Cold Cut Animals, Soft Body Parts & Stained Glass Perfume

Sarah Illenberger is a multi-talented imaginative artist based in Germany whose editorial work is unusual, infused with humor and impressive in its variety. She has such a large body of work that it was hard to choose my favorites, but the following three examples of her editorial artwork do a nice job of showing her range of materials and subject matter.

For Neon magazine, Animals made from luncheon meats:



above: A-Z FLEISCH, Photography by DIRK EISEL

For SZ Magazine,
Soft knit human stomach, heart and brain:



above: VÖLLIG WEICHGEKOCHT, Photography by ANDREAS ACHMANN

For TUSH magazine, The Price of Beauty, stained glass window 2D artwork of famous fragrances:





above: PRIX DE BEAUTÉ 2008


above: Sarah Illenberger

About the artist (written by Antje Wewer):
Defining one category for all the work of Sarah Illenberger is no easy task. The forms the visual translations of her themes assume are far too diverse. What initially sounds quite abstract, in reality, is mostly practical in that her creations are not generated on a computer but rather by meticulous handwork, sometimes incorporating the most mundane materials. A story about love-sickness is visualised through an embroidered design. Variously coloured tablets are used to compose portraits for a magazine. And in Sarah’s hands, beauty products are given new life by being transformed into tourist landmarks. Whatever she creates, it is done with a humorous touch and a great love for detail. Each assignment leads to a unique work of art, sometimes visually enhancing the content of a feature, sometimes to be considered a work in its own right. In her Berlin studio, Sarah Illenberger develops concepts for editorial as well as commercial clients. She mostly works alone, but occasionally teams up with a photographer.

contact info:
SARAH ILLENBERGER
C/O SLEEK MAGAZIN
BRUNNENSTRASSE 10
10119 BERLIN
T +49 030 24537782
M +49 0173 9761051

See her entire body of work here.

25 Unusual & Premium Vodkas From Ed Hardy To Bacon Flavored

Seems that every year or so, there's a new influx of premium and/or unusual vodkas on the market. Therefore, every year or so, I have a new vodka post for you. Not necessarily about the taste since, in all honesty, I have not tried all of them, but more about the bottle design or concept. And in some case, just unusual, limited editions or hard to find vodkas.

Yes, I've covered the gun shaped and skull shaped bottles, those with Swarovski crystals and gemstones and even those whose bottles are made from renewable and sustainable materials. But, just when I thought there wasn't much more Vodka talk out there, I found out there are vodkas infused with bacon, vodka bottles for which a tree is planted each time one is sold, bottles in Faberge eggs and even that tell your horoscope! How could I keep from sharing these with you? That said.... cheers!

1000 Acres and Blaze Vodka:



These stunning glass bottle designs for 1000 Acres vodka and Blaze Vodka By The Arnell Group (images from daily icon). These have made the rounds on design and packaging blogs, but I cannot find either of these Vodka companies, so I'm pretty sure these are protoypes. If you have a link to either manufacturer, please let me know!

The rest in this post are real actual purchasable vodkas.
Karlsson's Vodkas
Whether it's their newest Gold Vodka or their Vintage Vodkas, the apothecary-like packaging by Swedish art director and designer Hans Brindfors is modern and clean:





Go here to learn about all their vintages and flavors.

Double Cross Vodka



Double Cross Vodka is a spring water and winter wheat based , seven step distilled luxury vodka produced in the Slovak Republic at a family run distillery.



above: While the gorgeous glass bottle is beautiful to look at, inscribed with Slovenian poetry on the back and a snap top lid, it's unwieldy, and very difficult to pour.
Order it online here

Tru Organic Vodkas


Tru Organic Vodkas use American wheat, California lemons, Bourbon Vanilla beans and vapor distilled water to bring you 3 different flavored vodkas.



By being efficient and careful in their manufacturing process and by planting a tree a bottle, two ounces of TRU vodka—the amount in a standard cocktail—help remove 62 kgs of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. So those two ounces of vodka don't just eliminate your carbon footprint but help pull out an additional seven kgs of carbon dioxide from the air, where they contribute to global warming. For each bottle of Tru sold, a tree is planted. Find where you can purchase Tru Vodkas here.

Lovejoy Vodkas

Lovejoy Vodka from Integrity Spirits in Portland Oregon pays homage to the Great Clear One. Lovejoy Vodka is hand-crafted in small batches with compulsive care and affection, giving it a smooth quality with a unique character and flavor.

But Lovejoy Vodka also gets its character from its distinct labels. Lovejoy Vodka comes in four different designs, so you can choose the one that fits your mood. Same vodka, just different labels. You’ll even see new labels over time as we add new designs to the family.

And now, there's Hazelnut Flavored Lovejoy vodka:

buy it online here.


BU-TAY Vodka


(yep, that's pronounced Boo- tay' like a big ol' butt)
BU-TAY Ultra Premium Vodka starts with some of the purest water in America, in Bend, Oregon. American Made, it uses corn grain Vodka and is filtered it five times through charcoal and crushed lava. Also comes in a Citrus flavor.


Buy BU-TAY here.

Triple Eight Vodka



From Cisco brewers, this Nantucket Vodka has been around since 2001, but I've just now found it and really love the simple graphic label.



Triple Eight Vodka is the flagship product of Triple Eight Distillery. The super-premium vodka is triple distilled using organic corn from Holland and blended with ultra pure water from their Nantucket well # 888. It also comes in flavored versions, such as cranberry, blueberry and orange (which was introduced to the line in 2003).


Cisco Brewers and The triple eight distillery also have an online store that sells some fun gear with the wonderful label design like coasters and olives.



Learn more here.

Ed Hardy Premium Vodka


Don Ed Hardy, the legendary artist and Christian Audigier, the men behind the now ubiquitous Ed Hardy brand has just announced a Vodka (they have several other beverages as well).



The bottle designs vary, so I'm not sure which you can find where. But in my searching, Hitimewine and NapaCabs are the least expensive I could find the liter bottles of Ed Hardy Vodka.

Bakon Vodka (yes, you heard right.. bacon)



Black Rock Spirits, LLC in Seattle Washington set out to do something different, something savory… something bacon. The company started with a superior quality potato vodka. Made from Idaho potatoes, it is smooth, slightly sweet with the well-rounded flavor that you only get from a quality potato distillation, with no strong burn or aftertaste.



Then they added the prefect peppery essence of actual bacon. Before you balk, take a look at these recipes, bet your mouth will start watering for Bakon Vodka:




As of today, Bakon Vodka is only available in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.
For information about distribution, where to find Bakon Vodka, or on becoming a distributor for Bakon Vodka, please email sales@blackrockspirits.com


Vampyre Vodka
The first red vodka in the US, It's triple distilled in England and they claim it's "wickedly smooth". Now, from what I have found, there seems to be both 'clear' and red' vodkas from this company as well as three iterations of the bottle design.



According to drinkhacker, the two (clear and red) taste nearly identical, with the red being slightly sweeter. Also, you may get confused by the various spellings, but Vampyre or Vampire, they are both from Vampire Vineyards.

Vicious Vodka- Caffeine Infused



They start with Premium American grains and crystal clear spring water. Then their distillation process yields ultra premium vodka with a full and complex flavor to which they add pure caffeine. It is distilled three times from a mix of five grains. The company says that, aside from caffeine, there are no other additives in the bottle, the goal being a taste on par with super-premium, non-caffeinated vodkas. Vicious doesn’t offer figures, but it does say it has the most caffeine of any caffeinated vodka on the market, the maximum allowed by the U.S. government.


buy it online here.

V2 and V2 Mint Vodkas
Caffeine in your vodka not enough for you? Then how about Vodka infused with caffeine and caurine? Or with caffeine, taurine and mint? Forget Redbull and Vodka, these do that for you!



V2 is a distilled spirit made exclusively of super premium imported vodka with Taurine and Caffeine added.

V2 (and V2 Mint) tastes like the super-premium, small-batch vodka which is one of its three elements. V2 is exceptionally smooth. The vodka used in V2 is made from long grain wheat. It is distilled five times and expertly filtered to be the best tasting vodka possible. The product is then infused expertly with a balance of Taurine and Caffeine.



Produced and bottled in Holland, V2 has everything you want and nothing you don’t want. There are no artificial colors, artificial flavors, carbonation, preservatives, or sugar, which is found in many energy drinks and low quality spirits.

V2 Mint is infused with natural mint extracts. Taurine (pronounced Tour–een) is the Amino Acid found in Redbull, Rockstar, and many other energy drinks. A drink made with V2 has as much intensity as a ½ cup of coffee. V2 and V2 Mint make no nutritional claims about the products.buy it here.

44 Degrees North Vodka


Available in 3 different flavors; Mountain Huckleberry, Magic Valley Wheat and Rainier Cherry. Around since 2006, it's made by 44 Degrees North Distillery in Rigby, Idaho.



The vodka used in 44° North originates from Idaho potatoes such as Burbank and Russet processed in a unique four column distillation process for the ultimate in purity and smoothness. Instead of bottling 44° North as an unflavored product, Ken and Ron decided to pay homage to the State of Idaho which is known for huckleberry as well as potatoes.
Go here for distribution.

Americana Luxury Vodka






buy it online here.

Potoki Wodka


(text from their site) At first it is soft and slightly sweet on the tongue. Its rich texture envelops the mouth, gradually arousing the taste buds, and you can soon see yourself ordering dinner and asking for a refill. While you are still toying in your mind with various menu options, the flavour moves to the back, turning into a long dry finish with nutty notes which are the trademark taste of Polish rye vodka. This pleasant experience is concluded by a warm feeling in your chest (and your heart).



