Chicago reminds everyone that the city embraces the bicycle as evidenced in new bike lanes seen behind the Merchandise Mart. The lanes promote bikes and bike safety. Here are five well-designed bike safety products you should put on your gift list.





Feel dorky wearing a bicycle helmet? Nutcase creates an aesthetically dis-pleasing, strictly utilitarian experience. Helmets seemed made to be ripped off as soon as possible. [ nutcase ]





Vespertine Cinch Belts offer a subtle pattern of intertwining diamonds wraps around the extremely reflective ANSI approved material of the Cinch Belts. They even reflect in the rain! [ vespertinenyc ]





Bookman bicycle lights. Stylish, luminous and pocket-sized. A slim, detachable bike light from Bookman, a Stockholm based company that makes accessories for bikes and people on bikes. [ bookman ]





Fibre Flare™  is a portable self-contained flexible solid core side emitting fibre optic element interposed between two electronic housing ends. Inside each of the housing ends is a single high intensity LED. Water resistant silicone outer housing. Powered by 2 x ‘AAA’ batteries. [ fibreflare ]

Ok, you’ve made yourself safer. What about your bike? The innovation for all cyclists, whether hobby cyclists or pros protects two-wheels with a high theft risk using this foldable lock. [ abus bordo granit x-plus ]

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The mission of 31 bits is to use “fashion and design to empower women to rise above poverty. By giving our beneficiaries access to the international market, they are able to earn an instant income, providing homes, food, and education for their families. Our program equips women by providing literacy education, financial and vocational training, holistic care, and strong support systems, empowering individuals to further their careers and attain social equity.”

Learn more about the designers and see all the collections on their website.

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“Sensu is two very useful tools in one. A brush and a stylus for capacitive devices like the iPad and iPhone. The rubber stylus is exposed when the brush is closed. This stylus is great for sketching and writing or as a general navigation tool. Grasp Sensu near the nib section and pull it out of the protective cap. You will reveal the capacitive bristles of the artist brush. Insert the rubber stylus into the cap and the cap becomes a handle for your brush.”

Artist Hardware funded Sensu with a successful Kickstarter campaign, and now, six months after it ended, they’ve finished production on the brush and have begun sending them out to backers. The reviews are starting to come in, and so far they’re all positive.

“We were really impressed by the way the Sensu Brush works as a stylus or pointing device. The chrome-plated brass body feels light but stable in hand. The length of the stylus means it fits perfectly in the crook of our hands between thumb and index finger when used in pen/pointer mode. The smooth sculpted shape of the stylus body/brush cover is simply lovely. We felt it was one of the most natural and balanced styli we have used. It seems just about perfect for long sessions writing, sketching, or painting. Of course, everyone’s hands are different, but we think the Sensu is spot-on as a stylus.” -ipadcreative

It won’t be on sale until May 25, which – yes – falls after Mother’s Day, but nothing says Mother’s Day nostalgia like an I.O.U. gift. But this time you’ll actually deliver, right?

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They’re a lot softer than Legos, which means it won’t hurt as much when you accidentally step on one, but The Wall Street Journal points out that since they’re softer and don’t snap together as tightly as Legos, they’re “less than ideal for making lightsabers.” And since the blocks do actually smell like coffee and tea, they’re probably better suited for the big kids out there. I can’t be the only who never outgrew her Legos, right?

You buy them from the Guggenheim online, $30 for 50 blocks.

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Your brain may say more form than function but not as much as you might imagine. And the weight and material feel quite appropriate. The mismatch may be the highly philosophical Fionacci sequence with it’s base of the average hand width that determines the knives proportions and the name of these knives: the Meeting Knives. Suggested retail is $1,250 for the set of four though $750 online. You are paying for precision as the knives fit perfectly together. Not surprising that Yves Béhar, designer of the Herman Miller Sayl, a least materials design solution, put a set of these knives on his holiday gift list. The design won the European Design Award for Cutlery Creation. [ designapplause objects ]

designer: mia schamallenbach
producer: deglon
material: stainless steel, teflon

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According to Antrobus, “each object is formed from a single length of 4000 Series Stainless Steel. First, a common tool is used to twist sections of each rectangular blank 180 degrees. A single twist forms a handle for the corkscrew and two opposing twists at the apex of the handle add the functional characteristic of the bottle opener. After twisting the blanks are taken to a fly press where radial bends are added. Once complete and correctly aligned the form of each object is secured with the application of a single precise weld, the weld is ground flush, before the objects are brushed to a matt finish.”

The Ground Barware collection stemmed from a stationery set he worked on while studying at Kingston University. The project aimed to find a domestic application for products made by the British steel industry so Antrobus could keep his entire design process local, from materials and fabrication to production. Like anyone with even half a conscience I’m a sucker for anything with a small carbon footprint, but since I’ve got Mad Men on my mind (series premiere is this Sunday night!) I can’t help but think Don Draper would most definitely have these matte steel babies in his office bar. I’ll drink to that!

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Today I discovered Public bikes, a light-weight beach cruiser-style bike. It’s about a year too late for me, but if you’re inclined to cruise these easy-shifting, seven-speeders are super affordable. Normally they’re $595, but for another week ( SALE ENDS 3/21 ) you can knock $100 off the normal retail price – just in time for the warm spell that’s sweeping the East coast.

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“We are driven by the romantic notion that a designer invents products aimed at making the world a better place. Our whisk is simple and sculpturesque in form and function and we have made it as space-saving as possible without compromising on the design.”

Beater comes in eight colors: white, grey, light blue, nude, lavender, pink, mint and dark blue.

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I’ve noticed a trend towards brighter, almost childlike accessories for designers in the last few years. Go to any design conference and you can’t help but notice the sea of black and white clothing is punctuated by glasses and watches that are not only unique, they scream I AM UNIQUE from across the room. Pink lucite glasses and a watch made from neon rubber are the designer’s calling card. Not that there’s anything wrong with that – bring on the fun eyewear! And, from Alessi, the fun wrist wear. [ alessi watches ] [ alessi shop ]


al2400 neko series by sanaa


al22000 daytimer watch by will alsop & fredrico grazzini



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