Cool Hunting
| 16 September 2007 - 22 September 2007 week before | next week | view all from this month |
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Bags of Goodwill
In time for the London Design Festival, and hot on the heels of Anya Hindmarch's successful/controversial I'm Not A Plastic Bag, 40 world-renowned designers have had a go at spicing up a standard shopper, and again, all for a good cause. From left to right are examples by Eero Aarnio, Barber Osgerby, Sebastian Wrong and Marcel Wanders. Along with the others, they can be...
In time for the London Design Festival, and hot on the heels of Anya Hindmarch's successful/controversial I'm Not A Plastic Bag, 40 world-renowned designers have had a go at spicing up a standard shopper, and again, all for a good cause. From left to right are examples by Eero Aarnio, Barber Osgerby, Sebastian Wrong and Marcel Wanders. Along with the others, they can be...
Kyotofu
When we were putting together our tofu video, Tim mentioned Kyotofu, the Manhattan tofu restaurant opened in October 2006 that's reinventing tofu for the American palate with their delicious assortment of desserts and savory dishes. We contacted owners Nicole Bermensolo and Michael Berl, longtime friends from college, and recently found ourselves in their minimalist jewel box of a dining room, enjoying treats like chicken-tofu...
When we were putting together our tofu video, Tim mentioned Kyotofu, the Manhattan tofu restaurant opened in October 2006 that's reinventing tofu for the American palate with their delicious assortment of desserts and savory dishes. We contacted owners Nicole Bermensolo and Michael Berl, longtime friends from college, and recently found ourselves in their minimalist jewel box of a dining room, enjoying treats like chicken-tofu...
An Interview with Ryan Sovereign
We've been taken with the Sovereign Beck range of ties for some time. The Brooklyn-based company create snappy, stylish ties that mix wickedly vibrant lines with quirky, illustrated shapes. We interviewed Ryan Sovereign—one half (with William Beck) of the duo behind the label. (See CH's egg-frying, kite-flying, jam session video to get to know them both a little better visually.) What makes a good...
We've been taken with the Sovereign Beck range of ties for some time. The Brooklyn-based company create snappy, stylish ties that mix wickedly vibrant lines with quirky, illustrated shapes. We interviewed Ryan Sovereign—one half (with William Beck) of the duo behind the label. (See CH's egg-frying, kite-flying, jam session video to get to know them both a little better visually.) What makes a good...
Vintage Elephant Bar
I've recovered from obsessing over the vintage Gucci picnic set and moved on to this 1940s elephant bar, created for an English diplomat who clearly spent some time in the bush and had a big living room. Standing some four feet tall, this leather replica has a presence and originality that you won't find at the mall. My guess is the gent liked his...
I've recovered from obsessing over the vintage Gucci picnic set and moved on to this 1940s elephant bar, created for an English diplomat who clearly spent some time in the bush and had a big living room. Standing some four feet tall, this leather replica has a presence and originality that you won't find at the mall. My guess is the gent liked his...
Mike Nelson: A Psychic Vacuum
At a time when modern high-rise condos are transforming much of NYC's landscape, it's more and more important to preserve what makes the city unique. U.K. artist Mike Nelson embraces this sentiment with his first major installation in the U.S., “A Psychic Vacuum,” presented in conjunction with Creative Time. Imagine a derelict building located in Manhattan's Lower East Side—former home to the bustling Essex...
At a time when modern high-rise condos are transforming much of NYC's landscape, it's more and more important to preserve what makes the city unique. U.K. artist Mike Nelson embraces this sentiment with his first major installation in the U.S., “A Psychic Vacuum,” presented in conjunction with Creative Time. Imagine a derelict building located in Manhattan's Lower East Side—former home to the bustling Essex...
Burton Chicago Flagship
Burton staked its claim in the Midwest by opening their latest flagship store in Chicago last night with a big ol' Burton-style party. It may seem odd to open a snowboarding store in the flatlands, but Founder and Chairman Jake Burton first competed with a Burton board in Michigan, so the store brings 30 years of Burton full circle. At four stories high in...
Burton staked its claim in the Midwest by opening their latest flagship store in Chicago last night with a big ol' Burton-style party. It may seem odd to open a snowboarding store in the flatlands, but Founder and Chairman Jake Burton first competed with a Burton board in Michigan, so the store brings 30 years of Burton full circle. At four stories high in...