American critic Paul Pacult writes of "a multilayered bouquet that begs for a half hour of sniffing and evaluation", and Robert Plotkin calls it "a remarkable achievement, one worthy of top shelf treatment." Potoki Wodka

SV Supreme, The Silk Vodka



SV is artisinally-crafted using hundreds of years of heritage combined with the best of 21st century distilling techniques resulting in a crystal clear vodka with a smooth as silk texture and body.

Filtered fourteen times through five different varieties of mountain crystals and minerals... crystal quartz, morion, chalcedony, topaz, and opal...that polish SV, Silk to an unparalleled level of natural smoothness.

SV Vodka The Gold Medal Winner "Exceptional Vodka" 92 Rating Beverage Testing Institute Nov. 2006

buy it here.

Pau Maui Vodka


Maui-based Pau Trading Company has recently launched Pau Maui Vodka, which uses pure Maui Gold pineapple juice as the base for their vodka. If you're scratching your heads how a sweet and tart fruit like pineapple could possibly make good vodka, relax. The flavors all disappear during the distillation and filtration process. Master distiller Mark Nigbur states: "There is no hint of pineapple in the taste. What the pineapple juice does is make a nice, clean mash."

buy it here.

Imperial Vodka's Faberge Egg Collection



From Emperor's Brand, it's not the Bottle of Imperial Vodka that's impressive, it's the special Faberge Egg editions.



Vodka "Imperial Collection" presents the unique cases in the form of Easter eggs by Karl Faberge.



The manufacture of these eggs, along with carafes and glasses of Venetian glass with refined gilding requires craftsmanship and experience. The production of glass items (carafes and glasses) was entrusted to an old Italian factory where the secrets of producing famous Venetian glass were passed on from generation to generation since the 12th century.


above: Faberge Egg Containers hold Imperial Brand Vodka

The set consists of a corbel that is fixing four glasses and a decorative cap for the carafe. The corbel and cap are gilded in a galvanic bath. A large red glass crystal adorns the cap. A special source of pride is the graceful and elegant gold eagle, which completes the composition. One of the most famous Florentine masters, who for more than 30 years has been working at the invitation of the Pope in the Vatican, worked on its development. Producing the eagle and gilding glass requires manual work.


above: These run from $1,600.00 and up. You can learn more about them here.


Limited Edition Grey Goose Bottles
For something really different, well known designer and interior decorator Jacques Garcia, has created these special limited edition bottles of Grey Goose Vodka:


above: The limited edition will be launched during the Cannes Film Festival next month and subsequently shown in Paris, until September 2009. The collection is also available to order by calling 0 810 070 060 (numéro azur, local rate) at a price of 520 €.


Zodiac Vodka
A Gluten-Free, potato vodka made in Idaho, Zodiac Vodka is clever and imaginative, with 12 different bottles and a website to match.



From Zodiac Spirits, this "astrological' vodka has a really fun website interface. Once you input your birthdate, your zodiac sign is recognized and your experience on the site (as well as the bottle) become adapted to your 'sign'.



The face of each Zodiac bottle features the flares of the sun surrounded by each of the twelve Zodiac symbols, or glyphs. The face of the moon is placed on the back of each bottle and can be viewed through a see-though window. This symbolizes the profound influence that the position of these celestial bodies at our time of birth has on personalities. The Sun represents the expressive energy in how your personality is shaped and the moon symbolizes the more impressionist side and your inner world of feelings and emotions.


Above: an example of the Libra personalization (yes, I'm a Libra)

An illustration representing your sign is etched at the bottom of each bottle. This provides a visual image symbolic of your Zodiac sign in its environment. The illustration contains subtle and sometimes obvious insights relating to your persona.

Inscribed on the back of each bottle is a brief description of your astrological sign and the certain traits that are more prominent in your personality and temperament.



So, what's your sign? Go here.

Nuvo Sparkling Vodka
Slighty different but new on the market, is the sparkling Vodka drink aimed at women, whose bottle design looks like perfume.




The Ultra-premium vodka from France and sparkling French wine are infused with natural fruit nectar. 15% alc/vol (30 proof).
Buy it here (on sale!)

Special thanks to drinkhacker.com for some of the info and some of the images. All other images courtesy of the distributors.

Many of the above unusual vodkas can be found at the following online stores:

Gotham Wines & Liquors
Hi Time Wines
Beverage Warehouse

Now, before you go writing me telling me about all the amazing Vodka Bottle designs and unusual vodkas on the market, you'd better see my previous posts (links below) in which I mention everything from Vertikal to Diva. So please read before you comment... I may already blogged about them:

Stunningly designed Vodka Bottles
Organic Vodkas
Dan Aykroyd's Crystal Head Vodka
Belvedere's 1X Vodka

Paul Davies' Paintings Combine Modern Architecture, Pools and Palms

above: Empty Pool, Modern Home and Palms by Paul Davies

I've recently come across an artist whose subjects align with more than one of my personal art fetishes. Combining modern architecture, trees and swimming pools - even empty swimming pools to boot (I have a thing for paintings of pools, both empty and full, see here), Paul Davies' work really speaks to me.

I just love the juxtaposition of the strong long low horizontals of the modern architecture with the soaring verticals of the trees (Palms and Aspens).


above: Modern Home, Red Aspens and Snow, Paul Davies, 2008

Apparently, I'm not alone.... his work speaks to many people since all the paintings in his upcoming show- which opens today, have already sold. No, I'm not kidding.

Paul Davies, New Paintings 2009, 28 April - 17 May Tim Olsen Gallery

Sydney artist Paul Davies (not to be confused with another talented Paul Davies) has a new exhibit of his 2009 'new paintings' at the Tim Olsen Gallery, beginning today through May 17 in Australia. Prices range from $7,700.00 to $24,000.00 USD.

His work, which is acrylic on canvas or linen, combines modernist facades with bold washes of color. He cites David Hockney and David Schnell as some of his inspirations, I also see a little Diebenkorn. Rather than describe them, take a look for yourself.

Empty Pool, Sunset:

Two Palms, Aqua and Orange:

Black and Blue, abstract pool:

Modern Home, Pool and Cream Sky:

Night Aspens and Modern Home:

Burnt Aspens and Modern Home:

Night sky, South coast Palms and Modern Home:

Peach Sky and Modern Home:

Snow Trees and Modern Home (diptych):

Bilgola House:

Orange/Blue Seidler:

Centenary Pool, Brisbane:


Paul Davies - ABOUT THE ARTIST


above photo by Benjamin Ong

(Bio from timolsongallery.com)

Sydney based artist Paul Davies has been exhibiting with Australian and international galleries for the past five years.

Raised in Gosford, NSW, Davies learned traditionalist painting techniques from local landscape painter Kell Connell. He then studied toward a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts from the University of New South Wales (College of Fine Arts), majoring in Sculpture.

Davies then travelled to Asia, Africa, Europe and North America; and spent several months developing his paintings in England. It was in London that Davies held his first solo exhibition at DK Gallery in Russell Square. At this time he was also awarded a prize from London’s TNT Magazine for excellence in photography.

Returning to Sydney in 2001, Davies held consistent and original solo exhibits with Space3, Knot Gallery and Firstdraft Gallery. His 2005 solo show at 'blank_space' in Sydney was the first sell out exhibition for the gallery.

Largely working with Australian and international modernist architectural facades and interiors, Paul Davies work features the use of delicate hand-cut paper stencils, that provide a perspective, content and detail within a painterly abstract environment. These stencils are created using both Davies’ own and researched photographs.

The buildings in Davies paintings remain vacant of people to reinforce the original idea of its architect, allowing the viewer to experience an “open plan living” ideal. Davies work looks at both the restored and forgotten modernist buildings in a way relevant to today rather than isolating them in their time. In creating this unique style of landscape painting, Paul Davies sights inspiration from some of the world's greatest living artists such as Peter Doig, David Hockney and David Schnell.

Davies' work appears in private and corporate collections both here and overseas and has been commissioned to create works for a diverse range of companies including; Historic Houses Trust, Stockland and BYL Companies Philadelphia. Recent publications include Art & Australia, Art World, Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, Belle, Wish, Inside Out, Urbis, and Yen magazine as part of the China Heights Collective.

See more of his work at Tim Olsen Gallery here.

Modern Eco-Chic Townhomes: Celadon Greenway

What is it?
A newly completed 24 town house development that is both green and nicely designed.
Celadon’s modern minimalist eco-friendly townhomes are meticulously designed. These spacious residences feature 10 to 20 foot ceilings with soaring open spaces, fully appointed gourmet European kitchens, luxury master suites and expansive windows--- and lots of eco-friendly features!





Why is it?
Origin Development, developer of Celadon, seeks to develop a new type of community that fosters the health of humanity and of the environment. The goal is to lessen our footprint on the Earth by promoting smarter development. Green building increases the chances for a higher resale value and provides a living environment that is healthier, more comfortable and more cost-effective.




All of the homes at Celadon are 30-40% more energy efficient than standard homes and are Energy Star qualified. Energy Star homes feature enhanced insulation, high-performance windows, tight construction and ducts, efficient heating and cooling, efficient appliances and third party verification. As a result, owners enjoy an automatic 5% savings year-round on their power bill.

