Cool Hunting
| 21 June 2009 - 27 June 2009 week before | next week | view all from this month |
Loyal Loot Collective Design
By Laura Neilson Canadian-based Loyal Loot Collective is a four-woman design atelier, known for their clever furniture and home accessories which beautifully combine function with whimsy. Formed in 2004, the group of designers (and friends) Doha Chebib, Carmen Douville, Dara Humniski and Anna Thomas, who all met while attending the University of Alberta for Industrial Design. The four designers work collaboratively and individually, each...
By Laura Neilson Canadian-based Loyal Loot Collective is a four-woman design atelier, known for their clever furniture and home accessories which beautifully combine function with whimsy. Formed in 2004, the group of designers (and friends) Doha Chebib, Carmen Douville, Dara Humniski and Anna Thomas, who all met while attending the University of Alberta for Industrial Design. The four designers work collaboratively and individually, each...
I.D. Magazine's Annual Design Review
Material ConneXion is now hosting I.D. Magazine 's 2009 Annual Design Review. The review highlights items that superbly combine form and function. Value and affordability were increasingly influential this year though this didn't rule out a few pricier objects of impeccable perfection. The I.D. Annual Design Review exhibit is open weekdays, 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m., from 25 June 2009 until 28 August 2009 at the...
Material ConneXion is now hosting I.D. Magazine 's 2009 Annual Design Review. The review highlights items that superbly combine form and function. Value and affordability were increasingly influential this year though this didn't rule out a few pricier objects of impeccable perfection. The I.D. Annual Design Review exhibit is open weekdays, 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m., from 25 June 2009 until 28 August 2009 at the...
Zuca for M.A.C. Wheelie Bag
by Rachel Felder Wheelies dominate airports everywhere, but a rolling case with tricked-out inserts, a sleek black finish, quirky dimensions and a wide flat top to sit out delays? For that, you'll need a backstage pass to a fashion show. M.A.C. Cosmetics recently commissioned Züca to create the Cadillac of their spacious rolling cases, a matte black version with the company's logo and a...
by Rachel Felder Wheelies dominate airports everywhere, but a rolling case with tricked-out inserts, a sleek black finish, quirky dimensions and a wide flat top to sit out delays? For that, you'll need a backstage pass to a fashion show. M.A.C. Cosmetics recently commissioned Züca to create the Cadillac of their spacious rolling cases, a matte black version with the company's logo and a...
MoMA Design Store Holiday 2009 Preview
By Evan Orensten and Bailee Wolfson We got a sneak peak of the MoMA Design Store's Holiday 2009 products and wanted to share a few of our favorites. As always the store will have reissues, classics and lots of new designs. We were really excited that the price points for a lot of the new items are right for the times, with a lot of...
By Evan Orensten and Bailee Wolfson We got a sneak peak of the MoMA Design Store's Holiday 2009 products and wanted to share a few of our favorites. As always the store will have reissues, classics and lots of new designs. We were really excited that the price points for a lot of the new items are right for the times, with a lot of...
Japan Premium Beef, Inc.
by Laura Neilson Just in time for grilling season, Japan Premium Beef recently opened its first retail shop in New York's Noho district to much acclaim. Now discerning carnivores can take meaty matters into their own hands by purchasing various cuts of the importer's Wagyu-style beef, formerly available to restaurants only. The superlative-quality beef, best known for its vividly marbled appearance, high percentage of unsaturated...
by Laura Neilson Just in time for grilling season, Japan Premium Beef recently opened its first retail shop in New York's Noho district to much acclaim. Now discerning carnivores can take meaty matters into their own hands by purchasing various cuts of the importer's Wagyu-style beef, formerly available to restaurants only. The superlative-quality beef, best known for its vividly marbled appearance, high percentage of unsaturated...
Ji Lee: Duchamp Reloaded
CH friend and Google Labs Creative Director Ji Lee is up to his public art tricks again, this time with a new project he's calling "Duchamp Reloaded." A riff on Marcel Duchamp's readymades, Lee recreates Duchamp's famed Bicycle Wheel, chaining them alongside other bikes on NYC sidewalks. Playing the concept up even more, he often positions them in front of galleries and museums where...
CH friend and Google Labs Creative Director Ji Lee is up to his public art tricks again, this time with a new project he's calling "Duchamp Reloaded." A riff on Marcel Duchamp's readymades, Lee recreates Duchamp's famed Bicycle Wheel, chaining them alongside other bikes on NYC sidewalks. Playing the concept up even more, he often positions them in front of galleries and museums where...
Voltaic: Songs from the Volta Tour
The queen of her own stratum, Bjork's talent is the type where we've come to expect the unexpected. As is the case with all her projects, I've been gleefully indulging in her new multimedia undertaking Voltaic as if I were discovering the Icelandic chanteuse all over again. Closing the chapter of the past powerful two years of her career, this reently-released live album is...
