Pet project today ~ researching house number options for a remodel… see 13 of the best resources/options i found on the next page! (including quite a feel where to can choose your fonts, materials, sizes, etc!)
p.s.
please feel free to comment more resources or numbers that you’ve found!
Vitamin Living, i’ve been a huge fan of their product design for some time now, and the I.V. Self Watering Plant Pot made quite a splash across the internet especially when it launched. Freshly launched at 2008 100% Design London, they’ve expanded that piece to the Bio Logic Collection - “All the products provide smart ideas for plants and are here to make your life easier. I.V.27, the original I.V. plant pot, Tab A, Tab B and X-tray are all included within the range.” See the full collection and press release on the next page!
Tetris Tiles!!! Thank you Tomas, who just emailed this in, and i’ve been giddy since first laying eyes on them… what game room, kitchen, bathroom, etc, can’t use some tetris tiling? Although of course, every row had better have some random hole, so the rows don’t disappear? And in imagining covering a wall or floor with these, i can’t help but wonder whether it really is better to buy the pre-made sheets, or to place each tile one by one, by simply reaching into a bucket randomly… sure it may take ages, but then every tile has a story, and perhaps some rationale behind its placement? They are custom made in the UK from the finest italian ceramics, and while they are already available in quite the range of colors, may also become available in any pantone color of your choice….
Ooooh can you imagine Tetris Tiles in your pool??? My head is spinning with ideas of where/how to use these, see more images on the next page!
On booths i always look forward to seeing, Normann Copenhagen was high on the list, they always have such beautiful displays ~ at ICFF they had more of a clean low black display… at Maison et Objet, they went for more of a rustic woody modern table look with their nice black walls and vibrant new pieces. Of the pieces launched, the one that grabbed me most in person was the Herb Stand designed by Jakob Heiberg, the quality feels incredible, and there’s something so nice about the balance achieved even when empty… that splash of green with the scissors handles doubling as a little pair of sprouting leaves is adorable, and could probably just as easily find a place on your desk, as you kitchen counter. See more images ~ as well as booth images on the next page!
Merci beaucoup, Veuve Clicquot ~ who loves design as much as we do, and brought me to Paris to cover Maison et Objet 2008! More design discoveries to come…
One of the first things that grabbed me wandering the vast halls of Maison et Objet Fall 2008 ~ Duo Design Holland’s Flicker oil lamp sticks, they are exquisite. So simple, so elegant, and such a perfect gift! The sticks can come alone in a minimal flat packed envelope of sorts (imagine like tall thin birthday candles), or they are available in a gift set. Essentially the design is much like a metal straw with a wick inside which soaks up the oil ~ but the effect is truly gorgeous, and would look so lovely on any desk/table setting! See more images on the next page…
Merci beaucoup, Veuve Clicquot ~ who loves design as much as we do, and brought me to Paris to cover Maison et Objet 2008! More design discoveries to come…
Crate and Barrel Taka Trunk - when i saw this over at Uncrate - all i could think was Pirate. Bar. Coffee Table! It has those great woody hinges, hides your loot, and even when open provides table space on the sides… Talk about the last place your guests would expect to find your bar… See more pics on the next page!
Just spotted at TrendsNow… the deviously badass glowing garden “guard dwarfs”, Baddy by Plust… Design by Joe Velluto and A.Fabbian.
“Garden’s dwarfs are back, but with a brand new role: “guard dwarfs”. With an attitude that could hardly be defined as friendly, they shine thanks to the luminescent resin with which they are produced. Absorbing the light for a few moments they release it along the night, becoming small presences in the dark.”
See more pics on the next page!
Candela was acquired by Oxo, and seeing these new Flare lights as rechargeable ambient lighting to replace/accompany candles, i couldn’t resist. While i’ve always loved Candela’s playful kids slug looking lights and the taller lights, i never knew what i’d really do with them. But in the new products since Candela met Oxo, you can immediately see the more mature, versatile, hyperfunctional designs which have emerged around the same technology. The Flare, DemiGlow, and Luau (how fun would it be to run around in the woods with that lantern?) are a gorgeous addition to their family of products, and the Flare look so perfect for everywhere from dinner on the patio to lining around your pool… i finally ordered some… so on the next page see a full unboxing, including an upclose look at what’s in the box, how the lights are put together, and how they light a hallway.
One thing that blew me away on the user experience of the design… these lights run on rechargeable Ni-Cd batteries (which are replaceable), and they are charged by simply playing them on their base, which also doubles as a carrying tray. The lights also have adorable on and off buttons on the base. What i love is that - regardless of whether the light is on, when you place it on the base it goes off… as soon as you lift it from the base it lights up. And silly as it sounds, there is something magical about that interaction. Likewise, if there is a power outage, or you unplug the base to carry the tray, they will all light up. View the unboxing on the next page, and view the full selection of Oxo Candela Lights!
NOTCOT Note: This is the fifth in my series of Ultimate Accessories posts which have been sponsored by the new Infiniti G Sedan! As with any sponsored content ~ these posts are done - my way - my product choices, my content, and they help me keep doing what i love!
