Normal Studio, the almighty!

I think our CLI intern has mentioned Normal Studio before on this site, but in case she hasn't, please check out this amazing company/studio.  They have truly amazing design, and a neat story behind the company's origin.  Drool.  I wish their lamp was adaptable for US electric requirements.  
http://www.normalstudio.fr/

One of the best things in the world...from IKEA

Notes from the CLI Intern: Maybe about 2 years ago, someone "accidentally" broke the dryer machine in our house. I don't know who it was, and though I was peeved for a while, this actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Why? Because if this hadn't happened, I never would've looked for the FROST drying rack from IKEA. Not only does it save energy, money and back-breaking word of unloading a dryer machine, it actually makes your clothes last longer as well! You can even dry giant blankets on it! FROST is soo wonderful that I've decided to write a poem in its honor:

The shirt I wore last night
How the smoke-filled bar left it pungent
with carcinogenic odors and residues!
And those socks that got wet from the unduly
Tireless rain, pounding through my non-waterproof shoes
The favorite pair of trousers with the mint chocolate chip ice cream smudge
Oh! How the laundry ills pains me so
So much so that I yearn for a respite from it all
And then comes frost FROST!
 With its sturdy legs and arms
You are the hero of my day!

Find it here: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50095091/

A really cool video from Droog

In honor of actual cheese....Grand Ewe Sheep Gouda!

We are CLI have not discussed cheese for some time. To remedy that, we have a nice story from one of our illustrious interns: The other day I was at the store and accidentally bought the wrong kind of cheese. But like all serendipitous accidents, this one has turned out to be a true blessing. For how often is it that one craves and yearns for just a tiny sliver of a delicious goat cheese from Holland? Not often! My friends, I bring you Grand Ewe Gouda! It is light yet crunchy, sweet yet salty, and of course beautiful yet understated. I imagine it would go quite well with a nice baguette and some organic honey. Perhaps a blueberry honey? You be the judge. I am soo thankful to the sheep of Holland (or the Netherlands if you prefer) for giving us such a delicious treat! CLI Intern

Scandi Standi

II haven't seen anything noteworthy lately until today when I stumbled upon Scandi Standi by Daniel Schofield! The bench is made out of only one piece of FSC birch ply. And it has space to hang your coats or bags, and also a small little drawer for maybe socks or magazines or other stuff. I like it very much. Well done, indeed, Daniel!

Catch Cabinet

"Wow" is all I can say right now. I love the Catch Cabinet by Todd McCollister! I believe Todd is a Brooklyn-based designer, and he is quite talented. The Catch is customizable and you can choose any colors you like. Well done, Todd!

http://www.mccollister.com/todd/Catch_Cabinet.htm

Prouve and G-Star!!!

I could not believe my eyes when I checked on the Vitra website for something (I can't remember what) and saw this new Vitra/G-Star Raw collection based on and in collaboration with Jean Prouve classics (and his estate, run by his daughter)! WTH!! I think this version of the Standard chair will cost over $2,500, and it's a limited edition that will only be available until 2012.

Check out this insane video.  http://www.g-star.com/en/crossovers/raw_prouve/videos/

Brilliant, clean and elegant

Sistema by studio Cappellini for Luminaire. Sistema has a number of different components, from drawers to flap doors to doors, etc. Simply stunning.

http://luminaire.com/catalog/1409_0/

Industrial Facility!

One of the coolest companies on the planet, Industrial Facility, made this cool Dryerhair product for the handmade special in the August issue of Wallpaper magazine. It was designed a little while ago, but I'm kind of disappointed I missed it! I'm not sure if Sam Hecht or Kim Colin is the designer, because the two obviously have very similar styles. What I do know is Sam Hecht used to work with Naoto Fukusawa, who is admired greatly by all of us at CLI.

Which brings us back to the product, Dryerhair; I think it's about time someone designed a very cool and more aesthetically pleasing hair drying apparatus. For a product that is used to make your hair look great, shouldn't the product also embody those same function and virtue?

http://www.industrialfacility.co.uk/if.html

Joo Design

I saw this cool "Tavolino" cushion/table/seat at the ICFF a few weeks ago, and kind of really liked it. The Tavolino comes in two sizes, in various colors and materials. I think it's great for eating or reading in bed. How many times have I wanted a hot chocolate but didn't want to spill it on a couch or bed!? Many! I wonder if they can be used as extra seating?

Check it out here: http://joohongkyu.com/

A really fun cabinet!

