DFC Turns Old Art Form Into Modern Chaquira Doll Heads

above left: Lady Peyote, 7.5" tall above right: Lil' Allsort,7.5" tall, $8o5.00 each

A traditional Mexican art, Huichol is the craft of coating wood carved masks, animals, birds, serpents, and forms with wax, onto which tiny crystal beads (chaquira) and colored strings (estambre) are laid or woven with great precision.

DFC, the mexico city based design duo of Tony Moxham and Mauricio Paniagua, has created and is selling individual sculptures using this technique on doll's heads. The result are wonderfully creepy pieces of modern art they call Chaquira sculptures.

Each Chaquira is painstakingly crafted by using the huichol technique on beeswax coated plastic doll heads (some still with hair). measuring an average of 6" tall, they'd be amazing as a collection. You can commission a custom one as well.

Pris, $690.00:

Prince Mushi I, 7.5" tall, $747.50:

Prince Mushi II, 7.5" tall, $747.50:

Kikin, 6" tall, $690.00:

Starchild Chaquira sculpture, $747.50:

Starlet Chaquira Sculpture, 6" tall, $747.50

Good Luck Baby Chaquira Sculpture, 13" long, $2,990.00:

To purchase one of the above Chaquira sculptures or to order a custom one, contact them here.

To see examples of traditional huichol artworks, go here.


DFC makes many fabulous pieces, see more here.

Five Fun New Finds To Hip Up Your Home

Five fun new finds!

From top:

1. Anna Carin Dahl's Deer vases. Ceramic, 6" tall by 2.5" in diameter. Orange, Pink or Green with colored interior glaze.

2. Chris Collicott's Toy Soldier candleholder. Heavy enough to be a bookend too! Size: 9"h x7"w

3. Pig Cooking Lid by Marna, Inc. Made of soft silicone with a pig face in the center, this multipurpose lid can be placed directly over ingredients in a pot to help them cook evenly, releasing steam through the pig's snout. It can also be used to cover food in the microwave, and as a grip to open lids. Dishwasher and microwave safe. Size: 1h x 7"diam.

4. Crystal Cloud by Yumiko Yoshimoto, 1979
Water in this cloud-shaped glass sculpture creates repeating natural phenomena such as forming water drops, becoming cloudy based on temperature, and shining when the water sways. Created by glass sculptor Yumiko Yoshimoto, each Crystal Cloud is mouth blown and shaped by hand. Made of borosilicate glass filled with distilled water and a polished chromium-plated brass stand. Hand-wash only. Size: 2.75h x 3l x 1.5"diam.

5. The Matwalk has slippers integrated into the bath mat so you can wipe up the wet floor with ease. Designed by Paolo Ulian for Droog.

Buy any of the above items by clicking on their picture to be taken to a link to purchase.

See more cool things to buy on my If It's Hip,It's Here. list. Art, accessories, appliances. A list of items that celebrate design, functionality and art. Items to appreciate and admire.

Funky Find Of The Week: Marcel Wander's "Swing With Plants"

Want to feel like you're in a Fragonard or a Watteau painting? (If you don't know who fragonard or watteau are, google them).

Then get yourself this romantic swing with faux ivy wrapped around the chains.
The seat is cleverly designed to double as a planter, allowing the vines to grow directly up the ropes. Suspend outdoors to turn your garden into an enchanting, pastoral getaway ... or install indoors and add a bit of nature to your interior!

And guys? this would be a very romantic gift for the woman who likes the unusual.

Dimensions:
8.25"W x 29"L

Sneak Peek: Vienna Design Week

Beginning next week will be the first Vienna Design Week.

10 Ways To Hip Up Your Home

From small touches like adding stickers to plain wall tile and hanging cool hooks in your bathroom to big additions like the Tris, sauna, steam room and shower in one, here are ten home items that will 'hip' up your house almost as quickly as the click of the mouse.

To learn more about the hip items above, click on each image for information and a link to purchase.

Black and White (and Bitchin').

10 cool monochromatic Items.
Click on each image for more information or to purchase.

See more of my If It's Hip,It's Here. list at ThisNext.

Product Pick Of The Week: The HomeHero, A Good Looking Fire Extinguisher

Finally, a nice looking fire extinguisher!
This was the consumer product winner in the 2007 IDEA awards.
Fire Extinguisher Product Details
* Clean design allows for prominent, unobstructed placement in kitchen - decreasing emergency response time
* Highly visible safety pin for easy identification and immediate response
* Ergonomic grip area for more intuitive and secure operation
* Use of HomeHero™ Fire Extinguisher and HomeHero™ Smoke/CO Alarms (sold separately) create an invisible protection system providing immediate alerts with clear, verbal instructions
* Rubber foot protects countertops
* Bracket included for wall-mounting
* Expected life of 12 years
* For use on fires involving flammable liquids and/or electrical equipment
* Streamlined form and glossy white surface allows for easy cleaning
* Bilingual instructions included
* 6-year warranty

Sold only at Home Depot.

