More Design Gifts

Tis the season for gfits... Here are a few on my wishlist. Though since the wishlist would also have to include space for them, I may have to settle for the fun of giving them as gifts.

For the eco-savvy LEGO lover (or just someone living by the German recycling rules), Italian designers Flussocreativo have created the cool LEGO-style "Leco" recycling center. Space-saving and cool-looking!

via w ooh ome

Another clever way to make use of space is Finnish designer Martina Carpelan's Kulma shelf. Kulma means corner in Finnish, and works to take advantage of either negative and positive space created by a corner.

via CMYBacon

For a smaller gift that's both clever and cute, Icelandic designer Stefán Pétur Sólveigarson's I Could Eat a Horse spaghetti measurer brings truth to that phrase. It measures pasta portions to fit child, adult, and the super hungry. (The horse-shaped measure feeds 4)

via w ooh ome

Also cute and useful in the kitchen would be Australian designer Toro Legno's Kitchen Bull. This cute guy combines a cookbook shelf with a knife holder and and a cheeseboard that pulls out of the bull's back.

I have a magnetic knife rack mounted on the wall and way too many cookbooks to fit him, but he is adorable!

via CMYBacon

For your world traveller friends, the Scratch Map is a world map that lets you use a coin to scratch off each country you've visited. And provide fodder for future travel dreams

Available from iwantoneofthose.

For those who want a little bit of creativity, the MoMa store offers Ricard Saint-Clairs Chalkboard Bud Vase. You can use it for messages or to draw your own vase.

Also from the MoMa store is this great collapsible water bottle. The difference is that this one not only rolls up into a light and portable piece of plastic, but it also stands up like a bottle while full. And comes with a mini caribiner to attach to your hiking pack.  I got one of these for Herr J when in NY last year and was very sad on our Pyrennees hiking trip that I hadn't bought one for myself also!

I'm a sucker for kitchen gadgets and clever designs!

Great Design Gifts

A few whimsical touches for the home, with clever design

The 8-armed Octopus Shower Caddy keeps all your shower needs out of the way, in a cute package.

 

via Gizmodiva, available here

The cast iron Wicked Witch of the West doorstop...too clever for words!

available from Neatoshop

For the modern furniture lover, these Oi seating cells - the pieces can be combined on a base to create endless combinations of unique seating. Also, environmentally friendly...they utilize recycled materials and a soy-based CFC-free recyclable foam, as well as ship with the pieces tightly packed into a cube to reduce packing materials.

     via ApartmentTherapy, available from Oi

And the amazing Bird Nest Bed, into which I want to dive with a book!

via w ooh ome, designed by Merav Eitan and Gaston Zahr as part of the Green Garden Exhibition, shown in April 2008 at the opening of O*GE Gallery

For your kitchen are these fun geometric trivets...use them as potholders, alone, or link them together. They come in great colors and kinda remind me of Settler of Catan. Yes, I know, sometimes I'm little weird...I can't help it

via Design*Sponge and available from Velocity

Hütte Decor

We've noticed that there's an interesting and special type of decor in southern Bavaria and northern Austria...most commonly found in the ski and hiking areas.

Basically, it consists of covering the inside walls with as many random things (usually flowers and kitchen items) and dead animals as possible, and mounting the skulls/antlers of your kills on the outside walls. Not sure if the antlers on the outer walls is for decoration or show of hunting prowess, but we see it often.

Here are a few of our favorites:

We start with lots of wood panelling and built-ins. Then add some random trinkets and as many small deer-type skulls as you can fit.

The larger antlers should be hung outside for everyone to see.

 

And a big "Beware of Dog" sign is also helpful

Then add as many stuffed animals as possible, preferrably mounted engaging in Alpine activities, such as....

 shooting,

   hiking, and skiing.

A diorama of farm life will fit well in any corner, and it's always good to pose the animals looking like rabid beasts.

And finally....one of my favorites....a lovely heart-shaped flower arrangement. Notice anything different about it?

It took me a while to realize, they'd incorporated snails into the arrangement. I'm not sure why, but here it works.

Food, Shoes, and Clothes

A few of my favorite things...all blended together with amazing creativity and great photography.

Before Lady Gaga was wearing meat to award shows, several other artists and photographers used food to create outfits, bags, shoes, and even jewelry.

Fulvio Bonavia has published a gorgeous book called "A Matter of Taste," where he uses food and plants to create gorgeous accessories. He's an Italian photographer and designer who has also shot a ton of great campaigns for car and beer producers

  

 

 

via Trendland and Designers Block

Ted Sabarese, an American photographer, has shot a few series creatively using food or office materials to create outfits.

     

Check out Sabarese's galleries at Behance for more shots in the two series, and other collections.

His series "Hunger Pains" shows models clothed in the foods they were craving at the time (designed by a team of 15 designers) and "Office Art" shows the models clothed in otufits created from office supplies. The staple-remover trousers are really cool, though I imagine the model having to be extremely careful not to injure himself!

Check out Sabarese's galleries at Behance for more shots in the two series, and other collections.

via CMYBacon  

And the absolutely gorgeous work of Korean artist and photographer Yeonju Sung. I so wish I could see her exhibition in LA...and have dresses this beautiful. Though made out of fabric, so I could actually wear them.... here are two dresses of eggplant and tomato.

 

via Trendland and Feature shoot

Architect meets Computer Geek

Herr J is the computer-savvy one here and I'm the one who loves architecture. But in this case, I'm certain we both agree that Italian artist Franco Recchia has made some cool stuff!

His pieces are sculptures of urban areas and skylines (real and imaginary), but constructed out of old computer parts.

Manhattan 2

Central Park

 Metropolis

Pieces are for sale on Art mine or can be seen in exhibition at the Agora Gallery in New York.

via Neatorama.

Snow Man In A Glass

We're headed from snowy Munich to relatively warmer Charleston for Christmas....these reusable ice cubes just seem appropriate.

Happy Holidays, wherever you are!

via Edible Crafts, available at PerpetualKid

Travel by Color

In art, I tend more towards modern and impressionist. Not really a big suprise - it's the color that draws me in, and sometimes the textures and shapes. While I appreciate the talent a painter must have in order to paint a realistic landscape or still life, it just doesn't do much for me. I love the colors....

We also know I love travel...so I've really been enjoying this site by Explorra that suggests destinations by your color choices.

Give it try here.

I'm hoping eventually they'll do an even more sophisticated one that lets you select color combinations. I love the red, gold and turquoise together, which would tell me I need to visit the Dali Theatre Museum in Figueres, Spain .

Based on my color choices, I should go to tropical paradises and cold, cold places like Antarctica or skiing. Sounds good to me!

Happy travel dreams!