FEATURES:
* Bamboo flooring in living areas and bedrooms
* Natural slate flooring on ground level that “flows” from outside
* Modern designer hardware on all doors
* Security system
* Pre-Wire package
* Quiet-track belt-drive garage door opener







KITCHENS
Kitchens designed for the chef and the entertainer:
* Modern designer kitchen cabinets with choice of genuine Wenge wood veneer or solid color lacquer gloss finishes; buyer-specified custom color available as an upgrade
* Blum BlumMotion hardware including slow closing drawers and cabinet doors
* Quartz countertops
* Stainless steel undermount kitchen sink
* Glass tile backsplash
* Fisher & Paykel DishDrawer dishwasher
* Fisher & Paykel gas cook top on pedestal island
* Fisher & Paykel wall-mounted oven and microwave
* Stainless steel island range hood
* Interactive countertop to accommodate stools
* Premium modern faucets






BATHROOMS
Modern-design bathrooms with luxurious features, including:
* 2' x 2' Porcelain tile on walls and floor
* Quartz vanity with inset vessel sinks
* Premium faucets
* Modern designer toilets
* Dual showers in master
* Freestanding soaking tub in master
* Separate water closet in master
* Oversize walk-in closets
* Glass-enclosed wet room/shower





where is it?
Celadon is set among the tree-lined streets and sidewalks of the Historic Wesley Heights neighborhood, less than a half mile from uptown Charlotte, North Carolina.

About 30% of the entire site is reserved for a dedicated tree-save area, reducing storm water runoff and ensuring pristine views remain while providing a buffer between the greenway and the private enclave of Celadon.

who is it?

Origin Development, LLC

Celadon is designed, built, marketed and sold by a team led by Origin Development. Origin Development was started by two partners, James Funderburk and Jim Hock who are passionate about Charlotte and seek to improve the community.

• square footage ranges from 1000 sq.feet to 2,500 sq.feet
• costs range from 235k to $495k.

Architects: Liquid Design, Builders: Sagehorn & Co., Inc.



all photos courtesy of celadon and Liquid Design.
celadon greenway townhomes

Slutty Barbies, Gangsta Baby Dolls And Serial Killer Action Figures

When I was a little girl, my choices for baby dolls included Mattel's Baby Tender Love, The Crissy Dolls (whose hair grew with a push of their belly button) or a Talking Mrs Beasley doll.
The kind of dolls that when stuffed into a stroller, didn't garner much attention from passers-by.


above: the innocent dolls of my youth

But things certainly have changed (as they should- to some degree) and the Gangsta Baby Dolls both thrill and repulse me simultaneously. I'm not going to go into a dissertation about the increase in violence, how MTV ruined the world, lol... or how kids are not what they used to be. You all know that already. But in this post, I just wanted to show you the available dolls on the market that reflect those changes in society and culture.

Now, if I saw one of these dolls in the arms of a toddler, I'd have to do a double take... but I may also have to ask where it was purchased. Luckily for you, I've added the link to buy these bizarre but fab Gansta babies by Mezco.


buy the Gangsta Babies Pookie Doll here.

buy the Gangsta Babies Big Deuce Doll here.

Buy the Gansta Babies Rey Rey doll here.

Buy the Gangsta Babies Benjino Doll here.

My Barbie Doll drove a corvette, not a hog. But things have changed, now Barbie is a leather chaps-clad chopper chick. And she has a huge tramp stamp on her back. At least she comes with a helmet.

Harley Davidson Barbie Doll:

Buy Harley Barbie here.

Since tough chick Barbie (above), needs a friend to hang with, there's Hard Rock Cafe Goth Barbie and Hard Rock cafe Runway Barbie:


both Hard Rock cafe barbies are available for purchase here

And although there were some 'monster dolls' like Frankenstein or Dracula, there certainly weren't any Action Figures known for their blood-lust and the murdering of innocent people, like these actions figures modeled after popular pop culture serial killers and drug dealers.


Pre Order the Dexter Action Figure here


Buy The Hannibal Lechter Action Figure here.

You'll notice, no one has the nerve to mass market a Ted Bundy Doll or a John Wayne Gacy doll, but there's really not that much of a difference.

Drug Dealer dolls:

Buy the Scarface action figure here.

As an adult, I can appreciate the dolls above, and would even buy them, but would I buy them for my kids? I'm not sure. Would you?

These Creatures: Fun Feeders For Cats & Dogs

Looking for a fun new ergonomic feeding station for your dog or cat? Well, These Creatures of Seattle has a bunch of fun choices with their artsy and graphic powder coated stainless steel hanging feeders.

• Removable stainless bowls
• Fabricated out of 12-gauge steel and powder coated for durability
• Secures firmly to the wall and comes in 5 colors to choose from with, matching hardware.
• Designed and manufactured under one roof in the USA.
• Colors include: Limesicle, Coral, Parakeet, Charcoal, Pearl

DOG FEEDERS
For dogs, they have many popular breeds already and are making more. Shown below are a small sampling.








To see available dog breeds, go here.

CAT FEEDERS
There are 3 options for cats which consist of Cat Sitting, Cat with Fish and Cat With Bird(all shown below, each is available in various colors):





OTHER FEEDERS
They offer two 'generic' feeders as well. A Squirrel or an Octopus, both shown below:




In 2008, These Creatures, Inc. was founded by designer and craftsman Frank Mansfield, whose background lay in custom furniture and retail design. They presently specialize in breed-specific hanging feeders for dogs and cats, with plans for a broader selection of breeds, free standing feeders and accessories in the near future.

They also donate a percentage of their profits to to the support of animal rescue organizations that make the world a better place for animals and the people who love them.


Prices range from $175.00 - $235.00 USD depending upon size.
buy them here.

All images and info courtesy of These Creatures, Inc.

Tons of Pics of The Wallpaper Magazine 2009 Design Winners!

The 2009 Wallpaper Design Awards were announced earlier this year. To make up for my being a little behind on sharing them with you, I've added many images in addition to the single ones for each category from Wallpaper.

This year's esteemed panel of judges included Kanye West, Jean Nouvel, Ines de la Fressange, Marc Newson, Sir Ken Adam and Stefano Pilati. To see all the nominees and runner ups as well as bios of the judges, go here.

Best new domestic appliance (joint winners):

'Ciussai' heater by G Di Tullio and S Ragaini for Adhoc:



Ad Hoc has so many great radiator designs, but they are not the only ones (because, yes, I've blogged about them before)

Hob and oven by Marc Newson for Smeg:


Smeg
Marc Newson

Furniture Designer Of The Year: Patrick Norguet

Since the above photo of Patrick's furniture really doesn't do his work justice, here are more examples of Patrick Norguet's furniture designs for you:

above: Rive Droite and Pucci sofa for Cappellini

above: What's Up sofa for Artifort

above: Wing Sofa for Fasem

above: Orly Sofa for Bernhardt

above: Yama Sofa for Silvera

above: Folio table/desk for Silvera
Patrick Norguet

Best New Restaurant: Banq in Boton

and more images of the restaurant for you:



the bathrooms in the restaurant:


Banq, Boston, by Office dA

Best new or renovated hotel: The Dolder Grand

more images for you:





The Dolder Grand, Zurich

Best new private house: Final Wooden House

more images (courtesy of archdaily):





Final Wooden House, Japan, by Sou Fujimoto

Best new public building: BMW Welt, Germany

more images by Ari Marcopoulis for arcspace.com:





BMW Welt, Germany, by Coop Himmelblau

Best City:

Paris

Best men's fashion collection: Junya Watanabe

additional photos by Marcio Madeira for Style.com:


Junya Watanabe A/W 2008

Best women's fashion collection: Yves Saint Laurent

additional photos by Marcio Madeira for Style.com:



Yves Saint Laurent A/W 2008

Best new grooming product: Guerlain Le 2 mascara


Le 2 de Guerlain Mascara by Guerlain

Most life-enhancing product- Technology: Bloomframe Balcony


'Bloomframe' window by Hofman Dujardin Architects

I blogged about these before, learn more here.

Video of the Awards with Jean Nouvel:


Wallpaper magazine

Hollister's Exceptional Hand Built Custom & Unique Motorcycles

Above: the Wild H

Even if you don't ride a bike, couldn't care less about cruising the super slab, canyon carving, wind in your hair or bugs in your teeth and the words hog, chopper, scoot, and sled do nothing for you, you can't help but appreciate the beauty of Hollister's MotorCycles, located in Zimmern-Horgen.



Limited editions, unique specimens, completely rebuilt bikes and special editions that supposedly have many components which are handmade "From the tank to the steel crank", the bikes are simply beautiful, standing still or screaming down the interstate.



above: the limited edition Excite



Volker Sichler (shown above) is the man behind Hollister's. He claims to cater to those who do not want a "Born to be Wild image' and to those who "do not want a Harley' but instead a unique and distinct bike that suits their image. I believe he's done it. Take a look at many examples of the bikes (in alphabetical order):

Please click on the images below to enlarge.

The Adrenalin:


The Anzac:


The Bahrain:

The Carver:

The Cash:

The Desire:

The Eagle:

The Eagle 3:

The Eternity:

The Excite:

The Fagus:

The Flash:

The Gorgeous:

The Impulse:

The Indigo:

The Neptune:

The Phantom:

details of the Phantom (which is available to book for appearances, along with the Excite):


The Pink Panther:

The Raven:

The Rooster:

The Seraab:

The Siberian:

The Silverstone:

The Sprattin:

The Spirit:

The St. Tropez:

The Tango:

The Vegas:

The Wild H:


The Wild M:



Hollister's Philosophy (by owner Volker Sichler):

above: Volker Sichler

Our bikes are as unique as our customers.
By listening to our customers we first try to find out about and then tailor our products to their wishes and requirements. We show our know-how, come to a binding agreement and then get started. The customer is informed and experiences the progress from one production step to the next - until he is driving the bike.

