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Maison Martin Margiela Wooden Wallets

Filed under: Handbags, Men's Style

Maison Martin Margiela Wooden WalletsMaison Martin Margiela never fails to surprise us. The always risk-taking fashion house keeps us guessing with what they'll produce next by creating unique and unconventional pieces.

As part of their Spring/Summer 2011 Collection, a set of Wooden Wallets ($425) caught our attention. Made from solid wood with a lacquer finish, the grains are emphasized beautifully. The interior is leather with three credit card slots, three compartments and an elastic to secure your cash. Available in dark and light wood.

Have tips or suggestions? Contact me @marsha712

Black & Gold Jewels Shine Bright for the Holidays

Filed under: Jewelry

black and gold jewelsBlack and gold is a striking combination. The contrasting colors and subtle golden shimmer produce a rocker's edge aesthetic with a dash of sexiness. The color palette allows for versatility and complements a wide array of outfits from casual to formal.

With the onslaught of upcoming holiday dinners and parties, it's the perfect time to showcase some of our favorite black and gold jewels that will complement your holiday attire.

First up is a gorgeous angular dark wooden ring ($2070) by Fern Freeman. This impressive statement ring has a large base and is adorned with a golden sun shaped overlay underneath rhodium silver and a sparkling pave diamond dome. Freeman's ring would be a head turning and dramatic finish to casual chic and formal outfits.

Browse below for additional jewels that will help you shine bright for the holidays. Have tips or suggestions? Contact me @marsha712

Maison Martin Margiela Wood Print Pumps

Filed under: Shoes


The designers behind Maison Martin Margiela are experts in creating looks that are completely unexpected and far from trendy. Even their website throws you off as it looks more like a page out of a computer programming code book than the flash obsessed luxury website many of us are use to.

I recently came across Margiela's Patent Wood Print Pumps ($950) and could not take my eyes off of them. It's shape is reminiscent of a traditional Dutch wooden clog while it's patent leather dark wood print is a unique and off-the-wall playful touch. They feature a small side zipper and 4 inch heel. Since these statement shoes posses so much character, pair with an understated outfit and add some funky jewels and a handbag for a complete wow outfit.

Fontenay Creates Wine Barrel Flooring

Filed under: Decor, Wine, Architecture & Design

There are certainly better ways to show off your oenophile passions and good design sense than a wine cork board, namely, Fontenay's flooring made from vintage wine barrels.

Selling itself as the "the only provider of reclaimed wine barrel flooring and countertops in the world," Fontenay offers three types of wood choices in its Vintage Barrel Collection. The Cooperage line takes its wood from the barrel heads, leaving intact the cooper stamps, various marking and an aged patina. For the Wine Infusion line, material from the barrel's inside is used. Naturally stained due to contact with the wine, the effect is a mosaic of juice-soaked colors. Finally, the Stave collection consist of the barrel's exterior wood strips, straightened to form boards, and then engineered to create flooring. These floors display the grains, age marks and a rustic distressing. Since no two planks are the same, in any of the lines, installation creates a unique finish best suited for wine cellars, tasting/dining rooms or kitchens. Fontenay also offers furniture, including wine racks, created from barrels.

With reclaimed wood being the au courant, green-minded design material of choice these days it's nice to see a product that has such a recognizable provenance being used in such an innovative way.

Union Jack Collection from Viscount David Linley

Filed under: Cigars, Decor, Men's Style

union jack linley
The latest design from bespoke cabinetmaker (and nephew of the Queen of England) Viscount David Linley is a line of elegant accessories featuring an inlaid Union Jack motif. Consisting of a humidor, jewelry box, tea caddy, cufflink box, and large and small picture frames, the exquisite and extremely British pieces pieces are finished in walnut with the flag artfully rendered in a marquetry of burr oak, burr walnut and ripple sycamore. Like Linley himself, the Union Jack boasts a royal lineage; the flag originated in 1606 after King James I of England was crowned, uniting the kingdoms of England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland. The humidor, for about $2,000, is lined with Spanish cedar wood and has a built-in humidifier and hydrometer to preserve cigars. The jewelry box, for about $1,800, is lockable and lined in red faux suede with a compartmentalized, removable tray. The tea caddy, for about $1,000, is available in a limited edition of 25 pieces, and comes complete with a supply of Fortnum & Mason Royal Blend loose leaf tea. The cufflink box, for about $650, is lined in beige faux suede. The picture frames come in a large and small size for about $440 and $400.

