It seems that in adventure movies whenever someone is about to enter a cave or a dark place there is a lighted torch at the ready. Scandinavian design company Menu, has taken that idea and created a modern torch. The Lighthouse Fakkel is designed specifically for wall-mounting with a brushed stainless steel mounting, an aluminum lamp head and a body of solid, white porcelain. The lamp has a newly developed oil burner that creates a big torch-like flame and can be filled from above so the lamp doesn't have to be dismantled. It' doesn't look like it is easy to take off the wall and use to go spelunking but it's a cool design look nevertheless. It can be found for $108.97.
Diana Fayt is a ceramic artist and designer who creates unique pottery pieces that are more art than craft. Her pieces each seem to tell their own story and she has had solo shows in the U.S. and Tokyo. Creating each piece takes around 13 steps and pieces like the large bowl shown above can take up to seven hours to complete not including the 23 hours of kiln time. Her work is handbuilt with molds she makes herself and all the drawings are her own freehand illustrations which are etched in clay using found objects such as old hand forged nails. The bowl shown here measures 10.5" x 5" and has hand etched and painted dogwood flowers in a light creamy yellow with a crackle finish. It sells for $335. She also keeps a blog!
With categories like "I want to be adorned," "I want to be loved," "I want to be envied," and "I want to be worshipped" to choose from it seems jewelry designer Lana Fertelmeister has a real knack for recognizing the many moods of women. Comprised of various tones of gold with hints of diamonds glittering from here and there, Lana Unlimited Jewelry is a small enterprise based in Chicago that has been spotted on big name celebrities like Cameron Diaz, Kate Hudson, and Sandra Bullock. It doesn't sound like it will be small for long, though, based on both popularity and Lana's big dreams for expansion into accessories, clothing, and a whole enterprise she might someday refer to as "The House of Lana."
The Yoo design team which has created residential projects around the world with designers Phiippe Starck and Jade Jagger, has hooked up with another internationally famous designer, Dutch designer Marcel Wanders (he's the one in the center in the picture at right). Wanders is not as well known as Starck (at least here in the U.S.) but his home designs share a similar mixture of wit and utility. Wanders has designed for a variety of brands including Bizazza, Droog Design, Capellini and Moooi, and his work has appeared in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. This isn't his first spin as an interior designer, Wanders has also designed the interiors of Mondrian's South Beach, Miami & Las Vegas hotels and the interior of restaurants 'Blits' in Rotterdam and 'Thor' at the Hotel on Rivington in New York.
These beautifully summery bangles are the perfect accessory to bare tanned arms. The bangles are made of solid brass with a painstaking decoration of ostrich eggshell. After master artisans piece together ostrich eggshell shards to create these bracelets each bracelet goes through an elaborate process to enhance and protect the mosaic. The eggshell shards are collected after the ostrich chick hatches so no birds were harmed in the making of these designs. They sell for $98.
The simple white bowls from Semigoods would be pleasing enough for their rounded and winningly imperfect shapes but they take on new personalities in the hands of two independent artists. Mike Perry's bowl, shown on the left, appears, to me at least to be rather happy and expanded with its marker-like doodle. The bowl on the right, the second for Semigoods by artist Brandon Francis, projects a gentle and calm melancholy. Both are limited edition and sell for $200 for the small size.
The online market in high-end modern and contemporary furniture in design is really heating up.. A couple of months ago I mentioned that Christie's rebranded its House Sales as Christie's Interiors to help decorators, collectors and newcomers acquire one-of-a-kind objects and collectibles. Another antiques and design site, 1st Dibs also helps people access a world full of vintage design finds without combing through antique stores.