A bike must be worth its money.
We are already building exceptional Custom Bikes at the price of 35.000 €. The customer even receives a custom built HOLLISTER's at this price. Other higher technical and aesthetic visions are a challenge to us and worth the extra price for the customer.

Function and design are in harmony with each other.
The function and quality of our motorcycles are perfectly harmonious. As we testdrive the motorcycles over a distance of 1000 km, this fact underlines the reliability of our bikes. The customer is driving the bike for one day with our assistance and is instructed by us. The exceptional feature is that all parts, even the latest technical devices are designed harmonically and in a space saving way in accordance with all the other parts.

Visit the bikeport which has their present inventory of bikes for sale here.

They even came out with a stunning calendar for 2009, which, had I known, I'd have included in my 2009 Calendar post!


above: Limited to 1000 copies, the calendar was beautifully shot by photographer Peter Hillert of Sinzheim and designed by Graphic designer Joachim Buch of Herrenberg.


HOLLISTER's MotorCycles
Volker Sichler
Zimmernerstr. 48
D 78658 Zimmern-Horgen

Appointments with Volker Sichler can be made by phone or mail:
Tel.: +49 (0) 741-32268
Fax: +49 (0) 741-34144

If you like to ride, you will find these posts of interest:

Confederate Motorcycles: Raw, Rugged, Rebellious and Rare

Mission One EV Sport Bike

Victory 2008 Vision Street Premium Motorcycle

Ben Gulak's Uno, Tomorrow's Transportation Today

The Penis Parade: Knit Dicks by Marianne Batlle

Marianne Batlle knits dicks. She also embroiders brooches in the likeness of designers, but those aren't nearly as blog worthy.

The French artist began crocheting penises in 2004 and has been exhibiting them (so to speak) since 2005. Les Poupées Pénis (the Doll Penises) are of all types, made with many different materials and given various personas via their monikers and style. She incorporates raffia, beads, crystals, wire, faux fur, wool, gems and more into these little male members. They have been shown at gallery exhibitions, sold to private collectors and featured in a virtual mock runway show as well as in a catalogue on her site. (Her site is in french, by the way).

Below are 18 exclusive doll penises made for her 2007 show in Paris:

Nana:

Accroche Toi:

So Elizabeth:

Rechauffe Toi:

African Queen:

Bora Bora:

Ma premiere communiante:

C'est Go Laine:

La chevre de Monsieur:

Celle qui voulet ete plus grosse que!:

How To Marry A Millionaire:

Pepe reve:

Fuego:

El Juli:

L'homme qui voulait etre une panthere:

Maharadja the 1st:

Ejaculation Cristalisatoire:

With Love:


To learn the artists' statement and background, you can visit her site or blog, both of which are written in french.

There are many more to see on her website, just go to the catalog, the home page of which is shown below.




Some of her beaded brooches, shown below, are in the likeness of famous fashion designers.


above: some of her embroidered and beaded brooches available at Arty Dandy

You can find more of her work at the following online galleries and stores:
Arty Dandy
The Upfactory
and at Detournements

Marianne Batlle's blog

The Faraway Pool : A Sunken Bathtub For KOS

My newest wish list/dream product is that latest bathtub (or indoor mini pool) for KOS Italy by designers Ludovica + Roberto Palomba. Presented at ISH 2009, Frankfurt, the sunken tub is part of the FARAWAY collection and resembles a swimming pool with its illuminated stairs and overspill collector.





The Faraway/ Pool sunken mini-pool is level with the floor:


The steps to lower oneself into the pool become sources of illumination:


the ground-level fissure for the collection of water doubles the pool's outline:


and the blower placed under the steps ripples the surface of the water over the entire length of the pool:


overall dimensions:
Width 2606 mm
Height 1000 mm
Length 4558 mm
Designed for KOS by Ludovica and Roberto Palomba

About the designers:

Italian architects and designers Roberto and Ludovica Palomba are prime representatives of the trend to upgrade the bathroom to the status of living space in its own right. Their designs for leading bath makers such as Kos, Ceramica Flaminia and Laufen unite sculptural qualities with a knowledge of the materials and a manifest flair for the unconventional.

Price available upon request.
KOS italia

Nika Zupanc's Exhibit At Salon del Mobile Milan 2009

EXHIBITION AT SUPERSTUDIO PIU, MILAN
I WILL BUY FLOWERS MYSELF
OBJECT GONE INDESCRETE BY NIKA ZUPANC


above: from the exhibition invitation to Nika's work in Milan

I have blogged about self proclaimed "communicative product designer" Slovenian Nika Zupanc's work before. Her Ordinary Life, Disturbed series still holds up as some of the most unusual and irreverent furnishings out there and her latest pieces, collaborations and installments are no less interesting.


above: I Will Buy Flowers Myself, exhibition and the artist Nika Zupanc. Portrait of Nika Zupanc by Boštjan Martinjak

from the press release:
Precisely measured eclecticism and the intentional search for feminine archetypal elements are the parameters Nika Zupanc uses in her work, although in a notably reserved and occasionally slightly painful manner. Within the exhibition I will buy flowers myself, Zupanc tackles the established attributes which are this time especially inspired by the stories of some of the most famous female literary heroines. Her display space thus opens up through a sequence of spicy comments cast in shamelessly beautiful forms.

These include sofas, a table, a toy car, a crib, a feather duster, and the Mrs. Dalloway mini hot plate designed for Gorenje (which are all pictured in this post).

The Doll House (shown below) was developed together with the company Trimo and Nika Zupanc designed this installation using the architectural and design options provided by the new and innovative modular facade system, Qbiss by trimo.

The pavilion’s interior is suffused with a passionate intertwining of rational and irrational features in a family of six objects that can be read between the covers of The Doll House as the resistance of women chained in Romanticism that prefer to buy the flowers themselves.

The Doll House Installation:





The designer announces the basic feature of her exhibition even at the entrance to her pavilion at Superstudio Piu, where visitors are confronted with a black, dotted architectural installation. With its chimney and pearlescent smoke, it works as a monolith that separates the world of objects from the world of forms, thus representing a passage into another dimension.

The Mrs. Dalloway mini Hot Plate for Gorenje:




above: Nika Zupanc designed this mini hot plate exclusively for Gorenje, an internationally recognized, ambitious, and design-oriented creator of home appliances.

Tapisserie & Phonique sofas:




The Scarlet table and tray:



Acrylic Cradles:



above: Exhibition prototypes of the cradles were produced by Acrytech Pečenko

The Unfaithful Feather Duster:


available for purchase here.






However, this year Nika Zupanc will not be shown only at her own pavilion. The global super-brands Moooi and Moroso will present products with her signature as well: Moooi will present its series of her Lolita lamps (shown below), and Moroso will present her Tailored Chair (also shown below).

The Lolita Lamp for Moooi:


The Tailored Chair for Moroso:


Be sure to read about her Ordinary Life, Disturbed here.



The exhibition was supported by The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia
Curated by: Jurij Krpan, Art direction: Nika Zupanc, Graphic design: Kabinet 01, Words by: Igor Medjugorac, Photo: Dragan Arrigler, ©Nika Zupanc 2009

www.nikazupanc.com

UPDATE: MINI & Airstream By Fritz Hansen

Last month I told you about the collaboration between MINI and Airstream designed by the Republic of Fritz Hansen. Now, the MINI / Airstream Combo is showcased at INTERNI DESIGN ENERGIES exhibition in Milan and I have updated photos and a video for you!



Three internationally revered icons of design have combined to create a one -off: the MINI Cooper S Clubman and the chrome Airstream camper trailer, each lovingly detailed by Copenhagen-based design firm Republic of Fritz Hansen.

For their part the Danes outfit a mid-century American classic, the Airstream trailer, with inspired twists on their countryman Arne Jacobsen's instantly recognizable, cushy Series SevenTM and SwanTM chairs. Retro wood interior paneling, Neoprene-wetsuit upholstery accents and - get this - a sunbathing bed leave no doubt: this camper is going to the beach.






Outside, the trailer's streamlined profile reflects sleek, sinister touches like a midnight-black roofline and lightning-green door etching. Meanwhile, our trusty MINI Cooper S Clubman gets treated to a one-off black paint scheme with the Airstream's lightning green tint trimming headlamps, alloy wheels and side mirrors, and creating fierce cutaway lines in its beautiful bodywork.




the video:



You can catch the one-off MINI and Airstream designed by Republic of Fritz Hansen during the Salone del Mobile and the INTERNI DESIGN ENERGIES show.

Special thanks to MINIspace for the photos and video!

IKEA UK's Never Ending Design Stories: Mixed Media Videos

The IKEA UK site has a wonderful series of little online movies that mix film and animation to introduce us to 20 designers, and their inspiration for various IKEA PS products.



The IKEA PS collection is a line of 46 products by 20 designers that combine good design with the economical use of resources and responsiblity for the environment. Chairs, bookcases, dressers, benches, room dividers, lamps, clocks, wall mirrors, glassware, decor, textiles and rugs are amongst the products in the collection.


Above: the home page of the Never Ending Design Stories

The Never Ending Design Stories begins in a Seed World where animated dandelion seeds are drifting through the sky.



The 'seeds' represent the stories. As you click upon each seed, a designer within the pod is exposed and a small film begins featuring that designer discussing the product from the PS collection for which they personally designed.

