Cool Hunting
| 10 August 2008 - 16 August 2008 week before | next week | view all from this month |
MotoRokr E8 and Nas Giveaway
With features like localized haptic touchscreen feedback, a touch-sensitive scroll arc, buttons that automatically adapt to the feature in use and a built-in FM radio with song recognition, we've been geeking out on the ROKR at CH HQ for months. Lucky for you, we're willing to share. As if the deal wasn’t sweet enough, the ROKR comes preloaded with the new Nas album. "Untitled"...
With features like localized haptic touchscreen feedback, a touch-sensitive scroll arc, buttons that automatically adapt to the feature in use and a built-in FM radio with song recognition, we've been geeking out on the ROKR at CH HQ for months. Lucky for you, we're willing to share. As if the deal wasn’t sweet enough, the ROKR comes preloaded with the new Nas album. "Untitled"...
Confettisystem Party Supplies and Jewelry
by Nicole Schlomann Pals Julie Ho, Nick Andersen and Karlo Bello enjoyed decorating their friends' parties so much, they decided to create party goods of their own. Their line Confettisystem takes classic celebration staples and putting a stylish spin on them, the completely handmade line is a mix of jewelry pieces and party supplies inspired by, among other things, "plastic bags, hippies in Kauai, wish...
by Nicole Schlomann Pals Julie Ho, Nick Andersen and Karlo Bello enjoyed decorating their friends' parties so much, they decided to create party goods of their own. Their line Confettisystem takes classic celebration staples and putting a stylish spin on them, the completely handmade line is a mix of jewelry pieces and party supplies inspired by, among other things, "plastic bags, hippies in Kauai, wish...
Greenhouse Trashcan Prototype
Swedish designer Jantze Brogård Asshoff (also behind the new Ikea chintz) has dreamt up Greenhouse, a trash bin the shape of a house crafted as an attractive solution to storing household waste. With the porch functioning as the pedal opening the roof lid, it's a clever marriage of forms that lends a touch of unfussy whimsy to the kitchen. Still in the protoype phase,...
Swedish designer Jantze Brogård Asshoff (also behind the new Ikea chintz) has dreamt up Greenhouse, a trash bin the shape of a house crafted as an attractive solution to storing household waste. With the porch functioning as the pedal opening the roof lid, it's a clever marriage of forms that lends a touch of unfussy whimsy to the kitchen. Still in the protoype phase,...
Sound Unbound Book Talk and Benefit
DJ Spooky has had one foot in music and another in academia over the years and the release earlier this year of his new book "Sound Unbound: Sampling Digital Music and Culture" is no exception. The "literary mixtape" is a collection of "reports from the front lines on the role of sound and digital media in an information-based society." Tasking authors, musicians, designers, curators...
DJ Spooky has had one foot in music and another in academia over the years and the release earlier this year of his new book "Sound Unbound: Sampling Digital Music and Culture" is no exception. The "literary mixtape" is a collection of "reports from the front lines on the role of sound and digital media in an information-based society." Tasking authors, musicians, designers, curators...
"4960" in the YouTube Screening Room
YouTube, best known for showcasing skateboarding dogs and dancers of all species, has proven itself capable of more sophisticated fare this summer with the launch of The YouTube Screening Room. Showcasing four new high-quality short films every two weeks, The Screening Room line-up includes the work of award-winning filmmakers hailing from such diverse locales as Norway, Sweden, Austria, Kenya and the U.S. to name...
YouTube, best known for showcasing skateboarding dogs and dancers of all species, has proven itself capable of more sophisticated fare this summer with the launch of The YouTube Screening Room. Showcasing four new high-quality short films every two weeks, The Screening Room line-up includes the work of award-winning filmmakers hailing from such diverse locales as Norway, Sweden, Austria, Kenya and the U.S. to name...
Super.Fi 5 Noise Isolating Earphone Monitors
Best known as the producer of custom in-ear monitors for professional musicians and sound engineers, Ultimate Ears also makes a line of consumer headphones that employ much of the same technology with a much smaller price tag. The Super.Fi 5 is their latest addition and it continues UE's reputation for dynamic sound and sleek design. The tiny earphones are decidedly low profile with attractive...
Best known as the producer of custom in-ear monitors for professional musicians and sound engineers, Ultimate Ears also makes a line of consumer headphones that employ much of the same technology with a much smaller price tag. The Super.Fi 5 is their latest addition and it continues UE's reputation for dynamic sound and sleek design. The tiny earphones are decidedly low profile with attractive...
Yakkay Bicycle Helmets
Unless you're going for the whole ironic dork look, any cyclist knows that it's impossible to look good wearing a bike helmet. The awkward, bulkiness that makes you look like a doofus is the same thing that protects your head. Yakkay, a Danish company, is trying to disprove conventional wisdom with a new approach to helmet design — one that values safety and style...
Unless you're going for the whole ironic dork look, any cyclist knows that it's impossible to look good wearing a bike helmet. The awkward, bulkiness that makes you look like a doofus is the same thing that protects your head. Yakkay, a Danish company, is trying to disprove conventional wisdom with a new approach to helmet design — one that values safety and style...
