Wannekes

I always like looking at this cool online shop from the Netherlands. Specializing in contemporary design products for adults, kids and dog lovers "on the interface between applied art and design." I like these great salt and pepper shakers from the Ulik design duo for Normann Copenhagen. The contrast is striking between the fine, hard and cold porcelain and the cork which is dark and warm.

Marc Sadker

I think these TREE lights from designer Marc Sadker are really great-- they remind me of the cutout candle holders from Martha Sturdy. Imagine the cool patterns they'd throw around the room. Very interesting and sculptural.

Donna Wilson

Donna Wilson is a British designer (featured here before) with a crafty, kid-like sense of humor. She's expanded her line to include melamine trays (I want to make melamine trays myself-- so appealing), furniture (see pouffes above) blankets, and monkeys. You can check out her whimsical designs here.

Edholm Ullenius

Edholm Ullenius is comprised of two graphic designers, Sissi Edholm and Lisa Ullenius, based in Stockholm, Sweden. Maybe you've seen their designs for IKEA. They specialize in bright colors and line drawings. You can see a lot more here. I love the simple joy of their work.

Jasper Morrison

These bowls from Jasper Morrison are turned natural cork and look great. One thing I really like about them is the scale-- so easy to do a table top version, but these are 23.5 inches wide and 5 inches tall, making them much more interesting than another object on your coffee table. The difference between OK and wow is sometimes so subtle.

Mark Giglio (Part 2)

Mark Giglio is a Oakland California artist who creates some very simple forms with a unique point of vie. I love the clean line drawings and color of his graphic design. Here, he has made simple forms from scrap wood and turned them into a set of painted villagers and a forest respectively. You really want to hold these don't you-- the natural materials and worn shapes are very appealing and heightened by his pop colors and designs that somehow resemble the very best of packaging.

AIGA Design Archives

The AIGA Design Archives are a rich resource of past typography, book design, illustration and graphic innovation. This is an extensive collection of contemporary design and it is remarkable for its breadth and beauty. Remind yourself what great design looks like. From the top: Edward Sorel (1959), Chermayeff & Geismar Associates (1959), Paprika (2008), Vignelli Associates (1964)

Light My Fire

I'm determined to spend as much of 2009 outside as possible and so, for my birthday this year, Kari and the kids got me heaps of camping equipment. The great thing is that camping equipment has evolved into the realm of cool since my Boy Scout days. Light My Fire, a company in Malmo, Sweden, has a line of heat-resistant plastic storage containers and a unique take on the Spork. Instead of making a combination spoon and fork, designer Joachim Nordwall separated the utensils and placed them on opposite ends. These are sturdy pieces that I can't wait to use! (The middle picture shows the company's fire starters.)

Donna Wilson

Donna Wilson is a British designer with an odd sense of humor-- that's "ha-ha odd" not "offputting and uncomfortable odd." She makes little fox-like creatures and puts them in cardboard sets, then takes their pictures and sells the results as a set of five cards. Can't beat it. I love people who create their own worlds. Also, I like her tea towels and pillows. See for yourself.

Jaime Hayón

These ceramic pieces come from a great online shop called Wannekes in the Netherlands. Run by Tanneke Neessen and featuring some really unique items, this shop is pricey but interesting. The vases above are designed by Spanish deisgner Jaime Hayón in a beautiful combination of ceramic and leather. Available in the shown combination beige, white and green but also on request in bright black and white. More Hayón later.

Siggi Eggertsson

I love the work of this Icelandic illustrator and designer now living in Berlin. Great typefaces and I really like his use of outlines to amplify and give energy to the letters. The digitized look of some of his graphic work suggests a rigid style but the curvy lines and bright colors make the piece playful and dynamic. Iceland must be a inspiring place! See more here. Just look at that E!

Wallpaper* Graduate Directory

Wallpaper* Magazine's annual graduate directory is now available online. Featuring up and coming designers and artists in the fields of fashion, photography, design, graphics, travel, architecture, transportation, food, and perfumery, the site is an inspiring tour through some of the young minds of today's graduates. Interesting to take a look. (Above, work by Harger, Kern, Barclona, Lavabre.)

Place Space

Place Space by Todd Oldham is an innovative new design series that explores brilliant, unique places and the obsessive people who create them. Published four times per year, this magazine includes pull out posters, postcards, and an essay by such luminaries as Michael Graves, Amy Sedaris, Camille Paglia and Cindy Sherman. Volume themes include: Going inside iconoclastic filmmaker John Water's home, visiting the surreal recreation of the Flintstone's Bedrock City, exploring the off-kilter off-campus housing of art students at the Rhode Island School of Design, and seeing the inspired design oasis of "Camp Nest." Recently named by Wallpaper Magazine as the "#1 Design Masterpiece to Treasure for 2008." You can get yours here. $20.

Paul Rand

Remind yourself of Paul Rand's works-- timeless, simple, clean design. He was a master at typography and identity. Beautiful.

Piet Hein Eek: Ceramics

This designer is one of my favorites: his thoughtful approach to both modern design and simple production techniques creates some incredibly beautiful and interesting pieces. Monday, I'll feature one of his furniture lines that uses scrap wood. This is one of his ceramic product groups-- a perfect mix of the elegant and the earthy. I'd like to see these every day in my house.

London Design Festival 2008

From September 13-23 in London, you can see some of the world's newest and best designs. This show has a reputation for showcasing emerging talents and is always an interesting stop. This is a brief (very brief) snapshot from internet reporters of some of the show's best offerings. From the top:
1. Architect David Adjaye's Sclera, a round structure built of tulipwood
2. Phillippe Malouin's rubber / wood chair
3. Max Lamb's wool stools
4. Evan Lind's Twist stool made of birch plywood
5. Vincent Dubourg at the Carpenter's Workshop Gallery (I have no idea what this is)
6. Ingrid Donat's surfaced table at the Carpenter's Workshop Gallery