Smartly designed for consumer use, the 'seed' (or product story) you've already viewed has a yellow flag trailing from it so when you return to the Seed World, know which video you've already seen:




Each video has the options to be viewed with or without sound and subtitles. At the end of each little film, you are given the product information such as the name, price and dimensions:




They are all very different, but equally charming and give you a much greater respect for a product as seemingly mundane as a towel. Following are a few screen grabs from some of the 'stories'. Please click on the images to enlarge:












Go see all the Neverending Design Stories here.

Exactly What 420 Means And Some Hip Ways To Celebrate.

It's April 20th. Or 4/20/2009. The twentieth day of the fourth month. And to those savvy in cannibas culture, it's commonly referred to as "420"(pronounced four twenty); a slang word whose origin truly comes from my own high school, San Rafael High.



"According to Steven Hager, editor of High Times, the term 420 originated at San Rafael High School, in 1971, among a group of about a dozen pot-smoking wiseacres who called themselves the Waldos. The term 420 was shorthand for the time of day the group would meet, at the campus statue of Louis Pasteur, to smoke pot. " source


above: the Louis Pasteur statue at San Rafael High, birthplace of 420

No, it's not the chemical make up of THC (according to High Times, there are 315 chemical compounds in Marijuana), or the CA penal code section for marijuana use, or the date on which Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison or Jimmi Hendrix died. And although it actually is the date on which Hitler was born, that has nothing to do with the term either.

Don't believe me? See it for yourself here on snopes.

And today's Huffington Post interviewed the original "Waldos".

Okay, now that you know what 420 really means and where it came from, what to do about it? Why not pay homage with some of the beautifully designed apparatuses you see here. I'm not suggesting anyone break the law. Those with legal medical marijuana cards may indulge and those without can use these pipes, hookahs and bongs to smoke legal herbs.

Last year I wrote a post in honor of 420 and shared with you some nicely designed water pipes, hookahs and more. There have since been some additions from these designers and some new ones on the market.

The Carbon Fibre Bong is modern, stylish and streamlined. Fits in perfectly with the Purisme collection!:

Buy it here.


A new model and limited edition design by Meduse Designs:

details:


learn more here.
Or see last year's post with many more meduse designs hookahs here


By now most design blog readers have all seen these stunning hookahs by Airdiem:


But there are recent addition to the stunning Narghile Etian (original in polished chrome and available in a gold finish as shown above) designed by Nedda El-Asmar.

Like the new Narghile Coral design (in gold):



And the Narghile Coral in red:




Also, new options for the Narghile include fur covered tubing and more:



as well as the Narghile White by Tribu Design for Airdiem:



above: Natural Acrylic stone, stainless steel, leather. Dimensions: 15.7'' (40 cm) long, 4.3'' (11 cm) width, 1.9'' (5 cm) high

The Atelier SZ has a plexiglass base, is new as of Spring 2009 and comes in black or red:


above: Altuglas, silvered metal, burner made of hi-tech ceramic. Dimensions: high 21.2'' (54 cm), width 12.6'' (32 cm)

Airdiem - 26 avenue du Château d'Este - 64140 Billère - France Tél. +33 (0)9 51 72 48 52



Roor has long been known for quality (and costly) glass water pipes. They have some rare custom models fit for royalty as well. And yes, the bong Olympic Gold Medalist Swimmer Michael Phelps was caught smoking was a Roor.

The Diamond Accented, Gold Gilded Roor Custom:



From the description on Everyonedoesit.co.uk:
"This very, very special Roor is emblazoned with a genuine diamond-studded, solid gold Roor logo mounted regally on the 7mm thick borosilicate glass beneath a rare Bubbled Tube feature and an Opal Embedded Crown Mouthpiece.

Beneath the logo is a Dichro Embedded Marble, featuring a funky Roor logo within. Either side of the Dichro marble there are two Solid Silver Hemp Leaves, while the ice notches below are heavily gold gilded to match the logo and the bowl, which is also gold gilded. The diffuser logo is uniquely gold coloured as well."
buy it here.

The Roor Silver Ruby Custom:


With solid silver logos with real rubies x2, solid silver hemp leaf, platinum ice notches, roor millefiori bead, a glass section bowl, crown mouthpiece, bistabil joint and complete with matching ash catcher. buy it here.


Republic of Bongland (now seemingly renamed Smoke Hurricane) makes hand blown glass bongs from Germany that consist of beautifully etched and shaped glass water pipes like the following:


Hurricane Dragon and Scorpion:

Hurrican etched Dragon:

Hurricane etched Gecko:

Hurricane Gold :

Hurricane etched Medusa:

Hurricane Gold Artist series:


The Illadelph Glass Art Gallery on Melrose in Los Angeles carries custom and designer blown glass pipes and bongs, such as these:









Places to find some of the above and more luxury bongs and hookahs:
Airdiem
Meduse
Illadelph Glass Gallery
Luxury Bongs from Jupiter Grass
Roor
Hurricane
Wild Hand Blown Glass Bongs, pipes and more from It's All Goodz
Everyone Does It
For tons of intense artist hand blown glass bubblers, check out this site.


And there's water, too!

Above: Don't forget your 420 water! New Zealand's 420 Volcanic Spring Water

Wanna celebrate with a desktop wallpaper by Concept420?

For Mac or PC, download them here.

See last year's 420 post here which features more stunning designs from Medusepipes and Airdiem.

The Street Beneath Your Feet: Japanese Manhole Covers

Art can be found anywhere. And manhole covers are no exception.

The Japanese have been creating and manufacturing ornate and decorative manhole covers for many years. Some with color (sand or enamel), and some just crafted of steel and or iron. There are thousands of photo galleries and flickr sets of these but here I pulled a few of my personal favorites and categorized them, first by color, then by subject, for you.

After the images there are links to many more images from around the web.

Color:





Living creatures:




Flora and landscapes:



People and Industry:



The majority of the above images were photographed between 1997 and 2002 and are from the online Japanese Manhole Art Museum (site is in Japanese) and can be found here.

Links for other japanese manhole cover art and online galleries:

• There are 302 images of japanese manhole covers on flickr, see them here.
• And a particularly good flickr set /collection of Japanese manhole covers here.
•Pink Tentacle has a great collection of links and some images of Japanese manhole covers here.
• And you can see some more images here.

More links to world wide manhole art, history and books:

• Links to other manhole covers from all over the world can be found here on Drainspotting.
• Manhole covers, etc.
• Manhole.ca (fine sewer art)
• NY manholes

Books About Manhole Covers

Underwater Dwellings: H2Ome and The Poseidon Resort

U.S. Submarine Structures LLC is the company that is responsible for the design and construction of both the Poseidon Undersea Resort and now, the world's first one-atmosphere sea-floor residence, the H2OME.

The Poseidon Resort:
The Poseidon Resort, which is nestled in a 500 acre Fijian lagoon, is the world's first one-atmosphere sea floor resort. It's cantilevered over the sea floor in 40 feet of water. The resort has twenty-four 550 square foot luxury suites. The Poseidon features a 100 seat bar and restaurant (350 m2) and another 350 m2 unit with an undersea library, a Presidential Suite, two spa treatment rooms and a wedding chapel/conference room combination.





The undersea restaurant seats 100 and has panoramic viewing of the sea floor:

Lounge and common areas:


Bedroom suites:


A central shaft provides elevator and staircase access to the surface:

How it was assembled (details are proprietary)



Poseidon Undersea Resorts has been featured in over 500 magazines world-wide to date and over 50,000 people (25,000 couples) have signed up to be informed when they start taking reservations. There are only 8,000 guest spots available in the first year. To learn much more about this underwater resort visit the site here.

Copyright 2008-2009, U.S. Submarine Structures LLC. All rights reserved. Subject to the conditions of Poseidon’s secrecy agreement.

Now, the H2Ome!








The world’s first undersea residence has 3600 square feet of uncompromising elegance situated in 40 feet of crystal clear water surrounded by a magnificent coral reef, where the ever changing view is fascinating and absolutely unique.



Your H2OME is in Belize, in a protected private lagoon connected to land by your private pier. Floating above and accessed by elevator is a cluster of floating buildings, including a warm water outdoor spa, the central entrance lounge, docking space for a yacht and an enclosed building for your Triton submarine as well as space for a wide array of water toys.

Access to the underwater home is simplest from a pier that connects the shore to the residence’s access trunk by a ramp. The interior of the H2OME is then available by elevator, or by a circular stairway. Umbilicals for water, sewage, communications and electricity are connected to the pier and run to shore.

And, let’s not forget the floating helicopter landing pad:



This 3600 square foot, two-story structure takes incredible luxury and fabulous viewing to the sea-floor. The top floor layout is comprised of two bedrooms with baths and open lounge areas. The main floor consists of a master bedroom with integrated seating and a master bath. Also included is a gourmet kitchen with adjacent wine cellar, a formal dining area, a library lounge, a bar, private office space, a living room with flat screen television, a half bathroom and several discrete seating areas where one can enjoy the different views of the undersea world. The layout can be structured to the client’s requirements and the details here are only proposed for illustrative purposes.

Your H2OME even comes complete with push-button fish feeders so that you and your guests can feed the fish as well as underwater lights to light up the sea floor for a limited period of time each evening.

These are hi res images, click to enlarge

Bedroom:

Dining room:


The layout:
The H2OME is installed cantilevered on piling just above the sea floor. The structure has two floors that are linked to each other and the surface by an elevator and a circular staircase.


detailed overhead (click to enlarge)


Construction & Installation
Your H2OME is built by U.S. Submarine Structures in components at their yard. They also produce the acrylic panels to our specifications by post-processing thermoforming and annealing. They then transport all components to a floating drydock for assembly and testing. The interior is ordered from a supplier specializing in 5-star hotel interiors and superyacht interiors. This firm fits and assembles the interior components and then packs them in containers and ships the components to us where they do the installation.

