I was just going through my images from Philly and i love the way this one turned out… click it to see it larger. Bahdeebahdu. Let’s skip the story of the naming and jump right to the studio… basically this philly studio produces some fascinating lighting pieces out of any/everything you can imagine. The one piece that grabbed me was a work in progress in the workshop in the back (see the images below of how incredibly organized all the found glass is filling the walls of the work space) ~ above you see a chandelier that has been commissioned to hang over a smaller dining room, and it actually began as the original chandelier, only flipped upside down, and now everything from milkshake glasses, dishware, etc are being added on one piece at a time. And the result is a breathtaking array of light.

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Piegato by MRDO Products is the bookshelf both my future studio and past dorm room need. As a “sheet steel rack with a surprisingly high load capacity, this laser cut and powder coated sheet steel” has been kept as simple as possible, allowing for YOU to choose which you use as shelves and which as magnetic boards. All you need are two screws to hold it up - it bends easily by hand - and comes in one flat sheet! It weighs in at a light 8kg, and is 100cm x 66cm x 2cm. Comes in black, white, and gold. I even love that they have a little video of it from unboxing to filling the shelves. We’ve seen quite a few sheet steel bending products coming through, but so far this one is the first i actually would love a few of.

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Noticed this Contraforma MW Collection over at Pan Dan. Designed by Nauris Kalinauskas, 2007. “Old within new. A unique piece, even the oldest house can be revived with contemporary design- gives a new breath of life to an old favorite space. The product distinguishes with combined innovative and traditional materials: the frame is made of powder coated, laser-cut metal combined with the natural old solid wood - a touch of purest nature. None the less interesting is the shape - a stylistic mix of decades. An eclectic is brought to a delicate purity. MW is an allusion to antiquity and at the same time it is obviously an object of contemporary design. It comes with a real story of one hundred years original solid wood which at those times was a part of a wooden Lithuanian house.” And isn’t it funny how they use the VHS in the product shot?

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Some people have late night food cravings. Me? I apparently have furniture cravings at 3am. Was about to fall asleep, then noticed the latest Design Public email in my inbox, and suddenly i’m wide awake lusting after these new pieces from Blu Dot. Above is the Bonnie and Clyde sectional. As if they didn’t have me at the name, i just love the clean simplicity and lack of cushion cracks to fall into (i spent the last two nights on a sectional, and i’m hurting all over!). You can also get Bonnie solo (but what fun is that? and she’s also featured below in ‘dark roast’)… she’s the one with the two arms. Clyde apparently doesn’t have any arms… interpret that as you will. Ok, i feel a bit silly rereading what i just typed and realizing that i’m referring to the sectional pieces by name. Incredible what a great name can do for a COUCH… suddenly these simple pieces have character and backstories! Also, i’d love to be curling up in the Nook Bed, it looks so sleek yet cozy (and matches the couch nicely) - also featured below!

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Here’s the latest post from our fav contributor, Anna Corpron of Sub Studio. A HUGE congrats to her and Sean who just got married (hence the quietness from them the last few weeks) and ran off to honeymoon in Vancouver, Whistler, and Victoria. Lucky!

Hector Serrano is an innovative, Spanish product designer who puts a new spin on familiar objects, materials and forms. His work is playful - take the Fan Txt (image after the jump), a reinterpretation of the traditional Spanish fan - often used as a flirtation device - now updated with text messaging capabilities. Like the guy in the corner? Fan yourself and a pre-programmed message will flash for his benefit. The Superpatata (above) looks like a balloon (or water bottle) but functions as a light and also as a pillow/bed warmer.

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Shade Elaine and i popped by the Dwell on Design exhibition yesterday… and honestly it didn’t feel worth the 20$ it would have been each (had Zinc Details not been nice enough to send over a comp code). But this was the highlight of the whole thing. DUTCH TUB! We’ve loved this one since both .org 1190 and .org… and were absolutely giddy to get to see one in person… unfortunately it wasn’t filled, and no fire was warming it… But we did force our way through the crowds to get you some close up shots below.

For those of you unfamiliar with this incredible tub ~ it’s relatively portable… holds about 200 gallons of water that you can fill with a garden hose… and its wood burning! (you fill through the bottom of the coil, and burn wood within it to heat it). AND you can even use a wok on top of that coil ~ talk about getting the most out of your fire. For those interested in what else they didn’t really miss at the Dwell on Design Exhibition, check out the gallery of images we took… it really felt like an even smaller CA|Boom.

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Therapy. Can i really get it from a candle? If so, please do the world of NOTCOT a favor and send the above ones over, and it might be a whole new world over here! Aromatherapy Interventions - As i’m sure you’ve already guessed… i like their colors, packaging, icons, and cheeky descriptions… also check out some of the ones coming up for Winter 2008 below… as well as the Codependent one (two wicks!)… and for all of us Web 2.0 kids, there is even a Version 2.0 - “You have the latest version of everything. This candle may be all the upgrade you need.” I seriously doubt that, but it amuses me none the less this Saturday morning.