The Shave of New York
Remember what it was like to walk into a barber shop and get the ultimate shave from a master barber? Probably not, since most of us have never experienced this classic men's grooming service. The Shave of New York, a new barber shop in Manhattan's Nolita neighborhood, aims to restore balance to our frenetic lives by encouraging men to slow down and enjoy the...
Remember what it was like to walk into a barber shop and get the ultimate shave from a master barber? Probably not, since most of us have never experienced this classic men's grooming service. The Shave of New York, a new barber shop in Manhattan's Nolita neighborhood, aims to restore balance to our frenetic lives by encouraging men to slow down and enjoy the...
Spyker Collection
by Tamara Warren This season, Dutch luxury automaker Spyker expands its automotive aesthetic to apparel, accessories and fine art prints with the Spyker Collection. And what an aesthetic it is. In 1898, coachbuilders Jacobus and Hendrik-Jan Spijker crafted their first car in Amsterdam, laying the foundation for Spyker, the Dutch car company that continues to make bespoke, high-performance super cars for select clientele. The...
by Tamara Warren This season, Dutch luxury automaker Spyker expands its automotive aesthetic to apparel, accessories and fine art prints with the Spyker Collection. And what an aesthetic it is. In 1898, coachbuilders Jacobus and Hendrik-Jan Spijker crafted their first car in Amsterdam, laying the foundation for Spyker, the Dutch car company that continues to make bespoke, high-performance super cars for select clientele. The...
Five Wooden Gadgets
As technology continues on its upward trajectory, designers occasionally grow nostalgic for simpler forms. Consumers also want the basic aesthetics of yesterday, without sacrificing the technological advances of today. One way to get the best of both worlds is wood-based electronics. Whether for the eco-minded, who prefer it to non-biodegradable plastic, or for pure classicists who are charmed by its timelessness, the wooden form...
As technology continues on its upward trajectory, designers occasionally grow nostalgic for simpler forms. Consumers also want the basic aesthetics of yesterday, without sacrificing the technological advances of today. One way to get the best of both worlds is wood-based electronics. Whether for the eco-minded, who prefer it to non-biodegradable plastic, or for pure classicists who are charmed by its timelessness, the wooden form...
Dossier Artist-Designed Totes
Much like NYC-based arts and culture magazine Dossier's publication itself, their latest project, a series of totes customized by a hand-picked cadre of artists and designers, draws on the talent of their creative community. Bags feature the work of musicians, stylists, fashion designers and poets who each applied different techniques like wood-block printing, collage, photo transfers and quilting. The results of course are as...
Much like NYC-based arts and culture magazine Dossier's publication itself, their latest project, a series of totes customized by a hand-picked cadre of artists and designers, draws on the talent of their creative community. Bags feature the work of musicians, stylists, fashion designers and poets who each applied different techniques like wood-block printing, collage, photo transfers and quilting. The results of course are as...
Parra x Enjoi Skateboards
Illustrator Parra Rockwell has been producing work at a prolific pace the past couple years with brands slapping his distinct hand-drawn graphics and lettering on everything from sneakers to album covers and t-shirts. The only logical next step (other than a laptop case) is to design a skateboard deck. A skater himself, Parra knows a thing or two about artist-designed skateboards. Lucky for us...
Illustrator Parra Rockwell has been producing work at a prolific pace the past couple years with brands slapping his distinct hand-drawn graphics and lettering on everything from sneakers to album covers and t-shirts. The only logical next step (other than a laptop case) is to design a skateboard deck. A skater himself, Parra knows a thing or two about artist-designed skateboards. Lucky for us...
Green Concept Cars by The Royal College Of Arts
Design with no regard to plausibility is always fascinating, especially when applied to the sense of fantasy and freedom inspired by cars. But what happens when you introduce a limiting (and very real) factor to the project? Featured in Wired, the Royal College of Arts (RCA) recently unveiled 10 progressive automobile designs that all take into account our current limiting factor of petroleum and...
Design with no regard to plausibility is always fascinating, especially when applied to the sense of fantasy and freedom inspired by cars. But what happens when you introduce a limiting (and very real) factor to the project? Featured in Wired, the Royal College of Arts (RCA) recently unveiled 10 progressive automobile designs that all take into account our current limiting factor of petroleum and...
The ShootBooth Rental
The ShootBooth is the antidote for people so addicted to taking photo booth shots at their favorite bar that they can't hang without one at parties and other private events. Designed to resemble a gigantic, antiquated camera, the eight-foot long encasement actually houses a professional-quality digital SLR camera, complete with a built-in lighting setup. Photo subjects can enter the camera "body" (or pop their...
The ShootBooth is the antidote for people so addicted to taking photo booth shots at their favorite bar that they can't hang without one at parties and other private events. Designed to resemble a gigantic, antiquated camera, the eight-foot long encasement actually houses a professional-quality digital SLR camera, complete with a built-in lighting setup. Photo subjects can enter the camera "body" (or pop their...