[via JustLuxe]

David Linley Tri-Time Desk Clock

Filed under: Gadgets, Timepieces / Watches, Men's Style


Viscount David Linley, the bespoke cabinetmaker who's a nephew of the Queen of England, has designed his first timepiece in the form of an extremely handsome desk clock with a streamlined Art Deco feel. The Linley Tri-Time Desk Clock (above), priced at about $1,500, is finished in beautifully grained walnut with stainless steel detailing and three Swiss clocks allowing the owner to keep track of separate time zones. The clock is from Linley's ever-expanding range of accessories including boxes for jewelry, watches and cufflinks, humidors, desk sets and more. The aristocratic designer credits his talented father, the eminent photographer Lord Snowdon, as being particularly influential on his career, having himself trained as an architect and designed amongst other things the Aviary at London Zoo. His mother of course is Princess Margaret.

The Macallan Sherry Oak 18 Years Old Gift Box

Filed under: Spirits

Just in time for the holiday gift-giving season, famed Scotch whisky distillery The Macallan is offering its acclaimed Sherry Oak 18 Years Old single malt in a gift box made of beautiful, solid oak, connoting the distillery's commitment and attention to the special interplay of spirit and wood.

Meanwhile, the distillery has also developed a smaller, 375ml bottle for the 18 Years Old, matured exclusively in oak sherry casks from Jerez, Spain, and a replica 1.75L bottle for The Macallan Sherry Oak 12, ensuring a range of gift options for lovers of fine spirits this season.

"The Macallan is always looking to enhance its original core collection with unique packs that appeal to consumer needs," notes Jim Brennan, Brand Director, The Macallan. "This year we're providing new sizing and packaging options at accessible price points to encourage sharing and to promote gifting."

The Macallan Sherry Oak 18 Years Old Oak Gift Box is priced at $149.99; The Macallan Sherry Oak 18 Years Old, in a stock-stuffer 375ml size is priced at $79.99; and The Macallan Sherry Oak 12 Years Old, in the 1.75L size is priced at $99.99, translating to plenty of extra spirit for sharing with friends and family and at virtually no extra cost.

Tania Dark Wood Clutch, Handbag of the Day

Filed under: Handbags


It's always fun to have a bag or two that stand out from the rest not because they're over-the-top or obnoxious but because they're different. Simple and different. This Tania Dark Wood Clutch by Glorinha Paranagua is just that. It's straight forward, organic, but also very stylish and modern. Made of dark toned wood it has a contrastingly sleek over-sized black silk tassel and a brightly colored purple cotton lining. Other basics include a hidden magnetic closure, gold hardware, and no shoulder strap to speak of (I only mention it because most 'clutches' these days have them in some form or another). $365

$20,000 Makaha Empress Wood Surfboard

Filed under: Sports


New Zealander Roy Stewart has designed a $20,000 Makaha surfboard (above) made of 400 individually crafted pieces of empress wood. The handmade, limited edition surfboard is "museum quality", but designed to be used. The 12"9" Makaha is modeled on the olo boards once reserved for royalty among Polynesian natives. It's incredibly flexible and accelerates in the water aided by a Vort-X tunnel fin for serious performance and speed, yet, Stewart notes, it is "extremely forgiving and easy to ride, just as comfortable cruising small waves as it is racing large ones." The Makaha has a three-month lead time for delivery but includes a custom travel bag.

