On unexpected surprises… did you know the Soho Grand Hotel will provide you with a roommate? An adorable little black goldfish? Strangely though, no food… i guess i will have to trust that housekeeping comes by and feeds the little guy? Their cheeky website says “If travelers cannot bring their pets, the Soho Grand offers surrogate animal companionship in the form of a goldfish in your guestroom.”
For those that asked on twitter ~ no i haven’t named it. No need to get attached, i don’t think i get to bring him with me to london… But i do wonder if there’s a mysterious room in the hotel somewhere with wall to wall goldfish bowls… do they really have enough for EVERY room? Or if you have two kids, can you request two? Or can you ask for two in the same bowl just so they dont get lonely while you’re out? Cute idea though ~ providing a bit more life to often sterile feeling hotel spaces! See more pics on the next page…
This guide is partially for pets, partially for green thumbs, partially for nature enthusiasts, and really just a scramble of nature inspired/related amusement floating around my lists! Click the products to browse the next page as usual!
First super pretty NOTCOT Video... in HD even! I'm sure you've heard about Banksy's Village Petstore and Charcoal Grill by now ~ we haven't been able to stop envying those who have seen it in person, and we have posted the best photosets we can find on .org... even been debating flying out just to go see it! For those catching up, Banksy (the subversive, cheeky, street artist known for stencil art, adding art to museums, pink elephants and more) branched out into animatronics with his Banksy's Village Petstore and Charcoal Grill
It has been so painful to see so many terrible youtube videos floating around, when i could only guess what the experience must be like in person. Since this is something that deserved to be well documented before it disappeared at the end of Oct, i commissioned filmmaker, Seth Brau, to capture the experience (especially the details!) for those of us too far to visit in the flesh... and when i got back from SF, seth had this incredible video (that i can't stop watching!) waiting for me! He even found music that closely matched that which is playing in the actual store! Huge thanks to our friend, Daniel Holter of the Burst Collective for helping with the music.
After this incredible piece, i think we may have to see more of Seth's work on NOTCOT soon... maybe we will have NOTCOT videos more regularly yet... and for comparison (and incase they disappear someday) on the next page you can see screenshots of the official Banksy's Village Petstore and Charcoal Grill, as well as the Banksy vids (shot in cages/rooms other than the actual petstore).
VIDEO (on the next page)! So i woke up bright and early this sunday morning and decided to wander around Paris, quickly realizing that stores weren't really open today, i went hunting for outdoor markets once the rain stopped, and found myself wandering around St Germain for some time, crossing through Notre Dame... and as i turned, i heard tons of sqwaking, and followed the sounds... i ended up in the most bizarre and amazing little outdoor flower and bird market, which apparently also has ferrets, chipmunks, chinchillas, piles of hamsters, super fluffy bunnies, all kinds of beautiful little birds, and even a poor little yorkie decked out in more denim than most people...
See the video for the best feel of the craziness, and lots of pics on the next page!
Shit Happens. Dog Poo Bags by Junge Schactel, the design duo, Nina Dautzenberg and Andrea Gadesmann. How cute is their studio puppy, Cuno? And don't these bags just make you wish extremely talented packaging, branding, graphic, experience designers made everything in your world? See more pics below ~ and i'm also totally in love with the branding of Junge Schactel with their pull strip, packaging opening branding that is on their flash, portfolios, and even physically on their business cards!
CCA Students + Yves Behar + Gaia & Gino + Dogs + 6 month studio period = an unbeatable match... and this Gino the Dog collection of luxury canine accessories. There is Chew, a leg cover resembling a tree branch by Jennifer Yoko Olson. Twins are the matching food and water bowls by Richie Tanaka. Wild is the porcelain food and water bowl set by Brandon Warren. See below for images of the products up close, as well as the CCA and the Gaia & Gino booths at ICFF.
WAGS Boutique ~ the british reality tv show over at ITV... " For 13 weeks, the girls (more used to maxing out their credit cards than swiping other people’s) will swap shelf-browsing for shelf-stacking as they set up and run two rival fashion boutiques in central London. From designing the stores and selecting stock to marketing and perfecting their sales technique, the ten WAGs will require determination, flair and a head for business to succeed."
Tobias Carlson and partner at M&C Saatchi London made some fun visuals to go with the show... (more below)... the Chihuahua Urinal in particular cracks me up... although i cant imagine that going over well as boys are stumbling home from the bars? Fun campaign.
We have a fascination with the DIY - print + cut + paste/tape - toy revolution going on these days... and i'm surprised i haven't seen more like this! Marmalade's promotional materials are DIY cutout corrugated cardboard cat toys! And even print and cut your own designs as well... BRILLIANT! not to mention, recyclable, cost effective, and STILL endless amusement for your kittens. Also, pretty site design, more images below. (via Core77)
On unexpected surprises… did you know the Soho Grand Hotel will provide you with a roommate? An adorable little black goldfish? Strangely though, no food… i guess i will have to trust that housekeeping comes by and feeds the little guy? Their cheeky website says “If travelers cannot bring their pets, the Soho Grand offers surrogate animal companionship in the form of a goldfish in your guestroom.” 
Shit Happens. 