The completed structure is floated off the drydock and is then picked up by a semi-submersible heavy lift ship which transports the H2OME to the site. Previously, piles have been driven into the sea floor and the H2OME is floated into place, keyed to the piles and then ballasted for a slow descent toward the sea floor where it is then bolted to the piling several inches above the sea bottom. The piling tops are cut off and the umbilical cables run to the access pier and connected. In this way, your undersea residence is available for your use only 48 hours after delivery.

Most of the engineering detail on the Poseidon Undersea Resort and the H2OME is proprietary to the company. The images used in this post are protected by copyright and cannot be used without written permission.

© copyright 2007-2009, by U.S. Submarine Structures L.L.C. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced in any form or by any means (including electronic storage and retrieval or translation into a foreign language) without prior agreement and express written consent from the author as governed by United States and international copyright laws.

More floating and water related architecture for you!

•Floating Hotels and Offices

•Bouroullec Brothers Floating House

• the SilverFish Floating Home

Porsche Panamera: 4 Doors. 3 Models. And A Really Good Look At All Of Them.

If you haven't already heard, Porsche is coming out with their first four door sedan. Porsche purists are not happy, but you can decide for yourself. Named the Panamera, it's available in three models. I've found pretty much every possible image and angle for you (no need to run out and find a brochure!). The car, which has been manufactured and assembled in Porsche's Leipzig plant is expected to be available at dealers this coming October. The three models, exteriors and interiors are shown below. All photos courtesy of Porsche.














Adaptive motion rear spoiler with side sections moving separately:

interior:
















Interior:

















Interior:


The four zone automatic air conditioning:



Sound Systems:
For Porsche's new Panamera sedan, Burmester created a new a 16 channel amplifier system that drives 16 individual bass drivers and Air Motion Transformer tweeters with more than 1000 watts of power. Digital processing allows the sound to be tailored for each seating position, and sound algorithms created specifically for the Panamera can compensate for cabin and engine noise.


Topline specs:



The Panamera is built in the very modern Porsche Leipzig factory, which was built in 2002 and is where the Cayenne is assembled as well.

The Panamera on the assembly line:


The Panamera is scheduled to hit Porsche dealers at the end of October.



www.porsche.com

Another Round of "Look What I Found!"

A round up of very unusual and hip items found worldwide.

The Duplex is a combination fish tank /bird cage designed by Constance Guisset:



learn more about it here.


The handmade plush Steve Jobs by Podbrix is too cute to pass up for any Apple or Mac lover:



buy him here.

The Creative Library Chair holds 200 books:

buy it here.

The Gold Key:

above: Marti Guixés Gold #4 is a gold plated silver key for your keyboard to replace the dollar sign key – one of the most commonly used symbols in our materialistic society. Pricing available by request: mail@chihapaura.com

The Cornered Dog Bed/ Crate by Richie Tanaka:

learn more here.

Iameco's wild wood computers:

learn more here.

Ceiling lamp fixtures that cast amazing shadows from Absolut Lighting:


Learn more here.

Fun and funky crash helmets by Aspesi:

learn more here.

Inspired by Hokusai, Ted Noten Is Haunted By 36 Women

above photo by Sharon Mor Yosef



Haunted by 36 Women
From April 11th-May 23d, a new Ted Noten collection at Galerie Rob Koudijs
.
Many types of women (including his mother for which many of the pieces in the collection are named) have inspired Ted Noten in making his new series of work. Assemblages, rings, necklaces, bracelets and brooches in many different colors, materials and sizes are the result of a one year survey through the world of women. The exhibit features: the Fashionista collection, the Icecream Girl collection and the Femme Fatale collection as well as pieces from his Sufragette and MOM series.

Ward Schrijver writes for Galerie Rob Koudjis:

The Japanese artist Hokusai immortalized the most enchanting landscape he knew in a group of woodprints: '36 views of Mount Fuji' (shown below)



These images inspired Ted Noten to develop 36 jewels for just as many types of women. Noten also made images: each woman was portrayed in a three dimensional collage. The shoes, car tyres (tires) and other ‘objects trouvés’ he used, seem a far cry from regular jewellery (or jewelry).


above photo of Ted Noten courtesy of neuer schmuck

The artist became a jewellery maker at the moment he reworked the scale and details of these collages in a computer. State-of-the-art technology allowed him to produce objects in any material and seize: fit for a finger, arm or neck. Out of each collage just one golden jewel will be developed. In addition to these unique pieces, the designer Noten manufactured small editions in innovative plastics, titanium or steel.

Ted Noten’s work is a radically contemporary approach of the age-old craft of the goldsmith. With it he manages to seduce not only his 36 women: whether you are a lover of sculpture, of exclusive gold or wearable jewellery, his work will be hard to resist. --Ward Schrijver


above: Number 1 of 36, Icecream Girl


above: Pig Bracelet, sintered nylon

above: this one image of the ice cream rings is courtesy of Dezeen.

above: Pig ring, sintered nylon and one in gold, price upon request

Necklaces from the Fashionista series:



above: necklaces made of nylon and pigment, 1,400 euros a piece

From the Suffragette series:

above ring made of nylon and car lacquer, 950 euros

above: price on request


above: Kenau (yellow and rose gold ring objects), prices upon request

From the Mom series:

above: Object, MOM, price on request

above: Brooch, MOM, nylon and pigment, 175 euros


above: Macha ring, nylon and pigment, price upon request

Images of the opening and the exhibit at Galerie Rob Koudijs:









all above images courtesy of Ted Noten, Klimt02, and Galerie Rob Koudijs

Part of this exhibition is shown by Galerie Rob Koudijs at COLLECT in the Saatchi Gallery, London from the 14th to the 17th of May 2009.



Galerie Rob Koudijs
Elandsgracht 12
1016TV - Amsterdam
Netherlands
Telephone: +31 (0)20 331 87 96


ATELIER TED NOTEN
Kanaalstraat 149a
1054 XD Amsterdam, NL
+31(0)206895517
info@tednoten.com

To Boldly Go Where No Artist Has Gone Before: The Enterprise Project

You'd have to be living on another planet not to know that the New Star Trek Movie is opening on May 8th (actually, 7pm on May 7th now). In conjunction with the upcoming release, various graffiti, FX and pop artists from all over the world have designed their interpretations of the USS Enterprise on 34 inch replicas cast from the actual 3D models made for the film by Industrial Light and Magic. Currently only 17 of the 25 models are available for viewing (but I managed to find one more).

First a little (very little) USS Starship Enterprise visual history.

The very first one that appeared on the original tv series:

and the USS Enterprise created by Ryan Church for the J.J. Abrams' film:


Bonus link: a bunch of cool CGI renderings of potential USS Enterprise Starships that were submitted for consideration for the new movie can be found here.


above: see a slide show of the new enterprise by Quantum Mechanix here

The Enterprise Project:
The 18 models shown here have begun touring the world. They can be found in the various locations as indicated on the images (which can easily be read when clicked upon and enlarged). Please be patient for the photos to load and be sure to enlarge them to see the details.

FX Company/Quantum Mechanix:

Mr. Brainwash:




Duncan Lemmon:


Robert Rodriguez:


House Industries:


Ragnar:


Harry Knowles (aintitcoolnews):

above: currently on display in the lobby of Alamo Drafthouse South in Austin, USA
this one image (#7) is courtesy of ToysREvil blog

Jesus Diaz :


Amanda Vissell:


Amy Vatanakul:



Olka Osadzinska:


H5:


Turbo krapfen:


Will Lemon III:


Jeremy and Claire Weiss:


Rafael Burgos:


Jeremy Kaplan:

Jim Lee:



Official Star Trek Movie site

Funky Find Of The Week: It Smells Like Star Trek

Many a sci-fi fan is anxiously awaiting the New Star Trek Movie hitting theaters May 8th. In preparation of the upcoming movie, there have been many new products hitting the market as you'd expect with a highly anticipated release.

But what I didn't expect was a line of scents to accompany the upcoming blockbuster. Nothing I have yet seen for the movie has struck me as bizarre as these new three fragrances by Genki Wear for the sci-fi set with the monikers "Tiberius" "Red Shirt" and "Ponn Farr."

Tiberius Cologne:


The Tiberius cologne, (and yes the T. in Captain T. Kirk stands for Tiberius) is designed to "Boldy Go" as the tagline emphasizes. According to Genki Wear, the perfume has sweet citron zest, black pepper, and cedar as its top notes and warm vanilla, white musk, and sandalwood as its base notes. Genki Wear promises that "Tiberius Cologne for men is difficult to define and impossible to refuse". Order Star Trek Tiberius Cologne here

Red Shirt Cologne:


Genki’s "Red Shirt" cologne (whose tag line is "Because Tomorrow May Never Come") celebrates the sacrifices of those often nameless crew of the USS Enterprise who don the red shirts of the typical Ensign. Described by Genki Wear as a cologne for those with a "devotion to living each day as it could be your last" the cologne has top notes of green mandarin, bergamot, and lavender, with base notes of leather and grey musk. Order Star Trek Red Shirt Cologne here

According to Genki Wear, Both the Tiberius and Red Shirts are 100ml (3.4 oz) quality colognes built from long lasting fragrances for men.


above: Really bad print ads for the Genki Wear products.

