If I ever need a hearing aid…

… I want mine to come in this packaging.

The design is by Copenhagan design studio Goodmorning Technology, for Widex “high definition hearing.”

I’m a huge fan of well-designed, and creative packaging– I say fan, but some might say “sucker.” Anyhow, this box for a hearing aid is some of the coolest in package design I’ve seen in awhile. As you pull the innerbox out of the sheath, it simulates a sound wave in action. Ingenius if you think about the fact that whomever is opening/needing the device relies much more on visual cues than aural. Love it. Watch the video below for a demo

Falling Water, The Movie

A friend sent me this video awhile back, because I’m a huge fan of Frank Lloyd Wright, and it’s quite amazing. It was produced by Cristóbal Vila, whose work makes up the graphic and animation studio Eterea Studios. You can view his full work here, but this Falling Water movie is definitely my favorite. Also, if you’re interested in more general info about Falling Water, Eterea has put together quite an extensive About page.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Polka Tattoo Furniture

Stumbled on this Tattoo Furniture, by Polka, and thought it was a cool (or maybe just novel) idea. For those of us who aren’t big into getting ink, but appreciate the artistry and skill that goes into it– here’s a solution. Contact Polka with your custom tattoo design, and they’ll have international artist Gert Kowarzik make you some tatt’ed furniture for your house. They don’t run cheap, but it’s still a cool concept.

Stephen Holl

In my opinion, Stephen Holl is one of the most prolific contemporary architects around. The way in which he uses and plays with light is truly captivating and the organic nature of his designs get me every time. Some of you Seattleites might be familiar with his work without even knowing it, as he is the architect behind the Chapel of St. Ignatius on the campus of Seattle University.

If you haven’t experienced this building, take a field trip stat. Go tomorrow. Go tomorrow morning and go again at night. The way he uses light in that space will take your breath away. And the fact that there isn’t a 90 degree angle in the whole place is pretty captivating too. Anyways, this guy is dope and the addition he designed to the Nelson Atkins Museum in Kansas City, MO is no exception. The new five building addition- known as the Bloch Building- opened yesterday to the public and is absolutely beautiful.

Holl’s larger architectural concepts of integrating natural landscapes with his structures, as well as emphasizing and accentuating natural light and reflections of water seemed to all come together perfectly with the Bloch building. I think it’s pretty interesting the way his five buildings- which he refers to as lenses- are juxtaposed with a classic temple-style building donning huge ionic columns which is very representative of an old and often sterile way of experiencing “art”. While Holl’s buildings seem to represent a new way to experience art- through the marriage and integration of art on the outside (the architecture) and the art that lies within. Truly breathtaking, and I hope to visit someday. Find out more info on the Bloch building here or here.

Life after Apple

I hate to post about anything Apple related in light of the CRAZY amount of blog space devoted to the iPhone as of late, but seeing as how today is my last official day as an Apple employee (at least for now) I felt it was appropriate to post something cool about life post-Apple. Everyone knows Apple kills it when it comes to design. Simplistic, clean, intuitive, etc, etc. I found this interesting article about life after Apple for some of their lead designers and it’s really worth reading. Its a quick read, and gives some cool insight into why (according to those who know best) Apple has been able to consistantly produce a beautiful line of products. Check it out over at Business Week.

The Glass House

For those of you who are interested, or for those who might be in the Connecticut area sometime in the next year, Philip Johnson’s famous Glass House– inspired by a Mies Van de Rohe design– is now open to the public for the first time in 50+ years. The 47-acre site features buildings from every decade of Johnson’s life and surveys architecture, art and landscape design from the second-half of the twentieth century. The re-opening of the site hopes to serve as a catalyst for the preservation of modern architecture as well as a canvas for cultivating new ideas honoring the spirit of Philip Johnson and David Whitney. It’s really worth checking out, even if tickets are sold out until 2008. To get more info, purchase tickets or set up patron tours visit www.philipjohnsonglasshouse.org or call 203.966.8167.

Moleskine City Notebooks

Everyone loves a Moleskine and now they’re giving us even more reason to love their products. Moleskine has recently come out with their City Notebooks, and they are legit cool. Each notebook comes with a Key Map that summarizes the layout of the city, as well as up to 36 zone maps for neighborhoods and metro systems, etc. It also comes with 76 blank pages for you to jot down notes, sketch, add tickets stubs– however you choose to document your trip. There’s also a 96 page personal archive that comes with pull tabs you can apply however you’d like to organize your book. Other features include loose sheets of paper and 12 translucent sticky sheets for tracing over maps and creating routes. Basically, this is a super dope way of archiving a trip and creating your own travel guidebook. The idea is that you can use it multiple times, add to it, give it to friends, or just use it as a way of journaling your travel adventures. Cities already in print include; Amsterdam, Berlin, Rome, Madrid, Barcelona, London, Paris, Prague– and many more. They’re adding cities every season, including Seattle in Fall 07, so keep an eye out if you’re planning on doing any traveling. Read more about these city notebooks here. They’ve also started an exhibit called Detour that includes city notebooks created by Architects, Designers, Artists and Writers. It’ll be on exhibit in NYC through the end of this month, so check it. Want to add your travel trips and share your expertise? Take part in the Moleskinecity blog community.

