This season Areaware is launching this series of adorable new beech wood animals by Karl Zahn (who was also behind Areaware’s animal boxes. The new selections include a set of dovetail animals as well as stackable crocodiles! Each of the dovetail animals is composed of three segments, so you can mix and match parts from the five styles: dog, llama, elephant, horse and crocodile. More photos and a video of the new wooden animals on the next page.

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Tags: animals - gifts - kids - nature - shopping - toys - wood

It started with a random idea of making use of the plastic milk crates in NOTlabs for shelving… to wondering about wooden ones… to searching craigslist… to THIS… which lead to a random little roadtrip out to Ontario… to meet with John Mihovetz, quite the collector of found objects, architectural salvage, and repurposed home furnishings… and see the remainder of the 4,000 vintage wooden soda crates he bought in the midwest 6 months ago and has been selling off since. It seems like it was quite the find/investment!

Anyhow ~ now we have 15 amazing vintage wooden soda crates ~ Pepsi, Squirt, Crush, Dr. Pepper, 7up and more ~ and after some clean up, perhaps some awesome shelving in NOTlabs… but for now, take a peek at some of the details on the next page!

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Tags: gifts - shopping - wood

Just noticed these cute DWR exclusives, Moderne Wood Animals, designed by Linnea Gits and Peter Dunham. The description reads, “The founders of the Chicago design firm called Uusi, Linnea Gits and Peter Dunham are graphic artists who have produced work for Herman Miller®, Sharpie and Prismacolor. Their Moderne Wood Animals (2011) are crafted from American black walnut and white oak veneer that’s finished with nontoxic, odorless mineral oil. The designers selected these woods for their beautiful grain and because they are materials that have a rich history in the production of American-made objects. A lot of attention goes into how the direction of the wood grain falls across the form of each animal, making each sculpture a unique piece. The Bear, Bull and Horse were inspired by the Chauvet Cave paintings discovered in France and believed to be artwork from 30,000 to 33,000 years ago. Each animal is packed in a box featuring an illustration of what’s inside. Very simple assembly required; the animals are comprised of a few pieces that need to be slotted together. Made in U.S.A.” ~ I love the shapes! It’s like the simplified/modernized version of those old wood toy skeletons of dinosaurs and such that you’d pop apart and slot together! Take a peek at the details on the next page!

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Tags: animals - gifts - shopping - toys - wood

When this came into my inbox, my heart lept a little. I have a soft spot for pool tables, particularly clean, sleek ones that can disappear as your dining/conference table. Also the look and style of this is so similar to my Aramith Fusion Table. This new James Perse limited edition pool table is constructed from environmentally farmed solid teak and matches their furniture line. The table is solid teak, regulation 4’x 8’ size, matte black Simonis Combed Worsted Wool Playing Surface, matching wood triangle and diamond racks, leather custom pockets, stainless steel sights, heavy duty vibration leveling feet, is hand made in the USA, and includes a full set of accessories. It also has an optional dining/conference table top. See more images and the tear sheet on the next page!

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Tags: furniture - gifts - pool - shopping - table - wood

Our London-based editor Justine catches up with the latest action from the London Design Festival!

Stunning. It really is all about the details in this beautiful wooden steamer trunk. Method furniture created ‘The Journeyman’, a modern portmanteau steamer trunk for a jeanmaker. The trunk was created in collaboration with Denham and is a modern take on a classic design to be used for both display and transportation of stock. The framework of the piece is constructed of solid ash and gently curved rather than straight, almost canoe-like, creating greater rib-strength and allowing the trunk to rest comfortably on its side. The design is thoughtful and elegant throughout as well as lovingly constructed by hand with over 200 interconnected traditional joins and over 150 hand-Japanned custom engineered fixings. See pictures of it from London Design Week as well as the making-of video, pics, and sketches on the next page…

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Tags: furniture - london - luggage - travel - wood

There’s something so incredibly enticing about a mysterious wooden box arriving. Especially when there is a screw driver taped to it and the instructions read: 1. Locate screws and initiate unscrewing. 2. Relieve box of lid begin discovery. 3. Attempt to contain oneself. I think i made it through steps one and two and totally failed at three.

Inside the mysterious box are some of the awesomest Sir Kensington of NY’s “Gourmet Scooping Ketchups” from i’ve yet to encounter ~ tantalizing deliciousness wrapped in wonderfully detailed and playful branding/packaging. From the full sized bottles of their Spiced (YUM!) ketchup to the adorable new minis (Heinz babies are cute, but i can totally see these on hotel room service trays!) ~ as well as a white top hat serving dish, ornate little spoon to scoop with, and a mustache embroidered handkerchief/napkin to dab ever so delicately with… nestled in straw. So how step three seemed possible, is beyond me. Additionally there’s an amazing little book included as well ~ but that’s worth a post of it’s own, so more to come on that… for now, go take a peek at the incredible packaging of this wooden box of goodies that just arrived from the magical world of Sir Kensington’s on the next page!

