Cool Hunting

Carta, Inc.
I first discovered the delicate hand-bound books of Angela Liguori nearly eight years ago, while working at a design shop in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she happened to be a resident teacher at Hollander's School of Book and Paper Arts. Now based in Boston, Angela continues to produce custom-made invitations, business cards and books through her graphic studio, Carta, Inc. In addition to her...

Absolut Machines: Absolut Quartet
Absolut Machines is Absolut's promotional initiative that explores where technology meets design in the form of two "machines." Last night we got to check out one, the Absolut Quartet, an interactive multi-instrumental robotic machine. It consists of a marimba played by rubber balls precisely shot from a robotic cannon, a series of spinning wineglasses dampened by robotic fingers and an array of percussive instruments....

Bblessing Home Absinthe Set
One of our favorite men's stores, Bblessing, just launched their brand-spanking new home line. These graphic absinthe spoons—the first pieces in the line—were designed by Surface to Air's Daniel Jackson in keeping with the store's interior, which was "very much inspired by my own abstraction of a fin de siècle Absinthe bar." For those unfamiliar with the absinthiana, the ritual of drinking the famed,...

2007 Gift Guide: The Lush List
With shopping crowds, dysfunctional families and Seasonal Affective Disorder (not to mention joy, etc.), there are plenty of reasons to drink during the holiday season. Reward your favorite drunk with a gift related to the age-old pastime. From robots (for those too lazy to pour their own beer) to a surrealist bottle of champagne, there's something for every kind of alcoholic. Below are four...

La Botica Mezcal
Our friends from m ss ng p eces recently returned from making a video in Mexico City with bottles of a smoky, complex mezcal labeled "La Botica." Turns out La Botica is a small mezcaleria in the trendy Condesa section of the city that's rebranding the humble liquor for a new audience with beautifully-designed packaging and an artisinal approach. Since opening a couple years...

Teatrio
Teatrio, an arts association in Italy, is behind an amazing traveling exhibition titled "The Fabulous Colored Pencils," which has been touring through Italy for more than a year and features what they consider to be the best 40 female illustrators worldwide. Included among the works on display are originals by Yuko Shimizu, Juliette Borda, Esther Watson (illustration pictured left), and Fernanda Cohen. Each artist...