We came across this Bait Lamp designed by Henrik Pedersen for the Frandsen Projekt at ICFF, and i must admit, it didn’t look like much to me, until i lost Dan, only to find him with the booth guy playing with this lamp… and then it suddenly became really sweet. It has a carbon fiber rod, and on it is a movable brushed steel weight, and using the weight as a counter balance you can slide it along the lamp to adjust the height of the lighting, and the carbon fiber rod will naturally adjust its curve!

Really, you need to see it in action to make sense of it… so luckily we made a quick video clip you can check out to illustrate how it works. Unfortunately there is minimal information on the the Frandsen Projekt site, but we did find it in the catalog/pdf. Watch our little video on the next page!

p.s. we’re internally debating whether the lamp we saw is the same lamp in the press images, but the booth guy gave us the press kit saying it was in there, and this is the closest thing to it…….. it is a bit weird that the press image has the shade hanging so much lower, perhaps that’s adjustable?

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Myto Cantilever Chair for Plank designed by Konstantin Grcic. There are some chairs that while look interesting in images, they just don’t grab you until you sit in them. Clearly the folks at Plank knew this when they set up their ICFF booth, and it was fascinating to watch everyone from little kids to grannies jump up on the platform, and sit, lean, bounce on these colorful plastic stackables. After a bit of watching, i couldn’t resist either, and they were REALLY quite nice to sit in! Not to mention light and easy to store and not too hard on the eyes! Check out more images of the chairs in all its colors as well as the ICFF booth on the next page!

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In case you haven’t noticed, i seem to be fascinated with edgy/twisted porcelain incarnations lately… Catching my eye - then sucking in all my attention - at ICFF was the Lladró booth - while i’ve long loved their work, their hiring of Jaime Hayon (i actually met him at the show! and he was incredibly nice… and i was a bit in awe and rather tongue tied) as creative director, and their Re-Cyclos Magical Forest Collection really had me paying special attention to them the last few years…

At their booth, the first thing to pull you in is the new fiberoptic/porcelain chandelier with leaves (much like the Niagara Chandelier with the fairies), and seeing how the fiberoptic strands were attached to the porcelain leaves was fascinating (as was the lighting itself). Next the Re-Cyclos tea set where the legs of a bowl were all porcelain horse heads, the napkin ring made of horse legs, the handles on the cups and mugs were horse legs as well! Really in description it sounds far more bizarre than the result, the juxtaposition was really quite beautiful (see the pics on the next page). Also fascinating were the porcelain boxes that have what look like barbie and ken faces pressed into them (complete with makeup for that dash of color), they actually turned the molds used to create the figured into the boxes themselves, in a stark matte porcelain and a gold interior. As you can see, its really not the usual collection of porcelain collectibles you’d expect, and really they seem like a fun match for some pieces over at the Designboom Mart, like the Blaue Blume Tea Set.

Lladró ~ for a company that i grew up knowing for beautiful traditional porcelain pieces, you fascinate me with every part of your evolution. I never expected a bizarre and edgy collection quite like this from the 50+ year old company, and love it! More pictures from the booth on the next page!

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I know we all fell for Kaiju Studio’s I/O Desk Organizer, and were heartbroken to find out that they were still hunting for a manufacturer… well we met up with our new friends, Cutter Hutton, Ayako Takase, and Chris Specce of Kaiju Studios, at ICFF, and were giddy to see the desk and cabinet that it was practically made for! (And these you CAN buy, thanks to Herman Miller.) I think we can all agree that Kaiju Studios will be worth following over the next few years…

So here is their latest project, Airia desk and media cabinet for Herman Miller. And its gorgeous down to the tiniest details… when you see this in person, be sure to check out the perfect wood pieces with rubber feet to keep your cables hidden and the cork lined trays that make organizing your drawers easier than ever. It really is nice to see a desk that goes out of its way to not only look good, but help make hiding the inevitable cable clutter during use.

See both press images and ICFF show floor shots on the next page ~ as well as a really nice little profile on the company.

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With a billion things/people/places to see, and a seemingly endless events to attend… its been super fun, in that crazed hectic way, and now i’ve taken the day to enjoy my bed - that is literally COVERED in press kits and a desktop filled with hundreds of photos… its a work day! To catch up on some posts… and today, we’ll start with the incredible Artek installation in Gansevoort Square.

The simple Artek Stool 60 has been an omnipresent design icon… from schools, jails, kids rooms, restaurants, you’ll see them everywhere… but no where is it as amazing as walking into Gansevoort Square and seeing what from afar appeared to be a coliseum of them.

As the press release says… “The innovative and strong L-leg construction is based on the technique of bending solid wood that was invented and refined by Alvar Aalto and Artek from the 1930s onwards. The famous Stool 60 designed in 1933 is the archetype of functional furniture. In Gansevoort Square, New York, Artek celebrates the anniversary of the stool 60 by building an installation of hundreds of stools. The round tower invites people to use all their senses to experience the installation. The stools made of untreated birch bring the scent of pure forest in the middle of New York and people are free to feel the natural, refined surface and structure of the stools.” Check out my pics on the next page for the full experience!

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Finally! The Vitamin I.V. Plant Pot ~ self watering via I.V. bag… is available for purchase! It sure seems to be larger than i initially imagined, and is priced at 160 pounds. It’s available in classic white and limited edition black and included with the lightweight fiberglass plant pot is a height adjustable metal rod, a refillable I.V. bag and a flow regulator that allows you to set watering rates to suit your plant. See close ups on the next page…

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ICFF previews are filling the inbox, and i’m getting giddier every day as we close in on NY Design Week (still kicking myself for not being able to make it to Milan this year!)… Check out the Abyss by Osko & Deichmann and Atomium by Hopf & Wortmann, both for Italian company, Kundalini.

