Soop Dishes Up Some Fun Tableware

Soop is a multi-disciplinary design company, designing products for the home and commercial environment, from tableware to small items of furniture. Some of the following plates are presently in production and available at various design stores or directly from Soop. Others are looking for production and distribution. All of them are imaginative and fun.

Plate is for Pea (earthenware with pea trick booklet, presently in production):



Above: A plate that actually encourages you to play with your food. Attempt tricks from the accompanying booklet and score as many points by flicking, rolling or even spitting peas into the numbered dimples.

Pretty Nasty (bone china, presently in production):






Above: A series of decorative plates with pretty floral patterns that, on closer inspection, are made up of nasty houseflies, beetles, slugs and snails.

Ready Meals (earthenware, in production):



Above: Ready Meals are seven 10" dinner plate designs, one for everyday of the week, with mix and match recipes (e.g. chips, beans and sausages, beans on toast etc). All you need to do is prepare, cook and place your food on the right outline to serve up a diner's delight.

Crumbs (biscuit tea plates made of bone china, presently in production):




A Diner's Delight (earthenware, seeking production):


Diner’s Delights are six plates with classic American recipes to try, (All American breakfast, hamburger and fries, T bone steak and fries, macaroni and cheese, Thanksgiving dinner and waffles and ice cream).


Contact info:
44 (0) 20 8995 7105
for any sales enquiries

Need To Sniff Out An Unusual Gift? Lucky Scent Is The Place.

If rare, chic and unusual scents for men and women are what you're looking for, you can stop searching. Lucky Scent's online store and Scent Bar in Los Angeles have everything you need. They have a huge selection of hard to find, exclusive scents and scented gifts.

From European fragrances for both men and women that are hard to find as well as bath and body products, candles, teas and other goods, you'll find them here. And if you don't want to spend a fortune (many are quite costly) they sell tons of samples as well. Here are a few examples of their unique offerings:

Stoned Candle and Stoned Perfume




Stoned, which boasts diamond dust as one of its ingredients, is a perfume unlike any other, truly a liquid jewel. Created for the acclaimed English jeweler Solange Azagury-Partridge by the renowned perfumer Lynn Harris, this is a striking, mysterious, fantastically smooth blend, as complex and multifaceted as the gems that inspired it. It starts with the top accord of honeyed citrus and heady flowers, rose and jasmine. The heart is dark and warm, with labdanum, treemoss and heliotrope creating a sumptuous, enveloping effect, which adds an incredibly attractive retro quality to the fragrance, making it reminiscent of the luxurious perfumes of the past. In the base, musk and vanilla showcase the duality of Stoned, its glamorous, arresting, at times animalistic side and its surprising, cozy comfort-scent feel. This is truly one of the most breathtaking scents we have encountered lately— it is as opulent and chic as the most fantastic couture gown, and yet there is warmth and softness about it, which feels like a loving touch, and which we find absolutely irresistible. ”One day every woman wakes up wanting diamonds”, believes Solange Azagury-Partridge. We believe that after smelling Stoned, every woman will want to own this beautiful scent housed in this gorgeous glass flacon. $285. Candle, $60.00

moslbuddjewchristhinda


A spiritual blend centered around sandalwood, MoslbuddJewChristHinDao is a perfect harmony of scents, each one carefully chosen to represent one of Earth's major religions. Fans of 10 Corso Como will delight in its familiar opening, a clean sandalwood/sweet wood combination that's both enchanting and spiritual. This cosmically in-tune fragrance unites all: Men and women, faithful and the unbelievers with its unisex— or unifaith— appeal. $300.00

Terracotta Carved Pebbles With Solid Scents


Carved and chiselled by a potter, the terracotta Amber Pebble contains an exclusive solid fragrance releasing the rich fragrance of Amber. Warm and intense, it will slowly waft through the air over a long period. The fragrance is carried through the air and is intensified by heat or humidity in the room. Available in three sizes. Presented in a black box lined with paper.