Buff Monster: The Sweetest Thing
L.A.-based artist Buff Monster is doing what he does best (bubbly, mostly pink creatures and shapes) for his latest show, "The Sweetest Thing," opening next week at Culver City's Corey Helford Gallery. Influences like "heavy metal, porn, Japanese kawai culture, and ice cream" are evident in his creepy-cute compositions which often feature a character, the "Happy Squirter," made of breast-shaped parts with cherries frequently...
L.A.-based artist Buff Monster is doing what he does best (bubbly, mostly pink creatures and shapes) for his latest show, "The Sweetest Thing," opening next week at Culver City's Corey Helford Gallery. Influences like "heavy metal, porn, Japanese kawai culture, and ice cream" are evident in his creepy-cute compositions which often feature a character, the "Happy Squirter," made of breast-shaped parts with cherries frequently...
Q Tonic
We've seen other tonics boasting superiority over supermarket brands and heard of enlightened bartenders experimenting with DIY versions lately, but Q Tonic, a new Brooklyn-based maker, is elevating the mixer to appreciable new heights. Doing away with the additives and high fructose corn syrup found in other brands Q uses quinine sourced from the Andes and Mexican agave as a sweetener. The result is...
We've seen other tonics boasting superiority over supermarket brands and heard of enlightened bartenders experimenting with DIY versions lately, but Q Tonic, a new Brooklyn-based maker, is elevating the mixer to appreciable new heights. Doing away with the additives and high fructose corn syrup found in other brands Q uses quinine sourced from the Andes and Mexican agave as a sweetener. The result is...
Dyson Airblade
Dyson's futuristic Airblade hand dryer has been around for about a year. It seems awfully good on paper (faster dry time, more hygienic and increased energy efficiency over conventional driers) but we needed to see it to believe it. So, to test the Airblade's claims, we installed a couple in our office. And after a few months of dry hands and conserved paper towels,...
Dyson's futuristic Airblade hand dryer has been around for about a year. It seems awfully good on paper (faster dry time, more hygienic and increased energy efficiency over conventional driers) but we needed to see it to believe it. So, to test the Airblade's claims, we installed a couple in our office. And after a few months of dry hands and conserved paper towels,...
Fiona Thomson Lights and Speaker
Fiona Thomson revisits iconic 19th century forms, adding a modern twist by using simple technologies to create and adapt products for the 21st century. Recently unveiled at the New Designers event in London, each of her works cleverly transforms what were purely ornamental objects into functional and useful objects. One such standout example is Thomson's take on the traditional candelabra. She modernizes the romantic...
Fiona Thomson revisits iconic 19th century forms, adding a modern twist by using simple technologies to create and adapt products for the 21st century. Recently unveiled at the New Designers event in London, each of her works cleverly transforms what were purely ornamental objects into functional and useful objects. One such standout example is Thomson's take on the traditional candelabra. She modernizes the romantic...
Dr. Martens Monkey Boot
Peeking into what's next from Dr. Martens as they continue to revamp themselves for today's market, we found a couple of good options for Fall and Winter. New monochromes and a neon series are a very "now" treatment of their iconic heavy-soled boots, but we also like the more traditional look of their Monkey Boot. First released back in the late '60s as a...
Peeking into what's next from Dr. Martens as they continue to revamp themselves for today's market, we found a couple of good options for Fall and Winter. New monochromes and a neon series are a very "now" treatment of their iconic heavy-soled boots, but we also like the more traditional look of their Monkey Boot. First released back in the late '60s as a...
A Figurinista: Cute Monsters Jewelry
At one time or another you've likely experienced some type of pareidolia, the mind's trick of seeing a face where there isn't one. Brazilian designer A Figurinista embraces the concept with her Cute Monsters jewelry. The collection repurposes vintage pieces to make brooches that resemble eyes, ears and a mouth for a result that's as adorable as it is eclectic. Is it just me...
At one time or another you've likely experienced some type of pareidolia, the mind's trick of seeing a face where there isn't one. Brazilian designer A Figurinista embraces the concept with her Cute Monsters jewelry. The collection repurposes vintage pieces to make brooches that resemble eyes, ears and a mouth for a result that's as adorable as it is eclectic. Is it just me...
Picture China
As is to be expected when it comes to the world's preeminent sports meet and (perhaps more importantly) cultural event, coverage during the first weekend of the Olympic Games was heavy on cheesy montages and stuffy commentary. For a richer, more authentic look into China and their way of life, we recommend NYC-based photographer Dan Eckstein's recent project entitled Picture China. A documentary and...
As is to be expected when it comes to the world's preeminent sports meet and (perhaps more importantly) cultural event, coverage during the first weekend of the Olympic Games was heavy on cheesy montages and stuffy commentary. For a richer, more authentic look into China and their way of life, we recommend NYC-based photographer Dan Eckstein's recent project entitled Picture China. A documentary and...
| August 10, 2008 - August 16, 2008 week before | next week | view all from this month |
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