Pon Farr Perfume For Women:

The third and final scent is designed for Women. Genki Wear describes it as "a refreshing fragrance that is both invigorating and dramatic with light, clean top notes of citrus, black currant, lotus blossom, and water lily. And with base notes from sandalwood, peach and mulberry, Pon Farr is perfect for those bright sunny days and warm summer nights spent together at the beach, around the fire, or simply watching your favorite affaire d'honneur. Sharp and aggressive, simple yet exotic."

For those who don't know, "Ponn Farr" is named for the Vulcan mating ritual first introduced in the episode "Amok Time," which occurs ever seven years. Pre-order the Pon Farr perfume here.

So, as you can see... it's beginning to smell like Star Trek.

See other wild star trek merchandise here.

Clinch Collection Makes Finding The Perfect Pouch A Cinch

The Clinch Collection consists of nicely designed, functional zippered pouches and wallets made by hand in Belgium, France and Italy. Because they are handmade by skilled artisans, each piece has subtle differences in finish, color and appearance. Whether you are looking for charming, edgy, elegant or fun styles, they have one for you. You can even customize some of their designs by adding your own text or order a special limited edition. On their site, they even invite you to try your hand at designing your own. Their "Risky Clinch" as they call it.

Photography, graphic patterns, cut paper art, doodles, guns and flowers are a few examples of their vast range. Here is their collection at the time of this post:





Clinch Pouches:
Through its handy dimensions of around 18.5 by 15 cm (approx. 7.3" by 5.9") a Clinch pouch offers ample room to store quite a lot. The sturdy zipper has an exclusive C-shaped puller, to which you could attach something.


Their size makes them perfect for make up bags:


The fronts and backs of each pouch are different. Below are a few examples:




Clinch Wallets:
Neither too large nor too small, a Clinch wallet measures around 17 cm in length, 10.5 cm in width and 1.5 cm in thickness (resp. 6.6" 4.1" and 0.6").



The inside of each wallet has been made from quality calfskin leather. And is clearly organized so you can easily find everything; both a large and a flat compartment on each side for banknotes and other paper; ten slots for (bank) cards, two of which are held upright so you can reach them more easily; a coin compartment with separate zipper in the middle. The sturdy outer zipper will ensure everything stays neatly in place.


Clinch Custom (three fun designs that can be personally customized) :



The backs of each custom style are the background pattern as shown on the third style below:


And they come beautifully, but simply, packaged:



The pouches are priced at 120 euros and the skin wallets at 195 euros. Here's the really fun part, they ship to all countries and territories and can be purchased online here.

Clinch B.V.B.A.
Oudeheerweg Heide 109
BE-9250 Waasmunster
Belgium

Pattern Pretty: Minakani's Textile Designs And Modern Wall Coverings

Minakani is a Paris based consultancy and design studio run by Cecile Figuette and Frederic Bonnin. They create textile designs for both fashion and home decor. Their wonderful patterns are used in the manufacturing of some well known fashion brands as well as products like tableware, jewelry, bedding and wallcoverings for the interiors of stores, restaurants and homes. They also design and produce custom and commissioned patterns and textiles.

Here are some examples of their patterns used in fashion and homewares. They have created textiles for such well known brands as Anthropologie, Kenzo, La Redoute, Le Sportsac, Oxbow, Organic Stereo and Chez Monoprix to name a few:

Fashion:







Home decor:

for Bernadaud:



Wallpaper
Here are just a few of their illustrative and artistic wall coverings:


Paris:


London:


Copenhagen:


Zurich:


Rio:



Milan:


Berlin:


Their Indigo collection


Their Atelier in France:




minakani.com
contact information:
28 rue Etienne Dolet
75020 Paris
+33147974514

Bunny Bonanza: In Art. In Books. In Movies. As Brands. And Just Big.

Above: Dieter Roth's Shit Hare (1975)


Happy Easter, Happy Bunny Day, Happy Christ Resurrection and all that. In honor of the holiday, I'm going to share with you a bunch o' bunnies. Bunnies in art, in literature, in movies, as brands and some of the biggest bunnies in the world. I had to really cull down this post or by the time you finished reading it, it'd be Christmas.

For the purpose of convenience, in this post I am referring to all rabbits and hares as Bunnies. I know that there are several differences, variations in species etc., but for ease and entertainment, today they are all Bunnies.

First off, there are so many bunny-related and bunny-inspired things out there that I must leave a large majority out of this post. But to see the hundreds of cute and not so cute bunny items and art made by talented people be sure to check etsy.com and flickr, deviant art, behance, coroflot, and other online art databases and user uploaded art sites.

Bunnies, or rabbits and hares, have been prevalent in art for centuries. Early biblical engravings and religious art often had the animal in them. Dutch and Flemish Masters frequently included them as soon to be meals in their kitchen and repast scenes.


above: Jean Baptiste-Oudry's Rabbit and Pheasant (1751)

Romantic French painters like Boucher and Fragonard often had the furry little animal in their angelic and cherubic landscapes. Being chased (or eaten) is how they were depicted in many an English hunting scene. Countless Victorian Easter cards and vintage German engraved Easter cards can still be found at many flea markets and antique stores (like the ones shown below).




Today they can be seen everywhere from handmade cutesy crafts, as advertising mascots, fun vinyl toys and in many a darker representation as well, such as Joseph Beuys' film still below.


above: Photo of Joseph Beuys’ performance How to Explain Paintings to a Dead Hare, Nov. 26, 1965

To start with, here's a little serious Bunny art for you. When I say serious, the following pieces go for thousands and hundreds of thousands of dollars- if you can find an available original. Most of the names of the artists are probably fairly well known to many of you.

Bunnies By World-renowned Artists:

Albrecht Durer, german engraver and painter 1471—1528:

John James Audubon:

Henri Rousseau:

Barry Flanagan:


Andy Warhol:

Wayne Thiebaud:

Claus Oldenberg:

Jeff Koons:

Masao Kinoshita:


Bunnies by contemporary artists, illustrators and designers from all over the world:

Mark Ryden:

Luke Chueh:

Kathie Olivas:

Frank Kozik:


Kozyndan:


Darla Jackson:

Morwenna Catt:

Momoyo Torimitsu:


Kim Simonsson:

Haidee Henry:


Bunnies in Classic Literature:


Shown above:
Br'er Rabbit
Mr. Flopears
The Velveteen Rabbit
The White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland
Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit (click the link for a online flip book version)
Uncle Wiggly
Rabbit from A.A. Milne's Pooh books
and, of course, Pat The Bunny

Bunnies in movies:


Shown above:
Brer Rabbit From Disney's Song of The South
Thumper from Disney's Bambi
Roger Rabbit
Harvey (The Jimmy Stewart classic)
Donnie Darko

Bunnies as brands:




Shown above:
General Mills Trix Bunny
The Playboy Bunny
The Nestle's Quick Bunny, aka the Nesquik Bunny, aka Quicky
Blue Bunny Brand
The Volkswagon Rabbit logo
Blink 182's Rabbit
Miffy, the dutch bunny (books and branded items)
Warner Brothers' Bugs Bunny
Jim Benton's Happy Bunny
The Energizer Bunny
Sanrio's Melody
And the world's most fashionable rabbit, Fifi Lapin

And now for some BIG Ol' BUNNIES (or Rabbit Record Holders):
And these have all been snopes, hoax-slayer and urban legends verified. They are not photo-shopped or retouched.

Amy, the present record holder as of 2008:


Above: An average sized rabbit atop Amy, who weighs approx 49 lbs.
read the article here.



Above: Karl Smolinksy with Robert
Read the article here.

The 2006 record holder, Herr Rabbit, 22 pounds:


Also worth checking out:
Bunnylicious, a great blog of all things bunny.
Rabbits In Design
Rabbit Remix
Hopper Home Bunny Blog
Contemporary Rabbit Art

And special thanks to brandsoftheworld, artnet, artfacts, artcyclopedia, allposters, amazon and the individual artists for the use of their images.

Well, that should be enough bunny lore to keep you satisfied until next Easter!

PEEPS Peer Pressure! You Want Peeps Art? Here's Some Of The Best

above: this year's winner of the Washington Post Peep Show, Melissa Harvey's NightPeeps.

Okay Okay! I'm buckling under PEEPS Peer Pressure!

Based on the emails in my in box, everyone wants to see PEEPS art (which I was purposely tried avoiding with my previous post) .

But who am I to deny my readers? So... since so many of the contests have plenty horrendous and amateurish entries to sift through, I found a few really good ones from several different contests and from some flickr sets.

To start off with, The Washington Post has just announced the winner of their Third Annual PEEPs® show, Peeps Show III. Congratulations to Melissa Harvey of Arlington, Virgina for her winning Peep Diorama, NightPeeps (shown at the beginning of this post).

This year, there were lots of Political Peeps entries, Obama Peeps, Republican and Democratic Peeps, etc. There were also tons of American Idol Peeps and reality show entries and many based on popular tv shows like Heroes, LOST, Dexter and others. There were many versions of famous movie scenes and several recreations of big news events like the Hudson plane crash and the Octomom. A surprising amount of Mary Peepins and Peep On A Wire entries, too.

Here are some of my personal faves from the top 40 finalists from the 2009 entries into the "official" Peep Show III for the Washington Post:


above:Peepster's Kill Room by Chad Brobst & Stamatia Loverdos

Above: M.C. Escher's "RelativiPeep" by Mark Rivetti

above: Peeptown Cupcake by Jenna Huntsberger

above: Peep/Tuck by Jennifer Storozuk, Kathleen Lyons, Karen James

above: Steve Jobs Presents iPeep Nano by Sarah Kohari & Erin Mastrangelo

above: The Day The Earth Stood Peeped by Carl Cordell

You can see and vote for your personal favorite (The Peeple's Choice) from all the finalists (40 images) for the 2009 Washington Post Peep Show III here.


