Gobble Coat Hanger

I have a love/hate relationship with coat racks. Most are way too big and take up way too much space, only to sit unused a majority of the time. The problem is, they are useful...and so the search continues for a coat rack that won't make me cringe.

The 'Gobble' coat hanger by Thomas Bernstrand is a nice compromise. The hooks are attached by elastic - meaning it's compact and unobtrusive when not in use and can expand to hold numerous items when needed. Simple, small, functional...not bad.

Corona Solar Light

ICFF is such a whirlwind - sometimes you take photos of things without writing any notes and sometimes you jot down phrases like, "awesome design," without taking any pics to remember what that amazing product was.

The latter is the case with the 'Corona Solar Light' by Shane Kohatsu, Emily Fujita and Jeremy Wilkens. This eco-friendly system harnesses the power of the sun to create beautiful outdoor lighting, which can be staked in the ground or mounted on the wall. I particularly like the wall mounted version, they look like mini-solar eclipses for your patio.

Lathe Chairs

I like these chairs because they make you do a double take. We are so used to seeing complete patterns that when one gets stretched out, it's quite a surprise to the eyes. Eindhoven graduate Sebastian Brajkovic created this visual whirlwind, called 'Lathe Chairs', through the use of computer generated design. (top image by Eric Anthierens)

Pixel Perfect: Guillaume Deligne

Guillaume Deligne has taken graphic design geekdom to a new level with his dpi light series. Made from porcelain by Industreal, you can select from the rough and tumble low res 72, middle of the road 144, or silky smooth 300. Pixelisation perfected.

Lovegrove & Repucci

Graffiti meets the world of fine porcelain with Lovegrove & Repucci's 'New York Delft Tableware' collection. (Via yatzer)

Volant Va Va Va Voom

The customization craze continues with Patricia Urquiola's latest for Moroso. Her 'Volant' range consists of a sofa, armchair, chair and stool whose upholstery length can be adjusted to suit the occasion. If that sounds a lot like getting ready for a night on the town, well, that's exactly what the designer envisioned.

The furniture can switch from "... an elegant evening dress," where the base is hidden to a shorter number that, "bares the legs and reveals the contours of the body..." Sounds a little racy for a sofa, but I love the colors and the visible edges of the fabric.

Sub-Studio

I am so glad that I got the chance to meet Anna and Sean from Sub-Studio while I was in NY. In addition to their wonderful blog, Anna and Sean have created an Esty shop filled with beautiful screen prints, cards and much more. I just picked up their 'Abyssal' print in hot, hot magenta, but it was a seriously tough choice between that and their Visible (Invisible) series.

Sparks: Gerda Steiner & Jorg Lenzlinger

Recently there was quite a bit of internet buzz surrounding Gerda Steiner and Jorg Lenzlinger's 'Falling Garden' installation in Venice. The Swiss artists, who have been working together since 1997, create some of the most magical and inspiring installations I have ever seen.
Their work often revolves around the idea of a garden, a place that is both a source of quiet reflection and wild growth. Each piece tells a fascinating story, but beneath each project's beautiful presentation and whimsical design, lies a deeper narrative that deserves as much attention as the artwork itself. The installations often include found objects - everything from plant life to pigeon bones, discarded cables to tiny car parts.

If you have few minutes, I recommend browsing through their website, which is filled with wonderful descriptions about the concept behind each project.

Some of my favorites include 'Heimatmaschine' (bottom image) and 'How Did the Walrus Get to Madrid'? (middle two images) The latter is part investigation expose, part ode to the displaced walrus, who found himself on the wall of the Natural Science Museum in Madrid. The artists explore the animal's origins and mythical legends surrounding walruses throughout the world.

The most wonderful artist's statement though is hidden in the summary of 'Brain Forest', shown in the top two images. A crazy collection of objects are suspended and connected to represent the wild connections of the brain.

In the artists own words, "In the rain forest of the brain, the bio-diversity of thoughts proliferates and the intellect's short-circuits whirr in your eyes. Needless to say, as time goes by the circuits get tired and nervous; there are burn-outs and failures. But chance creates the most sparkling ideas."

dovetusai

If you want to see some beautiful glassware, check out the collection from dovetusai. I like how all of their work reminds me of elementary school science experiments, a charming medley of beakers and test tubes. The bottom piece, called 'Antoine', is a candle holder and bud vase all in one - the perfect mix for a centerpiece. Handmade in Italy.

Jaime Hayon: Re-Deco

There's no doubt that Jaime Hayon is a master when it comes to ceramics. Recently he's teamed up with Lladró, a company well-known for it's traditional figurines, to give them a little shake-up in true Hayon fashion. The result has been the Re-Deco collection, a reinvention of some of Lladró's classic pieces using white porcelain and platinum in both gloss and matte finishes.

While I'm not much of a figurine fan, it was still interesting to see this collection in person at the Future Perfect in Brooklyn. And I was more than excited to see Hayon's 'Showtime' vases (above) there as well. They are just wonderful, creative, fun pieces and I really, really want one.

