Motorola Aura

Motorola unveiled a gorgeous new phone this week - the ridiculously expensive, but very lovely Aura. The phone body is made up of stainless steel with a etched, textured pattern and the screen is 1.62-carat sapphire crystal. It is apparently made up of lots of other fancy parts, too, which you can read all about in Cnet's review. I mainly just love the sexy skin and the unique display. The Aura features a 2-megapixel camera, an mp3 player, stereo Bluetooth, quad-band GSM support, Moto's CrystalTalk feature, messaging, e-mail, a speakerphone, and an open-source browser all for $1,999. Um, yeah.

Antrepo

Mehmet Gozetlik of Antrepo sent over Time Tuner - an alarm clock/mp3 player. I like how the settings for the alarm clock are styled like the tuner of an analog radio.

Swims

I love the idea behind Swims - super cute protection for your heels for all those rainy days! It doesn't look like from their website that the heel versions are available for purchase yet - hopefully soon (they are selling protection for your flats, however)! My favorite detail is the map on the sole - NYC, Paris and Tokyo...

Via Notcot.

Wonsuk Cho

MoCo Loco posted about Wonsuk Cho's gorgeous X-Ray Lights - I love them! His X-Ray Lights take the iconic fixtures and make them the lamp shades. Beautiful.

Equally lovely are Wonsuk's Book Hangers, which add a little pleasure to every day storage - conveniently arranging the books you are reading in an orderly way - even allowing you to bookmark your place when you put the book away for the day.

New bags at the MoMA

Gorgeous new bags at the MoMA store - love the construction of Issey Miyake's Bilbao Tote and the form of Tia Cibani's Wooden Clutch.

Baron Samedi 007 Villain Collection Swatch

Bad old Baron Samedi has got his own watch now. He was my favorite character from the old Gamecube version of Bond that we used to play back in college.

25togo - Pixel

Love this Pixel coaster/napkin by 25togo.

Via Totonko.

D-Vision - Zipper Vase

Also very cool by D-Vision: the Zipper Vase, which can be modified to hold a single stem or a large bouquet...just unzip!

Vitamin Living - Urban Gnomes

Vitamin's expanded Urban Gnomes series are so cute! Love the new shapes and functional objects (bottle opener, salt and pepper shakers, piggy bank, and kitchen timer) and the new graphic designs.

Via Notcot.

Terraclime 100 by Lowepro

The Terraclime 100 from Lowepro serves as a great city and camera pack. The slim messenger shape with the inside and outside pockets keep everything organized. The padded camera wrap fits virtually any SLR body instead of cramming an odd-sized lens setup into a pre-formed holster. The good (or bad) news is that it is only 390 cu. in., allowing for only the day's essentials. Lowepro intended to make the pack as eco-friendly as possible and executed that by using 95% recycled materials to construct the bag.

Kechenyi Camille - Eco-Cook

The Eco-Cook is Kechenyi Camille's entry to Designboom's "Dining in 2015" competition. I like the simplicity of the design and the idea of using the same water to cook two different foods. I wonder, though, if the pasta tastes like string beans?

Via Notcot.

Wall Wear

Janick of Creativadoration just posted about her new collection of home decor, called Wall Wear. She considers it essentially jewelry for your walls, and I love the idea! Janick uses great colors in her work, and I especially like the taxidermy pieces. There seems to be a lot of cross stitching popping up in the design world these days...

Scott Amron - Part Clock, Part BOM

Scott Amron sent over his latest project this morning - Part Clock, Part BOM (Bill of Materials). It's a digital clock display with its working parts (battery, controls, etc.) seemingly scattered on the wall around it. Technically, the LED display has everything needed to run and control the clock (in miniature form), but it is meant to be placed in context with potential clock components, in order to cause the viewer to question its functionality.

Renegade Craft Fair 2008

Sean and I made it to the Renegade Craft Fair this Sunday (after the crazy rain shower). We were very pleasantly surprised to almost immediately run into our friend Sumana of Imaginary Friends, who had come from California for the show. We got to meet Nick - Sumana's brother and business partner - who is obviously a silk-screen expert (check out the color gradients on their cards and shirts)!



I was also very excited to meet Amber Zezeck of Brookadelphia - I love her acrylic word necklaces (and that tie necklace - yes, please!).