Judson Beaumont Furniture

Filed under: Decor

An article in Canada's Globe and Mail led me to wacky Vancouver furniture designer Judson Beaumont. His company may be called Straight Line Designs but his designs are anything but dull, the dressers, cabinets and cases turn simple wood furniture into something delightfully silly. Beaumont tells the Globe and Mail he was inspired by the 1988 movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit and the pieces have a gleeful quality that appeals to children and the young at heart. His pieces aren't cheap, they start at $1,500 but at least you won't go into your neighbor's house and find they have the exact same furnishings you do. The cabinet here is a new design known simply as Oops.

Forest Reflections, Wood from the Deep

Filed under: Decor, Green


Forest Reflections gets their wood from a unique source, virgin timbers which were submerged in the Great Lakes and surrounding areas. The wood has a long history, hundreds of years ago, lumberjacks from France and England shipped timber eastward on log rafts many of which broke up on the journey sending up to one third of them to the waters' bottom. The wood was preserved underwater and salvage and recovery techniques make it possible to retrieve this beautiful wood. Georgian Bay Wetwood uses sonar, GPS and other techniques to find the vintage hardwood. The company believes they can find enough submerged logs in the Great Lakes region to supply their business for many years to come.

These woods, flamed birch and blackened oak are historic and environmentally friendly options. The flamed birch trees were cut hundreds of years ago almost to extinction along the U.S. and Canadian border of the great lakes. Such beauty isn't cheap, the line starts with the small end table at $1,230. They also do custom configurations.

Handcarved Cherry Utensils

Filed under: Decor

The kitchen is a great place to express style and get original without making too much of a commitment in regards to expense or permanence -- you can easily change up the look of things by switching around small details like what utensils you have sitting on the counter or hanging on the wall. These wooden mixing spoons and spatulas by David Hurwitz are handcarved out of cherry and, to me anyway, have both antique and modern contemporary vibes going on. Available in a variety of stains and shapes, this is one of those items where no two will ever look exactly the same. One of these would make a great gift for anybody who loves to cook.



Via Wists

The Splinter, A Wooden Supercar that's Faster than a Porsche

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Green


Think "wooden car" and images of an old-fashioned toy or model car are more likely to pop into your head than a real-life sleek fast supercar. The Splinter, however, is changing that by not only being a sportscar made of wood that's stylish and sleek but also by being fast -- faster than a Porsche or a Lamborghini.

It's fast partly because of the goodies under the hood and partly because it's just so much lighter than its steel and metal counterparts. Built of a combination of maple, plywood, and MDF it can turn out 700bhp and has a top speed of 240mph. Not too shabby.

There's no price set for this wooden beauty just yet, or color options (I say if you're going to buy a wooden car then don't hide it with a paint job at all), but look for more info as the car is scheduled for release later this year.

Gallery: The Splinter

"Forward in Time" Wooden Floor Clock

Filed under: Decor, Timepieces / Watches


This design strikes me as something out of a dream -- a little curvy and abstract, slightly warped and out-of-whack looking, but in a very peaceful and artistic way. For being a modern contemporary design it also has a nice "warm fuzzy" vibe. It's the "Forward in Time" wooden floor clock, and created by Brian Hubel it's made of thick-skinned black cherry with ebony accents on the clock face. Available in the extremely limited edition of only 5, this clock stands 70"H x 23"W x 13.5"D and goes for $6600.


Via Wists

Scott Morrison Rocker Cradle

Filed under: Decor


This Rocker Cradle from Scott Morrison is a classic revisited. Morrison, who lives in Montana in a house on a mountain, specializes in creating unique wood furnishings. This chair updates a 1700s Windsor style nanny rocker by using spindles that connect the shapes of the base and the rail creating a harmoniously fluid sculptural effect. The rocker is made using a variety of hand tools and is done with an attention to detail that takes into account the unique personality of the wood. Each piece is also hand rubbed with a mixture of tung oil and resin for a protected finish. The chair in English Walnut sells for $10,500.

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