And some of my faves from the Twin Cities' Pioneer Press Contest (winners announced tomorrow). This was tough, there were lost of good entries into this Twin Cities Contest:

above: The Great Peepression by Jenny Updike

above: US Peepways by Gregg and Lisa Engas

above: iPeeps by Molkenbur & Canavan

above: Peepstock by Sara Marie Reinke and Tara Jordan.

above: The wreck of the Edmund Peepsgerald by Puliarf

above: two by two by Ruth Heyer

above: Peeps of the Carribean by Judy

above:Ch-ch-ch-Chia Peeps by Mary and Anne McComb

This year's winner of the 2009 Chicago Tribune's Peeps On Parade Contest:

Yet another peeps contest, whose 2009 finalists you can see is the Chicago Tribune's here


Some good Flickr Finds:

Be sure to see the University of Chicago's Peeple's Choice winners in a flickr set here, an example of which is shown above.

A few beauties from the Carroll Arts Center 1st Annual Peep Show Flickr set (admittedly from 2008):



detail:


detail:





And some other fab flickr finds:

Pink Pickled Peep:

found here on flickr.

Peeps Dress:

found here on flickr.

Okay, so there you have it. The Best Of The Prolific Preponderance Of Peeps Projects. Or My Personal Peep Picks.

If you didn't see the previous post about All Non Perishable Peeps Products For Purchase, see that here.

or check out last year's Peep Show winners here.

Non Perishable Peeps- Everything But Edible!

above: detail of Peeps Tee from Dylans Candy Bar

It's Easter time. Time for the young and old to celebrate with plastic baskets filled with sugary goodness.

This also means you'll see many bloggers covering the annual PEEPS® Diorama Contest (in which there are 302 approved entries for the Pioneer Press and over 1,000 entries into the Washington Post) and various Peep Shows. I, myself did the same with last year's Peeps Post (which you can see here). Not too mention the various PEEPle's choice awards from different papers and publications, online and off.

But since so many will be covering those (and if you wish to get an early peek at those 302 submissions to Pioneer Press, go here and to see the Washington Post finalists go here), I'm taking a different point-of-peeps, if you will.

This year, I want to share with you the Non-perishable Peep Products for purchase. Say that ten times fast.

Keep in mind that some of these may no longer be available by the time you read this for two possible reasons. Either they are sold out or Just Born, Inc. has sent them a cease and desist order for violating copyrights.

So what Peeps can you buy that will last forever? Not that the shelf life of Peeps is much less than that. But here are a few you can live with. And not an edible one in the bunch!

Peeps + Dunnys = Dunneeps!

Two, two, two trends in one!
These fabulous non edible dunneeps (Dunny Peeps) are really fabulous, including the package design. They come from Motorbot (aka artist Kevin Olson). I bought a set. Contact him of you want some!

Peeps Soap:

These Peep Chicks are made from a mold of the actual Marshmallow Peeps. Made with Goats Millk Soap, Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Wild Honey, Olive Oil, Palm Oil and Coconut Oil for bunches of lather by Good Karma Soaps . Buy them here.


These pink bunny Peeps soaps are also available on etsy but are made by Love, Luca.
Buy them here

Sweet little handmade Peeps earrings:

buy them here.

Ceramic Peep pendants:

buy them here.

Fun Peeps Tee-Shirts from Dylan's Candy Bar:


buy them here.

Peeps flavored lip balms by Lotta Luv:
Grape Marshmallow Creme:

Strawberry Marshmallow cream:

buy them here.

Porcelain Peeps by Lenox:

PEEPS® Bunny and Chick Salt & Pepper Set by Lenox
accented with 24 karat gold Painted by hand Height: 4" Length: 5" They also make other porcelain peep products, but this one most resembles the actual Peeps.
buy them here

Peeps Lights!


this one automatically lights up when placed in water. Also available in blue, purple and yellow. So in lieu of a rubber ducky, you get a floating, glowing Peep!

Blowing Bubble Peeps:

...and little (and large) Plush Peeps in all colors:



Buy the Peep Lights Peep Bubbles & Plush Peeps Here


Above: many of the licensed PEEPS® products over the years. These can be found at places like Walmart, Target, Wallgreens, CVS and more , if still available.

Peeps Costumes:
Your child can even become a Peep! (not sure if that's cute or creepy):

buy the infant /child Peeps costume here.

And so can you (and yes, this IS creepy):


buy the adult Peeps costume here.

Peeps Line Art:


Coloring Book Line Art downloads can be found here

Peeps Portraits:
Professionally photographed Peeps by David April:



buy the print in various sizes here.
see more of his Peeps photos here

For an entire list with images of all licensed Peep products ever made , Swankparty has them all here.

Official peeps site

UPDATE: I was trying to avoid writing about art made with Peeps and all the Peeps shows, but it seems my readers can't get enough of that. So some have brought more links to my attention and I found a few more as well:

Aaron Cohen has written 'Marshmallow Peeps on the Internet - A Study', and has a collection of links to plenty of PEEPS here.

To view the entries for the University of Chicago's PEEPs diorama contest--or to vote for their PEEPle's Choice award, go here.

To view over 1,000 entries into the 2009 Washington Post Peeps Show III, go here.

A Flickr set of The Carroll Arts Center's First Annual Peeps Show (Peeps projects and art)


above: Adobe Web Photo Gallery of the Art Students Union City Middle/High School PEEPS art

See the over 2000 results in the Flickr search for marshmallow Peeps here.


above: And to view the Morning Call's Peeps Easter Bonnet Contest entries go here.

And a special thanks to Luke Elmers who showed me 100 Ways To Kill A Peep


The Washington Post and the Pioneer Press will host their popular PEEPS® contests again while the University of Chicago Magazine has announced it first contest, becoming the first PEEPS® competition in the education sector. Winners will be announced in the Pioneer Press on April 12.

Latebreaking news: The Winner of the Washington Post contest was announced today. It's Melissa Harvey of Arlington Virginia with her "Night Peeps". You can see the 2009 winner and all the finalists here) .

PEEPS® and the PEEPS® Chick Shape are registered trademarks of Just Born, Inc., Bethlehem, PA C 2009. All Rights Reserved

Tiger "Woods Of Wisdom" : All 3 New Animated Spots For Gatorade & More

A new commercial campaign from Gatorade agency TBWA\Chiat\Day touts a newly reformulated version of Gatorade Tiger with an animated youthful Tiger Woods.



Gatorade Tiger Focus has a new formulation with theanine, which is found naturally in tea, and when combined with advanced hydration and carbohydrates, helps people stay mentally focused. The new product has half the calories of traditional Gatorade Thirst Quencher and 25 percent more electrolytes as well as the added nutrition benefit of a good source (10% Daily Value) of vitamin E.

The spots are executed in Disney-style animation, a la Jungle Book. The wise Grizzly bear, Colonel, who is actually based on Tiger's own father, Earl, is voiced by Samuel L. Jackson.

The below commercial stills are high res, click on them to enlarge and see the animation in detail:





The spots feature original music composed by Boosty Collins of Parliament Funkadelic fame, and includes voiceovers by Tiger's swing coach Hank Haney and caddie Steve Williams.

Despite being lambasted by the Chicago Sun Times, Robert Littal's BSO (Black Sports Online) is a fan and I believe there are many more to come. You can decide for yourselves.



Here are the other 2 spots in the campaign which have not yet aired:

Forest Jamboree:

Never Quit:

Behind the scenes:



Credits go to TBWA\Chiat\Day: ECD Rob Schwartz, group cd/copywriter Jimmy Smith, group cd/art director Jerry Gentile and associate cd/copywriter Robin Fitzgerald.



This campaign is only one part of a large creative marketing effort for Gatorade by TBWA Chiat/Day. Be sure to check out Mission G as well as the main Gatorade site.

High res stills, embeds and header art are all courtesy of On The Scene and Gatorade.

Téo Jasmin's Fun Photo Furnishings

Angéline Bailly, the creator of Téo Jasmin, uses cutting edge digital printing and technology to print artistic shots of photographers, designers and graphic artists on tables, lampshades, paintings, small cushions small and large format furnishings.


Above: Angeline Bailly

The photographic subjects are categorized by places (lots of France and New York), Dogs - even donning tiaras (Doggy Queen), the Beatles, Asian Art, Pop Art, Classic and Ethnic Art and photographs, Botanicals and more.



The most recent additions include more images of Italy, San Francisco and Dog Queen.






I found her chairs (dining, lounge and guest) and settees to be the most fun and desirable. In various styles... with and without arms, black, white or silver, take a look at some of them.










various examples of lamps, pillows and artwork:





To purchase lamps, throw pillow or art canvases, go to the online french store Homology here.

Luxe DIY: A Paper Hermes Kelly Bag To Call Your Own

On the surprises section of the Hermes corporate website is a fun DIY project that allows you to download, cut out and glue together a paper version of their famous Kelly Bag in several different artist variations or a plain one you can decorate yourself.


above: an authentic black crocodile Hermes Kelly bag

If you're like me and can't afford an original Hermes Kelly bag like the one shown above (and if you can, care to buy me one?), then this is a fun artsy alternative. think how cute it will look up on your mantel!

Here are the front and backs of all the pre patterned options:








and the blank one:


They furnish you with pdf templates of the patterned ones or a blank one you can do with as you please.

Examples of a patterned and a blank downloadable templates: