Nockdown lamp from the Kirk Design seems like the perfect lamp for anyone wanting simplicity, versatility, and ease of packing. Take a look at that metal packaging, that is the flat packed acrylic (everything except for the cord/bulb) ready for international shipping… what a great name, no? The lamp comes in a few sizes and in both hanging and desk models. The Nockdown shade allows owners to swap in various colors and patterns at a whim, which are printed on special heat resistant film. There is a large collection of designer films available which will soon be visible on their website. (I previewed the collection at the Copenhagen Furniture Fair and there are some really gorgeous artworks, a few of which would be great for a study/kids room, and then as they grow up and moods change you could switch it). Also nice is that they offer you the ability to design and have your own custom lamp shades! More images below.

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Luck comes and goes - or so we think. Even if it is a psychological construct, if it makes us feel better, i’m all for it. And this tray gives it to you everytime - is pretty + vectory - and hey, you KNOW that four leaf clover is there somewhere (unless it was a sneaky sticker you could re/move).

Via Designer’s Block’s show with Swedish Lund University - “Find your luck” tray “This project was inspired by a universally accepted symbol of good luck – the four leaf clover. Finding a real four leaf clover in the field among ordinary ones is a rare occurrence. Maybe it is easier to find luck on this tray’s pattern?” By Olga Cudakova - Far more images and some help finding the 4 leaf clover below! [click especially because you need to see the birds and dragonflies close up!]

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Mario Stipinovich of Split Design [we posted about his animal mugs here previously] - has launched MORE brilliantly simple Cafe Press Animal mugs… now in red as well as black. Mario was kind enough to send us one of his black elephant mugs recently, and i still stand by this being the best use of cafe press i’ve seen recently. How adorable is that hippo?

Playful busywork/magazine reading kind of day - came across these fun lamps in Interni, just took a quick snapshot to share. These are the works of Thelermont Upton, unfortunately my google skills can’t find you a link for this - so if you know/find one, leave a note. My only complaint is - shouldn’t the glove looking lamp have a more distinct thumb?

Ooooh cool idea from Sundae Best, which also brought you those incredible brass knuckle purses [also: there are some new models out that aer very cute]. But here we have the Strike Table - you provide your own balls - so any color/size/weight of your choice, but they recommend 14lb balls. And for a mere 875$ you can buy the high quality acrylic top. I’m posting this for concept’s sake.

Also you have to check out the new Tinkerbell Purse below as well as the new Knuckle purses!

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While what’s old is new again - and couture is recycling incredibly fast… are we really at a point of Cocaine Chic being in? Well, CarteBlanche is the brain child of French Designers Jean-Philippe and Gaston Valeur- a “new luxury products company pioneering cocaine-chic couture”. Wow. But i think this opens up a whole new line of pharma merch - think of it the way beer brands advertise on billiard lamps and neon signage - can’t you see doc’s offices and hip loungey bars with crazy pill filled PILLows? Beanbags (i mean PILLbags)? The possibilities go so far. And they could be in different colors and shapes and sizes… So get to it someone - open the PILL bar or pharmacy? [via Core77]

“Dutch Disturbance is Judith van den Boom’s 2005 collection. Van den Boom, a 28 y.old Dutch designer from Utrecht cooperated with a factory to create her new work. Conceived after exploring the dusty attics of the Royal Delft Blue factory in Holland, she reconnected with Dutch indentity and hertitage while challanging it’s own stereotypes.” - and I love this incredible mix of old and new with that sharp dangerous edge… literally. And theres something about that look of what, in my head, could be blue ballpoint on porcelain. Also - a big congratulations to Judith on her big move to London to pursure her Masters in Design and Ceramics at RCA!!! [Check out a few more pics below]

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If there was ever an award for “best marketing imagery for a kitty litter box” this would take the cake. Wow. Look at that girl… that girl sitting on a litter box. Is there really much that needs to be said here?

On a more design oriented note - Kattbank a really interesting concept, and i’d love to hear some cat owners views if you try it out. Check out schematics for use after the jump. It discretely puts the cat’s litter box in a bench like piece of furniture (that yes, even drunk girls at parties may sit on) - and has air vents, easy cleaning opening on the top, a grate on the bottom to help get the little bits of litter off… perfect no? But what about cats? What if they don’t like being sat upon while going to the bathroom… and as for having it in a central place, how do you block out that scratching sound they make? [via d*s and far to fascinating]

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Pet peeve - wet bathmats. When someone else showers first and you step out and the bathmat is still wet, it doesn’t feel so nice on the feet. So i found these wooden japanese bathmats by Tosaryu which feel great to step out on (and they never get freezing cold like tile, nor to they get soggy feeling like a towel/mat), and they are made of aromatic Japanese “Hinoki” Cypress which contains antibacterial resins. It also helps to create a great clean minimalist look in the bathroom. Additionally, while browsing their site, noticed this cute stool as well as this toilet paper, towel, and/or magazine rack piece… nice alternative options to the chrome/stainless looks.

This is Algues by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec in 2004. Was scouring SF for unique, organic, playful, modern wall pieces for my friend’s new place and rediscovered these classics. Sold in sets of 6, in white and green, you essentially build your own algae mass that can be as subtle or overpowering as you choose.

So i found these pencil/chopsticks at Pearl River in Soho, and they cracked me up. Isn’t it how you imagined crazed starving artists eating their food anyhow? Delivery shows up, and pencils still in hand, you use them to eat? Well these are tapered for the eating - and unfortunately not so designed for the drawing (just painted tips to mimick pencils). So, a great concept, that got my wheels turning - what if they were real pencils?

One post is never enough with Mixko. Too many incredible images i can’t resist. Take a look at the giant whistle chair (seen on its side here), what better way to call a very very loud, lung emptying time out? I suppose it is also ideal for your guests to fix themselves up in, or try on new shoes in front of. Then there is the ceramic fruit bowl (perfectly named as the “footbowl”) slipcast from a deflated soccer ball. We did it as kids once they got punctured- they made great hats/bowls/etc on the playground- but cast in ceramic transforms it into being ideal for “adult” living (aka fruit holding and a fun conversation piece?)

Red Solo Cups = College parties. So Maxim Velcovsky Sommeliers naturally imply that we’re growing up, but haven’t lost touch with our inner college kid? Nostalgia, it’s a dangerous tool. via d*s.

I never really expected to find myself describing a shower curtain as sexy. But this Rose Petal Shower Curtain over at Anthropologie manages to pull it off. Can you imagine how a silhouette would look behind that? And have those scalloped edges hanging over one of those freestanding tubs with the feet? This would brighten up and beautify almost any bathroom. I think i want it.

Mother of pearl inlays have long been seen as a gorgeous addition to engravings, jewelry, cutlery, etc., but have you ever seen it covering a whole wall? or a room? or a bathroom? Maya Romanoff, “extraordinary surface materials”, really does deliver on its motto. Her Mother of Pearl tiles seem exquisite, and if used carefully could add an incredible touch to sleek modern interiors.

“Layers of genuine shell are hand inlaid on tiles. Maya Romanoff’s newest invention, bringing the most beautiful, authentic materials within reach. This tropical veneer is easy to install, has a stain-resistant coating, and turns corners. Fantastic as a furniture inset, too.”