Swarovski Studs Anything That Stands Still. From Bandaids to Bathroom Sinks, Crystallized Items.

Okay readers... everyone seems so into crystal studded stuff these days, I've done weeks worth of research to share with you some of Swarovski's history, their offerings and several Swarovski studded items available on the market with links to all of them.

Settle in and get ready to sparkle. What HASN'T been Swarovski Studded?



Swarovski, the Austrian crystal manufacturer has been around for a long time, since 1895 to be exact. But in the past couple of years they've experienced a big surge in popularity. As "bling" entered our vernacular, so did Swarovski studded cell phone cases and ipods.



Smart moves like aligning themselves with Fashion Rocks helped to reinvigorate this fading brand as well.



Initially known for their little faceted desktop crystal sculptures (above), their jewelry and best friend to the Bedazzler , individual loose Swarovski crystals (now given the trademarked name Crystalline®) are now adorning a lot more than just glass shelves, faux jewelry and denim jackets. Sure, hair accessories and shoes are to be expected, but refrigerators and board games?

Here are just a few of the products on the market, made "luxe" with the addition of Swarovski Crystalline® crystals. Some in collaboration with Swarovki and sold on their own site, others by non-affiliated manufacturers.

Crystal Studded Refrigerators:
Last May in London, Gorenje - one of the leading European appliance manufacturers - unveiled two very special Premium Touch fridge-freezers, decorated with high-quality crystals from Swarovski.



“The Eye-catcher”
The unique Premium Touch fridge-freezer, called the “Eye-catcher”, with its gloss black colour and elegant door, features 7,000 hand-embedded crystals from the world famous Swarovski. This black refrigerator – eye-catcher - is a unique appliance. Only 5 of them were produced so far: 1 for Slovenia, Russia, Romania, Serbia and now for the UK. The purpose of the eye-catcher is to be sold for charity. For more information, call Gorenje on 0208 247 3980 or visit their UK site



Also in stainless steel finish with Black Swarovski crystals in Austria and Serbia
Buy the stainless steel one with black Swarovski crystals here.

And in Russia and France, you can buy an LG (called DIOS in some countries) peach colored refrigerator studded with Swarovski crystals.



More than 4,900 Swarovski crystals are embedded in the handles, the home bar and the unit logo on LG's popular French-door refrigerator.
Buy it here.

And, in India you can buy The Whirlpool Mastermind 23 with Swarovski studded handles.


Above: the Deluxe and Elite versions both with crystal-studded handles, available in five color options.
Buy it here.

Binoculars: Idomeneo Crystal Pocket Binoculars


Waterproof, lightweight binoculars with Swarovski-cut 20mm diameter lenses; 8 x 20 = 8 times magnification; grip in Crystal Dorado and Jet Nut crystals in Crystal Transfer application on black Alcantara. Other crystal combinations available. Comes with leather strap and calfskin leather case. Price: $ 850.00
Buy it here.

Nespresso machines:



Nespresso added serious sparkle to its award-winning Essenza coffee machine models. The result: two fashion-forward coffee machines with 'bodies' covered in Swarovski crystals: the Nespresso Limited Edition Brilliant Black Essenza and the Nespresso Limited Edition Sparkle Pink Essenza. These were sold at the Nespresso boutique in New York.

Swarovski Grand Piano

The exclusive grand piano "Swarovski" is a real diamond. The instrument is decorated by 9 000 hand polished crystals Swarovski, surrounding it with shine. Each crystal is enclosed into a gilded frame with enhances its reflecting ability even more. Even in the lacquer there are small pieces of crystal - the grand piano is shimmering with all the colors of a rainbow. Glitter of the grand piano's body embodies the glitter of its unbelievable sound.


Buy it here.

Special edition Sony MP3 Players:

Sony teams up with Abiste Corporation and offers the limited edition of the E010 Walkman with Swarovski glass crystal. The limited edition is available in 5 colors, Blue, Gold, Pink, Purple and Black. E010 is available in 1GB, 2GB and 4GB capacity, and is priced at $134, $160 and $210 respectively.Buy them here.
Swarovski Fashion Rocks - DJ Headphones:


2007 Swarovski Fashion Rocks showed off this uber extravagant set of DJ headphones. The headphones are encrusted in Amethyst Crystals throughout and include a luxury box and small carrier bag. Price tag on these for European residents is a staggering €1670 Euro (approximately $2404 USD).