The queen of her own stratum, Bjork's talent is the type where we've come to expect the unexpected. As is the case with all her projects, I've been gleefully indulging in her new multimedia undertaking Voltaic as if I were discovering the Icelandic chanteuse all over again. Closing the chapter of the past powerful two years of her career, this reently-released live album is...
Hamptons Pop-Up Boutique T.B.D.
by Kelsey Keith Summer pop-up T.B.D. opened last week on the main drag of Southampton, showcasing items for the young and casually hip. Not your mother's Montauk needlepoint shop or East Hampton high-end mall, instead owners Peter Hananel and Jesse Warren carefully curated a collection of modish men's clothing and lifestyle must-haves. Creative director Gregory Buntain built out the interior of the one-story storefront with...
by Kelsey Keith Summer pop-up T.B.D. opened last week on the main drag of Southampton, showcasing items for the young and casually hip. Not your mother's Montauk needlepoint shop or East Hampton high-end mall, instead owners Peter Hananel and Jesse Warren carefully curated a collection of modish men's clothing and lifestyle must-haves. Creative director Gregory Buntain built out the interior of the one-story storefront with...
Wozzup Mutazionidinterni Design
by Paolo Ferrarini of Future Concept Lab In Milan it's unusual to find "non-Milanese” design, meaning design that's not linear, clean or somehow a reinterpretation of classic pieces and brands. Decidedly untraditional, Wozzup Mutazionidinterni is the refreshing exception to this rule. Former set designer Luca Porcelli and Maurizio Duranti, an ex-graphic designer, founded Wozzup in 2007. They work and exhibit their furniture, paintings and objects...
by Paolo Ferrarini of Future Concept Lab In Milan it's unusual to find "non-Milanese” design, meaning design that's not linear, clean or somehow a reinterpretation of classic pieces and brands. Decidedly untraditional, Wozzup Mutazionidinterni is the refreshing exception to this rule. Former set designer Luca Porcelli and Maurizio Duranti, an ex-graphic designer, founded Wozzup in 2007. They work and exhibit their furniture, paintings and objects...
HTC Hero Featuring HTC Sense
Once again challenging the iPhone's reign as the touch screen device of choice for over two years, HTC's new model boasts industrial design and interface usability that makes us weigh our options carefully. For early-adopters looking to differentiate themselves from the iPhone-using masses, the Hero may be the answer. Three years in the making, HTC's Hero notably adds HTC Sense, the first fully customized...
Once again challenging the iPhone's reign as the touch screen device of choice for over two years, HTC's new model boasts industrial design and interface usability that makes us weigh our options carefully. For early-adopters looking to differentiate themselves from the iPhone-using masses, the Hero may be the answer. Three years in the making, HTC's Hero notably adds HTC Sense, the first fully customized...
Tom Schutyser: Caravanserais a Metaphor
In early 2003, photographer and writer Tom Schutyser traveled in a West-East direction along the Silk Road documenting the sights he saw along the way. The resulting show, "Caravanserais a Metaphor," is a photographic glimpse of his journey from Iran through Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan to China, shot in black and white. Opening last week at the École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture Paris Val-de-Seine in...
In early 2003, photographer and writer Tom Schutyser traveled in a West-East direction along the Silk Road documenting the sights he saw along the way. The resulting show, "Caravanserais a Metaphor," is a photographic glimpse of his journey from Iran through Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan to China, shot in black and white. Opening last week at the École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture Paris Val-de-Seine in...
Area Code T-Shirts
By Julie Wolfson An alternative way to show local pride, MikeJames Clothing Company's tees give a shout out to home towns with graphic images of states and area codes. Mark Wahlberg, pictured at right, is even a fan. The area code shirts are the brainchild of long time friends Mike Kirschenbaum and James Starr. Printed in the U.S. on 100% free trade, 100% cotton American...
By Julie Wolfson An alternative way to show local pride, MikeJames Clothing Company's tees give a shout out to home towns with graphic images of states and area codes. Mark Wahlberg, pictured at right, is even a fan. The area code shirts are the brainchild of long time friends Mike Kirschenbaum and James Starr. Printed in the U.S. on 100% free trade, 100% cotton American...
LightLane Personal Bike Path
A few months ago the LightLane personal bike path was merely a competition entry in conceptual phase. Using high powered laser beams mounted to bicycle seat posts, the light generated so much interest that the designers took it into development. Alex Tee, a mechanical engineer, and industrial designer Evan Gant, who both work with the Boston-based design firm Altitude, Inc. are currently in the...
