*notcot - , 11:15 -

Pigro Felice: Inflatable Seals

seal0.jpg Here’s the latest from London-based editor and resident zoologist, Justine Aw as she explores London Design Week 2015!

On fun eye grabbing booths at 100% Design London, you couldn’t miss the inflatable booth of Pigro Felice - which is Italian for “Lazy Happy” - a perfect fit! Especially when you see their incredible huge inflatable seal… and mini inflatable seals… and fun seal logo! They have everything from beachwear and towels to Modul’Air, which is an interesting series of modular inflatable loungers that can be shifted from chairs and couches to floating daybeds, giant rafts, and more. See the details (and the adorable seals) on the next page!

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*notcot - 09.23.15 , 16:15 -

Charlotte Mary Pack’s Ceramic Menagerie

animals1.jpg Here’s the latest from London-based editor and resident zoologist, Justine Aw as she explores London Design Week 2015!

How can you resist a triangle of tiny animals… and a magnifying glass? We first spotted Fading Away by Charlotte Mary Pack at the Central Saint Martins degree show a few years back. It was lovely to see the animals again alongside some fun new pieces at Designersblock. See the details on the next page!

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*notcot - 09.21.15 , 15:10 -

Vitra Eames Elephants: ‘A Child’s Dream’

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On adorable emails to wake up to… a funky collection of Eames Elephants from the designjunction presents ‘A Child’s Dream’ in partnership with vitra! “A herd of customised elephants have been painted, patterned, and accessorised by 21 world-renowned designers and architects who have added their personal touch to the iconic Eames Elephants - kindly donated by Vitra. The unique designs will appear as an installation at designjunction2015 entitled A Child’s Dream - to raise funds and awareness for Teddy’s Wish charity. Participating designers include: Aukett Swanke, Lee Broom, CKR, Fredrikson Stallard, Industrial Facility, Kenneth Grange, Gensler, Eley Kishimoto, André Klauser, Max Lamb, Philippe Malouin, Michael Marriott, Kit Miles, Neri & Hu, Patternity, Russell Pinch, Raw Edges, Zandra Rhodes, Terence Woodgate, and Sebastian Wrong.”

I love the ones that add functions like rocking! and capes! and woody tusks! Honestly - go see my favorites on the next page and tell me you don’t want to build your elephant a rocking base…

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*notcot - 09.19.15 , 22:40 -

Research: Stacking/Totems

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NOTCOT.com has always been a peek into my real life and what excites me at the moment. Lately the focus has been on NOTlabs (our real life studio side!) - and while we have fun experimenting, designing, testing, and making things… not all of it has been quite feature/making-of ready. Unable to shake my obsessive internet/real world search/shopaholic side - naturally every idea and project leads me down many a rabbit hole filled with research and inspiration as i think through things. So thus begins “RESEARCH” posts! Since i need a place to put them anyways, why not here? These may grow and get re-edited over time like my ever-evolving inspiration board - so feel free to suggest more links and objects and images that may help! We’re all in this together? And you’ll definitely be the first to see what the inspiration fuels us to design!

First up… i’m currently researching stacking vessels and totem pole type looks. Just curious what types of desktop size objects exist, or interesting details on ways things can fit together or be filled… so see what i’ve been finding via NOTCOT.org combined with more i’m hunting down on the next page.

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*notcot - 09.15.15 , 09:55 -

NOTCOT.org Roundup

roundup notcotorg #60229 notcotorg #60255 notcotorg #60231 notcotorg #60233 notcotorg #60250 notcotorg #60257 notcotorg #60242 notcotorg #60241 notcotorg #60248 notcotorg #60253 notcotorg #60249 notcotorg #60239 notcotorg #60234 notcotorg #60236 notcotorg #60251 notcotorg #60245 notcotorg #60258 notcotorg #60238 notcotorg #60237 notcotorg #60254 notcotorg #60246 notcotorg #60244 notcotorg #60252 notcotorg #60260 notcotorg #60230 More inspiration this week from NOTCOT.org!!! Click the squares to learn more about any of them!

*notcot - 09.10.15 , 14:45 -

Roland CNC Test : Andrew Bell Skull in Walnut

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Machining is definitely an art form! As we get to further know the Roland MODELA Pro II MDX-540S that we unboxed a few months ago and made the Plant Experiment - Lego friendly walnut planters with… next step was to dive into the rotary attachment! Amazing artist (and our good friend!), Andrew Bell, kindly sent over the file for his amazing angry skull, which just called out to be milled in dramatic walnut! The design is also perfect for rotary milling!

First step was getting the rotary attachment set up - then testing it in foam - and on to walnut! While the end result is stunning, some of my favorites are the process stages… like how the rough pass starts to look like corrugated cardboard or how the finished piece looks with eye sockets full of sawdust! Take a peek at the whole process on the next page.

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*notcot - 08.17.15 , 13:55 -

72U Venice Pop Up Park - Fence Tables

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Saturday marked the opening of the Venice Pop Up Park at 1021 ½ Abbot Kinney Blvd! On fun NOTlabs projects, Shawn and I had the pleasure of helping the latest 72U group (ad agency 72andSunny’s 12 week creative residency program) bring this park to life. An idea sparked at TedX Venice Beach was to turn a 1,500 sq ft dirt lot where a house once stood just off the uber-hip Abbot Kinney Blvd into a community co-working park of sorts where people can meet, collaborate, relax, have lunch, and more!

72U brought us in to lead their diverse group of 6 creatives (artists, engineers, architects, and everything in between) from around the world - who had never built something of this scale before! It has been an incredible journey the last 2.5 months… from ideation and concepting to prototyping and planning, and the final few weeks of hardcore manual labor in the hot LA sun! There is no detail they didn’t get their hands dirty with.