If blinged out headphones are a little too much for you, how about these pretty blinged out earbuds? Shuga Buds are earbuds studded with Swarovski® crystals make your personal playlists even cooler. Mini earphones are for use with iPods® and other portable music players. Choose from Amethyst, Pink, Green, Iridescent, Blue, or Rainbow. Imported. $48.00 a pair.


Available here.

Swarovski Bear. The special edition Holiday Steiff Bear 2007

Light grey mohair bear featuring a Swarovski Pointsettia Ornament. Clear Swarovski Xilion™ crystal in ear. Size: 10 inch Price: $ 225.00
Buy it here.

Swarovski studded USB memory keys:


Made in conjunction with Phillips Electronics, these usb memory keys sell for $178.00 each.


In 4 different models, each made of stainless steel and Swarovski crystals. They hold 1 GB of data (about 250 songs or 1’000 photos) with password protection, high-speed USB 2.0 interface.
Buy them here.

Swarovski Studded Furniture

Above: The Vendome Chair, an otherwise conservative piece in black wool, is tufted with buttons made of Swarovski crystals. Now that's sitting pretty..
$3,390 at Sipure Design in Miami, (305) 940-4655.


Swarovski Board Games


L'ecal students, Emanuelle Jaques & Constanza Candamil-Cabral, in collaboration with Swarovski for an object exhibition, created these board games of felt and Swarovski-Crystals:


Unfortunately the above backgammon, chess and checker boards are not in production.

Swarovski Umbrellas
Pasotti, the Italian umbrella maker has a Lux line that is studded with Swarovski crystals, available in many color fabrics and crystals.


Buy Pasotti's luxury Swarovski studded umbrellas here.

Swarovski Band-Aids

And , of course, don't forget the band aids, each flesh colored band-aid studded with four crystals in one of three color options, selling in packs of 12. Nothing heals a boo boo like some bling! Buy them here.

At Bling My Thing (based in germany) you can have everything from crystal studded automotive interiors to bathroom sinks!

Above: Cadillac XLR interior with over 20,000 swarovski crystals.

Swarovski sinks and vacuums

Above: the Myth Collection for the bathroom and a blinged out vacuum cleaner!!
Go see more

Swarovski Crystal Car Badging


The original luxury automotive blinging emblem company, Iced-Out Emz, has several great options from blinged out grills for several different automobiles as well as blinged shifter knobs and create-your-own bling badging.


Check out Iced Out Emz here.

For the bride to be, there are several companies that sell Swarovski crystal monogrammed cake toppers, like those shown below.


Buy the above cake toppers and more here.


You can even get crystal monogrammed lip glosses here.

Even Bottled Water comes "blinged" these days:


above: Bling Limited Edition Water.

Corked, frosted glass bottle glamorously adorned with Swarovski Crystals. Clear. 750ml.
Buy the limited edition bottle of Bling H2O at Vivre.com

Swarovski Crystal Ring Mug



And what better to pour your Bling water into than this new (and creatively packaged) fabulous Swarovski Crystal Ring Mug (shown in white above). Whose gold or silver handle is inset with a large single Swarovski crystal that gives the illusion of wearing a ring as you hold the cup. Different handle and crystal options below.


Buy the ring mug here.


Swarovski Studded Mouth Grilles

Even Swarovski studded grills for your teeth are available from Mr. Bling.


By the way, Mr. Bling makes actual diamond studded grills for your teeth as well.
Buy them here.

And it's not only items for humans that are getting luxed up with Swarovski crystals this year. Even the canine fragrance, Sexy Beast, with the Karim Rashid designed bottle, has a special holiday Swarovski-crystal studded version for a mere $850 bones!


Buy Sexy Beast Swarovski Limited edition here.


Of course there are many more items, but I thought the aforementioned examples were a good representation of the range.