Three Jewelry Designers from London Fashion Week
Walking around the accessories section of the London Fashion Week show over the last few days, a noticeable trend of delicate jewelery caught our attention. With long chains, floating butterflies, intricately wrought wood and metal, beautiful combinations of materials and ethereal detailing, each piece seemed to have a romantic story of its own, as though they were born from fairytales. Known for her wonderful...
Walking around the accessories section of the London Fashion Week show over the last few days, a noticeable trend of delicate jewelery caught our attention. With long chains, floating butterflies, intricately wrought wood and metal, beautiful combinations of materials and ethereal detailing, each piece seemed to have a romantic story of its own, as though they were born from fairytales. Known for her wonderful...
Shure's New Packaging
We all dislike the over-sized, plastic, clam packaging that comes with electronic products. Not because it makes it harder to steal, but because it seems like a waste of materials and, at times, they are difficult to open. Shure identified this problem and asked Combined Technologies to create a new type of packaging for the Shure Music Phone Adapter. The goal was to reduce...
We all dislike the over-sized, plastic, clam packaging that comes with electronic products. Not because it makes it harder to steal, but because it seems like a waste of materials and, at times, they are difficult to open. Shure identified this problem and asked Combined Technologies to create a new type of packaging for the Shure Music Phone Adapter. The goal was to reduce...
James Jirat Patradoon
Sydney-based artist, James Jirat Patradoon, on his career defining moment: "If I could trace my artistic inspiration back to one event, it would have to be the Neo Tokyo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in 2001. I had never seen art like that before; I didn't know you could be so playful with it. I vividly remember the Yoshitomo Nara sculptures made...
Sydney-based artist, James Jirat Patradoon, on his career defining moment: "If I could trace my artistic inspiration back to one event, it would have to be the Neo Tokyo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in 2001. I had never seen art like that before; I didn't know you could be so playful with it. I vividly remember the Yoshitomo Nara sculptures made...
Color Now! Symposium
Color plays a major role in pretty much all areas of visual culture—studies have even proved that color has a powerful effect on behavior. If you've ever wondered why a blackboard is green, all the more reason to attend the Color Now! Symposium put on by the Color Association of the United States in New York City this 20-21 September 2007. A multi-faceted event,...
Color plays a major role in pretty much all areas of visual culture—studies have even proved that color has a powerful effect on behavior. If you've ever wondered why a blackboard is green, all the more reason to attend the Color Now! Symposium put on by the Color Association of the United States in New York City this 20-21 September 2007. A multi-faceted event,...
Justin Smith
After winning the i-D Styling and Maria Luisa awards at 2007's International Talent Support (ITS)—an annual event in Trieste supporting young fashion designers and photographers—a shell-shocked Justin Smith threw himself into celebrations. Smith, born in 1978, is the millinery world's new rising star. His masters show at London's Royal College of Art was extremely well received. "The concept for my show was based all...
After winning the i-D Styling and Maria Luisa awards at 2007's International Talent Support (ITS)—an annual event in Trieste supporting young fashion designers and photographers—a shell-shocked Justin Smith threw himself into celebrations. Smith, born in 1978, is the millinery world's new rising star. His masters show at London's Royal College of Art was extremely well received. "The concept for my show was based all...
Four Pairs of Wireless Headphones
I lack the coordination needed to operate a keyboard and mouse while tethered to my computer by the wire on my headphones. To protect my laptop from being thrown across the room by a careless jerk of my head, I invested in a pair of wireless headphones, the Sony IF140s (pictured right), about 10 years ago. They had an infrared transmitter that plugged into...
I lack the coordination needed to operate a keyboard and mouse while tethered to my computer by the wire on my headphones. To protect my laptop from being thrown across the room by a careless jerk of my head, I invested in a pair of wireless headphones, the Sony IF140s (pictured right), about 10 years ago. They had an infrared transmitter that plugged into...
The Quiet Life x Lakai Sneakers
The Quiet Life just released its five-shoe collaboration with Lakai shoes. Designed by Andy Mueller, these 5 sets of shoes are available directly through The Quiet Life's online shop and at most finer skate shops and boutiques. "We've been hinting about this for months in our news section about doing one shoe with Lakai," says Andy " When they first asked us to do a...
