'My Town in My Home' is a collaborative knitwear project between by Japanese fashion designer Yoshikazu Yamagata and knitting master, Mafuyu. Their amazing collection of homes turned clothes was on display at the Arnehem Mode Biennale 2007 (Holland) this past June.
Oh, how I would love a forest of Ferry Staverman's pieces in my house (the ones on the bottom remind me of underwater plants). The Dutch artist utilizes beeboard and thread to create her elaborate cut-out designs. (via yatzer)
Wonderful and clever, although I have no idea what is says - The Blind is a collective of artists who create Braille graffiti in Paris. (via Wooster Collective)
Looks like Concrete Blond has some new patterns available, which is a very, very good thing. Adding imagery to concrete walls or floors is a great idea, but the all those bespoke patterns were a little too much for me. (Photo via Core 77)
I actually saw this during Design Week in NY in May, but it slipped through my posting radar until now. These things happen. The 'Stack Stool' by hivemindesign is made from seven pieces of reclaimed wood which are interchangeable. The mix of bright colors with the wood texture is great; the whole piece reminds me of those ring stack toys we used as kids...I never put mine together in the proper order either. (photo via treehugger)
When Vitra recently approached a handful of designers to create a new limited edition collection, the only caveat was that the objects could not easily be translated to the mass market. Nice conditions...
Sarah van Gameren was still a student at the Royal College of Art when she developed 'Burn Burn Burn', a flammable paint that can be applied to a variety of surfaces as a decorative feature. The paint, which can be dyed any color, can also be lit on fire - leaving the slow trace of burn marks behind. Meant more as a performance piece than an everyday decorating tool, I still would like to use this on a dining room wall...
Having recently finished a city guide for MoCo Loco, I've come to realize how design-starved Denver really is. There's a lot of great talent in the form of individual artists, furniture makers etc. but very few places where all of these elements come together. The interior design you'll find here is generally in the form of log cabin plaid or generically blue-lit nightclubs (DC10 you know I'm talking to you). 
It's amazing how many people write to make sure you're OK if you stop writing a blog for a few weeks. Maybe it's the cold snap that brought me back, but I'll be here with regular posting again...with a few changes. There are a whole slew of design blogs out there, but on designklub I try to weed out the cute and only share the most unusual, wonderful and extraordinary pieces. That being said, it's not easy finding these amazing things everyday, so expect regular - but not daily posting. I'd rather post a handful of worthwhile items every week, than fill these pages with needless talk about sales at Anthropologie or another embroidered pillow.
I am in need of blog break - not to go anywhere - just to paint, draw, write...all the things I should be doing more of everyday. While I'm gone here's a list of a few of the sites I like to visit beyond the world of design. Maybe you need a break from design too. (images from HI +LOW)
This week's Sparks goes to Yoshioka Tokujin for his recent installation at Moroso. During the Milan Furniture Fair, Tokujin transformed the Moroso showroom into a ethereal wonderland all by using the most humble of items - the drinking straw. Utilizing over 3 million transparent straws, Tokujin crafted these amazing cloud-like structures as part of an exhibition for his new Panna chair (center).
Great new vinyl wallcovering from Vescom. From a distance 'Monar' looks like a serene linear drawing, but upon closer inspection the pattern reveals a medley of imagery including robots, camels, cogs and ladies dancing. Available in 18 colors.
I need more hours in the day just to browse through all the amazing albums on designboom. Thankfully they had coverage of the Moooi exhibit from the Milan Furniture Fair where Committee presented their latest lamp 'Bamboo'. In typical Committee style, Bamboo is a seemingly simple fixture, but with a few quirky twists. It has a lacquered bamboo base and uses miscellaneous found objects as the drawstring. More subdued than their Kebab light and only a little less fabulous.
One more post to wrap-up the coverage of CO-Design, an exhibition running at the P Design Gallery, which features the work of Colorado designers. The top image is 'Modular Love' by emerging designer Erin Mulrooney. The piece can be transformed into a bench, singular seat or a love seat as shown. Joe Ipsen, one of the handful of student designers in the show, created 'Larch Stand', a side table with multiple branches and levels.
Ryan Wither is one the creators behind the beautiful jewelry line Tivi. He also designs commissioned pieces of furniture, some of which is being exhibited in the CO-Design show. Ryan's metal entryway boxes are designed to act as filters when you enter the home. One box will hold your bag, the other the mail and the last your garments. The larger piece also has a grass top which can be used as a catch all for sunglasses, keys and whatever else you want to leave at the door.
I'm forgoing today's Sparks feature to continue with CO-Design coverage, although it's just as inspirational to see what people in your own community are creating. Housefish is a furniture design company located in Denver. For CO-Design, Scott exhibited several of his modular 'Key' storage systems.
Kagen Schaefer is the world's best secret puzzle box maker. A bold statement, but a true one. Kagen designs and builds limited edition wooden puzzle boxes (and now books) that are truly a sight to behold. Not only are his pieces amazing due to the high level of craftsmanship involved, but also for the complex system of mechanics hidden within each puzzle. In fact, some of Kagen's pieces require hundreds of moves before being opened.
One of my favorite Denver designers is Angela Schwab of INV/ALT. Angela's 'Snap Cups' were a big hit at the designboom mart during ICFF - these clever little cups have built-in snaps so they can be attached to handles, wine stems or each other. At CO-Design Angela introduced the new magnetic version, which can stick right to your espresso machine. She also exhibited her wonderful cupcake plates, a fun re-use of vintage china. (Available through the P Design Gallery)
Over the weekend we had the opening for CO-Design: an exhibition for professional and emerging Colorado designers. This whole week I will be posting highlights from the show, which runs at the P Design Gallery through August 25th.
This week's Sparks focuses on the wondrous work of the Oakland based design company Because We Can. They recently completed a project for Three Rings, a video game development company in San Fransisco. Working collaboratively with their clients, Because We Can designed and transformed a 3,000 sq. ft. office space into neo-Victorian, steam punk wonderland based on the Nautilus from the novel "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea". 
I love the work being produced by the British design collective, Small Factories. One of the members, Nick Fraser, has created a clever hall stand made from industrial piping. Sure it takes up a lot of space, but this is way more exciting than your everyday coat rack.
Chairs with built-in bookshelves. It seems like a concept that someone would have thought of a long time ago, but lately everyone is designing these multi-functional pieces. While examples like Nobody&Co's Bibliochaise leave much to be desired (I think it looks rather unkempt with the books resting at different levels), models like Nils Holger Moorman's Bookinist shine.
Plant care knows no limits with Patrick Morris's 'Antipode Planter'. This upside down holder has an innovative watering system which promises not to leak all over your floor. Can be used in both indoor and outdoor settings.
'Camouflage' and 'Shadow' lights by the Swedish design team Front. Both collections debuted at this year's Milan Furniture Fair, the first under the lighting company Zero and the latter as part of Front's own 'Found' series. 