About Swarovski crystals
Swarovski is an Austrian company established at the end of 19th century by Daniel Swarovski. The company is renowned for its tradition and excellence in manufacturing and supplying crystals and crystal-ware, especially for the jewelry and fashion industry as well as decorative homeware. In the fashion world, Swarovski crystals have recently been a hot and immensely sought-after accessory and component of haute couture. The name Swarovski can thus be found on many a fashion item or piece of jewelry created by famous fashion designers – among those are Coco Chanel, Elsa Schiaparelli, Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino and Roberto Cavalli.

As a company, Swarovski comprises two major divisions:
The first, dating back to Swarovski’s origins in 1895, producing precision-cut crystal components, the crystal elements, catering to a wide range of design-driven industries in the fashion, lighting and interior business, the second, established in the mid 1970’s, using these same elements to create finished crystal products -jewelry, fashion accessories, and home décor objects- which are sold through the worldwide network of more than 1150 Swarovski stores.

Hooking up with Fashion Rocks and opening an Atelier further upped the hip factor of Swarovski. Check out
the Fashion Rocks 2007 Video here.

See the latest fashion applications, tv and movie collaborations and more at Swarovski Sparkles and you can check out the company and their products here.

Also, Swarovski created indoor lighting and home elements. Didn't know that? See them here.

They have even introduced ATELIER SWAROVSKI, an exclusive collection of accessories created in collaboration with cutting-edge fashion designers to bring their creative visions to life. For more information email: atelier.swarovski@swarovski.com, or register here to be updated with news on ATELIER SWAROVSKI.
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Now, for those of you who don't intend to buy a blinged out refrigerator or armchair, but do have the desire to bling their sunglasses case, lighters, headphones, PSPs, ipods, etc.


Above: One of Phling's custom Blinged Blackberry cases

Here are some great sites that sell either kits, patterns, stick-ons or do custom crystal encrusting, shirts and more. If you want to do some of your own blinging, Bling Me Out (as well as several other companies) sells cell phone crystal kits.

Buy them here.

Just click on the logos below to see other custom and self-blinging sites:








There's been lots more Swarovski studded items written about since this post. Please use the search box or check the tags at the bottom of the side bar for more.

Nine New Neat & Nifty Notables

Click on any image below for details and purchase info.

From the Icon Crucifix (a rubber jesus who comes with four nails) to the edible Vanishing Living Creatures (Chocolate Mounted Animal Heads) here are nine relatively new items to hit the market.

They range in price from 10$ (the ChilliChilly pocket ashtrays) to $720 (the Chinook hanging pot rack in stainless steel) and all are available for purchase. Just Click On The Pic.

Need more gift ideas? See more of my If It's Hip,It's Here. list at ThisNext.

Square, Metal, Knit, & Modern:Anything But Traditional Wreaths

For those of you who don't want your front door looking like the White House or a Department Store, how about trying a wreath that isn't the traditional pine with poinsettias?

For those less adventurous, how about a square wreath or a snowflake-shaped wreath?
And for those who want anything but traditional, try a metal op-art wreath or recycled street sign wreath.

Below are some cool wreaths, that are anything but traditional, available this season.


Above left : Fresh myrtle box wreath
Buy it here.
Above right: Snowflake Winter Wreath
Buy it here


Above left : Real Frasier Fir Pine Peace Wreath from Emilie's Wreath Factory.
Order here.
Above right: Real Pine Peace Wreath from Organic Bouquet
Buy it here.


Above left: Snow white feathers fashion this elegantly simple wreath, creating a stunning centerpiece or wall accent. 13 1/2" diameter.
Buy it here.
Above right: Lime green feather wreath, 20" in diameter
Buy it here.



The above stunning "angel" wreaths available here.


Above left: A white flocked pre-lit wreath. 15"
Above right: Gold, Silver and White ornament wreath 16"
Buy either one here.


Above left: Keith Wingard's metal op art wreath of powder coated steel. 16"
Buy the Mod op-art wreath here.
Above right: Laser cut steel wreath by Atelier Lzc with birds and berries, 23cm x 24cm
Buy it here.


