Mighty Morph Pads & More From Schleeh Design. Note Paper Never Looked So Good.

I have been a big fan of Schleeh designs beautiful wood desk accessories and notepads for years. I have the "Magnetique DooDad Pad" and the "Bachelor Pad" in my home and have recommended them on several sites.




In addition to their unusual sculptural wood accessories, they are the makers of the Mighty Morph notepads you might have seen if you frequent hip stores, museum shops and the like. Now they have many more additions to the line that are equally fantastic and make great gifts for the holidays. And they are made with 100% recycled paper!!

New for this year are some unusual and fun additions, including one of a kind, hand painted pads, dog and bone pad, and laser engraved customizable pads. Each consists of 1000 sheets of paper. And every single one would make an awesome gift for anyone.

ZEBRA MIGHTY MORPH, sculptural notepad 3" by 5" by 5" high:


RULER MORPH pad 2" by 2.75" by 5" high:


The DOG & BONE MORPH, (a collaboration with Canadian graphic artist Jeremy Tracz). Perfect for the Dog Lover:


The OLD GLORY MIGHTY MORPH PAD. Perfect for the Patriotic.
3" by 5" by 5" High :


Custom Laser Engraved MORPH and MIGHTY MORPH Pads. They will laser your artwork for runs as few as 36 units. Each consists of 1000 sheets of paper:


Hand-printed, one-of-a-kind MIGHTY MORPHS. Some are mono-block prints, some are splattered-all of them are original works of art that you can then morph to indescribable levels of cool:



From their previous collection (and still available):

The original, a sculptural tower of blank paper that you can twist and turn into desktop art. A perfect example of 1,000 sheets of notepaper in functional form.

The original MORPH malleable paper pad sculpture 2" x 2.75 " x 5" high:




The PICASSO MORPH pad (PICASSO graphic image by Victoria Wonnacott and Schleeh Design) 2" x 2.75 " x 5" high:



STRIPED MORPH series, malleable paper pad sculpture 2" x 2.75 " x 5" high:



STRIPED MORPH black, malleable paper pad sculpture 2"x 2.75" x 5" high:


Not all of the pads are carried at stores, to find where you can purchase your favorite Mighty Morph pad, I suggest you 'Google' it.

Some of their beautiful wood desk accessories are shown below. Most are available in maple, cherry or walnut and paper refills are available for each design. They make wonderful gifts and the prices start at approximately $45.










Some of the above wood desk accessories and notepads can be found here or here at Greer Chicago. And here at the Marten Arts Gallery. And several more here at the Van Dop Gallery.


About Colin Schleeh:
Colin Schleeh was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1955. He began his design career working for his father, sculptor Hans Schleeh, polishing marble sculptures and cleaning the ever-growing piles of marble chips. Attracted to the organic qualities of wood, he began his studies in wood design at the age of 17, apprenticing at the Berufs und Fachschule, Holz und Kunstgewerbe in Stuttgart Germany, before moving to Edmonton where he also completed a Canadian apprenticeship as a furniture designer and builder at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. Opening his studio in 1980, Schleeh designed and built custom furniture, as well as having his own work featured in galleries and stores across western Canada.

Moving his family to Montreal in 1986, Schleeh worked as a boat-builder, set designer, custom furniture designer/builder, sculptor, jewelry designer, and completed a one year stint as manager of a custom furniture company (not all at the same time!), before accepting a position at Dawson College to head their Fine Arts studio. Schleeh taught for ten years, always maintaining his own studio. When it became apparent that the increasing demand for his work required his full attention, Colin Schleeh opened Schleeh Design with Rachael Schwartz in the fall of 2001.

Operating out of a 7,000 square foot studio on the banks of the Lachine Canal in Montreal, Quebec, Schleeh Design offers a line of innovative limited production accessories and serves as a showcase for Schleeh's collection of handmade vases and decorative art.

Recent work includes design commissions for Hermes of Paris, Bulgari and Shreve Crump and Low. Schleeh's work is represented in galleries and collections throughout Canada and the United States, as well as Japan and Europe.

To see their vessels, furniture and more, check out the Schleeh Design site here.

