Love the clean design and packaging of the D&A Guitar Stands and Wall Hangers! Their GigStands fold up sleekly to slip into a guys back pocket (they didn’t quite fit in mine), but when opened become a pop up guitar stand! There are two models, one for electrical, and a deeper one for acoustics. The way it opens and closes is brilliant! There are also two Guitar Hangers, one passive and one active. The the Grip Wall Hanger is the passive model which hangs elegantly. The active Headlock Wall Hanger is open when there is no guitar weight on it, but when you put the guitar down it auto-closes. There are thoughtful designs to all of the models, from great grip to keep your guitar pristine, as well as plate covers to cover the screws in the wall mounts. Take a peek at it all up close on the next page!

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Just in over at DWR is the Vitra Toolbox by Arik Levy! Too cute - wandering over to Vitra, i found even cuter pictures (and more colors) of the super simple, functional, injection molded plastic tool box/desk organizer… I think we need some of these in NOTlabs to get all the hacked apart electronics and knives and tools and more organized (and easy to move from desk to desk!) - see more pics on the next page!

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You just have to try some things in person. I never thought the idea of a classic eames lounger molded in plastic would be as fun as it is in real life… There’s something about a certain type of molded plastic seating that will always remind me of little tikes. Rugged enough to take what a little kid can throw at it ~ easy enough to clean (aka pressure wash off) when left outdoors.

Here’s the Mal 1956 Lounger - “The 1956 is the first product of Mal, a young Eindhoven(NL) based label by Bob Copray and Niels Wildenberg. The Mal 1956 is a plastic (PE), rotational molded product, which is extremely suited for outdoor use. The chair has an ergonomic design. It is solid but it is very comfortable. It has been designed with a subtle drainage system to prevent stagnant water from collecting in the seat. The Mal 1956 can be cleaned using water along with common household cleaning products.” As described in the NYTimes - “Coyly called Mal 1956 — “mal” is the Dutch word for “mold,” and it also means “silly,” Mr. Wildenberg said — the chair and accompanying ottoman are made of polyethylene powder that has been heated and rotated in an aluminum mold.”

I must admit, i’m tempted. It could be far too fun to sit and spin around in it in the backyard! The pictures on the next page pretty much speak for themselves ~ see some fun press images and pics from Superbrands London!

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It felt a bit silly when i experienced some de ja vu when i ran into the Ivanka Concrete Design booth at Tent London… drawn in by the colorful cement tiles with shapes and patterns that reminded me of a mix of french and morrocan tiles… the large, interactive, push button, converted TV of a display to play with patterns, and their adorable mini cement tile magnets they were giving out… All promoting their Flaster! “Flaster is a concrete floor and wall covering fostered from a traditional motive. Made from fiber reinforced high performance IVANKA concrete, these tiles are available both for exterior and interior usage. Flaster comes in three different thicknesses, therefore it can be applied for floors, walls or for heavy traffic.” Looking at the catalog ~ i realized i had just stumbled across their concrete tiles at Liberty of London the day before! Beautifully juxtaposed inlayed in the old wooden floors… take a peek at all the details on the next page!

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The Danish designers of By Nord create stunning products “inspired by the diversity of the raw yet beautiful Nordic nature”. Their products are minimalist, yet capture the incredible detail of their subjects. By Nord’s new Autumn/Winter ‘12 line includes gorgeous new line of bedding, including king and queen sized duvet covers and a pretty line of bone china ornaments for Christmas including polar bears, reindeer and penguins!(yes, we know it’s only September, but they’re beautiful!). More photos of the new line (and a few old favorites) on the next page!

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While exploring Tent London today ~ we were instantly smitten with Budapest designer, Molnár Réka’s Moringa line of fun nature inspired kitchen goods. First drawn in by the adorable Fox Tea Towel, which actually makes use of the way a tea towel naturally hangs… and then won over by the color changing mugs!!! The Mushrooms grow and the rain drops disappear when you add a hot drink! And the leaves and bushes disappear to reveal birds and bunnies and more!

Since we unfortunately couldn’t see these mugs in action while at the fair - we had to buy them and bring them home! And they are so amusingly magical in person, we made some videos (to go with the many other detail shots and booth shots!) for you to check out on the next page!

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On fun an unexpected things to do with vintage golf clubs… i encountered the Rag and Bone Man at Tent London, turning them into hangers! Not much else to say here… but i was fascinated! Check out more pictures on the next page, including the “before” shot!

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The latest from London-based editor and resident zoologist, Justine Aw as we explore the London Design Festival 2012.

Spotted at 100% Design today, here’s the Console O, an elegant side table from London-based JiB design studio. It integrates mushroomed ceramic pots (the tops have a greater diameter than the base) sit loosely into the tray of a table with oak lids that match the structure of the table. They look adorable with plants, and are great knick-knack holders and work as a tea table with all the lids on! And you can mix and match what you use them for, and/or what you hide in them. See more photos on the next page.