The latest entry into the market is Artnet's Design Marketplace which shows furniture and decorative art from over 150 galleries in 75 countries. The site shows over 3,000 works for sale from over 1,000 renowned designers including Carlo Mollino, Isamu Noguchi, Jean Royère, Marc Newson and Zaha Hadid, among many others. You can search by designer, object type, style/period, price and location of the item. The prices range from a couple hundred dollars for a vase to pieces like this "room-within-a-room" inspired by a traditional Dutch bedstee by designer Hella Jongerius. The walls and cupboards of Jongerius's Bedstee are loosely upholstered and there is also a soft sculpture of a candleholder. The piece is being sold through NY shop Moss and sells for $80,000.
This amazing desk made of Tasman Oak and Macassar Ebony was designed to resemble the wing of a Dakota DC-3 aircraft. The desk was created by Infinity Fine Furniture an Australian company that specializes in custom furniture design. The desk as fun details like runway and landing lights and an electronic keypad that opens the lid of the desk. The desk is priced at $23,000 Australian.
Sometimes even dream jobs get old, and it seems Philippe Starck is tired of being a famous designer, feels that design is dead anyway, and plans to retire within the next two years. He also feels that the designers of the future will be "the personal coach, the gym trainer, and the diet consultant," and that everything he designed in his career was "unnecessary" and he's ashamed to have been part of it.
Wow.
Sounds like he's having a bit of a midlife crisis or something! It will be interesting to see what he ends up doing in the future -- with a creative mind like his it could be something really interesting.
Urban designer Ted Nemeth has taken the outdoors in with his throne chair which looks as it it has been created from a city dumpster. The chair is made of 1/8 inch cold rolled steel complete with big four-inch bolts. There are a pair of brass knuckles on the chair arms. The chair has leather armrests and seats and the chair is splashed with colorful customizable graffiti by New York-based street artist BLKINK. The chair is listed at $5,150.
Driftwood may be free on the beach but it will cost you in the designs of Frank Lefebrve for Bleu Nature. The company gathers driftwood from the northern shore of France and then combines them with enameled metal and other raw materials such as pebbles, hemp and raw linen to form furniture. These ten low tables are composed of driftwood made useful with the addition of metal and enamel tops. The set sells for $1,750.
Sunny spring days are coming and there is nothing like drying your clothing outside. But clotheslines aren't exactly aesthetically pleasing. The new Nature's Dryer design improves on nature by creating a piece of metal landscape art that looks like a leafless tree but can accommodate a load of laundry. The tree is made of steel tubes surrounding a PVC cylinder to create the dryer trunk. There are two levels of branches that have galvanized wire wrapped and twisted around them as tendrils. It is anchored in the ground by using a stabilizing pole. T-shirts and blouses can be hung on hangers and then placed on the branches and towels and sheets can be draped over the branches while smaller items can be woven through the wire tendrils. It sells for $670.
The folks at Wine Spectator's Unfiltered column didn't love it but I think the champagne cork and cage set from Michael Chiarello's home furnishings company Napa Style is kind of kicky. Then again I'm a fan of small things made large. The cork stool in bright orange is not made of cork but of polyethylene and the stool is made of chromed steel. The fun part is that the two pieces can function as one unit or a separate stool and a table. It costs $448 for the set.
Reversible and detachable elements highlight this designer's beautiful work but truly her entire line currently at Neiman Marcus is stunning. Whether you prefer the Day & Night earrings and necklace, the feminine flower ring or the necessary gold hoops with a splash of sapphire or tsavorite, Nam Cho's work will bring the beauty out in you. Personally, I love the idea of jewelry that translates well from the work day to an evening out with just the flip of pendent...more likely I won't miss Happy Hour by fumbling for that other pair of earrings in the depths of my handbag.
If you like the wind in your hair and your hands on the wheel of a one amazing car, but want the option to share it with others in the comfort of your living room, then you'll love the Aston DB6 Couch. With the same handcrafted leather that envelopes the seats of the Aston DB6 automobile, and a replicated end of the car surrounding the plush cushions, it not only makes a statement about your taste in vehicles but provides a sexy alternative to the loveseat for only $7,300. As a limited edition, each couch will come with an engraved number plate and you have your choice in colors to suit your decor. Enjoy the ride of luxury and speed over drinks at your place.