We saw a lot of plush toys at the show...our favorites were from Cherry Box (above) and Longoland (below). Cherry Box makes sad little plush trophies, and Longoland makes crazy monster plushies (high quality, with really amazing detail).



Longoland plushies.



Sycamore Street Press was new to RCF this year. I loved their stationary lines! A lot of Eva's work has a vintage feel to it, although my favorite cards were her more modern illustrations. Our pictures don't really do her work justice - check out Grace's post for far superior photo coverage!



Finally, we were excited to meet Shauna and Stephen of Something's Hiding In Here. These two pay attention to the details, and the quality of their work is just so great. I loved their stamps and the "love until it hurts" hearts.

So there you have it - Sub-Studio's favorite picks from this years RCF.

Active Crystals by Philips and Swarovski

Philips and Swarovski combined their interests to create Active Crystals. The headphones and usb keys are super baller. It is nice to see technology that is not focused on an image of technology. The crystals are pretty crazy, but at least they don't look like a radar station poking out of your ear.

Double Match

Paolo Ulian isn't the first to have come up with the double-sided match, but I love the way he's packaged it - with two drawers - one for fresh matches, and one for half-used matches.

Via Today and Tomorrow.

Gregory Buntain

Check out this sexy set of salt and pepper shakers - Carbon by Gregory Buntain. Go here for a more in depth post on Notcot.

Antony Joseph Folding Colander

Antony Joseph apparently went through 100 prototypes for the Folding Colander before perfecting the design you see here - so handy! It folds flat once you are done with it, making it the perfect colander for a New York city apartment (if you even have drawers to put it in, that is!).

Via BLTD.

Benjamin Hubert

Benjamin Hubert sent over his latest project - the Cast Desk Tidy, made for Welmade products. The Desk Tidy is made to fit a selection of pens, pins, rulers and pencils, "encouraging a thoughtful process of pencil selection and stationary display rather than the conventional 'throw it all in a pot approach'."

Laura Walker

These Lace Print Buttons by Laura Walker are so amazing. Each ceramic button is so beautiful and unique and I love the lace graphic, not to mention the more oddly shaped buttons. You can see and purchase more of these buttons at Laura's Etsy store.

Via Style Files.

Nixon Watches - Esquire and Groove

Nixon is just good at what they do. The Esquire (top) and Groove (bottom) show-off the designers' inventive use of strap material, clasp types and form.

Swatch Puzzle Collection

The new Puzzlemotion Collection from Swatch takes watch faces to another level. Instead of extra hands for extra information, the discs rotate and form different patterns at each half-hour. The Interpretation is shown above. Be sure to check out the video and the rest of the collection.

Second Line Frames

How gorgeous are these frames? Second Line Frames creates each from salvaged wood siding found in New Orleans post-Katrina. Second Line Frames takes its name from an old New Orleans tradition called the Second Line - "the colorful parade that follows a funeral procession to turn tragedy into a celebration of rebirth". A portion of each sale is given to rehabilitation efforts in affected New Orleans neighborhoods.

Via heysusy.

Domestic

Domestic invited a select group of designers to create a series of products. Starting with vinyl wall decals, Domestic has branched out into a furniture series called 1.2.3.Furniture. Each piece is made from pre-cut multi-ply birch, and depending on the complexity of the furniture piece, comes with either 1, 2, or 3 panels of birch. Designers participating in this series: Matali Crasset, Antoine+Manuel, Ich&Kar, Electricwig, 5.5 Designers, Big-Game, Adrien Rovero, and Jörg Boner.

Orcadesign

Swissmiss posted about the very cute Facade Vase by Orcadesign. It's a great way to turn a mundane water bottle into a gorgeous felt vase!

ZooCreative

Check out this very sexy fruit tray from ZooCreative. I love the different profiles and angles that emerge from the folded plywoood as you move the tray around. The tray is available at Do.

Atelier Doodle

Atelier Doodle sent us their latest project, the Portafrutta, which is a fruit platter made out of a series of 35 wood strips. The form (or terrain, almost) created by the strips starts to suggest where fruit might be placed. Atelier Doodle's desire is to eliminate the bruising that occurs when you pile fruit up on top of each other by creating separations that give each piece of fruit its own space.

