Teabag lamp.
bryan thompson’s teabag lamp–charges with solar cell “tag” light inside aramid “bag”.
Price: $80 USD and link to the online store.
<a href="
about phil patton
Globe-trotter luggage.
centenary trolley suitcase.
If your favorite part of THE DARJEELING LIMITED was the custom made Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton luggage, then you may just want to return all your Christmas presents and cash in on the Centenary trolley suitcase. Shown above in Hermes orange with brown straps (and also available in red, shown below), the Centenary, like all the luggage from Globe-Trotter, is made entirely by hand with their trademarked Vulcan Fibre, “an incredibly durable material made of compressed layers of paper,” the same since its invention
in 1850.
Even the suitcases themselves are made in England on original Victorian machinery. Who knew a million layers of paper was more durable than leather? If you think that $1,580 is a lot to pay for a suitcase, well you’re right, but consider that other luggage series from Globe-Trotters are so pricey the number is too big to list online – you have to send an official inquiry.
producer: globe-trotter
Donate to a worthy charity: One laptop per child.
if the last time you raised your hand in mrs. murphy’s third grade classroom was a couple of decades ago, it’s hard to imagine the grade school experience with laptops playing just as vital a role as pencils and wide-ruled paper.
But imagine your day now. How many hours do you use your laptop? Just like the rest of the world, schools are becoming increasingly reliant on laptops, but as learning tools, not to YouTube the Double-Rainbow guy for the third time this week. Lots of schools around the world can hardly afford the roof over their heads, let alone laptops. That’s why One Laptop Per Child is an important, socially impactful charity that uses donations to get real results.
They even developed their own laptop, the XO “rugged, low-cost, low-power” laptop that’s easy to read outside for those schools that don’t have buildings to operate from. In countries where libraries are small and outdated, or, in some cases, nonexistent, access to the Internet is an invaluable resource for children who would otherwise have no contact with the world outside their own. Children in many developing nations are already becoming more educated than their parents’ generation, meaning they will be the first crop of young adults with the knowledge and ingenuity to pull their struggling economies out of a slump, and these laptops are the first step. All donations are accepted. $199 buys a laptop.
The urbanmover electric bike.
it’s no secret: i get excited about bikes.
From techie to old fashioned, my head turns at almost everything on two wheels that rolls by. But I’m really excited about this bike, the UrbanMover Electric Bike. For those who use their bikes for more than just errands or trips to the beach, there’s nothing like a little electrical boost to speed you along your commute to work, sweat free, because really, is there anything grosser than starting off the day with a body dripping wet and bound to reek?
What’s great about the UrbanMover is that it gives you the option to use to pedal power or switch to electric when you need an extra push on a hill or against heavy winds. The battery fully charges in just five hours and the bike folds up. If I’m using a lot of italics here it’s just so the awesomeness of this bike isn’t lost on anyone. Folding bikes have been looked down in the past, but that’s because they used to be lame excuses for bikes whose primary function was their ability to become small. In the city, having an obviously expensive bike that you don’t have to leave locked up outside and can take with you indoors, on an elevator, into any office building, is priceless. The UrbanMover, however, does have a price, but it’s lower now, $1,099 (normally $1,699), plus a $400 battery pack. Available at Real Goods.
a new icon in watches.
for some people watches are a status symbol – the bigger and blingier the better.
For others they merely tell the time. We’re not concerned with either group, only with those who consider a watch like any other design element in their life, as something that’s functional but also interesting, designed to make life both easier and better. For those people there is & Design, a Japanese studio with four bold watches, the Pentagon, the Hexagon, the Icon and the LED. Let all those who can’t read time without a little help (like actual numbers on a watch face) be warned. These timepieces are stripped away of all extraneous information and rely on simple geometric shapes and basic yet striking color combinations. The first one to grab my eye was the Icon, which, with “a nod to the era of 8-bit computer graphics” has a face like an old Mac icon. The Hexagon and Pentagon take similar design cues, and the LED rounds out the bunch with a pop of color. ($75, at the MoMA store)
designer: & design
Ping pong like a pro.
handcrafted with wooden legs and a ceramic chalk surface, this ain’t your average rec room ping-pong table.
