I’ve been wanting to try out one of these digital photo frames for a while now– partly because I hate to see the photos I take get shoved into the archives of my hard drive, never to be seen again; and partly because I like the idea of having an ever-rotating place to display photos. I’ve been counseled by many that these frames just aren’t that special given the price you pay for them. After trying out this 9 inch Philips frame, I’d have to mostly agree. The frame itself looks great, with a silver, brushed metal exterior, the display quality impressed me, and it’s packed with features like a photo management system, custom slideshow abilities, and photo editing tools. But I just have a hard time understanding who has the time or energy to use an ancillary gadget like this to it’s fullest potential. It seems as though these should be made for one purpose only: to display as cleanly and efficiently as many of your photos as possible. And in that area, I have some trouble with the fact that this frame only has enough internal memory for about 110-150 photos (although you can access way more through several different types of memory card slots), and that although it has a rechargeable battery, it will only last about an hour before you have to plug it back in via its cumbersome eye sore of a power cord. Don’t get me wrong– I think it would make a great gift for the right photo-loving person, but just make sure you have $200 to spend and that the giftee is someone with a clever place to put it so that the power cord doesn’t annoy the hell of out of them. It comes with a wall hanging kit– but to make it look good on the wall you’d have to feed the cord through a hole in your drywall. It will be nice when these frames employ some super efficient battery technology, but in the meantime, this will have to do.
Kelly D. Williams hails from a small town in the mountains, but it’s safe to say he’s cut his artistic teeth at this point with the help of some widely-drawn inspiration. At the core, Kelly gets his drive from skateboarding, music, and his Teton Mountain upbringing, and is well-loved for his trademark text (random sayings or individual words that somehow make perfect sense), a feathery design style, frustrated lines, burdened faces, and his feted signature. KD W has been featured in magazines all over the world, and his designs have popped up on skateboard decks, snowboards, and album covers. I especially like the piece above– according to Kelly, “it’s best viewed left to right whilst listening to RJD2’s 1976. No, really, try it.” He has a ton of stuff available for sale, and will actually be auctioning off some of his original artwork for charity on ebay on May 6th– proceeds go to Design for Humanity.
Those of us used to navigating the concrete jungle in our cities know we’ve gotta be equipped with the right carry-all to get us through an entire day- sometimes, a backpack just isn’t going to cut it when you’ve got a ton of portables to keep separated and readily accessible. Sao Paulo-based Matramba, which I discovered at a fair for underground and alternative clothes and accessories, puts fashion as high as form, function and quality in the designs of their waist and shoulder packs (and in one case, one pack that you wear on your leg). Inspired by the pouches carried by comic book superheroes and cowboys of the Wild West, Matramba’s packs vary in style (two sides, one side, all-around), material (neoprene, cotton), and number and kind of pockets — meaning you can find one to fit your needs. My problem is that I can’t decide which one I want, ’cause they’re all useful. Most of the packs with more creative prints, like German newsprint and zebra stripes, are sold out. Currently you can only find their products in Europe and Brazil, but try writing to them to see if they deliver internationally.
Feel like playing a bit of a prank this afternoon? Spin New Media created this interactive viral video for Lee Jeans Australia that allows you to upload an image of anyone - a friend, your boss, your mother - and after entering their little “secret” generates a YouTube-esque video diary. Come Clean then sends out an email, forward-style, to the people who you feel deserve to know the truth. Available in versions for both guys and girls (my friend Kate’s immediate response was, “Woah, that dude is HOT,”) it’s sure to freak out anyone with a moderately guilty conscience.
On May 11th, it’s going to be hopping at the FD Lofts in Detroit for Launch Volume 1: The Rise of the Creative Class. The Sarahs behind Motor City Sewing are bringing in a slew of regional designers like Wrath Arcane, Lara Miller, Juma, and Michel Delon to accompany them for their Spring 2007 Wound menswear launch. This group of fashionistas is leading the way toward the emergence of an exciting and viable fashion scene in the Midwest– there is a lot of creative potential in the region, and it’s just a matter of bringing together positive energy and bright minds– that’s what this event aims to do. There will be copious amounts of music, drink, and food (from 20 of Detroit’s ‘essential’ restaurants to be exact), and the ticket proceeds are going to the Children’s Hospital. You can buy tickets beforehand here, or if you want to risk it day of, they’ll also be available at the door for $25. A full flyer for the shindig awaits, after the jump…
Cubadust is the portfolio of insanely talented Swedish freelance graphic designer Jonas Strandberg-Ringh. It was recently updated with some of his incredible work in both motion and print for the likes of MTV Europe, Discovery Channel, Unicef, Nike and many more. Cubadust was also the host of the “Versus Project“– a unique online event where 40 different designers came together and made magic on a 30,000 pixel wide canvas, all together and at once. When you’re not admiring Jonas’ portfolio, check out the images from the Versus Project, it’s quite inspiring.
In light of some of the god-awful coat racks I’ve seen, I’m enjoying the minimalist and non-intrusive design of this Kleidrleiste Coat Rack. It’s made with brushed stainless steel and comes in two different lengths, 100 and 60 cm. Because it mounts virtually flush with the wall, it’s well suited for narrow hallways and other constrained spaces. The hanger slots are spaced somewhat erratically creating a barcode like appearance. The Kleidrleiste is available at the U.K. design site Mocha– the long rack costs 85 GBP and the short rack costs 58 GBP. Hopefully you don’t want or need it in a jiffy, because they advertise a 4-6 week delivery timeframe.
As an ex-pat, I always get a giggle out of seeing Australiana pop up elsewhere in the world. Today was no different, when I came across these totally cute “Amigo” leather desk accessories by Vacavalienteover at the MoMA store. Along with the kangaroo message organizer (for your cell and miscellaneous notes), there’s a piggy bank (who, rather charmingly, ‘poops’ out your money via a flap in its uh, bottom) and a caterpillar (for your pencils, pens and business cards). What a fun way to add a pop of color and personality to your boring cubical. Check out their full range of Amigos, plus a slew of other products, right here.
"Corn is for cars, sugar is for soda" is the tagline accompanying Jones Soda’s new line of sodas made with sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup. Coca-Cola has been playing with a similar concept, as they introduced a sugar version of Coca-Cola classic in April for Passover. Lately, we’be been seeing more and more companies "go back to nature" by using sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup. Jones Soda says they made the switch because of a change in consumer behavior– people are actively avoiding high-fructose syrup these days - and plus - sugar gives soda a better flavor.. Mmmm...pure cane Cream Soda.
Steve Lidbury may hail from the U.K., but he has made quite a splash in Tokyo with his stellar interior architectural design work. Twenty-eight years young, he’s already amassed quite the project portfolio: among his contributions, he’s been hired to design top-end boutiques like Tokyo’s Sunao Kuwahara Boutique (above, left), several Rubyrivet Aquagirl stores (above, right), and the numerous Smacky Glam stores throughout Japan (photo after the jump); Steve has also dabbled with office design– you can see the work he did on the Eat Office in Tokyo after the jump as well. Formerly at Fabrica in Italy - where he became an Atelier Master - Steve seems quite content to be adding his flavor to modern Japanese architecture - and given his popularity (and gorgeous work product to back it up), it’s safe to say Japan is quite lucky to have him around.
I’m not what can be referred to as a “morning person.” I no longer own an alarm clock, thanks to my tendency towards hurling them indiscriminately across the room - causing damage to walls, furniture, pets and people alike. The Glo Pillow seeks to remedy such occurrences through a more gentle approach. A combination of memory foam and a series of LED-integrated fabric layers, slumber is theoretically broken by a gentle “glowing” that simulates a sunrise, as opposed to traditional shock-inducing bleating) allowing for a more peaceful start to your day. An RSA Design Directions Award winner in ‘06, the induction-charged pillow is controlled by a panel of six “soft buttons” on the side; the wireless transmitter allows free movement for those who are prone to tossing and turning. Not that you’ll be doing a whole lot of that after you discover what a “good night’s sleep” actually entails.
Finding a wine storage solution that combines environmental and pleasing aesthetic values has proven to be somewhat of a challenge for me…so much so that the “storage” situation basically consists of the 8+ bottles of wine we usually have on hand sitting on a shelf next to the coffee maker in our kitchen. This very well may change though, now I’ve come across Modern Cellar: a line of wall-mounted and freestanding wine furnishings crafted from reclaimed and sustainable wood, designed by wine enthusiasts, for wine enthusiasts with both functionality and beauty in mind. From the Mono Server which handsomly displays a single bottle and two glasses to the Sporadic Wall Panel that doubles as both art and storage, the clean and elegant lines are sure to fit right in, no matter your space or design situation is.
Everyone needs a good pair of boat shoes for the summertime– hell, some of my friends from the East Coast aren’t afraid to break them out in the dead of winter. Why not go with something a little “not so obvious” this year? For instance, these subtle looking (besides the red, white, and blue of course) Cr8tive Recreation Gambi sneaks. Those of you who refuse to wear Crocs on deck can pick these up from cr8rec starting in June for $175– at that price, hopefully you already own a boat. Anchors away! I’ll see you at the yacht club!
Sao Paulo’s equivalent to Kid Robot is Plastik, which houses a toy heaven for adults. Besides being ground zero for the toys we’ve come to adore and obsess over (plus a few more not known outside the country yet), the store also has as a gallery space located on the second floor that’s accessed by a perilous, winding staircase. The Munny Exhibit just opened here, and as the namesake implies, it stars Kid Robot’s customizable Munny figure. The store distributed three dozen Munnys to Brazilian tastemakers - fashion designers, graffiti artists, art directors, DJs, illustrators, just to name a few - and gave them free reign to do whatever they wanted with their doll. The whole crazy lot is now on display. Gary Baseman, who was just in town last week, kicked off the opening. Check out more photos from the exhibit after the jump…
I’ve been wanting to try out one of these digital photo frames for a while now– partly because I hate to see the photos I take get shoved into the archives of my hard drive, never to be seen again; and partly because I like the idea of having an ever-rotating place to display photos. I’ve been counseled by many that these frames just aren’t that special given the price you pay for them. After trying out this 9 inch Philips frame, I’d have to mostly agree. The frame itself looks great, with a silver, brushed metal exterior, the display quality impressed me, and it’s packed with features like a photo management system, custom slideshow abilities, and photo editing tools. But I just have a hard time understanding who has the time or energy to use an ancillary gadget like this to it’s fullest potential. It seems as though these should be made for one purpose only: to display as cleanly and efficiently as many of your photos as possible. And in that area, I have some trouble with the fact that this frame only has enough internal memory for about 110-150 photos (although you can access way more through several different types of memory card slots), and that although it has a rechargeable battery, it will only last about an hour before you have to plug it back in via its cumbersome eye sore of a power cord. Don’t get me wrong– I think it would make a great gift for the right photo-loving person, but just make sure you have $200 to spend and that the giftee is someone with a clever place to put it so that the power cord doesn’t annoy the hell of out of them. It comes with a wall hanging kit– but to make it look good on the wall you’d have to feed the cord through a hole in your drywall. It will be nice when these frames employ some super efficient battery technology, but in the meantime, this will have to do. 
Those of us used to navigating the concrete jungle in our cities know we’ve gotta be equipped with the right carry-all to get us through an entire day- sometimes, a backpack just isn’t going to cut it when you’ve got a ton of portables to keep separated and readily accessible. Sao Paulo-based 
Feel like playing a bit of a prank this afternoon? 
In light of some of the god-awful coat racks I’ve seen, I’m enjoying the minimalist and non-intrusive design of this 
I’m not what can be referred to as a “morning person.” I no longer own an alarm clock, thanks to my tendency towards hurling them indiscriminately across the room - causing damage to walls, furniture, pets and people alike. The 
