library by thomas bentzen

Danish designer Thomas Bentzen has designed a freestanding storage unit called Library, made of wood and powder-coated steel.

I thought it was for children, but apparently it is furniture for receptions, offices and banks as "a room divider, a cosy nook, a shot of homeliness with a sloping ceiling that can be tiled with books or magazines."

Huh.

via Dezeen

clouds by ronan and erwan bouroullec

Clouds by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec are an extension of the North Tiles they developed for Kvadrat in 2006.

"The tiles are made of one element and are attached by special rubber bands. Creating your own piece is quick and easy, whether you want a simple design or a complex decorative screen or wall. You can easily arrange and re-arrange the tiles to reflect your individual style and bring new ideas into your home, time and time again."

via Core77

panier percé by guillaume delvigne and ionna vautrin

Panier Percé is a porcelain bowl that is meant to be embroidered. The kit contains coloured skeins, a needle, a needle threader and instructions for a decoration.

origami by yuko nishimura

Check out this ridiculous origami work by Yuko Nishimura!

"Japanese people unconsciously experience the action of folding on a daily basis, and therefore encounter various folded forms... Only by folding one piece of paper an expressive masterpiece can be created. This is the Japanese way of folding."

via Origami Blog

full tank baby fuel

This bold packaging for Full Tank's Baby Fuel was designed by Seattle-based Turnstyle. The brand is the first frozen baby food to offer the freshest organic ingredients in a travel-ready squeeze pouch that can be eaten without a spoon.

Baby Fuel's revolutionary packaging is the first baby food designed to travel. Baby Fuel can fit easily into a pocket, diaper bag or purse and can be eaten without a spoon - frozen or defrosted. The packaging even allows older babies to feed themselves.

via The Dieline

home sweet home by something's hiding in here

I am admiring these little Home Sweet Home block houses by Something's Hiding In Here. There are five different designs made of poplar wood and hand-printed using Gocco.

photography by bill durgin

The incredible work of Bill Durgin is better summarizes by Merge Gallery than by me:

"Durgin’s photographs reflect his fascination with the figure as a sculptural entity. His complex arrangements of the body require extreme contortion to achieve an austere effect, as if the figures have been abstracted."

map quilts by leah evans

Wisconsin-based Leah Evans fabricates her own landscapes in a very non-traditional way: through the combination of maps, satellite imagery, aerial photography, and fabric. I am embarrassed, really, because I have always wanted to attempt this idea myself but never had - and now I feel I could not do it justice!

"It is the use of maps in organizing our ideas of land that interests me most of all... Most of my pieces are not consciously based on specific places. For me they are intimate explorations of map language and imagined landscapes. Through my research and experience I have decided that maps create more questions than they answer."

via designboom

recycled painting noteboard

I am loving this DIY recycled painting noteboard idea by Kate over at Design*Sponge! An incredibly sweet way to reuse flea market finds.

via Design*Sponge

method naturals

Method has recently launched a new line of body washes inspired by the ocean, with beautiful packaging as always.

via The Dieline

photography by andrea galvani

Italy native Andrea Galvani has a style of photography that is both surreal and humorous. A common subject matter of his is balloons. He currently resides in both Milan and New York.

via designboom

inspiration

Pinecones by coe & waito.

inspiration

Freakin' sweet. Deer Sockets by Nendo.

PS. I am done with the holiday posting - regular posts resume Monday!

holiday: my designer xmas list

The problem with being a designer is { a } most of your family members are NOT designers and { b } most of the things you want are hella expensive. Thus, I am always prone to making two xmas lists: one that is toned down for family and one that is for my Justin - and my xmas cash post-holiday.



{ 1 } Eva Solo Teamaker with Red Neoprene, $120
{ 2 } Sagaform Wooden Trivet, $15
{ 3 } Cucú Clock by Pascal Tarabay, Walnut, $475
{ 4 } Loyal Loot Log Bowl, $61-211
{ 5 } Sagaform Oven To Table Serving Bowl, Large, $50
{ 6 } Roost Cargo Mushroom Box, $26-35
{ 7 } Eva Solo Citrus Squeezer, $76
{ 8 } Theosaurus Piggy Bank, White, $68

holiday: gift wrap ideas

I've always been a big fan of Pop Ink's product lines, and they do not fail to please when it comes to their gift wrap! Available here at French Paper.




Caskata Paper has some highly illustrative and elegant paper lines, in both traditional Christmas and non-Christmas themes.




Rifferaff has combined talents with Elisabeth Warman of Black Pearl Press to create a limited edition of hand silkscreened papers. Rifferaff also sells a beautiful collection of her own designs as well, including cards, papers and tags.




Loop has a stunning collection of gift wrap made from their original art collection. It really adds a handmade appearance!

holiday: seasonal cards V

Lexie Sullivan has a nice variety of styles to best match your holiday season. I am always drawn to the retro-modern designs.




Paper Source has a nice collection of letterpress, personalized, and kit holiday cards, a few with playful banter.