Moop

As you may have noticed (one hopes, anyway) we have started taking on sponsors for the blog. It is our desire to ensure that we love the work of every sponsor who comes on board (which we hope will mean, therefore, that you will love them, too!).

Moop is one of these lovely people and designs gorgeous, hand-made bags. I love the little bits of color that peak out from behind more neutral colors. Her work is available both on Etsy and Supermarket and is well worth checking out!

Habitat Metamorphosis Tote

I'm not a big fan of the man-tote, but the Metamorphosis Tote would be great for a girl or going to the beach. The simple pattern and bold color are trademark Habitat.

Sangmin Bae

Hola...Sorry for the late posting - I'm home sick with a cold, so I'm going to leave you with the ClothTag by Sangmin Bae. A conceptual project designed to incorporate RFID technology, your clothing is able to "communicate" with other RFID-enabled washing machines, dryers, irons, etc., to adjust the machine's settings so as to take the best care of your clothes.

Via Rueben Miller.

Tsubota Pearl

Neither Sean nor I are smokers, but I came across Tsubota Pearl's (who seem to specialize in lighters) Color Block Lighter after a recent visit to the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum and it was instant attraction - love the range of colors it comes in and the crisp form which has just the tiniest chamfered edge where the cap hinges. Sweetness.

2007 Lunchbox Auction

If you've ever been curious as to the artistic prowess of your favorite celebrity, you can now check out their abilities for yourself - the 2007 Lunchbox Auction invited 100+ celebrities from the entertainment, fashion, art, music, literary and culinary worlds to create lunchbox art for an online auction that benefits the Food Bank For New York City and the Lunchbox Fund of South Africa. Each lunchbox is signed and numbered and no two lunchboxes are alike. There are some definite duds in the mix but I was pleasantly surprised by a few of the pieces and it's all for a good cause, so check it out! The starting bids are actually very reasonable (so you can get in on the action), but I wouldn't expect them to stay that way for long...My favorites of the lunchboxes submitted so far (clockwise from top left):

Casey Affleck, Helena Christensen & Leif Sigersen (black lacquer box with black and gold tasseled handle, miniature stage inside, complete with red velvet curtain, with moving ballerina figurine flying inside), Maria McBride (leather-clad lunchbox), and Mike Myers (lunchbox is a battery-powered car with wheels; includes remote control and batteries).

2007 Gift Guide - For Him

Hi Folks,

We hope you caught our gift picks for him this week - watch the ideas column next week for christmas decorations.

Left to right: Dart Coat Hooks by Suck UK, Decanter N°2 by Etienne Meneau, and the Snow Wallet by Ulterior Motive.

Hung Ming Chen

Hung Ming Chen is a young designer from Sweden with a few lovely products. I think the bird light is fantastic - it can be clipped on to an existing light bulb and instantly create some visual interest in a room. Also very clever was his trash can - simply two wooden pieces with built-in clips - slot them together and create an instant trash can. More work is available on his website, Hommin.

Via Style Files.

Mr. Jones Watches

A friend turned me on to Mr. Jones Watches - unconventional, limited edition (mostly sold out) watches by Crispin Jones. Perhaps a tad pessimistic in nature, some of the watches are a humorous commentary on time. Above: "The Accurate" which reminds you of your impending doom, and "More or Less" which offers you two ways of looking at time as it passes (is the glass half-empty or half-full?). If you get paid in British pounds or euros, these watches aren't so bad - £79.99. We Americans will have to wait for the dollar to get stronger...

"The Mantra" (below) alternates a positive statement with a negative one. It reminds me of those folded paper fortune tellers my friends and I used to make when we were kids.

Out of Office

Oof (which somehow translates into "Out of Office") is a collective of young graduates from Britain's Ravensbourne College of Design & Communication. My favorites: the Cloud Sponge is a playful bath sponge, the Watering Mug is shaped so as to remind you to water the plants after having a cup of tea, and the Musical Comb.

Via Core77.

Causas Externas

Causas Externas is a group of young designers from Barcelona (Ismael Jubany, David Marti, and Claudia Rosello), whose interest lies in blurring the line between indoor and outdoor objects.

The Road Cone Candle "is a provisional element which delimits urban spaces. A candle illuminates domestic spaces in an ephemeral way. Mixing both concepts we can get a hybrid which temporarily lights up and delimits spaces."