Agelio Batle's Stunning Cast Graphite. Artfully Shaped Pencils.

In 1998, Sculptor Agelio Batle developed a process to create sculptures in solid graphite. Initially, he created his own hand (Drawing Hand No. 1), and then botanical and other natural forms followed.

The objects before you is a further exploration by Batle in this new media. Unlike his initial body of work of molded natural forms, these objects express the ongoing dialogue between form and content. The works in this series, whether formal or personal, show a stronger connection to the artist and are more reflective of his experimental attitude towards art. Each sculpture is cast using Batle's unique molding and carving process. Carbonaceous graphite (mineral remains of prehistoric plant life) is fused with smudge-resistant compounds, then cures into the object before you.

They have been formulated to resist smudging onto your hands. The multiple surfaces of each graphite sculpture can write.

Below are the editions presently available.




In addition to the above pieces, he also has "limited editions". Here are a few of my favorites:


above: The 12 point ball (limited to 100 pieces)

above: The Knobby Helix (limited to 100 pieces)

About the sculptor:
Drawing Hand is typical of Agelio Batle's work. In his offerings we find an inventor extracting the extraordinary from the ordinary. Pencil lead, dictionaries, globes, maps, old photographs - everyday artifacts such as these give us no expectation of inspiration. To find epiphany in mundane materials, poetry in the pedestrian, is the core of his work.

The investigative nature of Agelio's work may stem from his background in the sciences. He received a BA in Biology from the University of California at Santa Barbara. Not wishing to pursue a career in science, he returned to his lifelong interest in art and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from California College of Arts and Crafts, graduating with High Distinction honors.

Agelio's artwork includes stage design, art installation, performance art and drawing as well as sculpture. His work has been seen in museums and galleries across the United States. The following shows are just a few highlights of the body of his work. In 1988 his early ceramic sculpture was chosen by the American Craft Museum (New York) to represent the best work in the country by artists under thirty years of age in the Young Americans. This honor acknowledged the importance of craftsmanship and attention to detail that still pervades his work today. In 1994 Agelio was included in a show of contemporary sculptures entitled Next to Nothing at San Francisco's Center for the Arts in Yerba Buena Gardens. His Volume of Laughter Collected While Being Tickled was a body-sized cylinder of transparent vinyl, filled with breaths of air collected from the artist's laughter. The fifteen art works unveiled at that show revealed a more playful and spiritual direction to his work. In 1995 Agelio lead the Brick Project, a collaborative installation with the San Francisco Arts Education Project. Unveiled at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art's opening ceremonies, twelve hundred local children constructed an impromptu miniature cityscape from wooden "bricks" that they prepared at their school sites. After class discussions and interactions, each child painted a brick filled with their own vision of "home". Participants and viewers walked through the resulting cityscape.

These wonderful objects are available to order by contacting the artist here: A S Batle Company 224 Mississippi St. San Francisco CA 94107 Phone: 415.864.9300 and 864.3300 Fax: 415.864.2300

Email: order@asbworkshop.com

  Or from the following galleries: Red Sky Gallery Sawbridge Studios Gallery 5

A Fire Extinguisher That's Hot, Hot, Hot. Introducing Pinqy.

WHY PINQY®?
PinQY® is a small yet very powerful tool that comes in handy when you have the beginnings of a fire at hand.

Its unique spherical shape gives PinQY® the same extinguishing capacity (in terms of pressure) as a 1 kg extinguisher!



With its lightweight and practical design, PinQY® is simple to use and easy to handle. It takes up little space, which means that PinQY® is not only also suitable for smaller living spaces (such as student rooms), it can also be placed right in any area that runs the risk of catching fire.

As it is “lightweight” and does not require much strength to handle, PinQY® can also be used by children, the elderly and the disabled.

Its pleasing design and gadget-like nature also make PinQY® a perfect present for your children, friends and family.


Where is a good place to put/bring PinQY®?

* campsites, boats, garages/sheds, gardens (by the barbecue for example), kitchens, bedrooms, student rooms, etc.


Right now, it's only available from the following places:
United Kingdom:
PinQY UK Ltd.
18, College Parade
Salusbury Road
Queens Park
NW6 6RL London
United Kingdom
www.pinqy.co.uk

Scandinavia:
PinQY Nordic
Bivägen 13
125 58 Älvsjö
Sweden
www.pinqynordic.com

Netherlands:
PinQY Netherlands
Postbus 4326
6202 VA Maastricht
Nederland
www.pinqy.nl

but soon to be available in more places..