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Just arriving in London pre-design week, the last thing i expected fresh off the plane was to end up on a boat in a London canal exploring IKEA color sorted floating displays with actors lounging and cooking in them… IKEA turning a section of Regent’s Canal in Islington into a floating night market to launch their colorful new collection. The floating night market was inspired by the vibrant night markets of Asia. Upon arrival, we found ourselves in a black and white pavilion making fantastic use of patterned textiles and put our names down for a boat ride to visit the floating showcases and enjoying cocktails while awaiting our ride.

Once our boat was ready, we were gondolier-ed along the canal in a black and white boat (all IKEA fabrics and pillows) to visit moored boats housing color-themed selections from the new IKEA ranges and even got a taste of a Swedish crayfish party on board! The IKEA floating market is open to the public tonight for one night only (Friday, September 14th)! We hear general admission has sold out, but you can find out more from the event facebook page. See our boat ride photos of the floating market on the next page!

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This post is part of a content series presented by smartwater… smartwater, good taste travels well. Click here to learn more. The opinions and content in this post are 100% NOTCOT, smartwater is supporting us to share what we love with you!

On travels, one of the hardest things is always to find souvenirs that are memorable but not too kitchsy. Something that will fit back in with your world at home or those you are gifting it to ~ but still stand out enough to bring back fond memories of a place. So i was thrilled when i just found this new line of Los Angeles Souvenirs, essentially for locals by locals, that are the prefect gift/reminder to visitors of how awesome the REAL Los Angeles can be! These glasses are by Sisters of Los Angeles, “a unique, Los Angeles-inspired gift and modern memorabilia collection that reflects all the best that the City of Los Angeles has to offer. ” Who does it come from? “SoLA is designed by celebrated Architect and Author of Bohemian Modern: Living in Silver Lake, Barbara Bestor ; successful product development specialist and manufacturer’s rep Karen Alweil; and fashion/lifestyle publicist and marketing expert Sara Stein.” Now i’m just wishing they had Pacific Palisades glasses to go with their Hollywood, Beaches series, Canyon series, and freeway (10, 405, 110, 101) series! You can currently find some online at Ron Robinson… see more pictures of the tastefully fun travel souvenirs by Sisters of Los Angeles on the next page!

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We have been smitten by the works of duo Francesco Rugi and Silvia Quintanilla, aka Carnovsky, for years now (you can see them on NOTCOT.org) ~ from the wallpapers to the art pieces to the scarves and now STICKERS with Blik! [Side note: I feel so ridiculous that even when reading/writing about them for so long ~ it wasn’t until i ran into this picture of Sylvia and Francesco at the show opening in Portland that i realized i went to Domus Academy with them a few years back! What a small world!]

Anyhow, we’ve been lusting after their wallpapers filled with various plants and animals for some time, but have yet to figure out a wall to commit to it, so when the Blik stickers launched (and were teased at their 10th bday party!) we had to try it! Since the designs for the Rosone series of 4 designs were all symmetrical circular patterns, they reminded me of ceiling moldings around chandeliers or other pendant lighting… so, why not a fun artwork for the ceiling to go around the light? This also allows for the possibility to have color changing lightbulbs you can easily use to see the various RGB views of the artwork! Take a peek at unboxing of the new Blik x Carnovsky Rosone wall stickers, peeks through the 3 colored glasses they come with, and our application of it on the ceiling all on the next page!

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Another Venice Architecture Biennale discovery ~ architect, Anupama Kundoo, has an interesting way of using recycled materials for construction and a fascinating system of Terracotta Interlocking Tubes (“Hollow burnt clay tubes are stacked to achieve catenary vaults that require no structural steel. Substructure such as wooden rafters in terracotta roof tile applications are redundant as the system is self supporting. Neither is shuttering required. This leads to an insulated roof based on locally produced materials and quick assembly.” ~ when you combine recycled materials like cut wine bottles with her tube stacking style, she has created an interesting way to create a glass roof made of wine bottles! And the shadows are beautiful too! Take a peek at the details on the next page!

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As you know, we have a thing for Geometric Lighting… so naturally, i was intrigued when Artecnica’s 2012-2013 releases landed in my inbox and i spotted this new Shayk Light by Amanda Betz! This pendant light is made of a high tech synthetic paper shade… take a peek at more info and the interview with her on the next page!

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On fun NOTlabs projects - when Sub-Studio needed her dream wood frames laser cut for the Brevity Jewelry New York Gift Fair booth, and we were exploring settings on our laser cutter, it was the perfect combination! Take a peek on the next page of all the frames we cut over a few days and the NYGF booth!

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NOTlabs (the NOTCOT physical, experimental, play/make/hack/exploratory studio of sorts) has been quietly evolving faster and faster… recently you’ve seen the new Makerbot Replicator that just joined us… and i’m a bit overdue in sharing some of our other machines and projects with you… And loving skateboards (remember our Skateboard Swing?) first up ~ staring at the ugly, boring ceiling fan that hung above us led to the idea of of skateboards as fan blades! And sure enough a few days later, skateboards and a nice simple ceiling fan was acquired to test with! take a peek at our skateboard ceiling fan experiment on the next page.

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