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On design stories worth noting… where need and passion drive the design of some really thoughtful products, i just noticed these previews of legendary Michael Graves’ Solutions line with Drive Medical over at MocoLoco. The exclusive relationship between Graves and Drive Medical was announced in 2005 (see press release) - a nice quote “In addition to the experience of his architectural practice and its broad interest in accessibility issues, Michael Graves, who is a paraplegic, will bring his personal insight into this new area of design. Now back at work full time, Graves says, “I have a new outlook on how improved design can add ease and dignity to life for all people who are concerned with safety in the home and coping with disabilities. I am delighted to be working with a company as vested in innovation and value as Drive Medical.”“

These pictures have popped up on flickr via Ecumenweb, and its fascinating to see that he’s designed a hand-held showerhead with built in brush, a tub rail that can be adapted onto any tub, and a bathseat. I must say they all feel a bit little tikes to me, in their inherent rounded, colorful, plasticy, simplicity.

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If you recall, i was hunting for coat hooks a few months back for a skinny hallway i didn’t know what else to do with… and since then have found even more options than the initial collage of links (as well as these)… and it seems that Delta Design made a similar collage for their “competing products” section (see image below).

Well to add to that list, check out the new Bach Coat Hooks from Delta Design - The Art of Storage. They are minimalist - modern - and they even have customizable covers for the screws… but MOST importantly, they are designed not to stretch what you hang on them. They’ve also been kind enough to give you guys some coupon codes if you feel like shopping. notcot5 gives $5 off any order over $29 and notcot10 gives $10 off any order over $49 - ok, and i usually try to refrain from such comments, but i can’t help it! Please tell me its not just me, my only draw back from this design is that looking straight on, its kind of phallic? More images below…

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I just lost a huge chunk of my day doing the annual browse through the new IKEA catalog - come on, everyone does it - designers especially… can you help it? Even if you aren’t into IKEA, its just one of those necessary rituals to know what they are up to. And since this year i saw the digital before physical, instead of dog earring pages i screen shotted away and decided to share some things that stood out to me. Some are nostalgic, some are just fun. That above is the new extended Klippan that everyone and their mother has/had - now double in length! See more below.

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NOTCOT Note: Here’s another article from Anna Corpron of Sub-Studio!

While Joom’s current collection is limited to just a few pieces, what they lack in quantity they more than make up for in quality. Joom offers a playful, South African-inspired take on children’s furniture and accessories. I would love to see them expand on the Mooj Cowcase so that I could have a whole zoo of animal bookshelves.

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NOTCOT Note: Here’s another article from Anna Corpron of Sub-Studio!

Gorgeous light fixtures from Janne Kyttänen of FOC (Freedom of Creation). The 1597 is made from a series of tubes and was inspired by the growing pattern of the coneflower’s seeds. All of Janne’s work seems to be inspired by mathematical patterns from nature. I love that the fixtures sit on the wall without any visible cords or fasteners.

[NOTCOT Note: This was previously featured as .org #4116, but Anna (of the lovely Sub-Studio) convinced me that it was definitely worthy of a post of its own! And also, one of the most interesting and innovative things about FOC is that it is “a pioneering design and research company, specialized in designing for Rapid Prototyping!”]

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Furnitosis [fur-ni-toh-sis] “A condition born from ill-fitting, unsightly office furniture. Symptoms include curvature of the spine hunching, fatigue, dementia, disillusionment, headache, shame, sagging and unplanned guttural noises.”

Ewww. Good thing this so called furnitosis is so easy to cure. Bad posture from a not so ergonomic chair has never sounded quite so bad to me before, but these images over at Steelcase certainly make their painfully exaggerated point. See their solutions for these cases below. Thank goodness my Think which i reviewed earlier keeps me from having that crazy twisty neck!

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NOTCOT Note: Here’s another article from Anna Corpron of Sub-Studio!

TODA (The Office of Design and Architecture) is a multi-disciplinary design office in New York City whose work spans industrial design, architecture, print and web design. I’ve been a big fan of TODA for years, especially of their furniture/products, because of their conceptual approach to design. For Frighetto’s debut at the 2007 Salone de Mobile in Milan, TODA designed the Bean line of furniture, which explores form through structure and skin.

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Even though it is a ridiculously beautiful day looking out at SF today, i’m already dreaming about how nice it would be to have this gorgeous Ponton Fireplace to curl up by. “fireplace I is the urban interpretation of a campfire. it burns bioalcohol. material: fire resistant glass, stainless steel, size: 30 cm diameter, 40 cm hight, design wolf udo wagner, branded by geniol”… i love the concept of an “urban campfire”.