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Tags: box - fashion - food - gifts - packaging - shopping - wood

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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Tags: california - desk - furniture - gifts - home - shopping - wood

Another british discovery from Justine! One of the pieces which caught my eye at New Designers Part 1 was the work of surface textile designer Francesca Baxter-Hunter. These beautifully detailed wooden panels show delicate, undulating relief that highlights the natural grain of the wood. Baxter-Hunter’s work is inspired by the ocean, using a variety of techniques to echo the coastal landscape which is shaped by the forces of wind and sea. Baxter-Hunter uses a variety of erosive techniques with wood and glass paneling, including dip dyeing, sandblasting, layering and painting in order to create these beautiful pieces. See more of these stunning pieces and close ups on the next page!

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Tags: art - textile - wood

Justine went to check out the incredible RCA 2011 Graduate show! Here’s a peek at what she found…

This is the Banking on Morals series by Sarah Wai. The models contemplate a new type of bank that is based on religious values and architecture, with the architecture taking on a hybrid role between sanctuary and bank. Take a peek at some of the details and models on the next page…

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Tags: architecture - RCA - wood

Justine went to check out the incredible RCA 2011 Graduate show! Here’s a peek at what she found…

One highlight for me was the work of Jack Smith! My favorite of his pieces was the Birdbox, a flat packable birdhouse composed of two flat plywood pieces that assembles easily to form a cozy birdhouse. So beautiful in its simplicity, you simply must check out its pieces and how it comes together! See it all on the next page!

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Tags: animals - birds - concept - nature - RCA - wood

The latest package that arrived just made me wish i was a dad. How weird is that? This Macallan 18 year & Shwood Sunglass gift set in a gorgeous wood box just arrived as potential Father’s Day gifting ideas… but i love them both! No offense, to Dads, but these should really go on the gift list for Moms, Grads, friends,… any occasion really! The glasses above are Shwood’s Canby in East Indian Rosewood with grey polarized lenses. The only thing that would take this gift set further… if only Shwood and Macallan would truly join forces and make a series of sunglasses from actual Macallan casks. Different woods to go with the various scotches… i’d rock the Sherry Oak Cask sunglasses any day! Take a peek at the awesome packaging and details on the next page!

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Tags: drinks - fashion - glasses - liqurious - macallan - packaging - scotch - wood

Another ICFF discovery from Anna of Sub-Studio ~ we’re loving the Ply Project’s Flex Chair created by Kenichi Sato. It takes full advantage of plywood as a material, using its ability to be both rigid and supportive and take on a soft, bendable, almost woven texture. Being made of plywood, the chairs are lightweight and easily moved as they can be separated into a flexible plywood membrane which attaches to a metal frame with embedded magnets, making it so easy to remove/clean off/swap/etc! The Flex series comes in both a chair and chaise lounge. Take a peek at some of Anna’s pics from ICFF as well as product pics on the next page!

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Tags: chair - furniture - gifts - icff - materials - shopping - wood

Perhaps the most intriguing (and portable) accessory in the Bentley was the glasses case. I’m hesitant to even call it a sunglass case, since the size definitely didn’t fit most of my sunglasses (and no they aren’t THAT huge!) ~ perhaps its most suited for smaller sun glasses and reading/driving glasses? But it has the same wood that covers the whole dash, complete with Bentley logo of course… and it snaps in perfectly to the cup holder in the center dash. When you raise the arm rests you can even open it in place, or take it with you to go. The interior of the case has matching leather to the seats (in this case Imperial Blue). Anyhow, take a peek at the close ups on the next page ~ as far as dashboards gone mobile, i am strangely drawn to having some of that beautiful woody root ball veneer outside of the car!

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Tags: accessories - bentley - case - fashion - glasses - wood

Thanks, Veuve Clicquot, our Milano Design Week sponsor! We adore their new origami inspired ice bucket, Clicq’up.

Spotted at the awesome VIA Design: Les Aides a La Creation exhibition were some beautiful, modular pieces ~ like the Pentagon system, which is a series of tables and stools from Itamar Burstein. The pieces are constructed from five identical parts that have the shape of an upside down U (you can kind of peek at this behind the table up there ~ sorry i was distracted and forgot to get a good pic of the pieces taken apart!). These interlock during assembly to form a secure structure and support a table top in the case of the table piece, or for a fun stool in the smaller unit. See more pics on the next page!

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Tags: home - milan - salone - table - wood

Thanks, Veuve Clicquot, our Milano Design Week sponsor! We adore their new origami inspired ice bucket, Clicq’up.

