I want to design a coffee shop around these

Meet Happy as Larry, Monstrously Moody and Seriously Sleepy : three super cute mugs created by thabto, a London based design and giftware studio. These minimalist hand made porcelain mugs are insulated so you can not burn your hands while you hold them. I think they would be a great starting point for the design of little quirky coffee shop. Each mood could represent the strength of the coffee for example.

I would also add Tom, Dick & Harry, the porcelain jars, also from thabto, to store things like sugar and cinnamon.



Who's got a coffee shop that needs a new concept and a complete makeover? :)

photo: thabto

Dayboard by StokkeAustad

Happy new year to all! To start the year, I figured I'd share with you one of the best calendars I've seen yet. Designed by StokkeAustad, this calendar is made of 432 magnets (366 days, 52 weeks, 14 days). Each month has a different color. The colors are said to represent the various seasons of the year going from cool blues in the winter, transitioning to greens in spring, then yellows in the summer and orange, red and violet in fall.


According to StokkeAustad, this calendar started as a research project looking at how different people visualize the year.They felt that traditional calendars did not leave enough room for personal interpretation of how time passes. So they created a calendar that allows the user to arrange the year however they wish.  It become a piece of art illustrating time. Since the individual dates are held in place by magnets, they can also be used to hold various items in place such as notes, card, tickets, etc.

This is such an ingenious product. I must have one! They are apparently currently in production with ABR, in Spain. Hopefully they will be available in Canada too!

 photos: StokkeAustad

A Modern tree for the modern home

When you live in a modern space such as an urban loft or condo, decorating for Christmas can be a bit of a challenge since most of what’s out there clashes with the “less is more” philosophy of a modern home. One of the biggest challenges in holiday decoration is the traditional Christmas tree. Typically adorned with all sorts of ornaments, lights, garlands, and colors, it may really stick out in a minimalist home. Fortunately, today’s modernists have options that will allow them to have a modern Christmas tree that can truly complement their homes.

PossibiliTree

Architect Richard Babcock created an ingenious tree made of real wood sticks to simplify the holidays. Several rows of the wood sticks are attached to a central post and open up to give the tree volume. Ornaments can be hung on the branches but a true minimalist would use it bare to showcase its beauty. This eco-friendly tree comes in a 3-ft table top version or a 6-ft hanging version and retails for $195 - $350. [link]

Tannenboing

For an abstract depiction of the Christmas tree, the Tannenboing (seemingly named after the the German word for Christmas tree, Tannenbaum) is the ultimate minimalist tree. It takes very little visual space and is made of recycled aluminum in the shape of a spiral. It has 200 holes punched on the perimeter of the structure so that ornaments can be attached to it. The tree hangs from the ceiling and currently retails for $395. [link]


Two dimensional tree

If you just don’t have the space for a three dimensional tree, perhaps a two-dimensional tree will work. RoomMates offers original wall decal quotes in the shape of a Christmas tree including ornaments. A little over 4-ft tall assembled, it can be installed on any bare wall for the holidays, stored and reused again the following year. The wall decal retails for about $35. [link]

Flat packed trees from the past

Designed by Büro North, a multi-disciplinary design company based in Australia, Rindd, Gryder and Frigg are three styles of laser cut wood Christmas trees named after the wives of Odin, a mythic Norse figure. The trees can be flat packed to save space when not used and are great statements in modern homes. The trees retails for $149-$349. [link]

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or Festivus (I hope I didn't forget anyone), I wish you the best for the holiday seasons.
Cheers!

Cool ceiling fans

While searching for original ceiling fans for a client, I came across these unique and modern ceiling fans that I thought were interesting. Which one do you think they went for?

EVO1 PREVAIL

The EVO1 Prevail from FANAWAY is a retractable fan. The blades disappear into the lamp when not in use, which gives the fan a completely different look.







RIBBON

Designed by Benjamin McMahon, an industrial design student from Australia, this fan can be retrofitted with an existing ceiling fan.





DERVISH LAMP

Dervish Lamp by Philippe Malouin was inspired by the brushes from a car-wash. It's a very interesting take on the traditional ceiling fan.





ARTEMIS

The Artemis ceiling fan from G Squared Art is almost invisible with its large translucent blades. The fan come in a choice of finishes and colors.





SYCAMORE

Sycamore fan from Sycamore is a futuristic looking one blade fan reminiscent of Zaha Hadid's architecture.




FIORE

Fiore by Vento is a neat ceiling fan similar to a flower that opens up to reveal its petals when the fan is turned on.

The William : Neat Cooktop Concept!

SIDIM 2010

A couple weeks ago (wow time flies!) I went to the SIDIM to check out the latest design products in Montreal. There was a lot of interesting things to see (as always). Here's what caught my eye this year :

CONE FROM PORCELAINE BOUSQUET
I just love the Cone collection that looks like sushi cones. They are so cute and eco friendly. The wood stands are made of ebony, teak or wenge. They're perfect for dinner, cocktail parties, and of course chic restaurants.

