Image of the Day

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Eva Zeisel, ca.1930, with some of her designs. In 1946 Zeisel was the subject of the Museum of Modern Art's first solo exhibition by a woman, and she continued working until she died last week at the age of 105. Read about Eva Zeisel's almost impossibly great life at nytimes.com.

Perfume Genius

. Cool packaging and promotional posters/postcards for M/Mink Eau de Parfum, a collaboration between Byredo Parfums (Stockholm) and M/M (Paris).

[Photographs by Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin]

Available now at Collette and in October everywhere else. More info and images at mmparis.com

The Rules of Attraction

I have always hated it when people refer to inanimate objects as "sexy" (as in, and I know I'm dating myself but it's the first example I thought of: "Lotus is such a sexy space"). It just kind of makes my skin crawl. The thing is, there are very rare examples where it's kind of the only thing you can say. Are you going to call this chair sensual? Do you wear partially unbuttoned shirts with a tab collar? How about sultry? Hey, clean it up, you. (Or was that seriously a Throw Momma from the Train reference? Either way: fail.)

I suppose this chair – the Cervo Chair by architect Antonio Pio Saracino – is literally steamy, as that wood is not going to curve itself, and is clearly provocative, as I felt provoked to stare and talk about it. But really, what is it? It's sexy. It's a sexy chair. I admit it.

Also available in black leather (pretty much seals it). Click here for info.

[via AnOther]

Second Life

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Yesterday the New York Times business section featured an article called "Finding New Life (and Profit) in Doomed Trees" about Meyer Wells, a small business which makes custom furniture from trees naturally downed in and around Seattle. It's worth reading on both a business level and on a cool-product level.

[Meyer Wells], started four years ago, bears all the markers that would seem to point toward collapse and extinction in a recessionary economy. It’s founded on idealism and emotion. It’s riddled with huge and unavoidable inefficiencies. And it tenders a high-end product that asks buyers to take risks and have faith.
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“People who buy furniture here are adventurers,” says Mr. Meyer. “They see the tree and get to be part of the process. They have to have an adventurous spirit, they have to be patient, and they have to trust. There’s an element of risk.”
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He suddenly becomes a tour guide to a whole geography embedded in the wood — “islands” and “cathedrals” in the grain. “I’m looking to see how the grain of one board flows into the next so that the composition feels harmonious,” he says.
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If there’s one rule in the shop, it’s this: Respect the tree’s narrative — including the chapters about its hard urban life. Mr. Meyer once found a steel snippet embedded in a beautiful cherry slab, perhaps a remnant of a nail used to hammer a “lost cat” sign to the tree. He left it in place, a piece of the story.

Read the rest at nytimes.com and visit Meyer Wells blog here.

Image of the Day

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Lace Fence, by Dutch design house Demakersvan, at Droog, NYC.

They're just like traditional chain-link fences but with unexpected patterns built in. They can be used outside, as room dividers, or however else you want to use them.

They reminded me of these wall-sized, back-lit lace patterns we saw at La Perla in Paris several years ago:


I don't really have a use for a fence at the moment but, hey, if I ever do: Lace Fence.

Image of the Day

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From the Architecture and Design department at The Museum of Modern Art: Pininfarina (Battista "Pinin" Farina). Cisitalia 202 GT Car. 1946. Aluminum body. Manufactured by S.p.A. Carrozzeria Pininfarina, Torino, Italy. Gift to MoMA by the manufacturer.

I'm posting this as image of the day because it appeared at the top of MoMA's email newsletter today, and it reminded me that one of my favorite places in the museum is the part of the design department where they display a car from their collection. More at MoMA.org

Image of the Day

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Bubble wrap is 50!

If You Can't Open It, You Don't Own It.

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An interesting interview with Mr. Jalopy,
from the archives of Studio 360:



Note: It might take a second for their audio player to load on this page, and when you click 'play' it might take another second to start. If you want to go directly to their site, click here.

Objects of My Affection

Objectified is a new film from Gary Hustwit, who was responsible for Helvetica, the excellent documentary on the ubiquitous typeface of the same name. This time out, through interviews with Hella Jongerius, Marc Newson, Jonathan Ive, and others, Hustwit explores the wide world of industrial design, taking a look at the creative processes responsible for mass-produced material objects, and at how those objects impact our lives and identities. Objectified premiers in March (go to the website for updates).

(side note, this logo strikes me as the anti-helvetica. clever though.)

AND… In celebration of refined materialism, here are three brilliantly designed objects at the top of my want list. They have been there for a long time and I still don't have them. Maybe I never will but it makes me happy to know they are out there somewhere.

1. Olivetti Valentine portable typewriter, by Ettore Sottsass (1969)

2. Tie! A Land Rover (above) and a Boston Whaler.

In this 1961 Life magazine photo, Richard T. Fisher, the guy who designed the hull of the Boston Whaler, smugly demonstrates that his boat is totally unsinkable, even if some crazed logger sneaks underwater and attempts to saw it in half. Beautiful utilitarianism.

3. Pretty much anything designed by Dieter Rams.

I also want this new gigantic Samsung TV – it's only an inch thick and it consumes 40% less energy than other HDTVs. It's not on the top three though because you're not supposed to get excited about a TV.
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