Melbourne artist, Valissa Butterworth, aka The Mod Collective’s porcelain pieces are such a beautiful splash of colors created by a thoughtful mix of 3D printing and hand moulded/cast colored porcelain. They remind me of Maria White Mebane’s pieces… the porcelain which creates such an unusual and lovely glow when illuminated. As Butterworth explains - “My porcelain tableware is a fusion of technology and traditional ceramic techniques. Each concept is developed using Design software then printed on 3D printers in various mediums. From here the pieces are moulded and cast by hand using coloured porcelain. The porcelain is coloured using raw pigment at the slip stage, should you chip a piece you will not see the telltale white body you would get with coloured glaze. This process allows me to achieve a rich bold colour range not attainable with glaze. Having said this I am now using coloured glaze on a small number of pieces to highlight the texture and pattern and add another contrasting element to the range. This process also appeals to those who prefer the feel of fully glazed pieces. Each piece is made by myself in the studio, the result is a collection of beautifully unique pieces that retain the small marks of the hand made process.” They look absolutely stunning in pictures - and i can only dream up the possible color/glaze/pattern combinations you could create with her custom options! Take a peek at more closeups on the next page!

TO PAGE 2 of "The Mod Collective: Valissa Butterworth"! ----->

It’s that time of year already, where everyone’s designs for Milan Design Week are flooding the design world… and the latest from BD Barcelona and Jaime Hayon have made me far too giddy today! The Gardenias Garden Collection is just so playfully Hayon, and with the stunning LA weather and all the work i’ve been doing in my garden, i can’t help dreaming up where i’d put some of these! Take a peek on the next page at the outdoor furniture, watering can, pots, and more!

TO PAGE 2 of "Gardenias Garden by Jaime Hayon"! ----->

Here is this week’s NOTCOT.org roundup ~ from the teasers of GTA V to april fools’ jokes like google maps going treasure map, chimp kettle bells, bone inspired goods, tangram fruit rollups, harmonic waves turned into metal cuffs, ikea stools into kids bikes, public swings that can turn into a band as your friends swing with you… and so much more! Click the pics to find out more!

Today i found myself in sunny Venice Beach, tucked away in house twenty six and a half on a walk street… playing with snow ready winter sportswear and exploring the studios of the freshly launched Coldsmoke Apparel - as they say, “Coldsmoke collaborates with some of the most advanced performance fabric mills along with highly regarded finishing companies to create collections that offer the best of both worlds. Our fashion is functional, performing at the highest level whether you’re on or off the mountain.”

It was great to get to explore the collection in person, and hear about the inspiration behind their inaugural collection by CCO, Imani Lanier (who is quite the seasoned designer). What struck me most was definitely the inuit symbols, design details (love the zippers and the subtle mountains stitched into pocket flaps, etc!), and the quality of the materials… also that all of the products were surrounded by quite the curation of vintage goods! The hats are displayed on stacked vintage cots… there are old skis, fishing poles, gas masks, shovels, and more strewn about the studio and they will all be for sale someday in the Coldsmoke Vintage Collection. Take a peek inside their studio and at some of the fun details of the upcoming collection, inspiration sketches, and their playful lookbook on the next page!

TO PAGE 2 of "Coldsmoke Apparel"! ----->

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

Over the past few days, I have had been helping out on the live set behind Channel 4’s Easter Eggs Live, an exciting program that features eggs of all sorts hatching and developing live on air! With so many species about to hatch, there is nonstop action on the live streams which will continue until Monday. The newly hatched babies are pretty adorable too and you can watch them live as well on the live Baby Cams.

It’s been a busy day in the studio, with lots of animals to look after, and nonstop spawning and hatching activity. Check out more photos of the studio behind the scenes and of the incredible eggs, their layers and babies on the next page!

TO PAGE 2 of "Easter Eggs Live"! ----->

This week’s roundup from NOTCOT.org features some amazing inspiration from a billboard you can live behind, stone glasses, suspended feather sculptures, adorable illustrations, woody creatures, stunning watches, 3D printed superhero business cards, fun animated ads from hertz, and so much more… click the pics to find out more!

Wow. Ferg is taking Project Squadt to the next level with Squadt Assembly, which he has been teasing us with on his instagram for some time now… This exhibition/pop-up-shop at Rotofugi in Chicago opens April 5th, and those who attend have the chance to build their own Squadt characters with lots of special creatures and accessories - from various eye colors, hoodies, tees, sniper rifles, knives, rocket launchers, packs, vests, and more… as well as exclusives that aren’t even available on the preview). Additionally there will be fun Squadt merch for humans like pint glasses, clothing, stickers, etc! Take a peek at some of the epic options and the promo video on the next page… and for those unavailable to make it to Chicago for the opening, there’s a lottery to build one online depending on what is left.

p.s. Yes, the top pic is totally what i’d build… only maybe with the skull parka instead if it’s one of the specials…

TO PAGE 2 of "Squadt Assembly"! ----->

I love when design sites/magazines/writers venture from not only covering inspiring design to helping bring it into the real world! In this case, our friends at Stilsucht, have just launched the Cliffhanger by Thomas Schmitz! A brilliant little hook that slips in between two pipes/slats/etc and lets gravity lock it in place… it was designed with a German “Altbau” in mind (think high-ceilinged, warehouse/loft like pre-war apartments that often have pairs of water pipes running vertically!) “The first batch comes in five different colors and each is an ode to the heart of cities. Berlin is represented by an urban Kreuzberg gray, Munich is a friendly Schwabing blue, Cologne has a sunny Ehrenfeld yellow, Frankfurt hails with a cordial Bornheim red and Hamburg shows a maritime Schanze blue.” I love that beyond helping designs become a reality, these are made in Berlin (also home of Stilsucht!) in the Stephanus workshops Berlin, a non profit workshop for social and vocational integration and rehabilitation of disabled people.

