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.