Made for PUMA by aruliden, a firm that approaches branding through product design, the “Chalk Table” aims to enhance the playful side of the highly competitive sports industry and to bring about a different kind of athlete. Here, they explain what they mean.
“When did sports become so serious? When did being an athlete require you to sacrifice your life? Shouldn’t playing a sport actually involve playing? Let’s bring back the social aspects of sports. Capturing joyful, active moments of life for a different kind of athlete: The After Hours Athlete.”
The chalk surface adds a fun element, allowing players to map out ideal moves or leave threatening notes to their competitors, and the under table storage is one of those amazingly simple, why-didn’t-I-think-of-that-first design solutions. The equipment is stowed away in protective cases with simple, magnetic closures to prevent weathering and runaway ping-pong balls. Game on! ($4,750)
The bust of moliere.
whether you love molière, want to look like you love molière or just appreciate a nice mustache, this bust of the famous french playwright is the finishing touch your grand library needs.
This isn’t just some trendy take on antique sculpture, this is the real deal. First created in biscuit porcelain (aka white unglazed porcelain) in 1899 at the Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres, this bust is actually classified historic. The Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres was founded by Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson (better known as the Marquise de Pompadour, mistress of King Louis XV of France) in 1740 in Vincennes, moving to the town of Sèvres in 1756. Widely known as a patron of the arts and literature, this unusually powerful, practical, and accomplished eighteenth century woman also planned the building of the Petit Trianon at Versailles, as well as the nation’s respected Ecole Militaire.
Since then, the porcelain foundry has produced a number of magnificent works, but not all of them are available for purchase online. Get your 18″ Molière for $12,500 and show the world you know a legacy of human accomplishment when you see one.
Copper shade suspension light.
a disco ball for a new generation.
Tom Dixon has an impressive portfolio of product design, but his Copper Shade suspension light is the simplest, the chicest and (according to me, anyway) the best. I’ve seen them clustered in groups but they really shine brightest on their own. Imagine this single reflective orb hanging over a dining room table. After finding out how its made, though, I don’t know what’s more fascinating, the production process or the end result. What looks like solid copper is actually a plastic dome coated with a film of “vacuum-metalized” copper only microns thick. The copper is converted into a vapor and then deposited on the inside of the plastic, making it lightweight and safe and easy to hang as well as an envy-inducing statement piece. available at Moss.($550)
designer: tom dixon
Ultimate ears earbuds.
click > enlarge
there are ear phones and then there are ear phones, as in ear buds that are sculpted to fit the minute specifications of your ear, providing unparalleled fit, comfort and sound quality.
That’s what Ultimate Ears has specialized in since 1995, when their products were available only to professional musicians who swore by their UE ear phones for live performances. They not only protect the musician’s hearing onstage, but the customized micro-speakers fitted specially for their ears ensures crystal clear feedback. Five years ago UE developed a series of consumer models for all us who aren’t in touring rock bands. The universal fit ranges from $20-$400, but a customized pair – the ultimate Ultimate Ear experience – will cost you upwards of $999. Buy one for someone who’s been extra nice this year, or buy a pair for yourself and receive a free Portable iPod Dock ($100) for your friend.
producer: ultimate ears
The hobie mirage revolution kayak.
this isn’t your kids camp kayak.
The 2011 model of the Hobie Mirage Revolution Kayak is for serious water sportsmen (and women) only. Just what makes it so special? The Hobie Mirage combines the best elements of Austin Kayak’s three other models, meaning it’s fast, rugged and boasts exceptional maneuverability. And don’t forget: it’s propelled by MirageDrive with two underwater flippers. Yeah, that’s right: twin flippers. When was the last time you saw that on a kayak? Certainly not at some hotel rental shack. This thing is not for tourists. At the same time, you don’t have to be a kayak aficionado to use it. It’s easy to use and it’s so sturdy (none of that tipping side to side) you can even fish in it. People who own it call it their second home, and while it’s certainly equipped with enough storage space to keep food, clothes and your toothbrush, we recommend it for recreational use only. ($1,799)
producer: hobiecat