Cool Hunting

The Pyramids of Makkum
For years, Royal Tichelaar Makkum, the Netherlands' longest extant company, has quietly mounted the most impressive displays of ceramic ware during the Milan Furniture Fair and this year is no exception. Two years ago, they released a hugely successful collection of biscuit ware with Studio Job; last year they launched a unique office collection with Dick van Hoff, which turned the ornamental into the...

Soul of a Nation
“Soul of a nation” is an ongoing project by the Icelandic designer Gudrun Lilja Gunnlaugsdottir, a partner in the firm Studiobility. From objects as varied as a chair, a cabinet, a coffin, a broom, or a lamp, “Soul of a nation” gives three-dimensional weight to the personalities of fellow Icelanders Gudrun has grown to know. The project began in 2004 with “Visual inner structure,”...

Fire Table
The brainchild of Dutch designers Ward Huting and Gerard de Hoop, the Fire Table aims to bring the physical and social warmth of a campfire into the living room. Its squat, round design looks vaguely like a UFO and would seem right at home in a mid-century American den. Although serving the same function as your average coffee table, it features a built-in candle...

Reminder: Popdeck x Cool Hunting Skateboard Design Contest
We're about halfway through the Popdeck x Cool Hunting Skateboard Design Contest and we've already seem some fit designs. I've got a few decks in mind that I'd like to roll around on, but I'll keep that to myself for now. A $200 cash prize along with a free deck is up for grabs so head on over to Popdeck to submit your design...

Tryphone
The newly launched website, Tryphone provides the ultimate assist in purchasing a new mobile phone, allowing for test drives of different models on their site through a virtual interactive design. Clicking on buttons gives a sense of the user interface and functionality, just choose which phone you'd like to try from their surprisingly well-stocked inventory. Also featuring reviews and side-by-side comparisons, it's a good...

Popdeck x Cool Hunting Skateboard Design Contest
It's time we tap into the CH talent pool again (that means you!), this time for a skateboard design contest with our new friends over at Popdeck. The Threadless of skateboard design, Popdeck is a website that allows users submit and vote on designs with the winner getting a cash prize and their entry made into a limited-edition board. Since we're a bit obsessive...