All their hard work has created an incredibly inviting pop up park due to their innovative FENCE! Tasked to fence in the park (it’s on private property) when closed, they found a work around to keep it feeling as open and inviting as possible to passersby by having the fence transform into tables. When open, the fence panels hinge inwards to make tables and bars. The design is further highlighted by their geometric mural that hides the table tops in plain site. Take a peek at the making of, the fence/tables, and the launch party on the next page.

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*notcot - 07.21.15 , 17:10 -

Packaging: Laser Cut Wood… Crate?

frbox0.jpg Just stumbled across these pictures in my phone and had to share!

Imagine ordering drawers, and they arrive in a big laser cut (and etched or stamped - depending on size) wood crate. With the panels interlocking like a puzzle, and screwed to the drawers themselves to minimize any damage or excessive packaging! And bonus? Looks like after unboxing, the pieces would easily pop back together as a coffee table or kids play table. Apparently Front Runner Outfitters HQ in South Africa is testing out this new packaging, and I got to see a few in their US showroom and warehouse. The rope handles are a nice touch too! And when unboxing it, unlike a crate where you might need a crowbar and be careful avoiding nails, for this one you simply need to undo the screws.

I love the concept of packaging that minimizes waste, protects the product well, shows of the branding nicely… and can be easily upcycled by the end user! Also fun to see such creative use of laser cutting. See more pictures of them on the next page.

p.s. FYI while i’d be tempted to order some of these just to play with the packaging… not all of them are packaged this way… yet?

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*notcot - 06.24.15 , 11:10 -

MonoFrame Glasses by Parsha Gerayesh

glasses4.jpg Here’s the latest from London-based editor and resident zoologist, Justine Aw!

MonoFrame Glasses by Parsha Gerayesh of RCA’s Design Products are glasses whose frame is formed from a single material. Borrowing techniques from spring manufacturing, the glasses are made from wire fed through a series of coils and bends. See more pictures + video on the next page…

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*notcot - , 10:54 -

Fuzzy Logic from Marta Santambrogio

musbus1.jpg Here’s the latest from London-based editor and resident zoologist, Justine Aw!

The Fuzzy Logic Project by Marta Santambrogio caught my eye at Central Saint Martins with an enormous “Exhaustophone”, adorable model vehicles and a fascinating concept. Santambrogio is a part of the Material Futures course and her project looks at the sound of traffic. With recent European law stating that electric and hybrid vehicles will have to make a noise by 2019, her project explores how traffic noise might create music, with individual vehicle sounds coming together to create a moving orchestra, from traffic jam to jam session. See more on the next page…

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*notcot - 06.08.15 , 23:45 -

Made By NOTCOT: Plant Experiment #1

legoplant0.jpg It’s here!!! I’m so giddy to get to present our latest NOTlabs experiment, Plant Experiment #1 - and we’ve decided to make an extremely limited edition of them since friends have already been asking for some!

Plant Experiment #1 is a limited edition trio of walnut planters. Shawn and I designed them right here in NOTlabs, Los Angeles. Every piece is CNC milled (on the Roland Modela Pro II 540s we recently unboxed) from a single block of walnut and hand finished (by Shawn and I!) Inspired by our love of succulents, Lego®, a surprising Target sponsorship and the need for projects to get to know the CNC better - these square planters are Lego®-compatible and the perfect size for small and medium succulents, seedlings, and other plants. Each piece has drainage holes to keep your plants happy. You can also get creative and build up, down, and all around them turning them into mini worlds on your desk, pen/paintbrush holders, candy dishes… a little bit of each… and more.

The trio contains one 12x12, 8x8, and 6x6. Only 10 sets will be made. Each set will laser numbered on the base of each piece. Take a detailed look at Plant Experiment #1 on the next page - and pop over to the store if you’d like a set.

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*notcot - 05.21.15 , 17:10 -

Clerkenwell Design Week 2015

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

I always love visiting Clerkenwell Design Week and discovering design on my own doorstep here in East London. This year was no exception. The show has certainly grown since 2011 with new venues and exhibitors. See a few of the beautiful pieces and displays that caught our eye from CDW2015 on the next page!

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*notcot - 05.19.15 , 12:45 -

When Plants Get Legs…

succubot0a.jpg A magical thing happens when plants get legs. They take on a whole new character! While dividing up some overgrown succulent pots, i was hunting for just about any vessel that could be a new home for the little guys… and when i came across some Android Rainbow Minis that had been rescued/adopted after some casualties at comic-con long ago, drilling a quick drainage hole or two made them the perfect bodies for these little succulents! They even get posable arms! And would probably be pretty fun as a desktop/planter army. This got me researching what other clean, simple, little vessels give plants legs - so take a peek at some of my other favorites found on the next page!

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*notcot - 05.16.15 , 12:40 -

ELEMENT X JEREMY FISH SUMMER COLLECTION

zip0.jpg The new Element x Jeremy Fish Summer Collection is so fun! If you’re a fan of Jeremy Fish’s zipper creatures you’ll love these! They also made an adorable animated video - check it all out on the next page!

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*notcot - 03.23.15 , 09:30 -

Buster & Punch LED Buster Bulb

buster0.jpg Here’s the latest from NOTCOT’s London-based editor and resident zoologist, Justine Aw!

Last week we made our way out to the new London Bridge showroom of Buster and Punch for the launch of their new designer LED Buster Bulb. We first met Massimo and the team at Clerkenwell Design Week where we loved their heavy metal light switches. This time, they have announced a stunning designer LED bulb that is 2 years in the making, and designed to look as attractive off as it does on thanks to the metallic sheen! In addition to mood lighting, it also shoots a brighter spot down making it restaurant/desk perfect. Take a look at the stunning display and our first look at the LED Buster Bulbs up close on the next page.

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