Cool Hunting

06 April 2008 - 12 April 2008 week before | next week view all from this month
Help Remedies
Richard Fine, one of the founders behind the new Help Remedies that you may have noticed around recently, stopped by our office this morning to give us some of the first samples of his reinvented bandages and acetaminophen. The well-designed, eco-packages look as good in person as they do in photos and the un-boxing was a delight, with text and design accents revealing themselves...
Joseph Conforti
Joseph Conforti is a master of repetition. A raku ceramicist based in New York City, he creates hypnotic wall sculptures comprised of individual panels, each of which contains hundreds of ceramic pieces. Raku, for those unversed in ceramic speak, is a traditional form of Japanese pottery dating back to the 16th Century. It involves low temperature kiln firing, followed by a combustible immersion that...
Mark Andreas: Reactive Sculpture Series
After exhibiting up and down the eastern seaboard, Brooklyn-based sculptor Mark Andreas has crossed the East River to make his Manhattan debut. Andreas' Reactive Sculpture Series includes the hulking 400-pound Seed Spreader (pictured), an intimidating machine equipped with three-foot spinning blades. It brilliantly expresses the fear associated with the industrialization of mass food production that, in the words of the artist, “conceptually speaks to...
We're a Webby Honoree!
We're proud to announce that our video series was voted an honoree in both the Music and Documentary categories of the Webby's second annual Online Film and Video competition. With online video hitting full stride over the past couple of years, we were up against some well-respected contenders and are honored to participate and to be recognized as being in the top 15% of...
De Grisogono Meccanico dG
Contrary to its appearance, the Meccanico dG has no digital components. Below the more conventional analog portion of the two-timezone watch is a numerical display driven by the intricate interplay of 651 strictly mechanical components. Numbers are formed by the motion of 23 cams, which are connected to gears and a synchronization system. To prove it, the watch's back features a transparent dial plate...
Lexus Hybrid Living Suite
It's rare, but sometimes brand as curator actually works. Such is the case with Lexus' first Hybrid Living Suite (part of their larger Hybrid Living initiative) at the Fairmont San Francisco, a room designed with eco-friendly materials, which we had the recent opportunity to check out first-hand thanks to Lexus and the Fairmont. Their lifestyle marketing efforts succeeds where others don't by leading the...
Sip of Light
The Sip of Light takes your average book light and adds some stealth and ingenuity. Created by Korean designer Sung-kyu Nam, it's basically an illuminating straw outfitted with an internal battery and single LED light, which can be stabilized with any cup or glass. Currently in prototype stage, the lower portion of the straw casing contains the power supply, the head holds the light...
Color Changing Pavement
Simple, effective and possibly life-saving idea, France's Eurovia is developing a thermosensitive road varnish that changes color to indicate freezing and dangerous conditions. Like a Hypercolor t-shirt, the road could turn pink (or any other indicative color) when surface temperature is below freezing and returning to neutral once it warms back up. Not only a boon to motorists, but it helps out the environment...
Nordaq Fresh Water Filtration System
Nordaq Fresh is a new Swedish water filtration system that may change the way restaurants think about drinking water. We hit Napa this weekend and one of the many pleasures was an afternoon at The French Laundry (thanks for the hook up, José). When our waiter explained our water options—locally filtered flat or sparking, on the house) we were pleasantly surprised. He went on...
Pop Chips
On a recent road trip we tried some Pop Chips and were very pleased with their light and crisp taste. Even better, they are not fried (fat and oil) or baked (dry and tasteless). Instead, Pop Chips use a combination of heat and pressure to create a healthy but delicious snack. We enjoyed the Parmesean Garlic Potato Chips a bit more than the Wasabi...
Sze Tsung Leong: Horizons
Over the past seven years, Sze Tsung Leong has produced a series of photographs called "Horizons," which provide an expansive view of different environments from across the globe. On view at the Yossi Milo Gallery in New York through 17 May 2008, "Horizons" consists of over sixty works each measuring 14x 24 inches. Born in Mexico City in 1970, Sze Tsung Leong spent his...
Tallulah Rendall
Currently making quite a murmur on the London music scene is Tallulah Rendall. This singer-songwriter has been quietly honing her craft over the past few years, playing the odd festival here and there, but it wasn't until she was invited by the legendary Shirley Bassey to sing at her 70th birthday party last year that things really started to take off. Last week Tallulah...