(Thanks, Claudia!)

Working Class Heroes

Working Class Heroes (I love that name!) make gorgeous felt and leather accessories for your accessories - computer, iPhone, iPod, sunglasses, you name it. Everything is beautifully made, and close attention is paid to details. I love the little finger pull at the bottom of their laptop wallet, and the embossing in the leather.

Via Blogue Fonetik.

ECAL - University of Art and Design Lausanne

I came across ECAL (the University of Art and Design Lausanne) when searching around for fly swatters for our ideas column. I was especially impressed by the Industrial Design department, who have a great collection of work up online. Here are a few selections from the Souvenirs of America collection (cynical students! but what design student isn't, I guess?):

Clockwise from left: Fabien Cappello, LaChanh Nguyen, Gaële Girault and Valerian Gagnaire

Itoya Pointkeeper Mechanical Pencil

The Pointkeeper Mechanical Pencil by Itoya is a curious little item. The mechanical pencil is housed in a real-wood casing, just like an old-fashioned No.2 pencil. And by clicking the eraser, you advance the lead. Weird.

Robert Stadler

I know I posted about Robert Stadler's +336+ SMS mirror a few days back, but browsing through his website reveals such a great body of work, so I want to post a few more items...

The Pentaphone is a lovely change from the standard telephone booth. It is gorgeous to look at, and besides that, it is adjustable to your height.

Foreveryoung would be a nice replacement for my 5 lb weights. These dumb-bells are made from Carrara marble and are available in 3 and 5 kgs.

Incase iPhone Protective Cover

iPhone Protective Cover by Incase is a slick little sleeve with a great topo-inspired texture on the back. If I had an iPhone, I would definitely have to get one of these to protect that little thing.

Ellington and EMS heritage briefcases

These retro-inspired work bags would be great for the fall when the bulk of the fabric won't make your back too hot. On the left is the Ellington Clark Canvas/Leather Briefcase. And on the right is the EMS Lewis Messenger.

Something's Hiding in Here

Something's Hiding in Here had one of my favorite booths at Renegade. It was very well thought out with nice details (little wooden price cubes, for one). Their products are just as nice - love the wooden rings and the little muslin bags.

Ample Sample

I don't remember where I first saw this, but Ample Sample was a brilliant contest where industry professionals were asked to upcycle the carpet samples they had sitting in their offices. Some beautiful products resulted. My favorites were the Mag "Daddy" Caddy by David Shor and The Loop Bench (though I would have covered the sides, and just exposed the tops of the carpet samples) by James Seaman. The light fixture above unfortunately doesn't get credited on the website, but I like it!

Freestyle Exhibition

Simone from the QUT Art Museum emailed us about their latest exhibition, Freestyle. Curated by Brian Parkes, Freestyle exhibits the work of forty of Australia's best contemporary designers spanning across the fields of furniture, lighting, textiles, homewares, fashion, jewelry and accessories. The exhibit has been travelling around Australia since October of 2006 and is currently at the QUT Art Museum from May 31 to July 22. The exhibit will be heading overseas at the end of the year.

From left to right:
Cero chairs by Brian Steendyk, jewelry by Dinosaur Designs and furniture by Alexander Lotersztain.

Marimekko Umbrellas

In light of the huge rainstorm that soaked the city last night and today, I thought I would share a few nice umbrellas by Marimekko. Be sure you have a nice one before the next big storm, it may brighten your day a little bit. Left to Right: Unikko, Kiku, Ruusupuu.

Josh Jakus

Josh Jakus is a California-based architect-turned-designer. He works with industrial wool felt, which he aquires via factory excess. The Eggflat is a study in folding, and can be used for many purposes, though my favorite is as a fruit bowl. The Um Tote is a very cool bag that is created from a single piece of fabric which finds its structure through its zipper.

Inleaf

Inleaf just launched a great new line of bags. The smoky graphics really appeal to me. Inleaf continues to make a conscious effort to use natural, organic and vintage materials in their designs.

Jacqueline Knits

Hello and happy Tuesday. Here's a little something cute to start off the day...Fruit jackets for your apples and pears by Jacqueline Knits. I like. I hate bruised fruit, so this is right up my alley.

