Disturbance at the Great Eastern Hotel

by SummerSeventySix

The future starts in London this weekend, with Disturbance at the Great Eastern Hotel. It's a showcase for fourteen design students from the Royal College of Art, and includes new product ideas scattered around the hotel that are meant to provoke participation and interaction.

Of the eighteen pieces on show, I've picked out three of my favorites.

Brit Leissler's Punch'n'Cuddle Bag is what you would get if you crossed a beanbag with a punchbag. It's described as being the "ultimate domestic companion for both lovin' and hatin'".

Flying Fish Bowl by Shay Alkalay is a revolving home for your pet goldfish, giving it a constantly changing view. Despite apparently having a memory span that lasts just seconds, now there's absolutely no need to worry that Jaws is bored.

Best of all are Yael Mer's Rocking Slippers. A clothing/furniture hybrid, put them on and rock away, Just remember to take them off when you've had enough.

Disturbance at the Great Eastern runs from 6 May until 20 May 2006.

Ye Royale Sunks

by Ami Kealoha

Brought to you by UGP (Underground Products), these sneaker socks are a witty indictment of the sneaker trend, taking the sports sock to the next level. Developed by Ronnie Bonner who favors a “question everything” approach over mainstream notions of fashion, they're not just a sock, they're a conversation piece. Available in black and grey, pink and white, as well as red and green (pictured) colorways, each conversation piece comes wrapped in white tissue in a custom-designed box.

Pick up a pair starting at $15 from Evil Monito.

Fabriclive 27: DJ Format

by Ami Kealoha

If you started with the general vibe of the Beastie Boys's Check Your Head, updated it with some of the best left-of-center hip-hop out there, smoothed it out with rare tracks from the 60s and beyond, and mixed it together seamlessly, the result would sound something like DJ Format's Fabriclive 27. The funk-infused album features Lyrics Born's smooth California flow, Cut Chemist's turntablist skills, vintage Ella Fitzgerald and Nina Simone tracks, Ananda Shankar's avant-Indian sounds, and even a cameo from Grammy-nominated producer Linda Perry—among other more off-the-radar musicians. A testament to Format's knack for giving new life to old obscure gems, this release is why DJs exist.

Due out 6 June 2006, order it from Fabric or preorder from Amazon.

Also on Cool Hunting: FabricLive: The Herbaliser

Refinery29: Detail-oriented

by Ami Kealoha

Ana Beatriz Lerario's Fiftytwo Showroom has long been a fashion industry favorite because of its respectful approach to a designers' sensibility and vision, but her own line of clothing, Lerario Beatriz, is sure to begin winning her additional accolades. Just in her second season, Lerario's clothing is characterized by simple designs embellished by exquisite and unique detailing including dresses adorned with handmade buttons and a hand-embroidered rainbow yoke. With this approach she is creating ready-to-wear clothing with couture touches that is both approachable and consummately wearable. Sadly, Lerario Beatriz is, as yet, only available in a limited number of stores but everyone knows that a great secret can never stay secret for long.

Read more…

ILVA

by SummerSeventySix

A big Scandinavian furniture store with a four-letter name that starts and ends in vowels is about to open a gigantic branch on the outskirts of London. No big deal, you might think. However, this is not the Swedish behemoth you're imagining, but Danish competition in the form of ILVA. The firm began in its homeland 32 years ago, before opening a flagship in Ikea's backyard in Malmö, Sweden. Now it's set to move outside Scandinavia for the first time with three stores planned for the UK. The rapid expansion begins in Thurrock, just outside London, in July when the first British branch is set to open. Others will follow in Manchester and Gateshead.

On first impressions, their eclectic range seems to sit somewhere between Ikea and the more upmarket Habitat (also owned by the Swedes), and it's good to hear that only a small percentage of the products will be flat-packed. You can see several that caught my eye after the jump, including the vaguely Starck-inspired dining room.

Hydro Wall

by Jacob Resneck

Next Generation Design Competition sponsored by Metropolis Magazine. San Fratello's proposal will be featured at the Metropolis booth at the upcoming International Contemporary Furniture Fair, 20-23 May 2006, in New York, as part of the magazine's 2006 Next Generation Design Competition exhibit and in the June issue of their magazine. Metropolis offers the $10,000 prize each year (meant to be seed money for realizing the winning project) to designers developing sustainable and environmentally-sound technologies.

See more renderings of her work after the jump.

Slow Moving Vehicle at Moksha

by Carol T Chung

Just a heads up for those of you in Seattle or heading up that way. Brandon Francis (aka Slow Moving Vehicle) will be showing his work at Moksha. For more information regarding this artist, check out this previous post.

Moksha
4542 University Way
Seattle, WA 98105 map
1-(206)-632-1190
Opening Reception: Friday, 5 May 2006 from 8-10pm