This post is brought to you by Mercedes-Benz. Every day, we strive to fulfill one simple promise: the best or nothing. Visit MBUSA to learn more. 
It’s no surprise that many of our favorite lighting designs are heavily inspired by nature and geometric patterns. With their modular structures, many of these designs are even compact flat packed lighting systems that can be assembled easily (without tools or glue even!) by the end consumer into gorgeous large chandelier/pendant lamps. On the next page take a look at a roundup of geometric lighting we love from design classics to modern designs to futuristic living concepts!
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As a little girl, i always figured someday i’d grow up and have one of those awesome red metal cabinets with lots of drawers for all my tools in the garage. Well wandering into the Craftsman booth at CES ~ OMG. Matte black. With glossy black logo. It’s so beautiful! Now i want that. Apparently they are taking cues from the automotive paint world ~ and starting to play with the matte trend ~ rumors were flying that they are also testing matte metallics. Supposedly they will be available limited edition ~ but will have to find out more from them about that soon. Additionally they launched a new cabinet series that is POWERED. As in charging stations and speakers (bluetooth of course ~ afterall, bluetooth/airplay speakers are everywhere and in everything this CES) and a work table all built in!
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While i’m not a huge camper or backpacker ~ i’ve always had a fascination for the wonderfully efficient products that come out of their needs! They pack down to nothing ~ make use of every pound and every inch… multipurpose mixes that normall wouldn’t happen ~ somehow work! Tables ~ Cookware ~ Lighting ~ you name it ~ its some of the most functional and uniquely designed stuff out there! And i was just fascinated with the latest from Snow Peak! They’ve even made the jump that all the impressively modular camp kitchen ware and let it work at HOME in a gorgeous wooden outdoor table set! And their latest for this year ~ the Tulip lamp works in every which way ~ stand alone, hanging in your tent, bedside, you can get creative with it. I also adore the little round bamboo tables that work as well at camp as they do for kids or as a coffee table, and it folds up to make space into a nylon carrying bag. And as for unexpected mixes ~ how about a spatula that can turn into a fork or…. well check it all out on the next page! I love how these new products allow you to seamlessly transition your camping/adventuring gear into usable goods at home ~ or vice versa!
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On fun new thermos/water bottle options, just came across this Cocoon Flask from Mar Mar Co., which debuted at London Design Week. Love that it’s packaging is in an inflatable “air box” case to protect it. The flask is designed by Torsten Neeland, and apparently it can keep liquids hot or cold for 3 hours. It comes in both matte and gloss finishes and holds 500mL. Something about the design reminds me of little gas cartridges… and i’m curious what the materials are like… and what the top lip is like if it all unscrews? Does that mean you can use the bottle with just the clear part? Anyhow, while i go look in to it all more ~ take a peek at close ups on the next page!
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Embargoed until a few hours ago ~ it’s been driving me crazy to sit on these pictures from my few hours in Reims, France for lunch a few weeks ago! Veuve Clicquot’s Hotel du Marc, which is barely a hotel at all ~ more of a magical guest mansion of sorts in Reims that Veuve Cliquot uses for special occasions ~ has recently finished its restoration/remodel which now includes some lovely themed guest rooms filled with modern art as well as hints of its past! From the beautiful staircase and the Chanel like faceted mirrors, to the Veuve-yellow Smeg and wall of champagne… the ornate chandeliered dining rooms to the modern portraits lining the hallway to the guest rooms… there is so much to take in, but here’s a first peek into their world!
p.s.
you can also catch me in a few reflections rocking the super yellow veuve apron…
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This series of Unexpected Combos posts is sponsored by P&G Downy. 
Our London-based editor Justine catches up with the latest action from the London Design Festival! For this latest in unexpected combinations, we love the idea of an object that can be used to hold just about anything your mind can dream up ~ while functioning like a giant clothespin! Another discovery from this year’s 100% Design, Been Kim’s DrinKlip. Sometimes you just can’t find a cupholder when you need one. How convenient would it be if you could add your own to any surface? That’s exactly what DrinKlip sets out to do. The piece clips onto desks, shelves, or even the arm of your chair using a classic clothespin design and gives you a cup that can carry up to 1kg. These clips come in a range of fun colors and can hold all sorts of things (love the idea of using them for plants!). Each sale also supports efforts to develop wells and water filtration for areas in need. More photos on the next page!
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When i first saw the post titled “romantic star projector” over at Design Crush, i thought it sounded ridiculous. Then i couldn’t seem to stop staring at the pics. And there is something overwhelmingly awesome about the abundance of lights all around the room… and i can’t help wondering what it would look like if i turned off all the lights in my office, dimmed the monitors… and turned one on! You build it yourself ~ but can purchase the set up ~ and can even arrange it to mimic the night sky outside ~ or pick another spot on the globe… or another time. Take a peek at the pics and the set up on the next page.
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This post is brought to you by Lowe’s, and is the brainchild of NOTCOT. Find inspiration and encouragement as you plan, begin and complete do-it-yourself projects at Lowe’s Home 101. 
Nothing screams fall quite like watching the leaves change… then drop. Then get mounded up, composted, crushed, collected, and jumped into! (You have to see the monster leaf pile vid on the next page!) So we’ve rounded up some of the awesome and fun contraptions and more we’ve found on the next page!
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Fresh in from Anna of Sub-Studio who caught up with James Dyson’s latest inventions at Skylight West in New York.