A few months ago the LightLane personal bike path was merely a competition entry in conceptual phase. Using high powered laser beams mounted to bicycle seat posts, the light generated so much interest that the designers took it into development. Alex Tee, a mechanical engineer, and industrial designer Evan Gant, who both work with the Boston-based design firm Altitude, Inc. are currently in the...
Lyle Owerko's Boombox GelaSkins
by Julie Wolfson Photographer Lyle Owerko's Boombox series for GelaSkins is the latest (and one of our favorite) graphic tributes to the giant stereos that ruled the '80s. His take on the trend draws on his personal collection of 42 ghetto blasters, which he's been amassing for their ostentatious, industrial look since the mid-'90s. The result is a range of Owerko's reverent images printed on...
by Julie Wolfson Photographer Lyle Owerko's Boombox series for GelaSkins is the latest (and one of our favorite) graphic tributes to the giant stereos that ruled the '80s. His take on the trend draws on his personal collection of 42 ghetto blasters, which he's been amassing for their ostentatious, industrial look since the mid-'90s. The result is a range of Owerko's reverent images printed on...
Whitevoid's Data Visualization for the Lufthansa Brand Academy
Berlin-based interactive firm Whitevoid is getting a lot of well-deserved attention for their data visualization for Lufthansa's Brand Academy in Frankfurt. Visitors to the center can see all 14,000 Lufthansa and Star Alliance flights worldwide in real time and with a 360° view. The project allows for interaction with flight data, zoom in on specific flights or areas and listening to radio communications, etc....
Berlin-based interactive firm Whitevoid is getting a lot of well-deserved attention for their data visualization for Lufthansa's Brand Academy in Frankfurt. Visitors to the center can see all 14,000 Lufthansa and Star Alliance flights worldwide in real time and with a 360° view. The project allows for interaction with flight data, zoom in on specific flights or areas and listening to radio communications, etc....
April 77 Selvedge Stretch Denim
French label Aprill 77 emphasizes high quality construction and fabrics and in their first year they have already made an impact on the denim scene. A standout from their upcoming Fall/Winter 2009 line is their Japanese selvedge stretch denim pant and jacket. It's the first we've heard of stretch selvedge denim. There are only two factories in the world that can produce this type...
French label Aprill 77 emphasizes high quality construction and fabrics and in their first year they have already made an impact on the denim scene. A standout from their upcoming Fall/Winter 2009 line is their Japanese selvedge stretch denim pant and jacket. It's the first we've heard of stretch selvedge denim. There are only two factories in the world that can produce this type...
Kusmi Tea
Next time you fancy a good, strong cup of tea, check out Kusmi Tea’s addictive collection. Founded in St Petersburg, Russia, the famous teahouse has been churning out celebrated Russian teas for more than 140 years. Now headquartered in Paris, its Eastern roots remain with Russian blends of black teas boasting names like Prince Vladimir and Anastasia. Whether you go for the green, black,...
Next time you fancy a good, strong cup of tea, check out Kusmi Tea’s addictive collection. Founded in St Petersburg, Russia, the famous teahouse has been churning out celebrated Russian teas for more than 140 years. Now headquartered in Paris, its Eastern roots remain with Russian blends of black teas boasting names like Prince Vladimir and Anastasia. Whether you go for the green, black,...
ID Prints
ID Prints extreme-sports action images are cause for any radical aesthete to rejoice. Their purchasable posters are "staccato-quality offset prints," or in other terms, they are crisp and clean. Produced using only first-rate materials and processes these posters offer both action and integrity that is hard to match. As action sports have grown so has the demand for posters of these leading athletes. Taking...
ID Prints extreme-sports action images are cause for any radical aesthete to rejoice. Their purchasable posters are "staccato-quality offset prints," or in other terms, they are crisp and clean. Produced using only first-rate materials and processes these posters offer both action and integrity that is hard to match. As action sports have grown so has the demand for posters of these leading athletes. Taking...
The New York Times Magazine Redesign
A little over a week ago on 14 June 2009 one of my favorite magazines, The New York Times Magazine, quietly unveiled a new design and format in an effort to cut costs and waste (there were two artist designed covers for the 14 June issue, shown above). Announced in that issue's editor's letter by Gerald Marzorati, I'm surprised how under the radar it...
A little over a week ago on 14 June 2009 one of my favorite magazines, The New York Times Magazine, quietly unveiled a new design and format in an effort to cut costs and waste (there were two artist designed covers for the 14 June issue, shown above). Announced in that issue's editor's letter by Gerald Marzorati, I'm surprised how under the radar it...
Lulan Artisans 11°/17° Textile Competition
Lulan Artisans 11°/17° Textile Competition is an avenue for aspiring textile artists to publicize their craftsmanship and be discovered. Founded in 2005 by Eve Blossom as a sustainable textile initiative, Lulan produces handmade high-quality textiles using organic and renewable materials while at the same time providing sustainable income to over 650 artisans throughout Cambodia, India, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. Lulan achieves great product diversity...