These pieces will be a part of the Water Air Exhibition at 477 Broome Street, NY from May 17th through 20th from 12pm to 9pm. See more images of these gorgeous lamps (in and out of context!) on the next page…

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Random spontaneous research of the morning - staring out the window at the finches that keep hopping along the sill and pecking at the window right in front of me, i started day dreaming about bird feeder designs, and as a result started hunting down unique bird feeders on NOTCOT.org - which naturally lead me to scouring the ends of the internet to see what else was out there. Here are 14 of the coolest things i found that don’t meet your standard/gawdy options… also i’m kind of wondering whether a bird feeder could be a fun next project for NOTConcept?

p.s. like all roundups, click the images to find out more!

With so much tech accessorizing coming in the form of metals and plastics, its refreshing to see this new i/o Desk Organizer from Kaiju Studios that is made of walnut wood and felt. This modular system allows for constant reorganization depending on your needs, with everything from cable wraps, dividers, picture holders, and more. The design uses natural, warm materials that are ecologically responsible. See more detailed shots on the next page…

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NOTCOT Note: Interviews! We don’t have many of them on NOTCOT so far, but Anna’s introduction of them certainly has been refreshing to read… check out this great chat she had with Studio Lo! Also, feel free to let us know what you think, and if you’d like to see more of these, or interviews with specific people…

I wrote a post about Studio Lo a few months ago. I was (and remain) struck by Studio Lo’s minimal use of materials, gorgeous packaging, and the way each object is flat-packed and constructed by you, the user. In order to get more insight into their work and process, I decided to ask them a few questions about their work and process, and Eva Guillet and Aruna Ratnayake were kind enough to let me interview them. Check out the interview after the jump.

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I need to build a house/room around a bathtub one of these days… and i’m madly lusting after this Sorgente Tub, by Teuco. It completely submerges into your floor, and has water flowing to the brim… AND 8 hydrosilence whirlpool jets… *swoon*. It can even be covered with the same material that surrounds it - and of the options, Slate Grey Natural Stone option is just beautiful… but i imagine the oak-wood, teak, and pierre gris would be incredible too. via Trendir…

Take a look at the close ups of the tub, tiling, and other playful collages on the next page!

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Browsing IKEA’s latest today… they’ve jumped on a few trends i’ve been liking for a while… so naturally much like the laptop station that they made 10% of the original price… funny to see that they have taken to the vinyl stickering (i had kind of expected them to get on this one sooner since its so cheap/easy to produce)… and one trend i’ve been loving for apt dwellers that move frequently and don’t want to worry about damaging the walls, yet want to mount that flat panel tv - the floating wall tv shelves, i’m kind of liking this Stiby one above that is $500… and there is also the Benno after the jump that is a mere$120. Now for the one piece i’m really really wanting - the Trollsta Sideboard… granted the whole series feels like a cheap jaime hayon knockoff… i’m still tempted. It looks really fun to add some subtle vinyl stickers to also…. few more pieces that grabbed me after the jump!

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Here’s that press announcement i’ve been dying to share with you….

Globalight - the latest Karim Rashid piece launching in collaboration with Veuve Clicquot in Milan tonight. An “artistic, orb-shaped lamp with adjustable pink light, Globalight is also an isotherm bottle carrier… First impression? It feels like the center slice of a silver space age egg with its glowingly pink fleshy yolk exposed - encasing a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Rose… The asymmetrical egg like shape is so appealing and naturally inspired, yet relatively random feeling. And if you take a look at more of the gorgeously surreal photographs of the Globalight and its couples - there is also something oh so Easter Basket-like about it… The press release reads:

New York, NY—April 15, 2008 — Champagne house Veuve Clicquot affirms its strong commitment to design excellence, innovation and audacity with the release of Globalight by Karim Rashid, the second collaboration between the eponymous Champagne House and the prolific designer celebrating Veuve Clicquot’s Rose Champagne.The unique, limited-edition piece represents Rashid’s modern reinterpretation of the traditional French chandelier, icon of romantic dinners and meaningful moments. In the United States, Globalight will be unveiled exclusively at W Hotels, leader in modern travel, luxury design, and sensory experience.

Its portable nature makes entertaining a gathering of friends or someone special a charming occasion whether at home or on the road. One bottle of Veuve Clicquot Rose will remain chilled for 4 hours and the LED lights will give a soft glow for the same time, making Globalight an ideal accessory for outdoor entertaining.

Honestly - the pictures after the jump are worth checking out… beautiful sureal photographs - and a fun sketch and story of how Karim Rashid came up with the design…

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Swedish, I Do Design, and their gorgeous Union Benches… i showed you their Outdoor Union Bench and renderings of the indoor one previously, you remember, the gorgeously sleek concrete/wood outdoor benches that were shaped like three hemispheres molded together? Well Salone time is upon us, and they’ve shared the two new glossy red and black indoor versions (perfect for lounges, clubs, waiting areas) and a DESK! which looks like a very fun place to work closely together yet still have quite a bit of your own space to take over! I’m very tempted by both. Get a first look at all of these new pieces after the jump!

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Ding3000 is gearing up for this year’s salone in milan, and their theme is Animal Tales!

“Mother Nature is still the best designer in the world.” That’s why we started copying her most fascinating creations. Visit our petting zoo during the Milano Design Week 2008 and admire floating afghan hounds, shy giraffes, greedy chicks, and not-at-all-stubborn mules.”

Just as interesting as their concept and products… the sneak peek they’ve sent over (images below of the collection!) show some creative use of shadowing to bring out that animal nature in the pieces…

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