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ACME Eyeglass Cases

Published by designy things

The Talmadge case by Sue Wong.

ACME Studio, a Hawaiian company famous for their colorful pens, card cases, and other accessories, has introduced a fun new line of eyeglass cases designed by artists, designers, and architects, including designs inspired by the work of Frank Lloyd Wright and Antoni Guadi. My favorites are the X-Ray design by Ben Hall, featuring drawings from vintage advertisements, and the clever Eye Chart case designed by Adrian Olabuenaga. Other designs in the collection include pieces by Debora Jedwab, Constantin Boym, and Arik Levy, among others. The cases are $35 each and are available through Design Mafia.

The Blueprint case by Constantin Boym instructs you to “Open Here”.

The Eye Chart case designed by Adrian Olabuenaga has a Italian flair to it.

The Imperial Hotel case inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s now demolished hotel in Tokyo (built 1915-1923).

The Mosaic case is inspired by Antoni Gaudi’s famous tile work.

The X-Ray case designed by Ben Hall recalls vintage ads for “X-Ray Specs” seen in the back pages of magazines.

The X-Ray case designed by Ben Hall recalls vintage ads for “X-Ray Specs” seen in the back pages of magazines.

Coffee Beer Bottle Design

Published by designy things

Coffee Beer is a collaboration between Anchor Coffee in Kesennuma, a small city in Northern Japan, and the Japanese sake and beer brewery Sekinoichi in Ichinoseki. The beer, which is brewed with coffee beans, is a charity project to raise money for the 2011 earthquake and tsunami (both Sekinoichi and Ichinoseki were devastated during the tragedy). Nendo reused existing beer bottles in order to keep costs low, and covered them with small labels in the shape of coffee beans. As the labels are applied by hand, each bottle is unique, a trait that Japanese consumers will most likely find even more desirable. If you’d like to order some craft beer while supporting a good cause, here is the link.

Photos by Hiroshi Iwaski

Orange Peel Jewelry

Published by designy things

One of my favorite new jewelry finds from this winter’s New York Gift Show was the Calamarie Orange Peel Collection. These handcrafted “roses” start out as orange peels that are collected from street juice vendors and thoroughly cleaned before undergoing a lengthy sun-drying, shaping, and dyeing process. The pieces, which retain a mild scent of orange, are designed in the U.S. and handmade in Colombia by dozens of gifted women artisans across the country. Other collections from Calamarie include jewelry designs made of hand-painted seeds, woven metalwork, and discarded silk worm cocoons.

Calamarie founder Catalina Lemaitre travels to Colombia three times a year to work with the artisans, develop new designs, and oversee production. Lemaitre was inspired to create the collection out of an interest in the environment, the economic development and empowerment of women, and the preservation of traditional art forms. The company gives back in other ways as well. “We also develop alliances with artisan coops and foundations to design and develop custom products that support educational and arts programs for children in Colombia as well as other important causes around the world,” adds Lemaitre.

Andrew Myers: Screw Artist

Published by designy things

By combining ordinary screws and oil paint, Andrew Myers creates stunning portraits and graphic art pieces. To create the work, Myers will first draw the image on a board that he will then precisely pre-drill with holes. He then carefully drills each screw to the right height in order to get the desired 3D effect. Finally, he finishes the background (using materials like vintage newspaper or phone book listings, for instance) and paints each screw using a pointillist technique.

Each piece contains thousands of screws, making the work both time-consuming and physically demanding (the pieces range from $10,000 to $50,000). Myers, who draws inspiration from his everyday life for his art, says that he’s used over 200,000 screws to date, with more commissions coming. Why screws? “I am always thinking of new mediums to use, but haven’t gotten the same effect as with the screws,” he says. “I believe there is a lot more that can be done with screws and I am still learning.” http://andrewmyersart.com/

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Kohler Original Recipe Chocolate Eggs

Published by designy things

One of the best kept secrets about plumbing giant Kohler Co. is that in addition to making toilets, showers, and tubs out of Kohler, Wisconsin, the company also makes incredible handmade chocolates. Available for a limited time, these speckled eggs come in milk and dark chocolate with ganache centers infused with flavors like cognac, strawberries and cream, and peanut butter. If you aren’t near Kohler’s Craverie Chocolatier Cafe don’t worry, you can also order the eggs online. $29.95 for a 9 piece set; $15.95 for a four piece set.

Charley Harper by Motawi

Published by designy things

If you are desperate for signs of Spring, then take a look at this new line of hand-crafted glazed art tile from Motawi Tileworks in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Based on the work of wildlife artist Charley Harper (1922-2007), the line includes 11 designs including ladybugs, cardinals, rabbits, and other creatures that inspired Harper, who was an American minimal realist artist whose vibrant depictions of the natural world have illustrated books, posters, and magazines. The tiles range from $32 to $86 each and come in 4” x 4”, 4” x 8”, 6” x 8”, and 6” x 6” sizes.