Cool Hunting

25 November 2007 - 01 December 2007 week before | next week view all from this month
Polanoid
Polaroid nerds of the world unite! Well it's no secret that I'm crazy in love with Polaroids. So as you might imagine, I was thrilled to bits to come across Polanoid—which it seems was created especially for Polaroid geeks like me. Polanoid is trying to build the biggest Polaroid picture collection on the planet by asking instant-picture enthusiasts around the world to register and...
How to Hoola
Work off the turkey this season with one of the freshest books on the planet How to Hoola. The first in a series of "How To" flip books by new Aussie publisher RayPress, How to Hoola instructs the uncos of the world how to stand, squeeze and circulate their body to keep the hoop from dropping. Small enough to fit in your back pocket...
David Reed
It's either the eye-pop effect of his palette or the graffiti tag sensibility of the brushstrokes that endear David Reed's new paintings to me. They just seem familiar. In what can feel like an austere and exclusive world of high culture and Chelsea art openings, his solo show opened with a mix of 20-something hipsters and beret-topped collectors. So it seemed like Reed achieved...
Nike M-65 Patchwork Jacket
When Nike's M-65 Patchwork Jacket showed up at the CH headquarters today—reactions were mixed, but anything that generates that much controversy is undeniably appealing. In fact, no two jackets are the same because of randomly placed patchwork layouts. Produced specifically for this holiday season, the outerlayer twists the traditional concept of patchwork into a highly technical construction. Built off the same specs as the...
Green Home LED Christmas Lights
We like a good Christmas light job as much as the next person, but there are always concerns about energy consumption and the like. Green Home, a pioneering outfit that's run out of a basement in San Francisco's working-class Richmond District, offers a good array of LED Christmas lights that saves energy (and money). Bulbs are available in both traditional (starting at $12.50) and...
Art in Motion
Our friends over at Hewlett-Packard are presenting the Art in Motion event in Sydney at The Forum on 6 December 2007. Art in Motion is a "free multi-sensory event" showcasing performances from Coldcut, Nu-Mark, and awesome Berlin-based collective, Pfadfinderei—featuring eight designers, VJs, artists and typographers—as well as local acts Apsci and DJ Samrai. It's all part of an initiative by Hewlett-Packard to "provide a...
La Botica Mezcal
Our friends from m ss ng p eces recently returned from making a video in Mexico City with bottles of a smoky, complex mezcal labeled "La Botica." Turns out La Botica is a small mezcaleria in the trendy Condesa section of the city that's rebranding the humble liquor for a new audience with beautifully-designed packaging and an artisinal approach. Since opening a couple years...
David Shrigley: Worried Noodles
Glasgow-based artist David Shrigley, perhaps best known for his humorous line drawings, recently released Worried Noodles, a book and concept album that features Shrigley's original lyrics (39 songs in all) performed by 39 of today's brightest musicians. The set, based on the songbook that Shrigley published alone in 2005, consists of a two-CD set and book and includes songs by Scout Niblett, Psapp, Dirty...
Ding 3000: Pimp my Billy
Three young designers from Germany, taking issue with Ikea's rather bland Billy shelving units, reinvented the furniture in a series of designs that repurpose the unit. Called Pimp my Billy, the collection of design interventions cheers up a cheap bookcase to no end! Billy Wilder takes the form of green branch growing across the Billy Bookshelf (above right). Billy Heidenreich is a shelf with...
14 Laptop Bags
by Christene Barberich and Piera Gelardi Every six months it seems, our laptops get sleeker, smarter and faster. But along the way, the cases that conceal and carry them haven't quite kept the same standards. But there's hope on the horizon—and it's a whole lot better looking than that sad messenger bag hiding under your desk. After a hearty search, we found a range...
Earthdesk
Whether the standard wallpaper options (picture of your pet, swirly thing) bore you or you just like having a global perspective, Earthdesk takes your desktop to the next level by making it into a constantly updated view of the earth. The app uses geographical and time zone stats to create a customizable, info-rich image. The most striking part, of course, is that Earthdesk provides...
Novax 8-String Guitar
Not since the '40s has the basic design of the guitar undergone such a major change as it has with the Novax. The brainchild of master luthier Richard Novak, he designed his trademarked fanned-fret system for six, seven and eight string guitars, allowing bass strings and regular guitar strings to combine in one instrument. Classicists may think the Novax 8-string is an an oddity,...
Silkmag Project #1
The talented employees at Brazilian animation studio Lobo—whose work for clients like Diesel, Hershey, Cartoon Network and more jumps continents—made some extra time recently to put together their first edition of Silkmag, a collection of silkscreened works showcasing the personal work of its 12 animators and designers "free of clients or briefings." Fresh air, then. Each of the 100 copies created were meticulously made...
Dog Food Scoop 'n Lid
by Passa Chattra Bamboo pet company developed the dog food "Scoop 'n Lid" with its all-in-one design that both seals cans of food and helps serve the food. This handy device keeps open cans of dog food sealed in the refrigerator, along with a built in spatula to scoop wet food out of the can. Not having to use household spoons in the dog...
Olivo Barbieri: The Waterfall Project
Hovering in a helicopter some 300 to 500 feet above ground, Italian photographer Olivo Barbieri makes cities and landscapes look like children's toys or highly-detailed miniature models. Having shot cities like Rome and Las Vegas from above in the past, his current series aptly called "The Waterfall Project" looks at four of the largest waterfalls in the world. Using a large-format camera that allows him...
Simplicitas 182 Gram Toiletry Bag
by Passa Chattra Simplicitas's clean and clever solution keeps your toiletries protected when traveling and conveniently hung when you arrive at your destination. Most toiletry bags are made of soft collapsible fabrics which are great for conserving space in luggage, but don't provide much protection to keep plastic bottles and tubes from exploding or leaking. The 182 Gram Toiletry Bag is made of durable...
Alice Chocolate
From the matchbox-like packaging to the slender bars of dark chocolate contained within, Alice Chocolate is an exquisite treat through and through. The brainchild of brand consultants Michael Felber and Steven Mark Klein, the pair are working to restore the tradition of Swiss chocolate by making their chocolate at a factory in Bern, Switzerland that has been around since 1919. Sourcing the chocolate (fairly...
Li Xi Year of the Rat Gift Envelopes
The year of the rat is steadily approaching and Portland-based design team Design Night are prepared with the latest version of their signature Li Xi envelopes. Inspired by ancient Chinese papercuts the laser cut envelopes feature the 2008 zodiac animal, a sign of leadership, charisma and order. Li Xi envelopes are also a perfect way to dress up a cash gift for weddings, birthdays...
Airhole Ninja Masks
Founded by pro snowboarders Kale Stephens and Chris Brown, Airhole Ninja Masks are designed to keep you warm during all your outdoor winter activities, whether snowboarding, skiing or snowshoeing. They use innovative functional materials, unique form-fitting patterns, and the most groundbreaking concept of all—a hole that you can breathe through! The upshot is an accessory that's as menacing as full-face masks but without the...
Needs For Sale
This summer, New York City couple Christine Santora and Justin Gignac launched Wants For Sale, a site where they sell paintings of things that they want, at the cost of the real item. So a painting of a slice of pizza is only $3 while a Nintendo Wii goes for $270.92. (Your DSL must have been down if you missed it.) After starting the...
November 25, 2007 - December 1, 2007 week before | next week view all from this month
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