Dr. Vranjes Rosso Nobile Decanter and Room Scent


This Dr. Vranjes fragrance fills the home with the original fragrance of the essences of fine wine: a bottle to hold the precious fragrance of Rosso Nobile, an exclusive decanter to air the extraordinary fragrance, vines to spread its intense fragrance in an even more original way. The top notes are dominated by strawberry and blackberry, completed by citrus aroma; mildly fermented notes added to a bloom of violets and roses form the body with its intensely voluptuous character; delicate notes of the most notable tannins of wine complete the unique harmony of base notes. Pour the contents of the bottle in the decanter and stir the fragrance slowly to facilitate airing. $350.00

Auguste perfumes in hand painted porcelain decanters:



Auguste is a collection of fragrances inspired by ancient books, handwritten by one of the many Grasse perfumers between 1905-1920. These old books, grimoires, abound with recipes of perfumes of exceptional quality, elegance and unique character. The Auguste parfums are neither imitations nor pale reproductions, but original formulas. To respect the methods used at the dawn of modern perfumery, the company did not use filtrage or glaçage, and the result is the trio of perfumes that are memories of the olfactive spirit of a beautiful, long-gone epoch. Auguste is a true artisan creation; bottles are hand-poured, presented in hand-painted porcelain bottles with cork stopper, and available in very limited quantities.

Royal Creme by Winifred Wikkeling:


This paraben-free balm achieves its healing hydration through a rich blend of naturally sourced ingredients including shea butter, wheat protein, honey and lavender flower extract, in keeping with the Dutch respect for nature and the environment. Uniquely rich yet quickly absorbent, Royal Creme leaves the skin soft, radiant and supple – a feeling that lasts all day. $95.00

Tihota


Rapa Nui for sugar, Tihota is, quite simply, The One. The One that will call to you every moment you’re not smelling it, The One that you’ve only had hints of in other vanilla perfumes, The One that lasts and lasts, The One that has perfectly captured the essence of the pure nature of fresh vanilla beans and has harnessed it beyond your wildest dreams. It inspires obsessive devotion with its fragrance of smooth, vanilla bean pods dipped in honeyed water and left to steep. The result is the pure magic, an unbridled vanilla, sweet, raw and achingly desirable. Of course, Tihota isn’t the first perfume to focus on the dark sweetness of vanilla… perfumery is filled with vanillas, but this smells like the dream of a master perfumer who was obsessed with vanilla and was finally given free rein to worship the note with no apologies. It is, without a sliver of a doubt, the finest pure vanilla we’ve ever had the honor of carrying, and it’s so beautiful it pains us to put the bottle down.

And if you happen to live in the Los Angeles area, they've opened a scent bar where they encourage you to come, sit and sniff.






Scent Bar
8327 Beverly Blvd (map it)
Los Angeles CA 90048
323 782 8300

Or buy online here.

The Sensory Deprivation Skull & The Wellness Skull

The Sensory Deprivation Skull is a chamber of sorts in which you can sit and essentially cut yourself off from the world. Created in 2007 by Joep van Lieshout of Atelier Van Lieshout, it's comprised of reinforced fiberglass, measures 150 cm tall by 110 cm long and 137 cm wide and is available in a limited edition of 10.







Joep van Lieshout seems to have a thing for skulls; he also created the Wellness Skull in which a sauna is housed and several other sculptures based upon the human skull.



The Wellness Skull is an impressive large skull. Just like Wellness centers it has a few places to relax. In the neck of the skull is a small bath. The head of the Skull contains a sauna. When it is working the hot steam pears out of the eye sockets.




Joep van Lieshout about the Wellness Skull: “The heavenly power is the big unknown, the death of the hereafter, the skull of physical shell of the mind. The earthly power is a economical power, money plays an important role on our contemporary society. Gradually the faith loses all importance and is replaced by an alternative ‘self experience’, through travelling, sporting and wellness centres.


