All posts tagged: London

Kukka Custom Mirror

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Designer Rona Meyuchas-Koblenz was commissioned by London-based Kukka Studio to design make-up mirrors for the mid-century Modern interiors of the new Bankside Hotel that opened late last year on London’s South Bank. The mirror is made of CNC-milled premium crystal with a base of Ceasarstone’s Pebble natural rock-inspied design in a cool gray shade with subtle darker accents. 200 mirrors were ordered to finish the 161 rooms which include seven suites. The designer chose Ceasarstone because the company encourages up-cycling offcuts wherever possible. “The offcuts from the kitchen fabrication industry mostly come in smaller sizes, therefore I found it logical to find a new way to use these pieces,” says Koblenz. Since the Ceaserstone base is heavy enough to hold the mirror in place, there is no need for adhesives or mechanical fittings. It simply sits securely inside the slot.   Images @Uri Grun Courtesy Kukka Studio. Photos in situ by Merilin kook.

Sun and Moon Miyamoto Watch by Mr Jones Watches

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London-based Mr Jones Watches has launched their latest unusual timepiece, and this one will appeal to the old-school gamers out there. Named after the designer of the Super Mario video games, Shigeru Miyamoto, The Sun and Moon Miyamoto Watch features graphics inspired by the cartoon landscape of the world of Mario that many of us know only too well. Printed and assembled by hand in the watchmaker’s London workshop, the watch is produced in an edition of 100 pieces with each one numbered on the back of the case. The case is made of brushed stainless steel and the strap is navy and grey leather with pink stitching. “Sun and Moon” watches were first produced in England in the late 1600s during a period of experimentation with ways to represent the time. The position of the sun or moon in the crescent-shaped sky indicates the hours. As the hour disc rotates, the landscape changes from day to night. The minutes and seconds are displayed in the center dial and these run in the conventional way, so each …

Studio Visit: Black + Blum

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It was a bit ironic that my first visit to the London studio of Black + Blum was during the summer edition of the New York International Gift Fair. It was during that show several years ago where I first encountered the company’s quirky, functional gadgets. During a trip to London in August, I sat down with Martin Blum at the Black + Blum studio/shop located in the OXO Tower on the south bank of the Thames. Blum was holding down the fort at home while his business partner Dan Black introduced new products at the Javits Center in New York. Blum and Black first met when they were design students at Newcastle University. After working well together on a few group projects, “we realized that we had something going,” says Blum. “It’s quite rare to find someone you can work well with.”  A few years after school the two got together and started a firm in 1998. After operating as a design consultancy for two years, they had a literal “lightbulb” moment after designing …

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).