The Chilean design studio bravo! combines local Legna wood, copper, and bronze to create a line of elegant handcrafted accessories, including coat hooks, candlestick holders, and containers. In addition to their product design work, the Santiago-based studio also designs architectural interiors. I like how a grouping of mushroom-capped coat hooks, made of wood and bronze, transforms a wall into an art installation. All images courtesy bravo!
Why do I love the work of British designer Kirsty Thomas? It’s not just because she’s promised to take me out for fish and chips next time I’m in Scotland. I first fell for the copper- and formica-accented line of handcrafted jewelry—not to mention her copper-foil adorned cards and notebooks—when I spotted the display of her design studio Lovely Pigeon at the designjunction expo during last September’s London Design Festival. Thomas is a print maker, jeweler, illustrator, and “occasional shopkeeper” who works out of an old net loft in Cellardyke, a fishing village on the East coast of Scotland. I asked Thomas about her use of copper, which was a strong trend at the festival. Why do you use so much copper in your work? I love the copper/brass trend that has emerged recently. The softer, warmer tones of copper, bronze, and brass add a bit of bling and glamour without being ostentatious or showy. I also think warm metallics have a heritage feel and using them in their raw state has a truth and simplicity that you …
During last month’s London Design Festival, the folks from Atta Creative displayed these lovely tea bags as part of a collaborative of Korean designers. The T-Point tells you when your water is at the proper temperature for brewing through color changes of the leaf that is produced by thermocolor printing. Just pop a leaf out of the container and hold it above the cup to see if it’s ready. Teapop Travel bags have paper cut-outs of famous icons to create souvenir tea bags. Finally, Tea for Two is an engagement ring shaped handle that would be a perfect favor for bridal showers, engagement parties, or just for the bride and groom to use on their special day.
According to a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 43% of American adults drink less than four cups of water a day. A shocking 7% drink none. So is the H20 Pal water bottle from EQUA the solution to our dehydration problem? Made of a laboratory grade borosilicate glass bottle and a stainless steel cap, H20 Pal uses an accelerometer and weight sensor in the detachable base, along with an App, to help you keep track of how much water you are consuming. While the bottle itself is not complicated to use, you do have to log into the password-protected app in order to track your water consumption. The App also lets you know when you are properly hydrated, when you last filled your bottle, when you last took a sip, and allows you to compare how much your friends are drinking. So is this the solution for a thirsty nation or an overly convoluted drinking container? Check out the designer’s Kickstarter page and let me know what you think.
I never promote my own projects on this blog, but I think that I have a good reason to with the launch of my second product design blog Architects Toybox. While designythings will continue to be a curated list of gifts, gadgets, and gear, Architects Toybox will be a resource for architects, designers, and consumers looking for the latest architectural building product news — from lighting fixtures to plumbing fixtures. I plan to update the site a few times a week and will covering the latest products from around the world. Recent posts include a review of a new coffee table book full of inspiring tree house designs, a prototype for a flying cleaning robot, and an LED light from 3M that uses reflective film technology to can stretch the light from a single LED to multiple fixtures. Check it out if you get a moment, and don’t forget to sign up for the email list to keep up with the latest news.
I met Vanessa Redondo during the London Design Festival, where she was displaying her Memories collection of ceramic building-shaped USB sticks. Redondo, an architect and designer, was born in Caracas, Venezuela and currently lives in Madrid. She began her career as an architect and graduated from the Central University of Venezuela in 2010, after which she studied photography and design at the Instituto Europeo di Design (IED) in Spain. Inspired by the city of Caracas, her Memories collection of USB sticks are an amalgamation of her studies. The green and cream ceramic pieces mimic skyscrapers and small buildings to form a little cityscape on the wooden base. The concept, says Redondo, is to be able to organize important life events and keep them within reach. “Nowadays we’ve become more digital…we load information in computers and are no longer aware of it, we accumulate for no reason,” she writes. Her collection of USB memory sticks are an attempt to bring value back to this common digital storage tool. “In the end…it has become a delicate piece with …