Above left: Garnet Hill offers a Sleigh Bell wreath in ivory or lime green. 11.5" in diameter
Buy it here.
Above right: A merry hand crocheted striped wreath, also from Garnet Hill. . 14" in diameter.
Buy it here.


Above left: Boris Bally's Metal Art wreath made of recycled street signs, available in 5 different color combinations. larger size 22.5"H x 15"W
Buy it here.
Above right: Boris Bally's Metal Art Wreath, the smaller size. 16.5"H x 10"W
Buy it here.

Finally, A Truly Luxe Bean Bag Chair: The Cowch

Goodbye Fatboy, Hello Cowch!

Awhile back I wrote a post about Fatboy products. And it wasn't the most flattering. Why?
Because I saw FatBoy as the New Millenium version of the 70's bean bag chair. And very overpriced.

But now I've spotted the Cowch (no pun intended). And this, in my humble opinion, is a bean bag chair worth buying. (by the way, these are not the "cowches' that are made to look like real stuffed animal toys, that's a different company)

Not only does it look incredibly comfortable, but it looks expensive ---and it is-- and as though it won't end up in rec rooms and flea markets in several years.



Above: Each one is unique and large enough for two people.





Cowches measure 140cm x 170 cm and are made with real cow skins on the upper side, Bisonyl on the under side. They have quality four time stitching and are filled with 100% recycled polystyrene.


You can choose from multiple real skin options:


Above: available skins and Walter Bak, the designer and founder of Schaalwerk

Made in Holland, they ship to all countries!

"Cowch is developed by Schaalwerk, a young designers collective based in Utrecht, The Netherlands. At Schaalwerk we aim for designing and creating usable durable products. Besides designing our own products we also do interior decoration projects and custom handmade furniture. Besides creating the designs and the conceptual studies we also manufacture/realize the products.

Cowch, is one of our original designs. It is a tough and sturdy beanbag that can be used in many ways and in all kinds of locations. The used materials make it a unique product. Cowch is already sold in countries all over the world.

They are made in Holland cost 699 euros each (approx $1040.00 USD).
Buy it here.
Or here.

or contact them directly for any questions here.

Bonus Post: Number 31 Bean Bag Chairs

If the Cowch (see post above) is too pricey for some of you.
And Fatboy is too boring for some of you, then how about Holland's Number 31 Artist designed bean bag Chairs?

They come in 16 fabulous limited editions by various well-known artists. Below are two examples (click to enlarge).



Below are more examples from their collection:



And here's the really fun part, they are on sale right now here.


Or direct from the manufacturer here.

Be Hip, Green & Merry Simultaneously: WOW's Vinyl Artist Christmas Tree

I introduced you to the Art Production Fund's Works On Whatever last year when I first told you about their artist beach towel series and then again , this past week when I introduced you to the new 2008 artist series beach towels.

Now, in addition to the cool beach towels, WOW has come out with this fabulous vinyl Christmas Tree wall sticker in collaboration with Wallpaper LAB and designer Marilyn Minter.


MARILYN MINTER "MERRY MERRY" TREE
A self-adhesive vinyl sticker

No more watering a dead tree, no more fire hazard, no more vacuuming up pine needles well into April. It's a truly 'green' Christmas tree: reduce, reuse, recycle this vinyl sticker year after year. Save the trees, save water, save your back from schlepping it all the way home. No religion, no broken ornaments. It's a Christmas tree for the moderately wealthy and super lazy.

Minter will collaborate with Wallpaper LAB and WOW (Works on Whatever) to create a six-foot die-cut vinyl wall-sticker that addresses the powerful and ubiquitous symbol of the season: The Christmas Tree. Minter styled a small tree with her own eclectic collection of shiny ornaments, lighting and photographing it in a way that merges crisp detail with gauzy soft-focus radiance. The photograph is further transformed on the way to the decal: the image is enlarged and an archetypical Charlie Brown cartoon die-cut shape is enforced as the template for the tree.

The self-adhesive vinyl tree can be applied directly to the wall, by either removing the paper back or simply pinning it; a boon to the space-challenged apartment dweller with a sense of humor. Each limited edition "Merry Merry" tree comes rolled in a tube with four decal ornaments and a star and retails for $180. The "Merry Merry" star can be purchased separately for $25. 1/3 of the proceeds go to support public art through Art Production Fund.