ICFF - Thout

Thout's work is full of clever surprises and solutions for compact living. The HoleySTUMP is a reclaimed cedar stump with holes bored into it, conveniently sized so as to store a beer or a soda can, if desired. Thout has also developed a series of UtiliTILES, a modular wall tile system that is programmed for specific functions - to hold a piece of fruit, a cup, a fork, etc.

ICFF - Lattice Platter and Pegster Poster

The Lattice Platter by Chris Metcalfe (left) and Pegster by Peter Collis (right) are two examples of positioning the user as the maker of the object. The platter comes flat-packed and laser-cut and is assembled by the end-user. And the pegboard poster re-forms itself based on the user input.

ICFF - Progetti

Clocks are another hard find for me...I really love Progetti's line of clocks - they are fun and playful without being cheesy like so many are. The first two were designed by Alberto Sala, and the right-most one by Ilya Titov.

UPDATE: I removed the remainder of the post because Anthropologie contacted us stating that we were misinformed by the Progetti representative at ICFF. We wrote to Progetti to get confirmation and heard back today, confirming that Anthropologie did indeed purchase the clocks rather than copy them. Our intention is certainly not to mislead our readers - because we were given this misinformation by a Progetti representative at ICFF, our assumption was that it was true. We apologize for the error.

ICFF - Artecnica

I'm a big fan of Tord Boontje and Artecnica, and was not disappointed by their booth at ICFF. I appreciate how they give discarded materials a new purpose, and make something super cool while they are at it.

BKLYN DESIGNS - Lexie Lew

Lexie Lew makes doggy beds for your best friend, and if that's not enough, makes matching throw pillows for you! (By the way - the dog in the picture is just a stuffed toy - but it could breathe! How creepy is that?!)

Mokkatanten

Love this porcelain USB flash drive from Mokkatanten! Gorgeous form, and it's a nice change from all the metal and plastic drives.

Via Bloesem.

The Swedes

Some cool products from The Swedes, a Stockholm-based design collaborative.

Lotta Jansdotter - Spring 2007

Lotta Jansdotter's spring line is now available in her online store. Lots of cute tote bags, check book covers, aprons and other textiles. For an additional $5, she will wrap your gift, and include a gift card - a nice option for Mother's Day!

Mus Kunst

Beautiful bags from Karin Kuiper of Mus Kunst. I love the graphics and the bold color, especially the right-most bag.

Via Bloesem.

Atypyk

Atypyk is a Parisian design studio made up of Ivan Duval and Jean Sebastien Ides. The Snapshot Mirror, the Souvenir Camera (27 pre-exposed images of Paris so that you can pretend to have been to all the touristy spots) the Good Mood pad and the Do Re Me Glass - all very clever products from Atypyk.

Ari and Arim Candle Holder/Bud Vases by Karim Rashid

The Ari and Arim candle holders/bud vases are both pretty beautiful objects. The translucent curves are very seductive and the dual-function is a definite plus.

Judsons Guerilla Painter Box

Guerilla Painter Box by Judsons is a very cool self-contained outdoor painting box that can be kitted out with all the bells and whistles you need.

Camp Apparel

Very cool bags from Camp Apparel. The bags are made of silk-screened ultrasuede fabric. I love the colors and the fun designs. Thanks to Tori at Camp Apparel for emailing us with her new designs.

Sanford Design Ebony and Pilot Croquis Pencils

Everyone who does a lot of sketching has certain preferences for which drawing utensil they use. Every utensil makes a certain kind of mark, and every type of sketch requires a different type of line. From broad gestural lines to precise detail lines, the utensil you choose to use dictates in some manner the ideas explored and revealed in the individual sketch.

The Sanford Design Ebony Pencil (top) is a great untipped soft lead wood barrel pencil that is great for sketching. The Pilot Croquis Leadholder (below) is an interesting version of an advancing lead holder without a chuck. Instead it uses a rotating barrel to push the lead out.

Gravis - Trump and Celia

Gravis has a few gems in their new spring 2007 stuff. The Trump wallet has some slick embossed leather pattern going on. And the Celia handbag has a squiggly jellyfish pattern and some fun spring-y colors.