Definitely my favorite find of the day. I clearly have a thing for swings and for unique woody products that show off their original tree edges… well the Swedish No Picnic’s ALMA series of ‘social swings’ combine just that! They also remind me of the Loyal Loot Log Bowls! They feel like rough logs that were sliced to make a bench, then milled out and lacquered for a seat/seats in bold colors. Strung up with thick black rope, they are tied in clusters to the beams high above. Though a bit slippery, they certainly are gorgeous and fun to swing in! Apparently these are “meant to represent the soul of Sweden. As Leonardo Salzedo says, ‘As teamwork is needed to enjoy the swing, so in our everyday life a conjoint effort is important to reach a common goal’.” Gorgeous, fun, and in so many colors and sizes, they were a delight to swing in… take a peek at many pics of them on the next page ~ as well as some making of photos!

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Tags: home - kids - milan - salone - wood

On fun design spotted in real life ~ just noticed the new Alfredo Haberli Carafe for Georg Jensen at La Rinascente in the design supermarket… and it seems to be half the price of what i’m seeing online (though i can’t find it for the life of me on the Georg Jensen site)! While we saw the preview on NOTCOT.org of the new collection from Alfredo Haberli, in person, it drew me in with the wooden spinning top of a stopper of course (remember these and these?) ~ AND, you can even buy just the top over at Unica. Take a peek at it up close on the next page!

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Tags: drinks - gifts - glass - kitchen - milan - salone - shopping - toys - water - wood

Just came home to Audrey Kawasaki’s “She Entwined” print ~ and it’s stunning! In her usual delicately innocent and suggestive (ok, this one is more suggestive than some) style ~ with her girls coming out of the wood ~ it looks gorgeous in the frame! I gave in to one this one at one of her flash print sales a month ago (seriously, they disappear in less than a minute it feels like!) ~ and ended up with lucky #13 out of 300. Take a peek at some of the details up close on the next page…

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Tags: art - print - wood

This post is part of a NOTCOT series on inspiring, independent design thinking, brought to you by Saab. At Saab, we believe in independent thinking. It’s in everything we do. Learn more here.

From surreal bent wood cocoons, to augmented reality projections on the screens outside the pod windows showing you real time views of the Eiffel Tower… even though you are UNDERGROUND… to a stunning living wall… the Six Senses Spa Paris is transformative on so many levels. Oh! And it even has its own secret elevator from the Westin, Place Vendome, for tose who wish to drop down to their subterranean oasis without stepping foot outside. The interior is designed by French architect Pierre David, integrating the elements of light, wood, stone and earth. The vertical garden that greets you as you enter from street level is created by landscape artist Patrick Blanc. The combination of greenery, gorgeous eco-centric design, and technology had me visually inspired as it was… combine one of the most diving massages, and it was hard to leave the cocooned underground haven… if only there were bird’s eye view looks at the Eiffel Tower projected BELOW your head when face down looking through the massage table hole… i kept being tempted to peek to stare at the projected views outside my pod window! See pictures of this Six Senses oasis on the next page!

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Tags: architecture - gardens - green - hotels - spa - travel - wood

Since i’m missing the screening in NY tonight, surprise DVD just arrived from the lovely folks at Bentley, and i just lost about an hour totally engrossed in their factory process. Who doesn’t love Ultimate Factories on National Geographic Channel? There’s something beyond mesmerizing about the tiniest details of how these larger than life objects are made! Tomorrow’s episode focuses on how the Bentley Mulsanne is made, and takes you from the sketching, to the clay, to the wood shop, paint shop, leather shop, details of how the engine is assembled and tested, to the assembly line, customization shop, on the road and more. It really is quite incredible how much detail goes into each step, and how many facts and digits they manage to throw at you in a mere 50 minutes, and nice to see how much pride their craftsmen take in their work!

I couldn’t even figure out which parts to show you pics of… so decided to show you a sneak peek of my favorite part! The WOOD! From 3’ diameter root-balls of nearly hundred year old trees… shaved paper thin… to show some incredible marble like patterns, which are then cut and hand matched (magical stacks cut perfectly and mirrored to blend together)… before going through being fused to the panels… Anyhow! Check out the Bentley Mulsanne Ultimate Factories on National Geographic Channel tomorrow night, and take a sneak peek into it on the next page!

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Tags: bentley - cars - factory - luxury - wood

I love paintings on wood… these pieces from Anthony Lister’s solo exhibition FIERCE are lovely! From the press release: “Opening Friday, January 14, THIS los angeles and Monster Children magazine host Fierce, a solo exhibition featuring original works by Australian graffiti and street artist Anthony Lister. Fierce debuted this past December during Art Basel at a pop-up gallery space in Miami’s Wynwood Arts District. The exhibition will make a special one-night appearance in Los Angeles at THIS los angeles in Highland Park, and works on view include 11 wood panels, five large canvases and more than two-dozen masks.” The opening reception takes place on January 14, 7-10 p.m. at THIS los angeles, 5906 N. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90042.

