The Design Crack Guide to $50-100
Gola: My New Favorite Sneaker
I have no idea why I love this shoe. I just do. It has a bit of that franken-shoe look which has infected so many top brand design shops. This one takes on the two forms: The back of the shoe is late 90s Italian gigalo / amateur football player. The back of the shoe [...]
Green Week: PET Light by Walking-Chair Design Studio
First, I should say that the PET Light by Walking Chair Design Studio is called the PET light because in Europe, I gather, people refer to the plastic bottles as PET bottles, and this is a light made for recycled plastic bottles. The PET bottles are nearly identical to the water bottles that we all [...]
Lovechild #1 rocking step stool by The Design Can
How do I start this? Every Wednesday, my wife and I babysit a beautiful two-and-a-half year old girl while her parents go to have a fancy dinner. Stacey and I have always loved this. The little girl is almost always sweet, and we have tons of fun. Recently, we were given a larger challenge when [...]
Laptop Sleeve by Red Maloo
Red Maloo began its existence when the company was originally asked to design a laptop case presented in 2004 at the Tokyo Ambient Lifestyle Fair. The initial design was constructed of the finest Japanese Linens and used similar design and construction as kimonos. Soon after, Maloo introduced the Red Maloo Laptop case made of a [...]
The Record Bowl by TimeSurvivors
Yesterday, a guy from the Netherlands left a comment on my blog announcing that he had this vase that I had profiled a while back for sale on his site. The piece he pointed out to me was this fabulous Tulip vase by Lotte van Laatum which sells for about $140. So, I went to [...]
Brand Crack: With Love. Hillary Duff
From Sephora’s Website: “With Love�Hilary Duff is an expression of love in all its forms and dimensions: the unconditional love of family, the generosity of friendship, and the breathtaking excitement of romance. Exotic fruits add an intriguing sparkle to the rich woods and sultry ambers of this effervescent, oriental fragrance.”
OK. I really want to hate [...]
Pillow by Trine Kornum
Trine Kornum’s work is extremely simple and consistent. She takes small irregularly shaped flowers cut from a soft, vibrantly colored felt, and she sews a grid through the felt flowers directly onto a linen pillow. The result is an opportunity to lay your head in a flowing field of flowers. I find her work to [...]
Ashleytray by Diplomat Design
Object: Ashleytray
Designer: Diplomat Design
URL: http://www.diplomatdesign.com/
Category: Tchotchke
Price: $see website
Lust Factor: Warm
Description: The AshleyTray is one of those designs that makes me want to take up smoking just so I can use this product, It’s an elegant piece of glass that smacks of my grandparent’s decor circa 1970. I mean, they had an ash tray that could [...]
Flock of Starlings by Quelle Est Belle Company
Object: Flock of Starlings
Designer: Quelle Est Belle Company
URL: http://www.mossonline.com
Category: Consumer Technology
Price: $60
Lust Factor: Hot
Description: Moss, as you may know is the store in Manhattan’s Soho district that is like a gallery of creativity on crack. I’m sure I will have several more product to show on Design Crack in the coming months, but the Flock [...]
Van Amburgh by Sam Johnson
Object: Van Amburgh
Designer: Sam Johnson
URL: http://www.thorstenvanelten.com
Category: Furniture and Housewares
Price: $80
Lust Factor: Warm
Description: Here’s a couple of items from Thorsten van Elten… Van Amburgh is like a black diamond that you can sit on. The gray poly body is lightweight and stackable. I find it to be the perfect touch of refinement for a small apartment.
Pigeon Light by Qubus
Object: Pigeon Light
Designer: Qubus
URL: www.qubus.cz
Category: Furniture and Housewares
Price: $see website
Lust Factor: Warm
Description: We have a local writer named Michele Tea here in San Francisco, who writes about pigeons an a manner so eloquent and personal as to give me a fondness for this bird that I never had. This light conjures a similar reaction. [...]
Brush 2 by CITIZEN:Citizen
Object: Brush 2
Designer: CITIZEN:Citizen
URL: http://www.mattermatters.com
Category: Consumer Technology
Price: $95
Lust Factor: Hot
Description: This is a brush that I am sure Saint Martha, patron saint of domestic servants, would approve of. The brush is simple, clear, direct, and suited for the most zealous Christian.
LED Alarm Clock by Jonas Damon
Object: LED Alarm Clock
Designer: Jonas Damon
URL: http://www.mattermatters.com
Category: Consumer Technology
Price: $90
Lust Factor: Warm
Description: I like when reading time is a game. This simple clock makes telling time an effort in concentration. And, when I wake up in the morning, concentration is key to actually get me out of bed. BTW, I think it is a [...]
The Papton Chair by Fuchs+Funke
Object: Papton Chair
Designer: Fuchs+Funke
URL: http://www.fuchs-funke.de
Category: Furniture and Housewares
Price: $50-100
Lust Factor: Warm
Description: The Papton Chair is here for pure nostalgic reasons. A good friend of mine had bought a similar cardboard chair about 10 hears ago, and it took maybe 2 hours to figure out how the chair was supposed to fit together. Also the chair [...]
Barneys Find: The Coral Reef Serving Set by Michael Aram
Object: The Coral Reef Serving Set
Manufacturer: Michael Aram
URL: http://www.barneys.com
Category: Furniture and Housewares
Price: $70
Lust Factor: Warm
Description: I’m sure many people have noticed this trend twords natural objects. The Ilog, which is a wooden version of the Apple iPod is a great example. I don’t want to put this object in the same category exactly, but it’s [...]
Herb Mill by Kai House
Object: Herb Mill
Manufacturer: Kai House
URL: http://www.kaihouse.jp/
Category: Furniture and Housewares
Price: $50-100
Lust Factor: Warm
Description: In honor of Design Boom’s awesome 100% Tokyo Design Week, I’m including a few intersting products that I’ve found from some of the exhibitors.
The herb mill is one of those appliances that looks simple enough. However, the simplicity undermines the fact that it [...]