On ultimate accessories, one of the more interesting ways to bring some green into your home is definitely in the form of terrariums (especially over cut flowers!). And your terrariums can be filled with anything from cacti or venus fly traps to flowers or bonsai… one of my favorite designs which manage to be both minimal and somewhat traditional, yet so organic and fluid feeling is definitely the blown glass terrariums of Esque at A+R. As described on the site - “Esque Design in Portland: Justin Parker and Andi Kovel blow recycled glass into purposeful sculptures that are as elegant as they are otherworldly. Case in point: These crystal-clear balloon terrariums, which frame your favorite succulents, flowers or other life into a world of their own.”
How beautiful are these “hand-foiled plant labels” that design*sponge received from The Modern Gardener? They are the most darling popsicle sticks i’ve ever seen! Handmade by London artist, Kim Jenkins, they come in 10 packs for 5 pounds a pack.
NOTCOT Note: This is the first in my series of Ultimate Accessories posts which have been sponsored by the new Infiniti G Sedan! Don’t worry, as with any sponsored content ~ they basically give me an excuse to do a fun series of posts - my way - my product choices, my content, and they help keep the site free! And in all honesty, i’m kind of excited to be sponsored by Infiniti’s new G Sedan… i’ve been lusting after the G Coupe for years…
So to kick off this new series, here is a product review i’ve saved specially for this occasion! The sleek, sexy, new Acuity office chair from Allsteel! It is the first chair design by Design Continuum Italia, the Milan-based product innovation firm headed by founding partner Bruce Fifield, and from the look of the video on the design story (embedded on the next page), they really put the users first and designed around the needs of your body.
First impressions? Out of the box, the luscious white leather and the gorgeous metal curves looked incredible ~ and on my first spin, i instantly felt more productive - it gave me this Dr. Evil meets retro first class airplane seat feeling. And then i looked down and saw the controls, simple, adorable icons just where you needed them, allowing you to shift up/down, forwards/back, and a variable lever for the level of resistance tilting back. And the CASTERS! Looking closely, the icons and the caster are my favorite design details of this chair… Skip ahead and you can see many a product shot as well as close-ups of my favorite details on the next page - including the buttoning system used to attach/remove the leather jacket.
P.S. Can you believe this gorgeous chair is also Cradle to Cradle Certified Silver by MBDC? No PVC, Recycled content above 45%, more then 90% (by weight) recyclable, fair labor practices and socially responsible initiatives are followed…
My fascination with porcelain and the way light dances in and off of it has yet to subside… latest to catch my eye was in C magazine, the Lynn Lanterns from Williams Sonoma Home. “Hand cut in a beehive motif, our lanterns cast light and shadow in lacy patterns on tabletops and terraces. The glazed white porcelain has tea-stained wicker handles and removable bottoms that allow for easy placement and lighting of candles. Candles not included.” See larger image on the next page.
Velcro. We’ve all used it, but have you ever thought about what you can build out of it? After getting settled from all the traveling, and finally having some time in the midst of this TasteSpotting situation (which i’m sorry i can’t talk about yet, but will try to tell you what i can when possible)… i finally manage to wrangle my lost ICFF images out from Aperture (it kind of ate them in the midst of the madness) ~ so here i’ll be catching up on some of the fun stuff i wanted to share from ICFF 08.
Back to velcro, though, when at the Conran Shop’s ROJO Exhibition party curated by Nani Marquina and Luis Eslava ~ everything was red! And i was enamored by Luis Eslava’s Face to Face lamp constructed of velcro strips ~ as well as his velcro space dividers which were used in both white and red throughout the exhibition. See more images from the exhibition as well as close ups of the velcro on the next page! I’ve been really curious to go buy velcro strips and have fun with them for new office dividers lately…
I just spent about a half hour staring at a full screen high res image of WALLPAPER. And no wallpaper has ever held my attention THAT long. I think i have found the wallpaper of my dreams… Emil Kozak’s Barok’n’roll Wallpaper for WallCollection - Here’s the clincher ~ it LOOKS like a pattern… and from a distance it is… but when you get up close with it, you just sit and find all these hilariously awesome little details that are worked in all over the place, from submarines and whales, to skulls and horses… from dangling people, to ships riding curves that only suddenly look like waves. I found this while browsing Emil Kozak’s site.
AND it comes it white on black, black on white, and white on red. I would love to hide this in the backs of bookshelves, in the bottoms of drawers, or filling a bathroom? Where would you put it? See more close ups and the various colors on the next page…
Charcoal can be messy stuff… luckily for us dynamic design duo, Mike and Maaike, have tackled this process with their new Baja BBQ Firepack for Design Annex/Lazzari. The design of the packaging as a recycled, functional aspect of the process is just genius.
“The Baja BBQ Firepack is charcoal packaging that lights instantly and burns away in the grille, making the barbeque experience simple, clean and chemical free. Made from 100% recycled biodegradable paper pulp, the package contains 2 lbs of natural lump charcoal and features an integrated chimney that creates perfect hot coals in 15-20 minutes without the aid of chemicals or lighter fluid. Available at gourmet supermarkets. Manufactured by Lazzari/ Design Annex - patent pending” See the process in pics on the next page…
