All posts filed under: Things for Decorating

Libratone Speakers

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Libratone is a Copenhagen-based audio company that offers line of speakers that blend wireless, hi-fi technology with a modern Scandinavian design. Introduced to the U.S. market last November, the speakers’ AirPlay connection gives you the freedom to move from room to room with your entire music library in the palm of your hand; an app streams audio wirelessly from iOS devices and Macs/PCs. According to the manufacturer: Libratone Live and Lounge … play like acoustic instruments, dispersing sound waves in multiple directions, reflecting them off the walls. This eliminates the sweet spot and gives you a 360° sound experience. To get a bit more technical, inside the cabinets there are five units each driven by dedicated audiophile amplifiers and each dedicated to spreading sound in a specific direction. This setup means that the system both spreads the sound and encapsulates you in it.   The collection features exclusive materials including a satin chrome handle, a wood body, a high-end piano finish, and Italian cashmere wool. A speaker made of cashmere wool? Sounds lovely. Available at select …

The Sky Scratcher

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This cleverly named piece of feline furniture is the creation of Portland, Oregon–based Mike Estes. Even the snobbiest cat on the block (oh, you know who you are Mr. Jingles) will be impressed by the Sky Scratcher, a 37”-high cat scratching post made from more than 125 recycled corrugated cardboard die-cut pads and a FSC-certified bamboo plywood base and center pole. Each cardboard pad is removable from the center post, allowing you to replace and recycle pads that wear out. Estes is currently raising funding at Kickstarter to be able to bring the product to market and only has one week left to meet his goal of $7000. Check out his site and see if his pledge gifts (organic cat nip oil,  screen printed t-shirts) entice you to make a donation. Good luck Mike!

Fruity Fruit Basket

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Fruity is a new fruit bowl designed by Charlotte Arvidsson for the Danish design company Normann Copenhagen. Arvidsson, a graduate design student in Sweden, has designed Fruity to arrive flat and be easily assembled and disassembled (it can be freestanding or suspended). Made of plywood, Fruity is inspired by the rings of water that form around a raindrop. Its open structure makes it easier for you to keep an eye on how fresh your produce is — from all angles. $26.00 USD.

Lucy the Crocodile

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Available exclusively through Design Within Reach, Lucy the Crocodile is the latest design from David Weeks Studio for the New York City-based design company Areaware. Joining a wooden toy menagerie including Ursa the Bear, Hanno the Gorilla, Simus the Rhino, Hattie the Elephant, and Victor the Wild Boar, Lucy is a 20″ long crocodile with moveable limbs and a jaw that opens and closes. Made with sustainably harvested beech wood, Lucy’s elastic held “muscles”allow her solid wood frame to be positioned in numerous poses. “The crocodile seemed like a good step after the wild boar,” explains Weeks. “I’ve wanted to imbue them with an energy that toys of this genre are usually missing [while] at the same time avoiding painting graphic comic book style faces on them to make it easier to decipher their personality.” Was creating the crocodile more difficult than the others? “Each animal has had its own set of challenges,” says Weeks. “For Lucy, I wanted the mouth to snap close. I imagined the elastic band starting under the chin from the very beginning …

Cardboard Christmas Trees

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As I’m heading to London next month, I’m excited to learn that London’s Design Museum has commissioned former Designer in Residence Giles Miller to design a custom six meter tall cardboard Christmas tree, possibly the tallest in the world, to hang in the museum’s public atrium. Going up on December 2nd, the tree is made of 3,600 individually cut and handmade pieces, resulting in a swirl of three fans of card that will cascade in a spiral like form. It will be adorned with woodland animals, including foxes and squirrels designed by illustrator Daniel Heath. Miller has also produced a range of smaller cardboard Christmas trees, shown here, which will be sold exclusively at the Design Museum Shop. The limited edition trees will sell for £25 (small) and £40 (medium).

Animal Boxes

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These hinged Animal Boxes by American designer Karl Zahn for Areaware can work as a toy, treasure box, sculpture, or lucky charm. Made from sustainably harvested, new-growth Beech wood, the line includes a Bull, Rhino, Whale, Llama, Walrus, and Polar Bear to represent “power animals” or totems. Native American, Chinese, and other cultures associate certain animals with symbolic meaning; one could represent wisdom or creativity, for example. As a working mother, I’m going to go with the llama, as they are beasts of burden known for their endurance. Available in the U.K. from the British design house SCP  and in the U.S. through Areaware.