Tuesday, February 24, 2009

A sneak peek inside Droog's new New York store (PICS)


Droog is an amazing design collective from Amsterdam that's officially opening a New York store on Friday, Feb. 26, at 76 Greene St. We got a sneak peek inside the store this morning, as well as a tour by Droog co-founder Renny Ramakers, who explained that the store "breaks the norm" for Soho design stores. A bold statement! But one she backed up by explaining that the store blurs the line between architecture and furniture with a display aesthetic that eschews white walls in favor of a handmade, evolving design where literally everything you see is for sale...not just the usual merchandise, but the displays as well. Here are some pics from the store, which was still under construction when we visited:


























Sunday, February 22, 2009

A rug, a skull and some orange denim look...pretty good together, actually


I haven't seen this one in person yet but I love the pictures of the Miniskull rug. It blends cheerful colors and designs with a laid-back fabric and a fairly traditional skull and crossbones shape in a way that works shockingly well. Oddly enough the black version doesn't quite go together in my opinion, even though I tend to think of black as a more skull-like color than orange. These are custom made in limited editions of 50, but there was no price listed.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Porcelain piggy bank you need to "cut here to open"


Ionna Vautrin combined the conventions of paper and the elegance of porcelain to create this gorgeous Pour Ma Retraite... piggy bank. (Translated that means "For my retirement...") To get your money out you need to crack Pour Ma Retraite open along the pre-cut edge, which ingeniously mimics the perforations from innumerable paper products. To buy this you'll need to crack open your old piggy bank and find €49.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Kenny lamp is made out of knitted wool...sort of


It doesn't say so on his site but David Taylor's Kenny lamp almost certainly has to be an homage to Kenny of South Park. The light is sheathed in knitted wool which makes it look like the bulb is wearing a little parka hood, just like Kenny of South Park fame. It's an interesting effect and one that makes Kenny stand out among the table lights of the world. And I mean that in a good way. It also makes Kenny a little anthropomorphic. I'd swear he's looking at me...

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Table subconciously mimics the effects of daylight


Designer Daniel Rybakken created a seemingly simple table that produces an ingenious effect via a hidden light, which you might be able to figure out from its name: Subconscious Effect of Daylight. The light under the table top projects an image below it that mimics the shadow sunlight might make streaming though a window. So if you have a room that feels dark and enclosed, here's your solution for making it feel bright, open and airy. This is just a prototype right now, but hopefully Daniel will find a producer soon.