Wow! Matthias Hahn is a pure genius. Check out these really cool Odd Cabinets! I am totally in love. I don't even know what to say, except I wish I had these in my house right now. Not sure how much they cost, but I'm guessing by the wooden dowel hinges, these will each cost about $1,000? Please tell me I am wrong, dear Matthias!

http://www.mathiashahn.com/furniture/odd%20cabinet.html

Kursi!

Check out this cool media or sideboard thing by a British company called Kursi (I'm not totally sure if they are British, but they are based in the UK, so...) This sideboard beauty will cost you about $5,000, but it's handmade used traditional joinery and it's made in Northwest England. It's quite pretty!

http://www.kursi.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=2

Another CLI first!

Friends of CLI! I was just browsing through the Milano Furniture Fair stuff, and found this awesome mirror by Rob Gilad! I LOVE this mirror, and I don't think we at CLI have talked much about mirrors since the beginning/founding of Cheese Lovers International!

Check this site out for more of Ron Gilad's cool mirrors, especially IX MORRORS: M7! They are super fun! http://www.dilmos.com/exhibitions/salone2011.html

P.S. Doesn't this mirror sort of remind you of Tom and Jerry?

Bamboo from India!

If you check out Sangaru's website and click on the "Crafts" section, you will discover some really cool stuff made from bamboo. Somehow it seems more cool that Indian designers are using bamboo than other people, but I can't quite put my finger on why I think that's cool. Maybe it's the idea of rural tools being used in a less traditional but also post-modern fashion? For example, check out these cool shelving things. They are not traditional, and not what I would call "modern" in the sense of the post 1950s meaning. I think my verbal diarrhea is getting the better of me. Let these photos speak instead!

http://www.sangaru.com/

MILK Mini

I super duper like this MILK Mini desk by MILK! For those of us with small spaces, it looks it would pretty much fit in any super tiny place, and I love how it's designed for laptops. Fortunately or unfortunately, it's only available in white (or I think you can order it in a special color for an extra charge). But it has cool little compartments for storage and also built in wiring. Pretty neat!

http://www.milk.dk/products.php

Mark Braun

We sent our CLI intern to the ICFF show in New York this year, and unfortunately she missed this really cool piece by the German designer, Mark Braun.

Luckily we had "other means" of getting a preview of Mark's work. So check it out: Floor 95 is a bench, wardrobe and shelf all in one piece. Better yet, the pieces can be moved around and configured any way you like. I imagine this kind of thing would be very, very popular in Japan! I personally love it! Well done, Mark! Das ist gut! Now, if we can only find out how much this Floor 95 costs and where it's available....

http://www.markbraun.org/Mark_Projects_1.html

 

Cool picnic table

I saw this totally awesome new picnic table on Design Boom the other day, and I thought to myself "I must share this with other CLI people"! So here it is, my friends! A very clever picnic table that can seat people in a couple of different ways. I've often wondered how one can make a picnic table more comfortable, and here is the answer. If I had an outdoor space of some kind, I would definitely "acquire" this beautiful thing. My hat off to both of you, Wouter Nieuwendijk and Jair Straschnow!

http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/8/view/14547/wouter-nieuwendijk-and-jair-straschnow-another-picnic-table.html

A cool wall calendar

Although my first love will always be Enzo Mari's Formosa calendar, I really like this DateBlock wall calendar. Unfortunately, I think it's only available in Japan. And since I don't read Japanese, I'm not sure if this does something cool, or if it just looks pretty. But if that's all it does, look pretty it does! I think it is meant to replace the traditional paper calendars used in many offices. No more paper needed! Yay! Anything to save some trees is cool with CLI!

If anyone out there can read this description or can tell us something other than what is written above, please share!

http://dateblock.com/mpage/dbw_w.html

Obsession. Enough said!

Something cool you will love!

While I was in Cape Town, South Africa, I visited this really cool place called the "Old Biscuit Mill." From the name, I am guessing it used to be an old biscuit mill, but now it's a really cool outdoor plaza/shopping area in Cape Town's Woodstock area. The Old Biscuit Mill has food, coffee, furniture, home accessories, clothing, etc. And on Saturdays they have a really cool farmers market type of thing.

Anyway, there's a store in the Old Biscuit Mill that I loved, but can't find the name. Nor did I remember to write down the name of this cool piece of furniture that I LOVED! Stay tuned while I conduct some "research." In the meantime, drool away!