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...

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!...

Hidebumi Yamaguchi: IMAnoWa
With all the press and buyers swarming around Milan's Salone del Mobile, I was so happy to wander into a seemingly inauspicious exhibition called "Shapes of Japanese Style." The group show was tucked into the gallery's basement and, like many exhibits of its kind, felt a little thin. That was until my eyes landed on Hidebumi Yamaguchi's IMAnoWa collection. The concept, to encourage users...

Ma Ke: Wu Yong collection
Finding some CH subjects recently nominated for the Brit Insurance Designs of the Year award in London was exciting, but several of the other 100 projects were equally inspiring. There were many new discoveries and we thought you'd enjoy seeing some of our favorites. First up is the extraordinary Chinese fashion designer Ma Ke who is nominated for her "Wu Yong" collection, which launched...

Tik Tak Clock
Designed by Niels van Eijk and Miriam van der Lubbe, the Tik Tak clock explodes with every single minute represented on random lengths of powdered steel rods. The sizes of the 60 digits correspond with varying shades of steel for additional depth. Available for £89 at Habitat UK.via Technabob...

About Time
Dutch designer Buro Vormkrijgers' rotating concept clock "About Time" reveals the passing of time by rolling around your desk and telling time in one long continuous sentence. Vormkrijgers intends for the cone-shaped clock to subvert the minute-to-minute planning of today's over-booked lifestyles by simply telling you "It's about six o'clock" or "it's almost seven now." It's a similar concept to the approximated timing of...