Alarm Clocks

I'm not one to care much about alarm clocks, but since most normal people need one, I thought I would post a few of the cool clocks that I've come across recently. Check out these...CB2 has the Classique Alarm Clock (left). I like the simple body and petite size. The World Time Clock (middle) by
Charlotte van der Waals allows you to tell what time it is in twelve different cities, just by rolling the clock on to one of its 12 sides. The iPod Alarm Clock by Ignition will wake you up to the sounds of your iPod library. I like that it looks like a retro alarm clock, but is so much better.

Endo Magnet Clip

Thanks to Scott for emailing us about his new product, the Endo Magnet Clip, which is a seriously heavy duty magnet clip! As you can see from the photos, it can hold a lot - supposedly up to 1 lb. I like the Apple-esque aesthetic.

Alessi Dozi Magnetic Paperclip Holder

The Dozi Magnetic Paperclip Holder by Alessi is beyond cute! I want me a hedgehog to keep me company on my desk...

Wall Clocks

I'm very particular about my wall clocks...I love these three, especially Thwart Design's Grandfather Clock (right-most image). Happily, it's available at Spring, which is right down the street from my office, so I might have to stop in one of these days after work and check it out...The clock in the middle is the Mystic Wall Clock by Umbra (love it as well), and the image to the left is the Corona Wall Clock by Ding3000.

Happy Birthday!

Today is my dear Sean's birthday! In honor of the fact that he turns 27 today, I wanted to post some of the baller presents he got for his birthday. I got him the Ben Sherman blazer. He's been eyeing it for some time now...It's a little much for my tastes, but how can a girl deny the man she loves such a pimpin' jacket? He got himself the Emerica Reynolds 3 shoes...note the bling bling cubic zirconium accent!

Anyway, a big happy birthday to my lovely Sean!

The Design Can

Brooklyn-based Jeannie Choe and Steven Tomlinson of The Design Can are producing some interesting work! I remember seeing their Self-Portrait Mirrors around a while back...Love the idea behind the Self-Destructo candle - it comes with an LED on one end and a wick on the other. When you get tired of looking at the LED light, you flip the candle over and light the wick and the candle eventually self-destructs. I'm also a big fan of the Aorta vase...

Tokidoki for LeSportsac

Tokidoki, lead by Simone Legno, collaborates with a number of fashion companies to liven up their lines with funky funky stuff. You would have to be a particular kind of girl to have some of these things, but I see them on the street in the city and they look cool. I really like the nice touch of the different colored zipper teeth.

Shown above are two of the Tokidoki for LeSportsac Spring 2007.

Hand+Book Journal Company

The Hand+Book Artist Journals are similar to the Moleskine Notebooks, but they are a little nicer and come in landscape as well as portait formats. And they have a clear folder in the back instead of the paper envelope. And they're cheaper at about $7 bucks per little journal. Check them out.

Pentel Permaroller Gold - Archival / pH Neutral Ink

The Permaroller Gold by Pentel is a neat little pen.

I didn't post this pen because it's beautiful. It's not even close. However, it is incredibly important because it uses archival and pH neutral ink. It will not degrade paper and will not fade over time. For those who like to keep their sketches and notes forever, this is a great pocket pen to use.

Suck UK Key Bottle Opener

The Key Bottle Opener from Suck UK is a nice little piece of hardware for your cluttered life. A skeleton key...for beer.

Dennice Mankarious

I love these neck cozies by Dennice Mankarious. They are hand knit with wooden buttons and come in both charcoal gray and olive. The cozies are available at Little Paper Planes.

Casey Brown

I wanted to focus my attention today onto the items and designers participating in the Kim family benefit art & craft auction. The auction was organized to benefit the family of James Kim, and bidding began yesterday on E-bay. Bidding will end January 7.

The above is the squirrel and tree tote bag from graphics design student Casey Brown. It's made of cotton canvas and felt. It's pretty cute, eh? I like how the stitching is incorporated into the graphic and runs continuously from the front to the back. Also available in the auction is the lovely Soaring Cardinal Tote Bag.

Oeuf

Super sweet knitwear for kids from Oeuf. A scarf that you don't have to worry about losing, and a two-in-one mitten.

Via Inhabitat.

