From their Victorian-era genesis to waves of popularity in the '70s and in recent years, terrariums have taken on a variety of mossy forms. Leading their most recent charge was the uniquely charming, Brooklyn-based Twig Terrariums, whose uncanny ability to build miniature worlds complete with perfectly manicured landscapes and quirky characters breathed new life into the household standby. Twig creators Michelle Inciarrano and Katy Maslow have recently released Tiny World Terrariums, sharing step-by-step instructions on creating your own verdant paradise.

With revealing photography of little dioramic worlds depicting every situation imaginable—from graffiti writers in Manhattan to backpacking adventures in the desert—the DIY manual teaches the average crafter how to transform their own glass jar from a simple dish to an enchanting landscape. The book is filled with dictionary-like descriptions and even suggestions of proper tools for harvesting moss from the wild, making this little book an ideal guide for the novice "terrarer".

Tiny World Terrariums is now available from Amazon for about $25. The book may also be purchased directly from Twig Terrariums, which also has more information, terrarium inspiration and a list of suggested NYC-based retailers for terrarium essentials.

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Best known for her hand-blown glass and sculptural brass lighting fixtures, Lindsey Adelman is no stranger to exploring the limits of industrial design. Driven by this pionering spirit, Adelman's studio, in collaboration with Kiel Mead of the AmDC, teamed up with Sonos to create the "Soundalier", a centerpiece for the Sonos Listening Library being held at The Standard East Village during the upcoming NYC Design Week. This gorgeously inventive speaker structure embodies Adelman's bold design while showcasing the supreme quality and adaptability of the wireless Play: 3 speaker from Sonos.

Inspired by Mead's initial idea and starting from a photoshopped collage, Adelman repurposed an existing BB.05.01 lighting fixture by essentially replacing the globes with speakers, customizing it to create a piece that demands attention. "It's new. I love that the form has integrity but is also quirky. The way the speakers are so massive next to the skinny brass arms, you wouldn't think the frame couldn't hold their weight. It's really unexpected and fun," says Adelman.

The raw brass frame has been given a dark bronze patina to play off the clean aesthetic of the Sonos Play: 3 speakers, making for a beautiful juxtaposition that nicely compliments the other designers showcased in the Listening Library. The Soundalier will be suspended above the custom-designed room holding a collection of design pieces by the likes of Pete Oyler, Evan Dublin and The Future Perfect to create a truly unique listening experience.

The exclusively designed Soundalier and its accompanying collection of prototype designs chosen by Cool Hunting and our friends at Architizer and Dwell Magazine will be shown as part of the Sonos Listening Library. If you're in NYC over the weekend make sure to stop by at The Standard East Village to view the exhibition from 12-7pm, 18-21 May 2012.

For anyone working in the area of fine art photography, Bill Hunt is a familiar name. The self-described "champion of photography" has demonstrated an unrivaled passion for the medium as a curator, dealer and collector for almost 40 years. Hunt's photography collection is nearly as infamous within the field as the man himself. Ranging from anonymous images from the 19th century to modern masterpieces by the likes of Lee Friedlander, Diane Arbus and Richard Avedon, the pictures all share one thing in common–as Hunt says, they are "magical, heart-stopping images of people in which the eyes cannot be seen."

Earlier this year, highlights from Hunt's collection appeared in a beautiful and quite hefty book called "The Unseen Eye", with thoughtful commentary alongside the images. We got the chance to talk to Hunt about his collection, pulling inspiring fodder from the book to spur the conversation.

"Photography is revelatory, both as revelation and as something to revel in." What drew you to start collecting photography, especially at a time when photography didn't have a lot of clout as an art form?

On some level I have always been a gatherer of stuff—shells, books, musicals—so that gene was there. But I didn't start out to collect; I just bought a photograph, and then another, and then another until one day I asked, "Holy shit, what's happening?" Then you give yourself permission to proceed. I thought it was funny that it was art too. Go figure.

"I like bliss, epiphany and escape. I am enthralled by the possibility of transcendence and subscribe to the belief that a large part of life is a search for meaning, or at least feeling. Sometimes this takes me to the darker side, to images that provoke a visceral response that is intoxicating and frightening." What is it about a picture that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up?

That makes your heart boom? That makes you stop in your tracks? It must be some sort of "Road to Damascus" divine moment of clarity. Look for those moments that say, "Pay attention to this because it will give your life meaning, or at least some resonance." Un coup du foudre. Thunderbolt. Orgasm. Somehow in the midst of banality you find a moment of real sensation. It is not about beauty—although it can be. It is alarmingly like drug addiction, but real collecting is completely spiritual. Hallelujah! It is like listening to the tumblers in a lock when you try to open it. When they are lined up, you can hear it—you recognize that sound—before the door actually opens. You know you have made it in.

"Many collectors look only at so-called 'art photography', which is considered and aestheticized and finely printed. There is an implicit elitism here. Then there are some souls who are truly responsive to the image first and foremost. I am in this group." I am in this group too. Can you talk about the thrill of discovering an amazing picture that may have been taken by an anonymous photographer 100 years ago?

With photographs there are so many great, crazy questions. Why did a picture get saved if it doesn't have informational value (Who is this?) or if it has condition issues? Your trash, my treasure. Great pictures operate in a special way. You are part of some equation. The way in which a completely peculiar piece speaks to you uniquely and powerfully depends on your being a collaborator. It means something to you. Very often it is the suggestion of something that brings you in—the enigma attracts. It's as if as you finish a puzzle you didn't know you were working on.

In my book there is a tintype portrait of a little girl. It is sweet but what makes it chillingly grand is its condition: the silvering has fallen off or oxidized, so it looks ghostly. She is a specter. Also what's cool is that my sister spotted it at some antique fair and she snagged it because she knew it was a good one. That's fun when you've got other people out there looking too.

"Collectors are obsessed, ravenous for this one and then the next one. People who do not collect, won't. They don't connect with this intense, obsessive force." I know you have moved on from collecting these images of hidden eyes, but a collector never stops collecting. Where is the focus of your passion now?

I really don't collect now. It's not the same. The covetous part of collecting has passed, I think. I was shocked once to answer the question "Why did I have to own them?" by saying, after some hesitation, "Because then they were MINE."

But I still want to look and have that thrill of engagement and then I want to write and to talk about it. That interests me intensely. That's what I collect. I want others to look too. I am still a proselytizer but without as much stuff. Collecting is a way of creating order and insulating from chaos. I don't need it or, more to the point, want it now. I want to be lighter in my feet, ready to move. It's different. But wow, what a thrilling experience. As I say in the book, photography changed my life, it gave me a life.