Joep van Lieshout was born in Ravenstein (The Netherlands, 1963). He lives and works in Rotterdam since 1987. Photo and copyright: Merlijn Doomerink

Atelier van Lieshout (AVL) was founded in 1995 by Joep van Lieshout. The name Atelier Van Lieshout emphasises the fact that the works of art do not stem solely from the creative brain of Joep van Lieshout, but are produced by a creative team.

Atelier Van Lieshout
Keilestraat 43e
3029 BP ROTTERDAM
The Netherlands
T: +31(0)10 244 09 71
F: +31(0)10 244 09 72
E-mail: info@ateliervanlieshout.com
Harbournummer 291

Mann Made: Bowls For Driade By Mann Singh

Mann Singh's silvered brass baskets designed for Driade incorporate nature-like elements of twigs, petals and open foliage shaped into vessels and containers. They combine inorganic materials with organic shapes to give off a kind of spiritual and mystical feeling. All this from a bowl. Cool, huh?

Here's the Shalemar collection:


Above: Chitai and Chitai II

Above: Kachnar I

Above: Kachnar II

Above: Kachnar III

Above: Muqarna

Above: Muqarna, top view

Above: Shamadan

Corbus Boards: Aluminum Shaped Boards For Skaters

Skate boarders now have tons of options out there when it comes to artsy decorated or painted decks. Wood or aluminum, silk screened, hand-painted and printed, there are thousands of very cool ones to choose from. But here's something a little new. These aluminum boards are cut, sanded and drilled, and are actually shaped into things like seahorses and skeletons. Corbus boards are hand crafted shaped aluminum skateboards by a guy named... well, Corbus.



In the designer's own words:

Skateboards have always been an extension of their owners — modified by their user both for style and ride-ability. At Corbusboards, I wanted to take this concept to the next level. To take skateboard design further than the graphics on the bottom of the board and the body beyond tradition. To me it was a logical next step to realize that the entire board could be created in a shape that would play into the style and expression of its rider. Not only is the board itself the design, but it is a fully functional, impressive to ride art objects.



Knowing that the classic wood structure was limited I turned to aluminum streamlining the design until I came up with sleek silhouettes at around the same weight of traditional long-boards — and just as ride-able. These custom boards are a completely original cross between a long-board and a short-board for a smooth cruising ride that is also focused on independent vision and comfort. These are not trick boards, but they are tricked.



When you choose to ride a Corbusboard, you are riding a one-of-a-kind, handcrafted board that shows the world you have unique style. We can custom create almost anything you can dream up . . . you ride your own expression, not just some redecorated, mass-produced object.

Taking what I’ve learned while making aluminum boards, I now plan to return to the idea of wood as the main material — but with my own twist. I will be focused on making stylish, hand-carved wood boards that are as unique as all of the current aluminum designs . . .

-Corbus

So, here are the aluminum boards he's created thus far:



This fish board measures 9" at its widest point, and 6" at its narrowest. It is 32" long. It comes with Seismic quick turn 45° trucks on the front, and Seismic stable turn 30° trucks on the back, abec 5 speed bearings, and 70mm soft urethane wheels. 62mm vented wheels are available as an option. And there are illuminated riser pads under the trucks to give the board an underglow effect at night. Additionally, you can choose between riser pads or lit wheels. Buy it here


This sea horse board measures 8-1/2" at its widest point, and 5" at its narrowest. It is 30"long. It comes with Seismic stable turn 30° trucks, abec 5 speed bearings, and 70mm soft urethane wheels. And there are illuminated riser pads under the trucks to give the board an underglow effect at night. Buy it here.



A peek at the process:






Visit the Corbusboards site here.

Purchasing of boards is now possible from each individual board's page.
Or contact them:
phone: 206.355.3062
mail: Box 2608 #185 2nd Ave, Seattle//WA 98121