6 Great New Finds For Kids

Six great new finds for kids include (clockwise from top left)Did iDunphy's Naugahyde Indoor Skateboards, Boon's Faucet protector/deflector and bubble bath dispenser, the Mod Rocker by Iglooplay, faux leather Teddy Bear Bookends, DIY lamps and The Fresco, the new award winning modern tech highchair from Bloom.

To purchase, simply click on the image below

See more of my If it's hip, it's here. list at ThisNext.

Meet Paige Russell of Vermont & Her Fun Ceramics

I seem to be stumbling upon tons of fabulous ceramicists lately and Paige Russell of Vermont is one more.


Her wildlife series (above)consisting of white iconic graphic profile representations of a camper, a van, a monster truck and an SUV are both fun and attractive.

And her nestor votives are simple and appealing (seen below).


About Paige:

Paige Russell (f.k.a. Paige Stahl) was born and raised in British Columbia,
Canada. She studied Fine Arts at Langara College in Vancouver and went on
to earn a BFA in Product Design from Parsons School of Design in NYC.

Voted most sportsmanlike for 7th grade volleyball, Russell was also named one of the "Top 20 young designers to watch out for" in the 2001 edition of Wallpaper magazine's Design Directory. Her work has been featured in Interior Design, City, Bucks, and Inspired House magazines as well as the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum.

Although not yet available via an online store, contact her directly via the information below:
39A pine st.
burlington, vt 05401
802.233.8645

info@paigerussell.com

Corian®: 40 years, 40 Designers

above: David Rockwell's Golden Grain, made of Corian®

DuPont, the manufacturer of Corian, has marked the composite material’s 40th birthday by commissioning 40 designers to create products using the material.

Solid Surface Innovator Marks 40 Years of International Design Excellence

WILMINGTON, Del., May 15, 2007 - To mark its 40th anniversary and its continued leadership in innovative and contemporary design, DuPont™ Corian® presents the exhibition, “40 Years/40 Designers.” DuPont invited 40 multinational designers to create an original, functional ‘objet d’art’ for the table or desktop that reflects their imaginative vision and demonstrates the endless possibilities of Corian® .

After being unveiled at the 2007 Milan Salone del Mobile, the exhibition will be shown at Design Within Reach – Chelsea in New York City from May 19 – 31. Additionally, several of the objects will be showcased at the DuPont booth during the upcoming International Contemporary Furniture Fair® (ICFF), North America’s singular showcase for contemporary design May 19 – 22 at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Some of the featured designers include: Werner Aisslinger, the duo, Laura Aquili & Ergian Alberg, Harry Allen, Matali Crasset, Jeffrey Bernett, Christian Ghion, Arik Levy, Ximo Roca, David Rockwell, Martin Ryan, Katrina Olina Young.


above: Luca Casini's mirror fruit bowls made of Corian®

“Since the 1967 introduction of the solid surface category by DuPont, Corian® has earned trust and respect as a proven design material with an ever-increasing variety of innovative uses,” said Tom Powell, vice president and general manager – DuPont Building Innovations. “This exhibition demonstrates how Corian® enables designers to push the boundaries of how we use and see objects.”

“Our contribution to this exhibition merges fine craftsmanship with advanced technology to create a rich, yet subtle metallic wood grain pattern. The end result – Gold Grain tabletop objects and occasional tables – are a sophisticated and glamorous play on the natural and the manmade,” said David Rockwell, of the Rockwell Group. “Due to the Corian® high tech material and the organic feel of the decorative tabletop design, we were able to evoke both glamour and wit, mimicking nature with subtly glittering man-made materials.”


Above: Katrina Olina Young's Demons and Daises placemants made of Corian®

The genuinely functional objects highlight the inherent characteristics of Corian®, such as its formability, its expansive range of colors, and its ability to be routed, lighted and engraved. Non-porous Corian® is a high-performing, easy to clean, stain-resistant solid surface material that is durable and renewable. Scratches are easily removed without marring its beauty and uniformity of color. Available in over 140 colors, Corian® can be thermoformed or shaped into virtually any conceivable design, as well as sandblasted, routed, carved, laser-etched and backlit.


Above: Monika Kobiakov's desk set made of Corian®

DuPont Building Innovations is a strategic business unit of DuPont that manufactures and markets Corian® solid surfaces and Zodiaq® quartz surfaces. DuPont™ Corian® is a well-known global brand in the solid surface category.

DuPont is a science-based products and services company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 70 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture and food; building and construction; communications; and transportation.


above: Harry Allen's Tic Tac Toe, made of Corian®

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of DuPont™ Corian® solid surface material, DuPont has presented in Milan (April 18 to 23, at the new “Corian® Design – Milano Store” showroom of DuPont), “Corian®: 40 Years - 40 Designers”, a travelling exhibition consisting of new creations by 40 designers (individual professionals, design studios or design teams) from around the world. After having been exhibited in Milan, the exhibition will be moved to other locations in Europe and in the USA. A selection of these objects will be produced in limited edition and commercialized.

