Cool Hunting

These last couple years have been good ones for Joris Laarman, the Dutch designer behind the widely-covered Droog Design and 2006 is already looking promising for the young designer. At Cologne's International Furniture Fair, Laarman was one of those chosen to design the 4th annual "Ideal House," an exhibit that asks internationally-recognized designers to present their ideas about living environments. Laarman's contributions include ornamental climbing grips (pictured left) that function as "alternative stairs or to see your over-designed interior from another perspective," as he puts it. Other contributions include Christien Meindertsma's rug made from the wool of 18 sheep (which can be ordered in longer lengths by the amount of sheep), a lamp that floats on its own heat (pictured center) by Eric Klarenbeek, and the "Platte Auto," a race car by John Kormeling for the whole family that is more aerodynamic than a Ferrari for speeds up to 100 km/hour (pictured right).