Cool Hunting

Tom Dixon: Beat Collection
Named "Beat" for their hand-beaten production method, Tom Dixon's series of lamps and vessels is quickly becoming an iconic part of his oeuvre. After years of working in relative obscurity, Dixon is now something like England's national poster child of design. From his massive light giveaways during London's design week to limited edition copper-clad chairs and private member's club interiors, the designer seems to...

Thomas Heatherwick East Beach Cafe
We cannot claim to be experts on beach cafe architecture, but one look at Thomas Heatherwick's East Beach Cafe and one can't help but think that this is a woefully under-explored area of building design. Surely it's rife with exciting and innovative possibilities, but then that's the British designer's great talent, creating unexpected forms in unexpected places which, on sight, make you reevaluate all...

Brit Insurance Designs Of The Year
On Tuesday evening London's design scene gathered together on the banks of the River Thames to celebrate the best designs of 2007. The Brit Insurance Designs of The Year incorporates architecture, furniture, fashion, products, graphics, interactive and transport. An international jury of design experts have selected their favorite creations over the last 12 months to be exhibited in the Design Museum. The show demonstrates...

Pencil Scarf
With nostalgic grade-school appeal, this cheeky Pencil Scarf from U.K.-based label Lazy Oaf is both in step with persistent surrealist trends in more haute fashion circles (like Marc Jacob's infamous deconstructed shoes last season) and with decidedly more lowbrow circles, like the Bacon Scarf. Sure to elicit smiles on the subway or on the street, the pencil's smirk and splash of pink eraser make...

Onesidezero
Onesidezero is a designer and illustrator from Leicester, U.K. Of his work he says: "I love to include flowing vibrant colors, bold images and strange creatures in my work, I usually sketch my initial concepts whilst listening to music, which helps me think. An early sketch usually starts off with a few basic shapes, I'll sometimes re-draw an idea a number of times changing...

Angry Christmas Crackers
The Ireland-based design company Angry have created their own take on the traditional Christmas cracker. Each cracker contains materials to create a felt hat, which come in several colors can be customized using the included scissors. Also included within the crackers are jokes written by Angry's own Mike Ahern and one inch pins that say phrases like " Turkey Please" "One More Sprout" and...