The 40 designers participating in “Corian®: 40 Years - 40 Designers” are:
01) Aquili Alberg, Italy
02) Arik Levy, France
03) Atrium (Anton Nadtochy & Vera Butko), Russia
04) Beat Karrer, Switzerland
05) Christian Ghion, France
06) Christine Van Gemert, The Netherlands
07) David Rockwell, USA
08) Delugan Meissl Associated Architects, Austria
09) Demet Bilici, Turkey
10) Emma Lewis, UK
11) Francesco Draisci & Paolo D'Ippolito, UK
12) Gamze Güven, Turkey
13) Graft, Germany
14) Hans Schoonemeijer (HP Design), The Netherlands
15) Harry Allen, USA
16) Igor.MarQ arquitectos & Pedro Nuñez, Spain
17) Imogen Lawson, UK
18) India Mahdavi, France
19) Ingenhoven Architekten, Germany
20) Jeffrey Bernett, USA 21) John Sebastian, Denmark
22) Katrin Olina Young, Iceland 23) Luca Casini, Italy
24) Marie Garnier, France
25) Martin Ryan, UK
26) Matali Crasset, France
27) Matteo Ragni, Italy
28) Miguel Milá, Spain
29) Miriam Mirri, Italy
30) Monika Kobiakov, UK
31) Nils Kjeldsen, Denmark 32) Noé Duchafour-Lawrance, France
33) Nucleo (Piergiorgio Robino, Stefania Fersini), Italy 34) Piers Mansfield-Scadden, UK 35) Savinkin-Kuzmin project group (Poledesign), Russia 36) sieger design (Benedikt Sauerland), Germany
37) Tanju Ozelgin, Turkey
38) Werner Aisslinger, Germany
39) Ximo Roca, Spain
40) YES Architecture (Ruth Berktold), Germany

See all the work here.

Meet Alyssa Ettinger & Her "Knitware" Ceramics

If you don't know her work, let me introduce you to the beautiful ceramics of Alyssa Ettinger's "Knitware" collection.

Her cups, vases, plates, bowls and coasters from her tactile and unusual "Knitware" collection are unique, elegant and a sight to behold.



Whether you want to drink hot chocolate from one of her cozy'knit' mugs or use a vase to add warmth and texture to an otherwise stark modern silhouette, she has perfected the art.

Take a look at some of her products, available in an equally tasteful palette of glazes.

above: her knitware coasters


Above: some of the different textures from the collection




Above: little knitware bowls


above: available glazes for the Knitware' collection



About Alyssa Ettinger (taken from her site)

Alyssa Ettinger threw her first pot at summer camp when she was 14-years-old. She continued working with clay while attending The Putney School, then got her BA in Ceramics (and Creative Writing) at Bennington College.

After graduating, she began a career in magazine publishing, and for nearly two decades wrote, edited, planned and styled shoots, and honed her expertise in home design, new products, décor and lifestyle — Her first book, The eBay Home Makeover, came out in October of 2005.

After 9/11, Alyssa felt something stirring inside her for a change. Between seeking a new direction, and being encouraged by a friend to try her hands at ceramics once more, Alyssa took a pottery class at the studio where this friend, Mieko, studied. That first night found Alyssa sitting at the wheel, throwing bowls nearly as easily as she had back in college. She began spending as many hours at the studio as she could, and soon felt she needed a way to spend all of her time pursuing ceramics. She found a studio space, ordered 50 pounds of porcelain, and within two months was designing dinnerware. Her first line — Mieko bowls — was named after the friend who'd started it all by inviting her for tea.

These days, Alyssa works out of a studio in Brooklyn, and has branched out to include slip-casting and hand-building in her designs. "It's a far different environment than the more corporate world where I once worked," she says. "Being a ceramic artist certainly doesn't make you wealthy, but I've reached a point in my life where being happy and content are far more valuable currency."

You can purchase some of her products here

or at her Etsy store here.

Death Becomes You 24 Skull Items

Okay, so goth is back in a big way and skulls and crossbones are appearing on even the most unlikely items.
here are just a few on the market!

Just click on any of the images above to purchase or get more info.

See more of my Death Becomes You - cool things with skulls! list at ThisNext.

Don't Your Napkins Deserve Them? Hip Porcelain Napkin Rings

I stumbled upon these wonderful porcelain napkin rings by Dinner-ware. They've got many fun mod designs, but what is really struck me are these 'monogrammed' porcelain napkin rings at 10$ a piece. Get your initials, spell out words, do 'hugs' and 'kisses'...whatever, all and every initial is a fun design-see below.





So what are you waiting for? buy them here.