Cool Hunting

Atypyk
Like a cross between Duchamp and Archie McPhee, the French company Atypyk makes witty, conceptual gifts that play on everyday objects. My personal history with the company dates back to 2003 when I visited their Paris studio and Ivan Duval (one-half of the Atypyk team) regaled me with stories and sent me home with a Cowstick, a sticker kit that transforms a refrigerator into...

Lace Tape
Call it a transnational tape-off, two designers, one from the East coast and the other from the West, both recently came out with a roll of packing tape printed with lace. San Francisco collective Boiler's design pictured right, features a design printed to the edge that can be doubled up for a fancy pattern and we like how the application here recalls the femi-graffiti...

Screwhead and Dovetail Tape
Shift designers Richard Shed and Sam Johnson created these tape rolls for last year's London Design Festival. They are both a tongue-in-cheek look at modern versus traditional structural solutions. Conceptual explorations aside, they make for some fun packaging. Limited availability, contact Richard Shed for more information. Thanks, Greg!...

Four Way Rubber Bands
Scottsdale, AZ based Flying Buffalo makes these 4-way rubber bands, called Box Bands, specifically to hold board game boxes together. Clearly they'd be great for stacks of paper, books or anything else you'd otherwise wrap with twine or multiple rubber bands. They're available in 4, 8 or 10 inch sizes for $5 per pack. You can buy them directly from Flying Buffalo....

The Lamy Scribble
A friend came back from Europe last year toting this Lamy "propelling pencil" and has been addicted to its refined, ergonomic design ever since. A spring-loaded claw grips a 3.15 mm thick lead (also available in a 0.7mm diameters) that produces a smooth, satisfying line and makes the pocket-sized pencil perfect for jotting notes and quick sketches. Well-balanced with a pleasant weight, the Scribble...