Cool Hunting
Parker Hutchinson
An unlikely cosmopolite from the swamps of South Louisiana, Parker writes with one ear to the ground and with eyes pointed heavenward. This twentysomething's frequent refusals to live within his means often lead to spectacular weekends and harrowing credit card bills. Parker's demeanor is a curious mix of irrational exuberance and glorious blandness, a mergence best described as "cozy refinement." His fiercest interests include politics, music, conspicuous consumption and general goodwill towards humankind, and his dream is to become a presidential speechwriter with a subsequent future as a highly employable freelancer in the private sector. In the meantime, Parker joins the Cool Hunting staff with the sole aim of spreading the gospel of consumption as a truly transcendent experience.
Recent Posts by Parker Hutchinson
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Missed Connections
Let's talk about feelings. According to Dutch design house Demakersvan, it's a subject not often enough addressed in the contemporary design world, and their assertion just may be true. The vast majority of furnishings either look good or perform a function well, or, if you're lucky, both. They sit idly in our living spaces and favorite clubs, reflecting little more than our tastes and...
Let's talk about feelings. According to Dutch design house Demakersvan, it's a subject not often enough addressed in the contemporary design world, and their assertion just may be true. The vast majority of furnishings either look good or perform a function well, or, if you're lucky, both. They sit idly in our living spaces and favorite clubs, reflecting little more than our tastes and...
Workshopped
The Workshopped Design Expo, held annually in Sydney since 2001, is less like a competition and more like a career-builder for a select handful of emerging Australian designers. It was founded as a agency to connect young talent with manufacturers and suppliers, to help turn their ideas into commercial realities. This year's event is hosted by Strand Arcade and is expected to draw nearly...
The Workshopped Design Expo, held annually in Sydney since 2001, is less like a competition and more like a career-builder for a select handful of emerging Australian designers. It was founded as a agency to connect young talent with manufacturers and suppliers, to help turn their ideas into commercial realities. This year's event is hosted by Strand Arcade and is expected to draw nearly...
iPod Subway Maps
Our latest addition to the "why didn't we think of that?" list is this package of subway maps for the iPod. It's a simple and genius concept: upload the maps into the iPod's photo albums for easy access in times of underground uncertainty. The maps work on all color-screen iPods (formerly iPod Photo) and are absolutely free. New York, D.C., Boston and Hong Kong...
Our latest addition to the "why didn't we think of that?" list is this package of subway maps for the iPod. It's a simple and genius concept: upload the maps into the iPod's photo albums for easy access in times of underground uncertainty. The maps work on all color-screen iPods (formerly iPod Photo) and are absolutely free. New York, D.C., Boston and Hong Kong...
Spell It Out
The craft-loving ReadyMade, a magazine once described to me as "Martha Stewart Living for hipsters," is offering a few great items from the lesser-known retail side of their operation. The customizable "Make-A-Sign" is a cheap and fun way to bring classic diner charm into the home. The menu board, available in 5x7" and 8x10", comes with a set of ever-rearrangeable letters that, in the...
The craft-loving ReadyMade, a magazine once described to me as "Martha Stewart Living for hipsters," is offering a few great items from the lesser-known retail side of their operation. The customizable "Make-A-Sign" is a cheap and fun way to bring classic diner charm into the home. The menu board, available in 5x7" and 8x10", comes with a set of ever-rearrangeable letters that, in the...
Banksy on Holiday
Globe-trotting renegade artist Banksy has hit the Middle East, armed with only spray paint and his brazen political wit. The renowned graffitist chose the Palestinian side of Israel's "separation fence" as the target for his latest statement, a series of paintings that both mock the structure and peaceably inspire activists to work towards its removal. No stranger to high-profile stunts, Banksy has previously organized...
Globe-trotting renegade artist Banksy has hit the Middle East, armed with only spray paint and his brazen political wit. The renowned graffitist chose the Palestinian side of Israel's "separation fence" as the target for his latest statement, a series of paintings that both mock the structure and peaceably inspire activists to work towards its removal. No stranger to high-profile stunts, Banksy has previously organized...
Glorious Graphics
We've all long been warned not to judge a book by its cover, but seeing this delectable jacket by designers Non-Format was enough to cause me to brush conventional wisdom aside and purchase Sean Wilsey's recent autobiography on spec. The team's online portfolio is a tour of handsomely au courant graphic design. Their works are both modern and organic, featuring a complementary mix of...
We've all long been warned not to judge a book by its cover, but seeing this delectable jacket by designers Non-Format was enough to cause me to brush conventional wisdom aside and purchase Sean Wilsey's recent autobiography on spec. The team's online portfolio is a tour of handsomely au courant graphic design. Their works are both modern and organic, featuring a complementary mix of...
Outside-In
Another prototype from Promise Design, Phytoslim is a modular system for growing plants on walls. Its slim panels are made of coconut fibers and supported by a hidden plastic skeleton. The 2"-thick pieces supposedly attach to any surface, indoor or out, vertical or horizontal. Although we're absolutely smitten with the idea of a grass-covered interior wall, the sheer logistics leave doubts in our minds:...
Another prototype from Promise Design, Phytoslim is a modular system for growing plants on walls. Its slim panels are made of coconut fibers and supported by a hidden plastic skeleton. The 2"-thick pieces supposedly attach to any surface, indoor or out, vertical or horizontal. Although we're absolutely smitten with the idea of a grass-covered interior wall, the sheer logistics leave doubts in our minds:...
Fat Fridge
The Little Fat Fridge is a fantastic and funky solution for refrigeration in temporary living spaces, small apartments and dormitories. The prototype, designed by Zev Perlmutter for Israel's Promise Design, is made from light, inexpensive materials-- PVC and styrofoam- -and runs on an electric cooling system. The highly-portable appliance stands only five feet tall and features six slots for fridge-front photos....
The Little Fat Fridge is a fantastic and funky solution for refrigeration in temporary living spaces, small apartments and dormitories. The prototype, designed by Zev Perlmutter for Israel's Promise Design, is made from light, inexpensive materials-- PVC and styrofoam- -and runs on an electric cooling system. The highly-portable appliance stands only five feet tall and features six slots for fridge-front photos....
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