the casks to form what looks like a fun swinging chair. See the details and making of on the next page!

TO PAGE 2 of "Miss Dondola by Angela Missoni"! ----->

Fun detail Shawn noticed when we were driving up Sunset Blvd in Hollywood… those street lamp banners were turned into guitar strings with a Jack Daniel’s Guitar Pick stuck in them! See more pics of it on the next page…

TO PAGE 2 of "Jack Daniel's Guitar Picks on Sunset Blvd"! ----->