Design in a Box

Saw this Droog Starter Box and was super floored. This is such a good gift idea for weddings, college grads, high school grads- anyone really, who lacks a little design sense and who could use some basic kitchen and household items. The box includes; 4 salad bowls, an oil & vinegar container, Strap (to affix anything and everything to walls), dishmop, Sucker (mobile coatrack), sticky lamp (which is amazing), and a Human Touch catalogue. I want one of these, and I want to give them away to people, haha. Check them out here.

Phillip Lim for Uniqlo

I’m a big fan of Uniqlo. I was first turned on to them during a visit to Japan in 2005 and quickly became an advocate when I was able to cop premium denim for 60 bucks. It wasn’t at all surprising to me that they had plans to break into the U.S. market. They’ve been doing some cool shit lately–including UNIQLO T-shirt (UT) and this collab with designer Phillip Lim. Lim’s line 3.1 launched in 2005 and his designs are asbolutely beautiful made with incredible fabrics, textures and cuts. His line with Uniqlo is no exception– I only wish I lived in a place where I could cop it! Check out some photos below;

Thanks to Faran at Fashionista for the photos! Chris– you know what to cop me from NYC now!

ATYS

While bumming around SF I stumbled on this hidden gem of a spot- ATYS. It’s a specialty design shop that carries everything needed for contemporary living– from Alessi watches & kitchenware, to Maly fireplace accessories, Dondolo + Dondolino furniture, to Starck’s Smart Clocks & flameless lighters. This shop is filled to the brim with cool shit you probably don’t need, but will want really bad anyways. Right up my alley. It’s located at 2149 Union in San Fran, but is in the back corner of a hidden courtyard. If you’ll be in town, you really should make the time to check it out and find it. The owner Paul Kerr is the only employee, so he holds it down and might even make you some espresso while you shop. Visit online here. I always talk about wanting to own my own architectural bookstore/design shop– so I’m taking notes from ATYS.

russell+hazel®

I’m back to rapping about stationary again– but I can’t get enough. Here’s another great company that consistantly produces beautiful stuff. russell+hazel® made it’s way into my life via post-it notes, but has since moved on to many other desk/life accessories. My favorite post-it made by r+h is this guy;

It’s hard to tell from this picture, but it’s a bonafide post-it with a super sweet datebar on the side. Very useful, and intuitive. Details people, details. Their stuff is so clean it hurts. Check them out, and buy lots of their stuff. People at work will be impressed.

Lotta Jansdotter

 I really love stationary. Cards, notes, paper, post-its, all of it– even if most of it goes unused and just sits on my desk. Some of my favorite as of the last year is Lotta Jansdotter. Her screen printed designs are so beautiful and organic. Her main work is in textiles– another ridiculous interest of mine. I bought her stationary set awhile back, and then was happy to find matching post-its on my recent visit to MoMA SF. Can’t wait for the new set of stationary goods to drop in the fall & for the order I just placed to arrive! I was bummed that I didn’t happen on her store while I was in SF, but I hope to be back soon. Add a tablerunner from Urchin for a table I don’t even own, and my Jansdotter collection is well underway. Check out her website here, and her blog here. She’s quite amazing.

Dear Futura Labs…

Dear Lenny,

Please make women’s sizes & cuts.

Thank you.

photo from Haven.

Design for the Other 90%

Read about this exhibit on Coolhunting.com and I think it’s really inspiring. It’s easy for those of us who love design to get caught up in–and get used to — buying items for ridiculous amounts of money. But there is a whole population of people out there that struggle to eat, or to find access to clean water. Vitals of life that many of us in first world countries take for granted. Design for the Other 90% is an exhibit featuring designers that have focused on making products for those under the poverty line or who are recovering from natural disasters. The exhibit is broken up into sections including water, shelter, health & sanitation, education, energy & transportation. It will be on view from May 4-September 23 of this year at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. 2 East 91st Street, New York, NY 10128. If you’re in the area check it out! You can read more about what you’ll find at the exhibit here.

DWR X Airstream

How sick is this?! Design Within Reach has teamed up with Airstream and designer-architect Chris Deam to begin designing their very own Airstreams to be released in June 2007. Even though I don’t particularly like the DWR items they used to decorate this airstream, I think the concept is cool– maybe they’ll even let you customize the decorations at some point. Throw some Mies or Eames chairs in there– sick. Here are some more photos;

Check out the DWR Version here. Airstream has also been collaborating with other artists to create some absolutely beautiful airstreams. My personal fave is this Powell & Bonnel version from 2004. I’ve been sleeping on this trend. Hasn’t everyone at some point in their life dreamed of driving the country in an Airstream? Now you can do it in modern style.