Cool Hunting
| 15 March 2007view entries from: this week | this month | view previous day | view next day |
Design Life Now: National Design Triennial 2006 Catalogue
by Ami Kealoha
Like a yearbook of U.S. design over the past three years, Design Life Now includes all the designs that likely caught your eye recently (and those you missed) that are in Cooper-Hewitt's third National Design Triennial. For those who can't make it to the show in NYC (it closes 29 July 2007), the catalogue is an ideal way to experience the 87 stunning, inspiring and beautiful examples of contemporary design from a diverse range of fields.
The beautifully-produced—thanks in large part to designers and 2006 triennial participants COMA—hard-bound book features full color two-page spreads highlighting each designer's work with photography, illustrations and text. From the household names (Google, Apple, Nike) to those that feel like old friends (Santiago Calatrava, Psyop, ReadyMade, Tobias Wong) and the essay covering intelligent design, craft and community in design, design and social life and transforming design, paging through Design Life Now is a glimpse at the zeitgeist of design today.
Pick it up from Cooper-Hewitt's online shop or Amazon.
Doug Keyes
by Jonah Samson
Condensing the entire content of a book into a single photo, Doug Keyes photographs each page onto a single piece of film to give the impression of knowledge stacking up over time. Called "Collective Memory," the series, was recently awarded a Juror’s Choice Award through the Center (formerly the Sante Fe Center for Photography).
The images retain the physical identity of the book itself and the final photograph is printed so that the size of the book in the picture is true to the size of the original book. His style of multiple exposure photography has since found its way into the works of younger and critically acclaimed artists such as Indris Khan. See more images here, at Photoeye and his gallery, G. Gibson Gallery, in Seattle.
Butter Bell Crock
by Ami Kealoha
A recent well-loved addition to my own kitchen, a butter bell is a ceramic dish with a simple ingenious design that keeps butter at the perfect consistency for spreading while also preventing it from turning rancid. The bell-shaped lid holds about a stick of butter and stores away into the crock creating a vacuum seal when filled with a bit of water and keeping the butter at room temperature. Other than changing the water every few days, it requires little more maintenance than a regular butter dish and the round footprint saves some counter space.
I bought my own generic brand butter bell at a hardware store (it's one of those rare items where price and brand don't matter all that much), but it's available online in red, black and ivory from Chefs for $20 (pictured right). We also found a slightly more streamlined (and slightly more pricey) version by Emile Henry Couleurs—who've been manufacturing in France (where butter bells originated) since 1850—on Amazon (pictured left).
DARR: Walrus Doctor's Bag
by Tim Yu
In a neighborhood jammed with antique stores DARR stands out for its unusual inventory on Brooklyn's Atlantic Avenue. Among eclectic furniture, busts and many offbeat cabinet-of-curiousity-like items (turtle shells, whale bones, etc.), we found this doctor's bag (click on images for detail). Made of walrus skin, the bag is fairly large, durable, and perfectly worn—very au courant for the enduring neo-19th century look of late. Popular with film sets and photo shoots, the bag is only available to rent.
Curated and owned by Hicham Benmira and Brian Cousins, a series of imposing mounted taxidermy heads, including a huge bison, buck and moose, welcome you into DARR. The rest of the shop has similarly inspired items If you're looking for men's clothing with the same aesthetic and feel visit their men's clothing shop across the street, Hollander & Lexer.
DARR
369 Atlantic Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11217 map
+1 718 797 9733
Jack Black: SPF 20 Face Moisturizer
by Tim Yu
A good facial lotion with sunscreen is important, especially with the spring season just around the corner. The Jack Black Double Duty Face Moisturizer with SPF 20 is lightweight on the face and made with natural ingredients and anti-oxidants. Blue algae extract supplies the moisturizer with vitamin E, while sea parsley acts as an anti-irritant and contains vitamins A and C. The bottle features a fumble-proof dispenser that doles out a nickel-size amount with each pump and packaging that looks good enough to leave out on a counter. The non-oily moisturizer also protects from both UVA and UVB broad spectrum rays and is fragrant and colorant-free, the way we like it.
Purchase Jack Black for $26 from Details For Men or from Amazon.