The Lever House Art Collection
For nearly a decade the Lever House in New York City has been home to some of the most daring public exhibits of contemporary art. In this video curator Richard Marshall gives some background on the architectural landmark and explains the ins-and-outs of putting together the biannual commissions that have included the likes of Barnaby Furnace, Sarah Morris and Damien Hirst. In addition to past...
Dunderdon New York
Swedish workwear-inspired clothing label Dunderon last week relocated their one and only retail outlet in the U.S. to a more permanent home in New York City's Soho district. Conceptualized by menswear design director Carlos Salazar, the handpainted pine plank flooring and traditional wainscoting recreates a sundrenched Swedish cottage. With a full range of men's and women's clothing, along with a few exclusives from their...
Botanist Blank Canvas Series
by Laurice ParkinFollowing last year's debut of the Botanist Line, this year Orange 22, Dario Antonioni's LA-based design studio, will reveal the Botanist "Blank Canvas" Series at the ICFF and we're pleased to bring you the exclusive sneak preview. Eight collaborators were tasked with putting their own design mark on the simple shapes made from single sheets of aluminum. The diverse line-up of creatives...
Stephen Floyd Drawings
You don't have to know Stephen Floyd to understand his drawings. If you're easily offended, though, knowing that he's an incredibly kind, amiable fellow might soften the blow. Floyd's drawings, like something from a high school economics student with a wandering mind, can seem innocent and inappropriate at the same time. But underneath the running gags, an intelligent, satirical study of our social and...
Gorman
Gorman has become one of Australia's most respected labels, not only for their sharp styling pieces that miss the fad boat staying stylish season after season, but also for their stand for eco-friendly and sustainable fashion. Recently launching their new organics collection, Gorman's winning even more green hearts with their vow to become a carbon neutral company within the next two years. This month...
Mario Mandala Colouring Book
Mandala, a Sanskrit word of Hindu origin, most often refers to a symmetrical detailed pattern representing the universe and the unconscious self. In some religions it serves as an aid in meditation or to establish a sacred space as well. For Japanese artist Mario Tauchi, who illustrated 108 black-and-white versions of Mandalas for Trolley Book's "Mario Mandala." the motif plays a slightly different role....
Labyrinth Aquarium
Are your fish envious of your hamster's Habitrail? Now you can hook them up in style with a Labyrinth Aquarium, which features multiple connected tanks for your fish to explore. The aquariums come with all of the filters, lights, pumps and cleaning equipment you need, all hidden away in the cabinet below. Thanks to CH reader Ion Dog, who posted the Labyrinth Aquarium in...
Mister Lonely
Nieves, a Swiss-based indie publisher, recently released "Mister Lonely," the third script from film director, producer, screenwriter and author, Harmony Korine. Released 10 years after the widely acclaimed Gummo (1997), his third feature film, "Mister Lonely," examines what happens when a Michael Jackson impersonator (played by Diego Luna) meets a Marilyn Monroe impersonator (Samantha Morton). Released in conjunction with the movie's release in the...
Burgues Script
Every once in a while a typeface makes you step back and appreciate the letter forms from the words they spell. Argentinean type designer Alejandro Paul was recently recognized by the Type Director's Club for the superior craftsmanship of his Burgues Script. With its extensive set of glyphs, the script takes on an organic sense of fluidity normally found only in hand drawn lettering....
Appaloosa
She may well have the backing of Chan Marshall (aka Cat Power) but Paris-native Anne-Laure can well and truly hold her own when it comes to delivering quality electronic-pop. Her debut EP, produced by Germany's Max Krefeld, is an eclectic mix of '80s beats, synth electronics and haunting, distinctive vocals. A woman of many talents this pint-sized Frenchie had put music on the back...
Wangechi Mutu
Wangechi Mutu’s new show “Little Touched” at Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects is so complete and polished that it feels more like walking into a museum than a gallery. Originally from Kenya, Mutu’s work focuses on the constant exploration and discovery of identity as a woman, immigrant and African in New York City. Known for her lyric collages like “A’gave you” (pictured right), this...
April 6, 2008 - April 12, 2008 week before | next week view all from this month
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