I had the pleasure of getting a pre-release Cliffhanger from Stilsucht when i ran into him in France last weekend ~ and i must say it feels nice and solid, with a rubbery coating that keeps it from slipping through the cracks, so to speak. While i may not have the same vertical pipe set up, i have actually found it quite useful hanging from my puppy gates (yes, they are basically the same as baby gates) and even between the back of the emeco navy chair! Take a peek at the details on the next page.

TO PAGE 2 of "Stilsucht Cliffhanger by Thomas Schmitz"! ----->

Everything and everyone says that you need to expose your puppies to as much as possible ~ so when Sarah told us about Fancy Paws photoshoot to benefit NKLA, we HAD to bring Bucky! And at around 5 months old, he was (and still is) in full on puppy mode… only around 50 pounds these days… and with new people! new dogs! new spaces! new TOYS! and new treats! and things being attached to him… you can imagine how excited he got! So, huge thanks to the amazing Sarahs (Yates and Sherman Samuel) for wrangling and calming our pup for some fun photos that capture his wild energy that day (tongue is out an all in most pics!) See the adventures on the next page!

TO PAGE 2 of "Fancy Paws: Behind the Scenes"! ----->

This week’s roundup from Tasteologie and Liqurious includes hummingbird cupcakes, cameline sauce, pears hélène martinis and more. Find out more about each post by clicking on its individual image.

Been dreaming about going to Barcelona to get Eyescream since i first saw it on Moco Loco last night. Amazing new conceptual twist on all the taiwanese shaved ice cream shops popping up all over… stunningly playful branding… and to turn the less than attractive treat into something more fun, they keep the toppings separate, and eyes! (Only way they could make it better is to have edible googly eyes!) Fantastic design by Estudio m Barcelona (Merche Alcalá, Marion Dönneweg). Take a peek at the incredible creatures, branding, and deliciousness on the next page.

p.s. also check them out on facebook and yelp.

TO PAGE 2 of "Eyescream "! ----->

This week’s roundup from NOTCOT.org roundup includes knitted taxidermy, volcanic eruptions, and the subtle impressions left by clothing on skin and more. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.

It has been impossible to ignore Mercedes-Benz’s targeting of the “younger” market with their new entry level CLA model… from the fantastic Super Bowl spot “Soul” featuring Willem Defoe as the devil tempting a young man… to “Kate Upton Washes the All-New Mercedes-Benz CLA in Slow Motion”, which is pretty much what you’d expect… there’s even the Ryan McGinley film featuring model, Karlie Kloss, “Mind of Its Own” that debuted during fashion week… and how can you forget the “Untamed” spot where the car faces off with a wolf? Basically the marketing of the CLA seems to have its target on the younger/college crowd, playing heavily on the affordability and animalistic nature of the car… so when given the chance, i was too curious to see what this affordable, animalistic, compact car (the little sister of the CLS) feels like in person.

Hopping over to St. Tropez to give it a spin, felt like stepping into the “Soul” ad - being given an other worldly experience to play with the car while exploring the south of france… see a peek at our stay at the Hotel de Paris which just reopened. On first impressions - i was first drawn to the grill that seems spotted from afar… and the lights are just stunning up close (both front and rear), with such aggressive eyes that illuminate in the front, and incredible red gills that fill the back lights, they are definitely my favorite features. As for the interior, the dash seems to be where the affordability compromises were made, or my taste has aged me out of the younger demographic they are targeting… and the neon stripe options on some seats were surprising. As far as drivability, it would definitely make a fun little city car ~ and we even tried taking it to an impromptu flea market we found while driving around the french countryside, and it fit in easily (though drawing quite a bit of attention as well)… take a peek at the adventures and details with the Mercedes-Benz CLA on the next page!

TO PAGE 2 of "Mercedes-Benz CLA: Animalistic Affordability?"! ----->

This weekend’s adventures lead me from LA to St. Tropez by way of Paris and Marseille to try out the new Mercedes-Benz CLA. While there, Mercedes-Benz took over newly redone, iconic Hotel de Paris St. Tropez, which barely reopened the doors before Mercedes moved in for this round of drives. Mixed into the sculptures throughout the lobby, we were greeted with displays of the new CLA Dashboard, Direct Steer System, various engines and more… which fit right in! In the main courtyard, the new CLA and it’s larger influence, the CLS were on show. Apparently the Hotel de Paris was one of THE first hotels in St Tropez back in the 1930s, and was THE spot to be seen in the 60s and 70s (think artists, starlets, and more). Freshly redone by interior designer, Sybille de Margerie, it is quite a mix of design styles, and the hardest things to miss are the stunning spherical chandelier of metal petals of sorts in the lobby… and the nearly ready glass bottom pool that is suspended over the lobby which is viewable from all floors! Take a peek at the details of the Hotel de Paris St. Tropez with its Mercedes-Benz CLA flourishes on the next page!

TO PAGE 2 of "Hotel de Paris, St. Tropez + CLA"! ----->

This week’s roundup from NotVentures includes wildlife safaris, a Mexico City speakeasy, an escape to Alentejo and more. To find out more about each post, click on its individual image.