The Quiet Life just released its five-shoe collaboration with Lakai shoes. Designed by Andy Mueller, these 5 sets of shoes are available directly through The Quiet Life's online shop and at most finer skate shops and boutiques. "We've been hinting about this for months in our news section about doing one shoe with Lakai," says Andy " When they first asked us to do a...
Gregory Z 22 Backpack
The biggest problem with using backpacks in the summer is the uncomfortable sweatiness. Gregory's latest mid-size day pack, the Z 22, features a unique suspension system that they call the "Jet Stream Dynamic Transfer System (DTS)" to prop the pack slightly off your back. The DTS system allows air to circulate between the pack body and your back, keeping you cooler and cutting down...
The biggest problem with using backpacks in the summer is the uncomfortable sweatiness. Gregory's latest mid-size day pack, the Z 22, features a unique suspension system that they call the "Jet Stream Dynamic Transfer System (DTS)" to prop the pack slightly off your back. The DTS system allows air to circulate between the pack body and your back, keeping you cooler and cutting down...
Hotel Particulier
Nestled in a garden down a secret cobblestone path off Avenue Junot in Paris' Montmartre lies the impossibly charming five-room Hotel Particulier. CH had the privilege of staying there recently (courtesy of the hotel, which just opened its doors in June) and enjoyed the luxuriously appointed rooms and movie-perfect setting—the adjacent pétanque court being the cherry on top of the cake. With a well-curated...
Nestled in a garden down a secret cobblestone path off Avenue Junot in Paris' Montmartre lies the impossibly charming five-room Hotel Particulier. CH had the privilege of staying there recently (courtesy of the hotel, which just opened its doors in June) and enjoyed the luxuriously appointed rooms and movie-perfect setting—the adjacent pétanque court being the cherry on top of the cake. With a well-curated...
Netvibes
If you are like me you can get lost for hours flowing between bookmarks, links and recommendations from friends on the web and you're probably looking for a simple organization solution. Recently I've been using Netvibes, a web-based application that "lets individuals assemble all in one place their favorite websites, blogs, email accounts, social networks, search engines, instant messengers, photos, videos, podcasts, widgets, and...
If you are like me you can get lost for hours flowing between bookmarks, links and recommendations from friends on the web and you're probably looking for a simple organization solution. Recently I've been using Netvibes, a web-based application that "lets individuals assemble all in one place their favorite websites, blogs, email accounts, social networks, search engines, instant messengers, photos, videos, podcasts, widgets, and...
Gethuman 500 Database
The grey-haired among us can remember when customer service lines employed human operators on the frontlines rather than the sycophantic automated phone system that leads the customer through byzantine corridors toward dead-ends or endless loops. Negotiating these labyrinths and reaching a live human being in a call center in some far-off land is often the hardest part of the journey toward customer satisfaction. Whether...
The grey-haired among us can remember when customer service lines employed human operators on the frontlines rather than the sycophantic automated phone system that leads the customer through byzantine corridors toward dead-ends or endless loops. Negotiating these labyrinths and reaching a live human being in a call center in some far-off land is often the hardest part of the journey toward customer satisfaction. Whether...
Interview with Catalina Estrada
Columbian illustrator Catalina Estrada recently designed some prints for Paul Smith in Japan. We checked in with her to see how it all came about. How did the assignment for Paul Smith come up and what was the brief? They contacted me by email. I think they saw my work in a book publication. They wanted me to create a few illustrations based on...
Columbian illustrator Catalina Estrada recently designed some prints for Paul Smith in Japan. We checked in with her to see how it all came about. How did the assignment for Paul Smith come up and what was the brief? They contacted me by email. I think they saw my work in a book publication. They wanted me to create a few illustrations based on...
BMW Concept X6 ActiveHybrid
The dream of a hybrid BMW just got a little closer to reality with their new X6 concept that was introduced at the Frankfurt auto show over the weekend. Based on the X5, it has a slightly more sleek profile, but still has the robust look to make it a "Sports Activity Vehicle" (SAV), as BMW calls it.Looks aside, the vehicle features a two-mode...
The dream of a hybrid BMW just got a little closer to reality with their new X6 concept that was introduced at the Frankfurt auto show over the weekend. Based on the X5, it has a slightly more sleek profile, but still has the robust look to make it a "Sports Activity Vehicle" (SAV), as BMW calls it.Looks aside, the vehicle features a two-mode...