OUTDOOR FURNITURE BY QUI EST PAUL?
I like that they make outdoor furniture fun, by using interesting shapes and colors. Some can also be lighted. It looks like they don't have retailers in Canada yet (they are from France), but hopefully soon.

ACRYLIC AND WOOD STOOLS BY BLEU NATURE
Bleu Nature, another French company, found an interesting way to incorporate nature in a space by suspending various wood pieces in acrylic, giving the impression that you are looking at them through water. They also have other pieces such as table lamps with suspended river rocks.

ORIGINAL RADIATORS FROM JAGA
I was happily surprised to see the Heatwave at the show. It's such a beautiful hot water radiator. Jaga was also introducing their new and colorful "Play" radiator. It's a highly efficient and eco-friendly radiator that's safe for kids, because the surface stays cool to the touch. Another really neat feature of this new product is that you can customize it. There are five MDF boards that can be detached and painted to match any room. Imagine the possibilities.

CONCRETE OUTDOOR FURNITURE BY M3 BETON

m3 béton is an concrete workshop from Montreal who makes everything out of concrete. I really like what they do. This year they were introducing outdoor furniture and fireplace surrounds. The neat thing about concrete furniture is that they can stay out all year. If you have a small condo with a terrace, you don't have to find space inside during the winter to store it and it won't fly away if it gets windy up there.

VIAGGI TUBS FROM Maax
Stunning! That's all I can say. Real pieces of art. I'm not too keen on the surroundings but the tub is really cool.

E IUENIMAKAN... by DOMINIQUE MALATERRE OF TILT
Galerie Cantin was presenting art pieces during the show from various artists. For some reason I was attracted to the one with the deer. I just love this picture. Don't know why. Maybe because the deer looks pissed at the photographer or whoever threw the oil at him... BP perhaps? (LOL)

It's okay to write on the walls...

... if you're using Idea Paint. This great product is the invention of three undergrads (John Goscha, Jeff Avallon and Morgen Newman) who back in 2002 couldn't afford whiteboards for their brainstorming session in college. So they came up with the idea of creating paint that transforms virtually any surface into a dry ease surface.

The process is quite simple. The paint comes in a kit including everything you need to make your own dry erase surface. All you need to do is pour the bottle labeled "THIS" into the quart labeled "THAT", stir it with the provided stick and paint any primed surface of your choice. The paint dries relatively quickly but you should wait for it to cure for a couple days before using it. What makes this product so attractive, beside the fact that it allows us creative types to unleash our creativity beyond a limiting piece of paper, is that it erases easily.



Idea Paint is a great alternative to blackboard paint and comes in a couple different color options. There's so many great possibilities with a product like this : offices, kindergartens, common rooms, conference rooms, play rooma, teenager's bedrooms, etc.







I'll have to try it out at some point. Maybe I'll start with the sample...

photos : Idea Paint

Coolest ironing board

While searching for space saving solutions for a client, I came across this really neat product from Nils Wodzak of Konzept Design : the Mirror Ironing Board. This ironing board is perfect for small spaces and hotel rooms. It's nice and compact, has storage for your ironing board and accessories, can be used as a lighting source in the room and as a mirror. Talk about multi-funtional! It's too bad it's not available in North America.



Check out the video showing Nils demonstrating how it works below.



photos: Mirror Ironing Board

The next generation of mirrors

We've come a long way since the first manufactured mirrors made out of pieces of polished stone such as Obsidian, over 8000 years ago! Still there wasn't much difference between the mirrors made back then and the mirrors we're used to nowadays... well at least until now. Sure, mirrors can now be equipped with television, and many high end hotels are now using this technology, but the real revolution comes from Philips who created the interactive mirror. This mirror takes things one step further by enabling users to check the weather, keep track of their weight, check the back of their head, play and more. All that without even having to actually touch the glass! Genius!



source: hdtalks

The kitchen of my dreams has come to life!

Hettich, a German diversified company group operating chiefly in the furniture sector, recently launched "Kitchen Concept 2015", forecasting what the kitchen of the not so distant future will be like. If you ask me, it looks good!

Their concept focuses on design, convenience, ergonomics, and multimedia networking. Their kitchen is designed to blend seamlessly in the home instead of being the center of attention. Various items such as the faucet, the fridge, the oven, all disappear when not is use.

In essence, using emerging computer technology, Hettich merged a sleek kitchen with computers, such as surface computing, and made it smarter. Below are examples of some of the features of this new kitchen.

The above cabinets can be lowered to any desired height and independently from one another.

The kitchen island features drawers that can be opened from either side. Even the dishwasher can be opened from both sides. How convenient is that!

Surface computing technology allows the user to check cooking time, temperature, see the inside the oven, and browse the internet on the surface of the cabinets. I wonder if you can also change the look of the surface of the cabinets as you would your computer desktop and change it, from example, from black to red or add a neat pattern for special occasions...

Surface computing is also installed on the island, where the user can perform the same tasks as on the surface of the cabinets, and control the size and temperature of the heating elements of the cooktop.

I can imagine a kitchen like this costs quite a bit of money right now, but it should be more affordable in 2015 :). Let's hope so.

source : Hettich | Hettich America