Remember his window painting at the Standard NY Store? See a few more of his pieces on the next page… wonder woman cracks me up…

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Tags: art - events - los angeles - paint - wood

Blackbox Case has just launched! Beautiful wooden Macbook Pro cases hand made in Colorado and just sent over an awesome email with some great pics! Weighing in at a mere 1.5 pounds, its pretty light, AND apparently hard to crush… but most intriguing of all are the stunning details you have to see up close on the next page! Each is hand numbered, comes with a typographically stunning card welcoming you to their family by their Chief Dreamer! Each case is hand oiled with high end Tung oil finish that takes four days to complete. “It just feels velvety smooth.” Each case is precision cut, hand sanded, hand rubbed, and personally inspected throughout the crafting process. “Your case starts as two pieces of hardwood that are milled on our CNC machine. This means that your computer will fit in your case perfectly. Not tight. Not loose. Just right every time.” Stunning, right? Sadly only available for macbook pros right now, i could really use one for my air!

Here’s an excerpt from the email i received:

Why the name Blackbox?
~Because I am a flight instructor in my spare time and it will keep your computer safe like the infamous blackbox in an airplane.

Who the heck are you? Do you really make these?
~Yep. We’re serious. We have engineers, woodworkers, and artists handcrafting these full-time. We’re making these with love in Golden, Colorado.

What’s with the branding-iron-logo?
~I’m from a small cow town in Eastern Colorado, so I thought it was fitting. That and it just looks sexy.

Can it really survive being dropped from an airplane 20,000 ft. in the air?
~I’m pretty sure it couldn’t but I can’t wait to try.

What computers does it fit?
~It is designed to fit a 15 in. and 13 in. MacBook Pro. You could try shaving the sides off that old PC laptop, but I don’t think that’s gonna work.

Take a peek at more details of the new Blackbox Case on the next page!

P.S. Use code “givethanks” will get $20 off at Blackbox Case.

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Tags: accessories - gifts - laptop - shopping - technology - wood

Black and white? Wood blocks? Golden Ratio? How could i not give in to it? Besides, a gorgeous desk toy to help distract and inspire while i work my way through the fun and craziness that is the upcoming Holiday Gift Guides and Giveaways… perfect! Swiss company, Naef, makes some of the nicest quality wood toys, and they appeal to the beautiful simplicity of geometric shapes to create unthinkably inspiring complexities. Their description of the Naef Tectus? “Impressive architecture This cube is divided several times in adherence to the golden ratio and surrounded by black shapes. During play, these become foundations, walls or roofs and a player the architect. Everything fits into each other harmoniously.”

Ok i keep getting far too distracted constructing buildings across my desk as i attempt to write this post. So go take a look at the unboxing of this gorgeous Naef Tectus on the next page…

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Tags: architecture - gifts - kids - shopping - toys - wood

The Tegu guy made me a castle! With a draw bridge! Out of magnetic wood blocks! LIVE! That was my silly excitement this morning as they let me put in the first request as Tegu LIVE! went… well, live. These playful magnetic wood building blocks made from sustainable tropical hardwoods in Honduras are inspired by the gorgeous european wood toys… with a magnetic twist. While kids of all ages can make anything they can dream up, to help inspire everyone, Tegu and Poke NY have teamed up to build a non stop live stream of a mysterious man in a tegu lab coat of sorts who will take your requests via Twitter, Facebook, and livestream for things to build. And poof just like that, he builds them for you! And then sadly deconstructs them as quickly as they came to be. Though, i’m told not to worry, since all designs will be archived for future viewing! If you’re curious what they are capable of, go make your request at Tegu LIVE!. They sent me a few cases to play with, and their packaging is awesomely fun as well… so take a peek on the next page for the products, packaging, AND my castle in action!

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Tags: gifts - kids - shopping - toys - wood

I love the way porcelain and wood come together… this is Pour Celain by gregorysung for CRISTINA GRAJALES GALLERIES, new york, at london’s MOET HENNESSY pavilion of art and design in berkley square in london. The seats are produced by Korean ceramic masters ~ and the legs by Italian artisans… fused together they are this beautiful stool! See more images on the next page! The underside is just stunning!

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Tags: art - chair - gifts - home - porcelain - shopping - wood

What’s more adorable than gorgeous wood animals? Gorgeous wood animals that are also BOXES! New from Areaware ~ ‘Animal Boxes’ by NY based designer Karl Zahn as part of their Fall 2010 Collection! Love that the eyes double as hinges! See pics of the whole collection on the next page…

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Tags: animals - kids - nature - toys - wood