The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
Formerly a military training ground, the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is now part of the famed Walker Art Center and the largest urban sculpture garden in the U.S. In this video, tour guide Gary White focuses on seven pieces of the 40 permanent installations, filling in background details and some of the park's history along the way....
Formerly a military training ground, the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is now part of the famed Walker Art Center and the largest urban sculpture garden in the U.S. In this video, tour guide Gary White focuses on seven pieces of the 40 permanent installations, filling in background details and some of the park's history along the way....
Ettore Sottsass: New Works 2005-2007
There's perhaps no other living designer who embodied the bold, playful look of the '80s more than Ettore Sottsass. Like the revivalism in fashion, graphic design and music seen in recent years, the groundbreaking Austrian-born designer's furniture and architecture has lately been experiencing a renaissance of its own with recent shows in Los Angeles and London. The next opportunity to see his work is...
There's perhaps no other living designer who embodied the bold, playful look of the '80s more than Ettore Sottsass. Like the revivalism in fashion, graphic design and music seen in recent years, the groundbreaking Austrian-born designer's furniture and architecture has lately been experiencing a renaissance of its own with recent shows in Los Angeles and London. The next opportunity to see his work is...
Alpinist 21
The haute mountaineering magazine Alpinist has stepped it up another level by going green with issue 21. Advocates for clean-style climbing (leaving no gear behind), Alpinist 21 puts their money where their magazine is by using an eco-friendly printing process called Earth Ink, in partnership with Patagonia. The upshot is that in one year Alpinist will save 677 trees, 266,836 gallons of water, 469,000,000...
The haute mountaineering magazine Alpinist has stepped it up another level by going green with issue 21. Advocates for clean-style climbing (leaving no gear behind), Alpinist 21 puts their money where their magazine is by using an eco-friendly printing process called Earth Ink, in partnership with Patagonia. The upshot is that in one year Alpinist will save 677 trees, 266,836 gallons of water, 469,000,000...
Mithun Urban Farms
As myopic urban planners and developers pave over rich topsoil to create giant-box stores and auto malls in their pursuit of easy tax revenue and profits, a partnership of forward-looking architects have hatched a scheme to comingle agriculture with urban development Mithun, a consortium of cutting-edge architects in Seattle, recognize that when real estate and resources become scant, the solution is to build up. Their...
As myopic urban planners and developers pave over rich topsoil to create giant-box stores and auto malls in their pursuit of easy tax revenue and profits, a partnership of forward-looking architects have hatched a scheme to comingle agriculture with urban development Mithun, a consortium of cutting-edge architects in Seattle, recognize that when real estate and resources become scant, the solution is to build up. Their...
Wired NextFest 2007
From ideas that ran from the creepy (like regenerated body parts including bladders) to conceptually fascinating (like a harp with strings made from lasers and a Lifestraw that kills sinister infectious organisms in water upon contact), over 160 exhibitors at the 4th annual Wired NextFest in Los Angeles this past weekend enthusiastically revealed their visions of the future to receptive nerds of all ages....
From ideas that ran from the creepy (like regenerated body parts including bladders) to conceptually fascinating (like a harp with strings made from lasers and a Lifestraw that kills sinister infectious organisms in water upon contact), over 160 exhibitors at the 4th annual Wired NextFest in Los Angeles this past weekend enthusiastically revealed their visions of the future to receptive nerds of all ages....
Foster + Partners Eco Tower
Foster + Partners have clearly been busy on the large-scale eco front with another offering in the Russian city of Khanty Mansyisk. This 280-meter tall tower is built like a cut diamond to maximize daylight through the winter months by the refraction of light. Of the project, the architecture firm says, "this mixed-use scheme will create an elegant and crystalline landmark, providing crucial new...
Foster + Partners have clearly been busy on the large-scale eco front with another offering in the Russian city of Khanty Mansyisk. This 280-meter tall tower is built like a cut diamond to maximize daylight through the winter months by the refraction of light. Of the project, the architecture firm says, "this mixed-use scheme will create an elegant and crystalline landmark, providing crucial new...
| September 16, 2007 - September 22, 2007 week before | next week | view all from this month |
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