Animate Your Christmas With 2009 Alessi Figurines

This is the third year that designer Massimo Giacon has designed sweet little magical Christmas porcelain figurines for Alessi. With some additions to the line and some changes (e.g. the nativity scene went from white to red and has individuals characters you can add), they are still one of the cutest ways to add some whimsy to your holiday.

All the figures are made of white porcelain and subsequently decorated by hand, occasionally with the help of decalcomania. Their sizes match those in the previous collection, so if you already own some, these will fit right in!



Here's the new Alessi figurines for 2009, plus a candy dish and 2 new plates:

New Nativity:

3 Wise Men, Salvatore, la signora Acqua and 2 sheep:

The Hugging Tree:

The Christmas Hug Plates:


The candy dish/pastry plate:


The Alessi Christmas collection from 2008:





And the Alessi original Christmas Collection from 2007:





Buy any or all of them here at Unica Home (as long as they are still available!)

Come Rain Or Shine, Here's Fun Design. Color Changing Umbrellas From Squid London

Viviane Jaeger and Emma-Jayne Parkes of Squid London have designed a line of umbrellas made with a special white ink that turns colored when exposed to water. These umbrellas (or Squidellas) make a piece of art out of a utilitarian product that makes walking in the rain a sort of performance art.



They now have four different umbrellas; the iconic London Skyline one, one commissioned exclusively for the Tate, one whose proceeds benefitted a charity), and the final one for Suck UK.

Here's a video of them in action:


The Bird Squit, London Skyline, Squidarella (Paint Drips) and Clouds each retails for £25 ($42.00 USD) and all are sold at different places (but I have the links for you to buy each here in this post).



1. Color-Changing Bird Squit Umbrella:A portion of whose proceeds go to support ChildReach International, a UK charity aimed at fighting child poverty in developing countries

Bird Squit (dry):

Bird Squit (wet):


buy it here.

2. Color Changing London Skyline Umbrella:
London Skyline (dry):

London Skyline (wet):


buy it here


3. Color-Changing Paint Drip Umbrella:
made exclusively for the Tate museum

Paint Drip (dry):

Paint Drip (wet):

buy it here.

4. Color-Changing Clouds Umbrella:




buy it here.

Squid London

Hate the rain? Then this might be a better umbrella for you:
Art Lebedev's'Fuck The Rain' Umbrella

Karim Rashid's Exclusive Beds For Hollandia: Sphere & Glow

Hollandia International has partnered with one of the most progressive and acclaimed designers in the world, Karim Rashid, a leading figure in the fields of product, interior, fashion, furniture, lighting design and art.

The world-renowned designer, who has already designed tons of other modern beds, furniture, tech, package design, lighting, dishes... well, basically everything you can think of, created two beds for the industry lauded Israeli mattress and sleep system company; The Sphere bed and The Glow bed.


The Sphere Bed:




The Sphere brings a whole new dimension to experiential bedroom living. Recently unveiled in Moscow to rave and exciting reviews, this custom-made bed not only features the exclusive Hollandia advanced sleep system amenities of plush comfort, adjustability and soothing massage, but also includes:

• 32" Colored Television (Theater System is optional)
• Covered LED Florescent canopy-top lights
• Outside back vanity mirror
• Champagne holder
• Color and fabric of choice

price? $50,000.00

The Glow Bed:









Combining form and function, Rashid’s forward-looking design entices the imagination. With clean lines and a creative choice of materials, this is a bed for the 21st century.

• High gloss finish available in four colors
• Sleek, modern and compact design
• Drawers for storage under bed and in headboard
• Cabinet doors in headboard that swing out to create side tables

Other high-end sleep systems from Hollandia include the following:

The Groove:

The Elite:

The Executive:


Visit Hollandia to learn more.

Molly-Meg. Modern Design and Hip Furniture For Children.

Molly-Meg of the UK is a company that is dedicated to bringing the best of 20th century and present design into the world of children. They specialize in modern iconic and vintage furnishings in scaled down sizes, for the hippest of children and their design-loving parents.


above: amongst their offerings are child-sized Rietveld and Bertoia chairs.

The majority of the products are chairs, ranging from classic vintage Danish wood furnishings to mid-century molded fiberglass chairs. Scouring the globe for hard to locate items and furnishings ranging from the 1950s to the present, they also carry classic and vintage toys and various design objects and decor.

Here are some of their presently stocked items at the time this post was written:







Visit Molly-Meg, Design for Children to see more items and learn about their shipping policies.

There are other companies producing new miniature and scaled down versions of design classics, check out

Mature Style For Your Mini Me: Modern Furniture Design Classics for Kids