Pimp your bike

This is so cool! Pimp out your bike with electronic images...It comes with software that allows you to upload bitmaps, or to create your own. It's too bad it's such a battery sucker - it goes through 3 AA batteries in 10 hours. Maybe someone can come up with a way to use kinetic energy to charge the batteries or something. I'm not smart enough but I'm sure someone else is!

Via Core77.

JVC HP-DX1000 Headphones

The JVC HP-DX1000 Headphones are no joke. The wood ear cups are not just for show, the natural properties of the wood grain absorb and resonate the sound waves and create the warm and rich sound that wood-housed speaker systems produce. They don't come cheap though, these cans will run you $1,000USD(!).

Not Exactly Vintage Swatches

Swatch, the iconic Swiss watch maker, has always produced well-designed watches. Although recently their designers have not really been up to their old standards. The three watches above are (left to right) 'Icy Area'-199?, 'Date Line'-2001, and 'Velocita'-1998.

Lorraine Linton

From 7th to 12th grade I went to boarding school in India. The school was up in the foothills of the Himalayas, and it was freezing in the winter! Besides piling on blankets, we always went to bed with a hot water bottle (or two). I love these hot water bottle jackets from Scottish artist/designer Lorraine Linton of INTO. I wish I'd had one of these back when. Available here from Papa Stour.

Via red.house.

Marzipan Garden

Lovely ladies Eva and Nina of Marzipan Garden have a great eye for color and pattern. I love their colorful pillow throws with lace flowers or fabric birds. Eva and Nina have diamond doves and a parrot respectively, and you can see that inspiration throughout their work. Besides the great pillows, check out their cute aprons, bags, and bird ornaments.

Orla Kiely

Orla Kiely began primarily as a bag designer, but has expanded into clothing, accessories, home and travel products. Who can resist a pear umbrella?

The Mountain Equipment Co-op

The Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) is sort of like the REI or EMSof Canada. They make some of their own equipment and they carry a range of clothing and equipment from other outdoor equipment manufacturers. However, the few items they do make are better designed than most of their American counterparts. The Slipstream jacket and the Pika Plus daypack are both examples of really simple and functional design. The best part is that MEC's stuff is all sold in Canadian dollars, so the 12.00CAD pack is only 10.00USD. You could never get a bag for 10 bucks at REI or EMS. Too bad there are only stores in Canada.

Sigg Aluminum Bottles

Sigg is a Swiss company that makes the swiss version of the ubiquitous American Nalgene water bottle. The Swiss do it a little bit better. The aluminum bottles have some sort of crazy inner coating that resists fruit acids and booze. And they're a little bit lighter than plastic. They make all types of bottles, thermoses, kids versions, even old school looking ones with aluminum cups built into them.

Nixon Watches

Nixon makes nice watches, especially their women's line. The men's stuff is cool, but pretty standard as far as watches are concerned. The women's watches are a little more playful and funky. Pick one up as a gift for your current or potential lady-friend, she'll probably like it. 1. The Vega 2. The Lizzie 3. The Trips, all available at Nixon Online Store.

Everyday Things

MOMA design store has two very nice keychains. First is Sven Wingquist's Self-Aligning Ball Bearing (left), an icon of the museum. They might not be Powell Ceramics, but they are just fine. Second is the Frank Lloyd Wright Thomas House keychain, no explanation needed.

Timbuk2 since 1989

Timbuk2 has been making original messenger bags since 1989. I've owned the same one since 1998 and I still use it every single day. I've tried out other bags thinking it was time to try something new, but I always come back to the timbuk2 messenger because it really does function far better than any other bag I have owned, especially for city living.

They recently introduced the 'single speed' collection which are softer, crunchier versions of the bags. I checked it out at Paragon Sports and found that the single speed versions are much heavier than their cordura/nylon cousins. The big difference is that the single speed versions don't have the waterproof tarp layer!! One of the major pluses for the bags is that even without an umbrella, you can wear them out in the rain. I never worry that my lumix, psp, or sketchbook will ever see a drop of water.

I always think it's time to order a new custom messenger, but I don't know if it's time to retire my first Timbuk2 bag because it probably has another 10 years of life left in it.

The best place to pick up a stock version of the timbuk2 bags is eBags.com, keep an eye out for their 20% promotions and pickup a bag you'll feel weird without.

Kikkerland Umbrella

This is too cute. A folding twin umbrella from Kikkerland.