About Wallpaper LAB:

Wallpaper LAB is a publisher of limited edition artist wallpaper. Founded by Ron Keyson in 2006, WL collaborates with contemporary artists to translate their studio works into conceptually heroic wallpaper and wall stickers. From freeze framing the entirety of Douglas Gordon's video masterpiece Play Dead, Real Time to digitally super scanning Phoebe Washburn's plywood blowout Wood Wall sculpture, invited artists are challenged to pull the domestic world of wallpaper into their own aesthetic gravitational center. The inaugural exhibition at Lennon Weinberg Gallery in 2006 wrapped the entire 3000 square foot gallery space with fifteen original artist's wallpapers, the result being a seamless visual battle of the bands. Wallpaper LAB is represented in New York City by Artware Editions.

For more information and installation views please see: www.wallpaperlab.com or www.artwareeditions.com

About WOW:
WOW (Works on Whatever) is a unique collection of everyday items designed by artists. The revenues from sales go into public art. APF invites artists to experiment with the latest commercial materials and techniques to bring art off the walls and into homes as everyday objects. WOW introduces contemporary art to a larger community, with profits supporting Art Production Fund�s mission dedicated to producing ambitious public art projects, reaching new audiences and expanding awareness through contemporary art. Projects include: SHOW, Vanessa Beecroft, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 1998; FISCHERSPOONER: LA, performance, 2001; Keith + Farrah, collaborative exhibition by Keith Edmier and Farrah Fawcett, Los Angeles County Museum of Art and The Andy Warhol Museum, 2003; PLAN B, Rudolf Stingel summer 2004, Grand Central's Vanderbilt Hall and The Walker Art Center; Prada Marfa, Elmgreen & Dragset, Valentine, TX, 2005; Greeting Card, Aaron Young, Park Avenue Armory, 2007. APF Co-Founders : Yvonne Force Villareal and Doreen Remen, Director of Operations: Casey Fremont.

For more information please see: www.worksonwhatever.com


just the star
12 inch removable vinyl sticker- $25.00
Buy it here.


full tree kit
(1) 58 x 48 inch vinyl tree sticker (1) 12 inch star (4) ornaments

Buy it here.

Try Your Hand At Handbag Designing And Win A Murakami LV Purse!

This is your chance to win a thousand dollar purse for the price of postcard postage.

How this contest works:
You send Imprint Culture Lab an original handbag design on this template by midnight of Monday, January 21, 2008.

They will post all submissions here.
Then, everyone votes for their favorite designs.

The design with the most votes wins the handbag that started all this commotion (seen below, only the Louis Vuitton Alma bag is covered with the special murakami LV fabric "superflat" which includes the eyeballs).

You know, the one designed by that famous Japanese artist (Murakami) who made being an otaku at least as cool as carrying a high-end French luxury purse?



Above left : the design that started it all, Murakami's Louis Vuitton Alma Handbag.
Above right : The actual Murakami fabric on the winning handbag. Click to enlarge

FAQs:
You can submit as many entries as you wish
You can mail hard copies to them at:

Imprint Culture Lab
555 East Ocean Blvd, Suite 900
Long Beach, CA 90802

Or submit your design via email to: info@imprintlab.com
Be sure to include your name and contact info with your submissions.

perhaps the following two entires will inspire you:



I don't know who designed the above left, but above right is clearly an entry by one of my personal favorite designers, Scott Rench of Yosoh.

About Imprint lab:
The IMPRINT Culture Lab was founded by interTrend Communications to investigate, promote and curate Asian-sourced and inspired consumer culture. IMPRINT’s mission is to foster creativity and innovation in the business segment by connecting the cultural dots between various elements, which includes inspiration from art, media, food, fashion, product design, technology, architecture and pop-culture phenomena.

The imprint lab enables collaborative idea generation between corporate marketing and development teams and artists, designers, and entertainers who are leading and shaping global pop culture.

IMPRINT engages consumers and clients through various methods including an annual culture conference, private collaborative workshops, as well as custom consultancy and research products and services.

Start designing!