Here are some delicate letterpress lovelies from Starparticle. I am blown away by the linear tree design - and I am sorry that my Photoshop job doesn't quite do these cards justice!


Other Seasonal Cards:
+ In-vita Paper Studio
+ Subtle Glances
+ Joie Studio
+ Dauphine Press
+ Snow & Graham

holiday: seasonal cards IV

Rock Paper Scissor has a playful selection of holiday cards in various sizes, with a few personalized and photo options as well. Very vintage cute!




Looking for a pleasing variety of cards? Cotton Idea Studio distributes their own holiday products as well as cards from other companies like Night Owl and Egg Press.




Luxe Paperie is another multi-vendor site with some great holiday resources from companies like Egg Press and Snow & Graham .

holiday: seasonal cards III

Looking for some freebies? Dwell's Choose Your Design Cards are original designs created by Dwell magazine’s design staff that are free to design and download.




A big WOW to these holiday cards by Hammerpress! I love the confidence of their designs, especially the in-your-face text of the last card.




Vertallee has some super sunny holiday cards. The card designs break free of the typical holiday fare and play up the hot colors and scenery (like palm trees and cacti) of the tropical south.

holiday: seasonal cards II

Nothing says Christmas like hedgehogs! Lucky Bee Press has some delightful letterpress cards with endearing woodland creatures like birds and deer wishing you the best holiday season.




LetterpressLight has some crisp letterpress holiday cards for the season. Simple shapes are accentuated by bold color combinations. Yes, they have Hanukkah cards, too!




Delphine Press has released this lovely collection of letterpress chipboard paper stock with recycled kraft paper envelopes. Oh, the texture!

holiday: seasonal cards I

Night Owl Paper Goods is one of my favourite companies, and as usual they have a bitchin' collection of letterpress, recycled and wood holiday and thank you cards for the season. Their eco-friendly wood cards (two shown above) always warm my heart.




I can always count on OrangeBeautiful to blow me away with stunning patterns, and their holiday line is no exception. From simple repeats to intricate twirls, their cards cover everyone's unique style and expression.




Sarah Marie has a few simple letterpress cards with a tiny little retro twist in the patterning and type - just lovely!

holiday: holiday gift guides

I hope for this post to be a helpful, collective overview of some of the many gift guides out there. Although I cannot post an image of every one, I encourage you to check them out! The recommended gifts cover a diverse range of styles and purposes.




Design*Sponge Gift Guides
Over at Design Sponge, Grace, her fiancé AC, and her interns have set up an eclectic set of gift guides, from budget-conscious to just for guys.

$25 and Under | $50 and Under
$100 and Under | Under $100 (Patterns)
Blogger Wish List | AC's Guide for Guys
Samantha's Picks | Despina's Picks




Sub-Studio
Sub-Studio has organized their gift guides this year by colour! All are not yet released, but here is what they have posted so far.

Gift Guide White | Gift Guide Black
Gift Guide Red | Gift Guide Orange
Gift Guide Yellow | Gift Guide Green
Gift Guide Blue | Gift Guide Brown
Gift Guide Gold | Gift Guide Silver
Gift Guide Clear




NOTCOT
NOTCOT has a ridiculous of lineup of gift guides, moreso than I can even list! Here are a few, and a direct link to their full lineup: Desk toys, glassy gifting, gifts for the kids, goodies for the home, fun random designy gifts, gifts that lean green, illuminated gifting and posters worth gifting!




Creature Comforts
Creature Comforts has some charming little lovelies on their holiday guides for stocking suffers for men, women and kids.

Stocking Stuffers for Guys | Stocking Stuffers for Women
Stocking Stuffers for Kids | $30 and Under for Babies and Kids
$30 and Under for Women | $30 and Under for Men
$50 and Under | $50 and Up




Inhabitat
Looking for some eco-friendly finds for the holidays? Inhabitat has you set with general guides and guides based on age and gender.

Green Gift Guide
Green for Him | Green for Her
Gree for Boys | Green for Girls
Green for Tots | Green for Mom and Dad
Green for Pets | Green Gadgets
Green under $20 | Green under $50
Make Your Own Gifts | Green Stocking Stuffers
Gifts That Give Back | Handmade Gifts



Other Gift Guides


Core77's 77 Design Gifts for Under $77
Yanko Design's Holiday DO WANT! Gift Guide
A combination of off-the-wall gifts, thoughtful books and art prints, and sexy design objects.

Holiday Guide by Design Public | 2Modern's Gift Guide
Cool Hunting Gift Guide | Josh Spear Gift Guide
General Gift Guide and Gift Guide for Kids by swissmiss
BloesemKids Gift Guide
For the usual modern design fare, here are some other holiday gift guides of note.

Treehugger Gift Guide
Aside from Inhabitat, here is another great resource for "green" gift ideas.

Design Observer Holiday List
Check out this guide for some fantastic art and design reading.

Engadget Holiday Gift Guide | Hackzine's Hacker Gift Guide
Looking for some geeky gifts? Look no further than these gift guides!