Reminder: Denver Design

I'll be back with a regular post later, but I just wanted to remind everyone in the Denver area that we are having a community meet-up tonight at the Walnut Room. Designers from all fields are welcomed to attend - 6:30 pm, The Walnut Room, 3101 Walnut St. Denver.

UPDATE: We had over 20 folks show up for our first meeting - thanks to everyone who came! See, there is design happening in Denver...if you couldn't make the meeting and want in on the action send me an email and I'll add you to our list.

Karla Schabert: Crochet Jewelry

I spotted Karla Schabert's amazing line of jewelry while visiting the Cooper Hewitt in NY. Her pieces are delicately crafted by crocheting fine cotton over glass beads. So beautiful.

Sparks: The Wrong Store

"It's really a collection of all of our favorite things," is how Tobias Wong and Gregory Krum described the products in their most recent project, The Wrong Store. Located in a small storefront in West Chelsea, The Wrong Store is a guerrilla concept in the form of a pop-up shop. The catch is you can't enter the store and you can't buy anything, at least not individually. You see, the goods in the Wrong Store come as all or nothing package.

Nearly three years after Tobias's 'Terminal 5' project in JFK (an installation which sadly only lasted three days), a new store has come to life, this time in a 6' x 10' room. The small space didn't stop Tobias and Gregory, Retail Director for the Cooper-Hewitt, from assembling an amazing collection of limited edition, and in some cases one-of-a-kind pieces, that blend art, fashion and design.

The Wrong Store is truly window shopping at its finest, only you'll have to get your wistful watching in soon because this little shop will only be open for two months. Thanks again to Tobias for being the nicest guy at ICFF, from giving me a mini-tour of the shop to getting my friends into an overcrowded party, meeting him was one of the highlights of Design Week.

Take a look of at some of the highlights from The Wrong Store below.

A passerby glances past the "Come in...we're closed" sign outside The Wrong Store.

Everything in it's place... the perfectly curated desk.

Five shelves of goods...

Yves Behar's 'Monster' sculpture and sunglasses by Bless.

Close-up of the sunglasses by Bless.

'Helmet' - a hand crocheted gas mask affixed to a helmet by Hella Jongerius and the 'Totem Doppelganger by Anton Ginzburg for Kid Robot.

'Money Cube' by Dean MacGregor and 'Brush #2' by Fredrickson Stallard.

'One Minute Sculpture' by Marcel Wanders, 'Vase' by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec and 'ExoLight' by Laurent Massaloux.

ICFF: After Hours - Finnish Design

On Sunday night I also visited the Valvomo show, an exhibition of Finnish design, which was set-up in a converted fish locker in the Meatpacking District. There were a number of impressive pieces on display, including the 'OKA' coatrack by Teppo Asikainen and the 'Globlow Big Floor Lamp' by designers Vesa Hinkola, Markus Nevalainen and Rane Vaskivuori. The light actually gently deflates and inflates as it is switched off and on.

ICFF: Party People

What ICFF coverage would be complete without a few party highlights? On Sunday I proudly made it to 5 events in the tight 6-9 time frame (impressive I know). My first stop was at the Flavor Paper reception at Michael Angelo's Wonderland Beauty Parlor. The place was packed with Flavor fans enjoying the company's new patterns, including their fun 'scratch and sniff' series.

ICFF Day 3: The Best of the Rest

I'm heading back home today, but I wanted to share a few more ICFF photos before I leave - we'll just have to file this post under 'miscellaneous'...

While I had a great time at this year's fair, there wasn't that much in the way of dazzling design. There were a lot of really nice pieces, but very few of them made you say 'wow' as you walked away. Being my first fair, I don't have much to compare it to - overall it just felt very "safe" to me.

I still have some coverage to share of all the events surrounding ICFF, including a tour of Tobias Wong's Wrong Store and Jaime Hayon's exhibit. But for now, here's the best of the rest from ICFF 2007:

This chandelier is beautiful - it's a light that can also hold plants or cut flowers in the individual fixtures. By Waawiz of Japan.

I was excited to see Maxim Velcovsky of Qubus design studio showing his work. I recently posted about his dinnerware on designklub, and it was great to see his ceramic pieces in person. I spoke with Maxim for a little while and hopefully I'll be doing an interview with him soon. He's definitely on my 'one to watch' list.

Anna & Sean from Sub-Studio and I all agreed that these lights by Thai designers Tazana were among the best. They are actually made up of individual plastic pieces linked together, forming these wonderful, intricate designs.

I really liked this room divider, although I can't remember who it's from - I'll have to look it up when I get home. It reminded me of a green felt forest.

The layout of the Thout booth was great; there were homemade touches everywhere, which was a nice change after seeing row upon row of overly sleek Italian exhibits. Thout had several fun pieces on display, including their "UtiliTILE' series - panels with pop-out features, which hold everything from spices to silverware.

'OTT' hooks from Viable.

This picture doesn't convey the true glory of this design. SAC A FAIRE is a system that offers you ten bags in one. Each sheet of tyvek contains the layout for 10 different styles of bags. You simply choose the one you like, cut along the dotted lines, fold or sew in a few key places and you can turn the 2-D graphic into a 3-D accessory. Oo-la-la!