The event was full of Dyson goodies, including the brand new Dyson Hot fan heater and the recently released DC41 Animal vacuum and DC34 handheld vacuum. The star of the show was definitely the the Dyson Hot - a “fan heater that warms the whole room faster than any other”. Although, since you can set the temperature anywhere between 32 and 99 degrees, it could work as a cooler too.
The Dyson Hot sucks air in from around the room and pushes it out at 6x the rate of intake, creating a jet of hot air. This causes the air in the room to circulate efficiently, allowing the Hot to take a much more accurate temperature reading of the room than your standard thermometer. As a result, it can heat the entire room to the desired temperature before it shuts off.
The new model is packed with fun design features too. Unlike traditional heaters, the heating coils are hidden in the oval frame, leaving no visible heating elements. Even the frame doesn’t get hot to the touch, even when on a high heat. If the unit is tipped over, it shuts off for safety. And the head is adjustable so that you can angle the heater up or down. The unit comes with a magnetized remote that is shaped to sit on the top of heater.
Check out more photos of the heater and vacuums on the next page, including some dissected Dyson machines (it’s so fun to look inside!), and even some Dyson marketing ingenuity in the bathroom!
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This post is brought to you by Mercedes-Benz. Every day, we strive to fulfill one simple promise: the best or nothing. Visit MBUSA.com to learn more. 
There’s something fun about pieces that take on such a mesmerizing yet sculptural form… like the The Limited Edition Melting Chair by Philipp Aduatz. It has a beautifully mirrored surface that captures a transitional state somewhere between solid and liquid. To capture this liquifying (or solidifying) effect, Aduatz studied the solidification of fluids as well as the melting of solids using 3D animation software. The chair is made from a fiber glass reinforced polymer that takes on a mirrored appearance due to a special silver coating and scratch resistant polyurethane lacquer. Feels very… terminator, doesn’t it? Take a peek at more pics on the next page!
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This series of Unexpected Combos posts is sponsored by P&G Downy. See the first post on Porsche Ice Cubes too!
There are so many approaches one could take to a mashup ~ for whatever reason mine tends to be start with an evil mwuahahaha kind of mad scientist kind of laugh in my head, followed by trying to figure out what fun items around me might fit together. In this case, 2 of the new Plumen bulbs arrived - “the world’s first designer light bulbs” (So gorgeous! But simply hanging them from a regular light to show off their fun shape didn’t seem like enough!) ~ and i’d been playing with lightbulb fixture connectors/splitter/plugs (and wondering how big of a tree of them i could make with lots of bulbs at the ends!) ~ and there was the Blue Lounge Mini Dock that allows your iphone/ipad/ipod to stay off the ground when charging… and when you put them all together ~ along with a simple ikea lamp base… i ended up with this fun iPhone Charging Lamp! Where the bulbs are as much a part of the lamp as the rest! Something almost antler like about the bulbs viewed this way ~ and rather mesmerizing as it lights up a room ~ perfect little stand to charge the iPhone, light the room, and control my music from it as the phone streams to speakers over airplay… so iphone charging DJ lamp? Take a peek at more of the silliness on the next page!
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This post is brought to you by Lowe’s, and is the brainchild of NOTCOT. Find inspiration and encouragement as you plan, begin and complete do-it-yourself projects at Lowe’s Home 101.
Composting offers a great way to turn your kitchen waste into something useful. Depending on your setup it can even be easier than doing the dishes. There are a number of strategies for working it into your life even for those without a lot of time or space. Today we decided to round up some of the interesting composting techniques and options we have today ~ from giant rollers, to worms doing the job for you, to magical Bokashi cultures, and the gorgeous little incognito kitchen counter contraptions you can use… see it all on the next page!
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Sneak peek in to Alessi’s Fall/Winter 2011 product line ~ two grabbed my attention in particular. Eero Aarnio’s Diva watering can, is both elegantly simple and sassy all at once ~ in black, green, and a creamy white. And the Anna Gong is a nod at Mendini’s famous “Anna G” corkscrew and legendary folding cake stand “art.898”. Take a peek at closeups and more details on the next page.
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Having just touched back down in LA after a week of NY time ~ i must say, i do love california! And there is something strangely awesome about the shape of our state for a desk of coffee table apparently! Just discovered this new line of California Desks and Tables by J. Rusten Furniture Studio in my inbox. Aren’t they lovely? You have to see more of the details on the next page… and i’m tempted by the coffee table! I imagine leaving a pocket knife on the table with an invitation to all my california friends and companies popping by to etch their names where they live… though the clusters around the big cities might be a bit dense, there must be a fun way to turn this wooden map of a table more interactive! Or imagine if you had other states as well that would interlock nicely to turn from desk to US conference table? Anyhow ~ detail peeks on the next page… will keep dreaming up more ideas.
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IKEA has expanded their Solvinden spring/summer collection of solar lights (can you believe we’ve been writing about these since 2009?!?!) to now include not only solar but WIND powered lighting!!! It’s a fun idea ~ and designer, David Wahl, tells us more about them (and shows them in action) in the video on the next page! These were apparently “Inspired by the playfulness and movement of amusement park lamps” and “The designers and product developers worked closely with the supplier - even driving around holding a prototype out the window - to test the wind-power until everything worked.” Fun! Can’t wait to try these out in person… take a peek at the video and more pics on the next page!
Fun new 
Perfect timing ~ the 
I’m not sure which part is more fun right now ~ the idea of a 
On fun unboxings ~ this beautiful gift box came from 
What to do with all of those old toys? Well over at 
On fun contraptions that might make kitchen life a tiny bit simpler, i’m liking these 
Our London-based editor 
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