Karim Rashid....

We've never written about Karim because his stuff is kind of...something.  I'm not sure how to describe it so I won't try to and bore anyone!  But this new "Float" collection for the Spanish company Sancal is pretty fun, and awesome!  I love the bold colors and fun shapes.  Who says a couch must be similar only to a box?


It doesn't look like it's available yet on Sancal's website, but here is their site anyway: http://www.sancal.com/home.php

A classic beauty

I'm currently in love with this Clothing Rack 109 by Alvar Aalto, a Finnish design genius. Designed by Alvar Aalto in 1936, this natural birch clothing rack is fitted with four black hooks and features a sturdy birch-paneled top shelf. The side frames are made from birch laminate and are bent into a triangle shape to provide extra support for the shelf. Made in Finland by Artek.  I got one today (used) for a great deal.  High five to me! http://www.artek.fi/products/other/37

A really cool chair from really cool designers

I tried this Tip Ton chair the other day while visiting Vitra, and I must say it was quite comfortable.  It comes in fun colors, is stackable, made out of polypropylene and rocks!  I mean, it actually rocks, as in a rocking chair.  I want one!  I bet it would look really cool on a really cool desk.  And it's around $350, which is not that cheap, but not THAT expensive either.  Check out this cool video:

Tip Ton from BarberOsgerby on Vimeo.

Snoopy!

This cool couch is called Snoopy, because it looks kind of Snoopy-ish or something.  I like it because it looks super comfortable and friendly.  I imagine it would leave a giant smile on its owner's face whenever she comes home to see it.  Sort of reminds me of the Norwich Terrier from Best in Show.

http://www.versus.as/snoopy.html  

What what? Que que?

Here again is another brilliant Mexican design by Manada.  It was truly love at first sight, this Bed 42 design.  The wood, its texture, its simplicity and craft.  I want one!  However, our intern has rightfully informed us that this beautiful piece of furniture is probably a wee too big for anyone living in the tight orners of a NYC apartment.  Too bad. Still, we at CLI give the Bed 42 an A+++++!
http://www.manada.com.mx/#1248900/news

A really cool coffee table by another cool Japanese designer

How I wish I could go back in time to be born as a Japanese product/furniture designer!  Oh, How grand that would be!  To design beautiful, simple and elegant wares for my fellow humans.   To be among the likes of Naoto Fukusawa and Teruhiro Yanagihara!  

Anyway, thankfully, one can at least buy cool Japanese products easily these days with the help of the interweb and "online payments"!  All is not lost.  And, take a look at this beautiful piece of furniture.  Soo cool and simple.  But I'm also betting this can easily be built using some basic carpenter skills.  Perhaps a new project for the CLI intern for the new year!  Yes!
Check it out here:  http://teruhiroyanagihara.jp/#/177/

Hee Lounge Chair by Hay

Lately I am obsessed with finding the perfect lounge chair, perhaps for a bedroom setting.  My ideal chair would be something lightweight-looking, maybe in a light natural wood but not necessarily, something very comfortable and of course, something incredibly beautiful yet cheerful.  So far, I have found one really cool rocking chair that might work.  But also I am kind of liking this Hee Lounge Chair by Hay furniture, the very cool Danish company that brought the world the DLM side table.  The best thing about this Hee Lounge is that it comes in many colors, looks comfortable, and only costs about $230 or so.  That's not too bad considering what the rest of the design world is offering.  Unfortunately I have never seen this chair in person, so I can't attest to how comfortable it is.  But I'm on the look-out so will keep fellow CLI readers in the loop!  Check it out here:  http://hayshop.dk/products/25-lounge-chairs/139-hee-lounge-chair/

A really, really cool bed

I'm not currently in the market for a new bed, but If I were, I'd totally get this Beam Bed by Gavin Coyle.  I don't know anything about the materials or anything, so you'll have to contact Gavin if you're interested in purchasing.  http://gavincoyle.co.uk/

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/

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

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

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!

South Africa!

Friends! Cheese Lovers! Our CLI intern has been away for a few weeks in the land of the beginnings of homo-sapiens! Yes, Africa!

And while there, the illustrious intern has discovered a really cool bunch of designers. Indeed, the design scene, particularly in Cape Town, South Africa is quite impressive. And cool!

One cool dude we met is called Liam Mooney. He has his own studio of South African-made goods, including this cool bench and sofa-like piece. Drool. Liam is super nice and fun. I wish our intern's suitcase was big enough to bring some of Liam's furniture over, but alas, we will have to make do with our pictures.

http://www.liammooney.co.za/signature/the-low-back-settee/#

Matthew Hilton is cool

I'm really into Matthew Hilton's Case Furniture, but for some reason, I can't find where where one can "acquire" his cool sofas. Does anyone in the world wide web have any ideas? I know he has his own website, but the Case Furniture is not on there. Oh well! I'm not really in the market for a new sofa, but these are pretty cool!

http://www.architonic.com/pmsht/stanley-range-sofa-case-furniture/1125887

A cool Portland-based company!

I am pretty in love right now with this cool "Civic Stack" by a Portland, Oregon based company called Von Tundra (run by three dudes: Dan Anderson, Chris Held, and Brian Pietrowski). I wonder how much it is! I hope it's not like $3,000. I am hearing a lot about Portland these days, and really need to check it out. Check out the rest of their cool furniture and other stuff on their site below.

http://www.vontundra.com/civic-stack

A cool desk/table!

I've sort of been on the look out for a new desk. My current desk is fine for the amount of space I have, but in the future it might be nice to have a multi-functional place to work, especially my glorious darling also needs a place to work. Maybe this desk is big enough for both of us!

This wonderful thing is called Doppelleben, and it is the recent creation of the Ahhaproject design studio. Basically the table can be a desk/work space, place to have tea or snacks, and then later on when you are done working, it can become a dining table! Note that the tabletop consists of two layers. If you need to use the lower layer, you can slide two lightweight panels down the sides. And when the work is done (or is safe to be interrupted), the panels come up creating a surface for dining and entertaining.

That's pretty neat! If I had this desk, it would be put to good use right away. In fact, instead of sitting at this tiny console table, I could be using the Doppelleben instead. Someday!

http://www.ahhaproject.com/