Iced Type

For all those typography obsessed designers out there Fred Flare has type soap, looking as cool as an iceberg on a hot summer day! I myself couldn't bear to get it wet but would find it a home in my studio. Via Swiss Miss

I’m All Ears

Normally I do not care for protruding things on my rings since I am extremely clumsy and just can see an accident waiting to happen. The Mickey Mouse Ears ring in oxidized silver might just change my mind. I love anything well-designed and with a sense of humor. It is worth noting how good it looks on the hand. $121, from Pixie Market.

Nomad Spray

Karim Rashid has teamed up with Kenzo to create these sleek airline-friendly, pocket-sized nomad sprays that fit in the palm of your hand. The Ryoko (which means travel in Japanese) sprays come in 5 scents and are available at KenzoUSA. The modern organic shape is very appealing both to hold and to look at. Nicely done.

An Abundance of Type

It was love at first sight upon viewing these typographic mixed media artworks by Sarah Bridgland. See more of her visually exciting works here.

Playing with Your iPhone

The apps for the iPhone just get better and better, now I have another reason to be distracted from work today with the app Type Drawing. You write some copy, pick a font and a background and start drawing. At 99 cents, all the creative pleasure you could want for a few pennies! (Thanks Omar).

Sunburnt

Summer solstice and Father’s Day, enjoy! Photo by Gary Owens.

You’re Glowing!

When I first saw some of these lamp fixtures at a friend’s house, I fell in love on sight. I had seen them online but in person they are more beautiful than one could imagine. Michele Tucker of Riding High Lighting has just opened a pop-up shop online offering a wide selection of these stunningly modern and organic fixtures from Angus Hutcheson’s Angoworld line. Designed and manufactured in Thailand with a keen balance between nature and form, these fixtures are made using natural, highly renewable materials including mulberry tree bark, silk cocoons, rattan and hand cast polymers. I am especially fond of the lamps made from silk cocoons and am battling a shopping urge as I type this. See more of these organic beauties at Riding High Lighting.

Surrounded by Critters

While I await anxiously the birth of my grand-niece/nephew I can’t help myself poring over all the great modern children's furnishings and accessories. I am quite charmed by this Beastie lamp shade from Habitat, an acid etched metal shade featuring critter silhouettes dancing all around. I'd hang this anywhere, not just in a child’s room!

Secrets De Design

I also swooned when I saw this beautiful typographic poster for Designer Days 2009 just wrapping up today in Paris. I have no idea who designed the poster, but I love it! The event sounded wonderful with many design salons opening their doors and sharing secrets of their product design from an insider’s point of view. Some of the participants were Baccarat, Christofle, Kartell, Lafayette Maison, La Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres, Pleyel, Dyson, Stéphane Plassier and La Suite Elle Décoration par Maison Martin Margiela.

Orange Crush

If I ever need to go to to San Francisco my hotel of choice will be Hotel Vertigo. The landmark site of a famous scene at the Empire Hotel in Hitchcock's film Vertigo, this recently renovated boutique hotel is designed with flair and an amusing nod to the color palette of Saul Bass’ famous poster for the film. I LOVE those custom orange wingback chairs with VERTIGO screened on the seats! 

Surf City

I am still in a state of small beach town mentality from my time in Hanalei. To help me stay in this frame of mind, I plan to venture down to Venice beach this weekend and pay a visit to Surfing Cowboys, a most inviting vintage store — fully loaded with old surfboards, mid-century furniture and objects paying tribute to surf-culture. The owners, Wayne & Donna have recently released a Surfing Cowboys signature leather sling chair, the Santa Cruz Chair, a perfect example of the spirit of southern California beach style!

Arm Candy

Another beautiful example of nature-inspired body adornments is this bangle from Lazerian. Made from high quality polypropylene and brass fittings, this piece is beautiful, modern and visually stunning. Lazerian is a creative practice that began in 2006, set up by Liam Hopkins, a Manchester born designer. Based in an ex-hat factory in Manchester, the practice is focused on the creation of functional objects through playful investigation of materials and processes, and seeks to imbue objects with a bit of soul. The company works on a variety of projects, including furniture, interiors, and jewelry. 

Forces of Nature

After spending eight days surrounded by nothing but nature and water in Kauai, I’ll admit reentry into my life in the city has been greeted with not too much enthusiasm on my part. All I can think about is the exotic colors and shapes of tropical flowers and the beautiful designs of sea life I saw in tide pools. Which leads me to introduce Iris Saar Isaacs and Jane Barwick of InSync Design, two Australian designers taking contemporary jewelry to a new level. Fresh, modern and drawn from botanicals and graphic design, these beautiful powder-coated stainless steel pieces are a breath of fresh air! I am in love with their bangles and those poppy earrings. Check out more at InSync.