Designlush: Living Up To Their Name

Designlush is a collection of finely crafted interior furniture, rugs and accessories created by a talented group of designers and artisans. They sell to trade professionals and offer residential and commercial interior design services. They also create one of a kind pieces for use in everything from real estate staging, set design, and film, video and photo shoots.

Because they are not a retail store, you probably have not seen many of these great items, which is why I want to share them with you.

The style, design and materials vary from exotic hardwoods to hand blown glass. But all are top quality (and many of their wood pieces are sustainable). they carry numerous lines and special, exclusive collections.

Take a look at some of their fabulous rugs:

"Damage" lounge rug:

The Dark Tree Rug:

The "Paris" Lounge Rug:

The Royal Lions Rug:


And their wonderfully crafted wood pieces:

The Lubalin flat credenza and media console:


Wishbone Entry Table (available in various woods):



Black Walnut (or Rosewood) Console:



Santos Rosewood Console:


Slab pine with glass shelves:


Swahili console:


Waterfall writing desk (my personal favorite) :

the level console:


They have some really unique lighting, two of which are shown below.

The Antler lamp:


The "Night Owl" blown glass floor lamp:


They have a large collection of upholstered furnishings as well.

Knowland Sofa:

Groove Sectional sofa in ultrasuede or leather:


and a large selection of art and framed photography, such as the Stable Canine photo below shot by Jesse Harrris:


They also have 3D wood wall panels and unusual mirrors:


Clara Walnut carved wall mirror:


The DESIGNLUSH showroom is located in Suite 415 at the prestigious New York Design Center (NYDC), 200 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10016.

DESIGNLUSH is headed by President and Creative Director Stephen Mitchell, with co-founder and Style Director Thomas Ruscica.

There's much more at their site to see, including a modern masters collection. Check it all out here.

The Mongo Modern Menorah List: Over 140 Hip Chanukah Candelabras

NOTE: Click on each menorah above to learn more and a link to purchase.


UPDATE: THE 2009 MODERN MENORAH LIST OF OVER 200 CAN BE FOUND HERE.


First of all... what is a Menorah? For those who may not know, below is a simple definition:

Menorah:
A menorah is a candelabrum with seven candles that is displayed in Jewish synagogues. The original design for the menorah is in the Torah, and it was used in rituals in the tabernacle (portable sanctuary) and later the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Since the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, it has had no formal role in Jewish prayer services or rituals. The presence of a menorah in some synagogues is purely symbolic.

The one exception to this concerns the Jewish festival of Chanukkah, in which a nine-branched version of the menorah is used; this nine branched menorah is properly called a Chanukkiah.

The Chanukkah menorah includes nine candles. Jewish folklore brings down that the reason is one for each day the oil miraculously burned when there was only enough for one day. The Talmud teaches that during the Greek rule in the Land of Israel, the Jews were not allowed to celebrate Sukkot, a holiday of eight days. Therefore, Chanukkah was deemed an eight day holiday from the outset in order to make up for them missed holiday of Sukkot. Today the candles are still lit in order to remember. The ninth candle, the shammes (in Yiddish) or shamash (in Hebrew), is a servant candle that is used to light the others.

This year Chanukah begins Monday December 22nd (it changes every year because the Jewish calendar differs from our calendar year) and continues for 8 days. If you need a menorah for yourself or as a gift, and prefer contemporary, modern or luxe designs to traditional ones, you won't find a more comprehensive selection than my list of over 140 options and growing.

Modern menorahs are gaining in popularity. And since last years' list was such a hit I've decided to continue to scour the world and web for new and more modern menorahs to add to last years' list.

Please note that although I've listed many menorahs, this list does not include 'novelty' menorahs of which there are many (you know... those cutesy or crafty ones made of cats or shoes or in the shape of Noah's ark).

Instead this list is focused on beautifully designed menorahs that deviate from the traditional style. The list includes impressive manufacturers like Tiffany & Co., Christofle, Steuben, and Simon Pearce as well as inexpensive but nice looking ones from Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn and other retailers. There are some crafted by famous metal smiths, some by hand blown glass artists, and others in limited versions or even 24k gold plated.

The prices of the above menorahs vary from $14.00 to over $25,000.00. To purchase or learn more, just click on the image.

See more of my Modern Menorahs list at ThisNext.

To see other modern holiday stuff for Christmas click here.

Here's the 2009 Modern Menorah list for you