Lulan Artisans 11°/17° Textile Competition is an avenue for aspiring textile artists to publicize their craftsmanship and be discovered. Founded in 2005 by Eve Blossom as a sustainable textile initiative, Lulan produces handmade high-quality textiles using organic and renewable materials while at the same time providing sustainable income to over 650 artisans throughout Cambodia, India, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. Lulan achieves great product diversity...
Limited Edition Two Tone Posters
As influential as the music they supported, the Two Tone Records graphic system created an iconic look for British bands that fused Jamaican ska and rocksteady with contemporary punk and pop in the late '70s. Known for the black and white checkerboard and crisp, bold elements, the treatment unified the fashion and music of the period and remains a highly referenced theme today. Two...
As influential as the music they supported, the Two Tone Records graphic system created an iconic look for British bands that fused Jamaican ska and rocksteady with contemporary punk and pop in the late '70s. Known for the black and white checkerboard and crisp, bold elements, the treatment unified the fashion and music of the period and remains a highly referenced theme today. Two...
Alden x Context Tanker Boot
Dropping today, Context recently teamed up with established gentleman's footwear authority Alden of New England to create the Tanker Boot. The sleek boot offers the expected durability of its namesake with an infusion of style and comfort resulting in a versatile shoe that can be worn with denim or a suit. The Tanker Boot's silhouette is modeled after the WWI / WW2 U.S military...
Dropping today, Context recently teamed up with established gentleman's footwear authority Alden of New England to create the Tanker Boot. The sleek boot offers the expected durability of its namesake with an infusion of style and comfort resulting in a versatile shoe that can be worn with denim or a suit. The Tanker Boot's silhouette is modeled after the WWI / WW2 U.S military...
BlueTrack Wireless Mobile Mouse
With computer technology becoming more mobile, the same applies to its accessories. When on the move, a mobile mouse often needs to perform in less-than-hospitable circumstances and on surfaces other than a mousepad. BlueTrack technology is Microsoft's panacea, which aims to improve mouse response beyond the existing laser and optical methods. The light beam on a BlueTrack mouse uses a wider, more uniform beam...
With computer technology becoming more mobile, the same applies to its accessories. When on the move, a mobile mouse often needs to perform in less-than-hospitable circumstances and on surfaces other than a mousepad. BlueTrack technology is Microsoft's panacea, which aims to improve mouse response beyond the existing laser and optical methods. The light beam on a BlueTrack mouse uses a wider, more uniform beam...
Papergirl Street Art Project
by Ariston Anderson When it comes to street art, it’s difficult not to reinvent the wheel. We often see the same wheatpaste graphics or stencil styles over and over. That’s why we were thrilled that our friend, Berlin artist Aisha Ronniger’s pet project, Papergirl, is starting to gain traction. Ronniger started the project in 2005 when there was still debate over whether or not to...
by Ariston Anderson When it comes to street art, it’s difficult not to reinvent the wheel. We often see the same wheatpaste graphics or stencil styles over and over. That’s why we were thrilled that our friend, Berlin artist Aisha Ronniger’s pet project, Papergirl, is starting to gain traction. Ronniger started the project in 2005 when there was still debate over whether or not to...
Lighting Artist Marcus Tremonto: New Works
Since we last covered the work of Marcus Tremonto, the New York-based lighting magician has been busy with a host of new projects including collaborations with the Swarovski Crystal Palace and an exhibition at Spazio Rossana Orlandi during this year's Milan Furniture Fair (images after the jump). Recently, Tremonto completed an installation for his first exhibition in Switzerland at the Franziska Kessler Gallery in...
Since we last covered the work of Marcus Tremonto, the New York-based lighting magician has been busy with a host of new projects including collaborations with the Swarovski Crystal Palace and an exhibition at Spazio Rossana Orlandi during this year's Milan Furniture Fair (images after the jump). Recently, Tremonto completed an installation for his first exhibition in Switzerland at the Franziska Kessler Gallery in...
The Oratory Laboratory: A Father's Day Toast
While money can't buy you love, it can come close with a thoughtful, personalized speech written by The Oratory Laboratory. For celebrations ranging from weddings to bar mitzvahs to "other grand affairs," the service is an ideal solution for those who fear public speaking or for those who just need a little help polishing—i.e. most of us. In this case, we tasked the professional...
While money can't buy you love, it can come close with a thoughtful, personalized speech written by The Oratory Laboratory. For celebrations ranging from weddings to bar mitzvahs to "other grand affairs," the service is an ideal solution for those who fear public speaking or for those who just need a little help polishing—i.e. most of us. In this case, we tasked the professional...
| June 21, 2009 - June 27, 2009 week before | next week | view all from this month |
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