I really love this new-ish "Birdie" lamp by Foscarini designed by Ludovica+Roberto Palomba.  The lamp is quite playful and comes in a floor or table lamp size.  I totally want one.  Enough said.  Check it out here:  http://www.palombaserafini.com/works_1_1_1.asp?ID=289&sez=1&az=7#

Another cool Mexican designer!

Christian Vivanco is my new favorite designer.  He's Mexican and builds his furniture and stuff in Mexico, probably about 2 hours north of Mexico City.  I must plan a pilgrimage to visit his studio sometime.  Anyway, this really awesome storage island thing is called From a Lost City, and I simply love it.  I need to figure out where I can store this, or maybe our CLI intern will find a good use for this clever piece of multi- use shelving work of art.  Check it out here:  http://christianvivanco.bigcartel.com/product/from-a-lost-city

Peter Bristol to the rescue!

As some loyal readers of CLI may know, our intern broke her beloved May Day Lamp by Konstantin Grcic (the thing magically dismembered itself), and so we've been on a dutiful lookout for a new cool lamp that can be placed both on a bookshelf, desk or table, yet also able to placed on the floor.  Lucky for us we stumbled upon Peter Bristol's American Standard Lamp.  


Says Peter of his design, "for better or worse, construction materials, methods, and dimensions are quite homogenized in the United States. From the 2×4 wall studs to the cheap light switches, it seems that when building a wall, location is really the only decision left to make. The utilitarian relationship between these standard materials, dimensions, and parts comes together to create a modern icon that is hidden in plain sight. By deriving its character directly from this set of rules, the American Standards Lamp’s is instantly familiar and intuitive to use (for people living among these standards).  Flipping on the American Standards Lamp is as routine as unlocking the door. The lamp creates diffused light and provides an accessible extra power outlet."  

I don't think the lamp is for sale, but I hope it is!  Our poor intern needs a new lamp!  

http://www.peterbristol.net/projects/american-standards-lamp/

Help!

My May Day lamp broke today.  Sob, sob.  Now I'm on the lookout for a cool light that can be hung on the wall or ceiling, or sit on a bookshelf, or even on the floor.  So far, I've found a few contenders by Artek, the super cool Finnish company.  In particular, I like the White Collection by Ville Kokkonen designs.  (That's a cool pretty cool name, by the way).  Check them out here:  http://mattermatters.com/product.asp?id=1015

Naoto's cool new re-do

My favorite designer, Naoto Fukusawa, designed this cool CD player for Muji a while ago, but people don't really play CD's much these days, so this cool apparatus was re-designed to also function as a radio!  Cool!  Now I can listen to NPR while showering or brushing my teeth!  And it now comes in black!  

http://www.muji.us/store/special-offer/new-wall-mounted-cd-player-with-fm-radio-white.html

Jump!

Not really sure why this lamp is called "Jump" but I like it irregardless (or regardless).  Jump is designed by Claude Saos and is made with porcelain, maple wood and uses LED light.  Nice.  Oh, and there are only 20 limited edition Jumps available!  If you want one, contact Claude now! http://www.claudesaos.com/jump.html

Asaf Weinbroom Studio!

We couldn't believe our eyes when upon seeing this extremely beautiful, clean-lined and super functional/utilitarian wall lamp. Called the Vash Light, it is made from white oak and veneer and is adjustable, and I'm just wondering where in the USA one can get their hands on this baby. If anyone knows, tell us! We'll send you some free cheese!  Mazel, Asaf Weinbroom!  

http://www.weinbroom.com/#!__page-1/vash-light

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/

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

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/

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

 

This lamp = true love

I'm pretty keen on Guillaume Delvigne's work. It seems he is a pretty respected and prolific designer. In particular, I like his Lamp 010. Not quite sure where it's available since we at CLI have no French speakers.

But check it out here: http://guillaumedelvigne.com/projet.php?id=154

He has other cool stuff on his site, so browse away!

Cool eco lighting!

As avid readers, we at CLI are constantly perusing the world wide web for great table lamps and floor lighting. Just today we saw this amazing lighting concept by Rodger Stevens. Apparently this Mr. Stevens dude is quite an accomplished designer, with many accolades to his name. Bravo!

Check out his cool Arm, Paul and Rodger lamps here. They are made from eco-friendly wood and are compatible with compact fluorescent lighting. I want one (or two)!

http://rodgerstevens.info/index.php

Does this look familiar?

Hi!

Do you remember sprinting back and forth the basketball court in high school? No? Well, I do! It was hard, but good fun at the same time. Anyway, this cool coffee table and bookshelf thing are made from recycled gym floors! That's pretty cool. I'm sure they were cleaned very well, so they probably don't smell like sweat! Ick.

http://www.uncommongoods.com/product/reclaimed-gym-floor-coffee-table

Poki Rack by Holm Giessler & Jennifer Heimann!

Check out this cool Poki Rack by Holm and Jennifer! I quite like it. It adds a bit of an organic feel to an already simple drawer. Unfortunately, I think the designers are quite new, so it's hard to get some price and dimension descriptions, but check out this website anyway! Maybe you can check it in a few weeks. Or better yet, if you get to go to the Stockholm Furniture Fair, then you will see this in person. Also, if you are going to the design fair, you are really lucky!

http://www.hallo-essen.com/hallo-essen/leer.html

Prouve's Potence on a super budget

This dude named Brendan Ravenhill has designed a pretty nice lamp that is a pretty good price! At $150, the Cord Lamp is attractive and well-designed in that it can hide screws in the wall, and also be pivoted to the desired position without moving. I want one. Sign me up!

http://www.brendanravenhill.com/index.php?/objects/cord-lamp/

Under My Roof!

I think CLI has mentioned the brilliant work of Christian Vivanco before, because he is such a great designer and genius. I am quite taken by his "Under My Roof" desktop storage thing! It's very playful yet functional. What more can one ask for in great design?

If I had enough room on my desk, I would totally get this. It looks pretty easy to build. And it looks fun!

http://christianvivanco.com/storage/under-my-roof-new/