If It's Hip, It's Here (Archives)

Matchstick Diamond Jewelry Launches In Absolutely Adorable Packaging.

Launched by Britain-born Louise Carter, Matchstick is a new brand of diamond baguette jewelry. The five pieces in the collection, each of which are available in 18k white, yellow or rose gold, include a Boy, a Girl, a Dog, a Small Heart and a Large Heart.

Each represent universal symbols of life to the designer and each piece lives in its own house, a lovely oversized matchbox with sweet line art illustrations.

Shop Matchstick Jewelry here

Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola's Prada Candy L'Eau And A Look Behind The Scenes.

To promote Prada's latest fragrance, Candy de L'Eau, Directors Wes Andersen and Roman Coppola have created a real tale told in three online episodes starring Léa Seydoux.

Get a load of the stunning and modern Suntro House by Jorge Hernandez de la Garza in Morelos, Mexico.

A stylish puffy quilted black synthetic leather chair available with or without a fabulous "monster face" sewn into the back. The chair, originally designed in 2010 for Moooi by designer Marcel Wanders is part of a family of seating from Moooi designed by Wanders and comes in two styles, one with a flared and rounded back:

Or in a simple squared off back (shown without the monster face):

Here you can see both styles in situ in the Andaz Hotel dining room:

The chairs have a steel frame, fire retardant synthetic leather upholstery and have been subjected to an abrasion test of >50.000 rubs.

above: Marcel's sketches for the chair

The Monster chair was joined by the Monster barstools in two heights in 2011 and the Boutique Sofa, but neither appears to be available with the whimsical monster face.

On Wanders own site he shows a Monster Pillow (below), but I believe that was never produced:

Moooi
Marcel Wanders

Gun-Shaped Doorknobs Function Like A Real Pistol: Pulling The Trigger Unlocks The Door.

These creative door handles/hardware, designed by Russian product designer Nikita Kovalev of Napalm Design, look and function like a real gun. The Bang Bang handle was inspired by the Makarov Pistol.* You have to “pull the trigger” to open/unlock the door.

When it was first announced that Serralunga was offering an outdoor/indoor version of the classic and elegant Barcelona Chair that was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and produced by Knoll® in 1929, I brought you the news with computer generated images of prototypes and the then four colors in which it was to be available (shown below).

Since then, Serralunga has produced the lightweight and weatherproof chair (which was designed for them by Italy's Deep Design) and I have actual photography, the technical specs and the five colors in which it is now available.

A beautiful modern, lightweight indoor/outdoor chair option for lovers of modern classic design.

Serralunga

Bond No. 9 To Launch The First Digital Fragrance.

Bond No. 9, the New York perfume brand, is launching a new fragrance called HTTP://WWW.BONDNO9.COM this summer. The bottle design is a scannable QR code* that will take you RIGHT to the Web. Available online only (of course) starting June 30th. This one of a kind scent, spanning virtual to reality, features yellow bergamot, pineapple, juniper berry, apple, blackcurrant and cedarwood.

The QR codes will appear in print ads and on the outside of the brand’s Bondmobile, which will direct smartphone-wielding shoppers to Bond No. 9′s website where the $250 scent can be purchased.

The brand’s founder and owner Laurice Rahme explains the motivation to WWD:
“The fragrance business is always doing the same thing and the same thing and the same thing. We wanted to really capture what is going on in the world. Everybody is online. Everybody is mobile. So we have to do a fragrance for that world. It’s a different world. What I love about the packaging is that for all of us in this industry talking about how difficult and expensive it is to train and retain sales people, to have a bottle that speaks to the consumer, directly, is the dream. It’s not a department store [distribution]. It’s not Sephora. It’s beyond that. It’s the most direct way to buy that you could ever have.”

*scannable QR codes can easily be read with various QR Code-Reader apps available for free from iTunes.

My Nose, My Stekkerdoos. Studio Job + Lensvelt to Launch Job Office at MOST.

MOST is excited to announce that in the Sala del Cenacolo, the fresco room at MOST (The Natonal Museum of Science and technology in Italy) , Studio Job and Lensvelt’s latest collaboration will be launched.

Continuing from the 2011 Job Cabinet (shown below), this new line for home and office will now also includes tables, low cabinets and lamps.

above: the 2011 Job Cabinet is available at Lensvelt

To promote the new collection, they have cast a gold nose and are placing it upon images of famous people.

The cooperation between Lensvelt and Studio Job started in 2011 with the development of Job Office. In 2012 the Job Cabinet won the Wallpaper Design Award and the Elle Decoration International Design Award. During the 2013 Milan Design Week, Lensvelt will dedicate a solo presentation just to Job Office.

A new body of fresh, fun and focused office & home furniture will be presented in a highly monumental context. Visit them at Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia!