Esther Diamond

Check out these great cushions from Esther Diamond! Download the pdf under the vintage section on the site to view all cushions and to get a little inside information on their artists.

ISO50 Posters

I just thought I would give you a little preview of the posters from ISO50. I ordered 3 a while back and when they arrived was over the moon about them. Quality prints on quality stock by a qaulity designer. What more could you want from a poster to stick up in my man den? And for what you are paying, less the holiday 20%, it is a bargain buy if ever there was one.

Jessica Gonacha

Jessica Gonacha, featured this week on a scene from my life, has a great little design blog going. She is a designer herself, peddling her wares from Boulder in the USA. She has some great posts and her blog is worth a mention. Check out her post about the mini blizzard they are having at the moment. It definately doesn't snow like that around here.

New ISO50 Prints!

Check out these amazing new prints from ISO50. Be sure to cash in on the 20% discount! Gotta get back to work....

White, the new black.

Deadlines, deadlines and more deadlines. It's been good for the blog though, I have been able to sit back and rethink a lot of what I am wanting to do with this blog...we'll see. But I had time to post this, Gorillaz new White vinyl set for just $99 (R800). That is a bargain for these limited edition primates...Christmas is coming, so if anyone doesn't have ideas for me, well there it is. Buy them here.

Jessica Maria Toliver

Check out this great work by Jessica Maria Toliver. I personally love the idea of using light boxes and illustrations. It has a great presence in a room which creates soft glowing light. Very cool. Go here to see more of her work.

Let us never forget.

Coming to a time when families join in celebration in the holidays, we must also remember and mourn the many families that are not complete and gave their lives to end the pointless suppression South Africans endured under the Afrikaaner Apartheid Regime. This time of the year we should reflect on how lucky we are to have food on our tables and roofs over our heads. A good place to start this journey would be the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg. The museum occupies around 6 000 square metres and the natural terrain of the region is reflected in the natural element and finish of plaster, concrete, rusted and galvanised steel. Thus creating a harmonious relationship between the structure and the environment. As you enter the museum you receive a card that reads "white" or "non white" followed by a harrowing journey of pain, suffering and death which eventually leads to Nelson Mandelas release and the end of Apartheid. For a minimal R25 ($3.50) it is worth every cent. It is amazing the amount of pain suffered by so many and the pain inflicted by so few.

Shosholoza!

The Shosholoza website has been launched. Go here to check out what it is all about.

Photo No. 8

This photo was taken while strolling through the Durban CBD.

Ercol

In 1920 a young designer by the name of Lucian Ercolani started his own business in High Wycombe in England. After perfecting a technique of steam bending wood in large quantities, forming what is known as the Windsor Bow, discovering a way to handle and produce furniture from elm. This family owned company has its beliefs in design and its people. As you can see from the examples above, Ercol creates beautifully crafted pieces of furniture which are unique in every way. On the site there is a large collection of their work including fabrics and woods that they offer to their customers. As well as a recovering unit to help you with all your older Ercol gems.

Kleenex Oval boxes

The new design on tissue boxes is long overdue. I am happy to see that Kleenex has taken some initiative and designed some semi-cool oval boxes. These are way way better than the older hard edged rectangle boxes that everyone seems to hide under tissue box covers. The oval "boxes" can now be displayed in view of all your guests. Great idea! via Shelterrific

Truck Furniture

The Truck Label was created by designers, Tokuhiko Kise and Hiromi Karatsu, based in Osaka. The label embodies all things of a lifestyle of health and sustainability. The two designers live in an apartment just above one of their stores and Truck has become a household name in Japan after being featured on the Japanese public broadcaster NHK. The duos work is great because they are making what they want ot make and not what customers want them to make. I love their furniture and you will to. Be sure to check out Truck Furniture.

She loves Shwe Shwe

Shwe Shwe is so hot right now. It has been hot for a long time and as a truly South African product is going to take the world by storm when they are ready for it. It is a traditional South African print and is worn by all races and classes in South Africa. It is beautiful, strong yet delicate in its shape and form. Ann from She Wears Shwe Shwe runs a blog dedicated to Shwe Shwe. I love it. Go Ann!

Doilies

Kitsch or Cool, doilies have been apart of many table settings and decorations for decades. Doilies always remind me of how snowflakes are drawn on Christmas time kids movies, where some poor little kid that has to save Christmas and teach their families a moral of some sorts. Turkish designer Ela Cindoruk has created these amazingly beautiful jewelry collections out of vintage lace inspired folded paper. These delicate one-off brooches are an excellent accessory to any winter wonderland ensemble that you need for the ball. Very pretty!

Swedes in show.

Studio Modern has some great products in their catalogue. Their focus is on contemporary Italian and Nordic design and this is evident through all their products on show. The solid wood tables are their more successful products coming with or without extensions. I am loving the tree coat hanger that is mounted on your wall by a front or back door. These trees come in black or white lacqueer or birch and also come in kids sizes. Studio Modern is a great browse if you are in the market for some decorating.

Measure it to scale.

I have always had a soft spot for old kitchen scales similar to what GG(my great gran, she was the first HAM radio operator in South Africa.) used to use. With the big red needle and the enamel paint that overtime and from use creeps away from the edges of black. I saw this great scale above from a small german company Mayerundthiele, with the goal of making cooking easier and more beautiful. I agree with this principle and think these scales from designers Ingo Thiele and Hannes Mayer are great! Their company has blacklisted using electronic devices and hi-tech gadgets in favour of modern mixed together with a dash of traditional.

Homegrown Fabric Collection

A homegrown fabric collection designed and printed by the Design Team in South Africa. They have such uniquely South African patterns that look great on almost anything. Have a look at the great box filled with pattern samples that you get if you are looking into using their fabrics. I really love them, they are fantastical! Unfortunately I have been unable to find a website (come on South Africa!) but you can email the Design Team at lisebutler(at)lantic(dot)net if you require more information. Go South Africa!

The Devil wears Prada

Yeah I went to see it...or let's say I was sort of bought into it...and I secretly enjoyed it...(no wonder I have no guy friends hahahaha!) Will get some posts up as soon as the work load eases up a little. Have a great monday!

Mushaboom

I must apologise for the lack of posts today as deadlines are looming and I don't really want to pull an all nighter...I will be back soon! Created by a student in high school in California, Mushaboom is a collection of Allisons amazing work. She creates beautiful collages and she is only in High School! She discovered photoshop about 2 years ago and has been hooked ever since. Work such as this is worth checking out! Look here!

Bag-Kaku

Sitting at work on a Sunday...So I thought I would post as I needed a break, and for all the other people viewing my blog from their office spaces, I sympathise with you. Anyway, how great are these bags! They remind me of my Grans old luggage with all the worldly stickers on them, from Switzerland to Peru. I love old suitcases, I have a brown leather 50s suitcase and a blue canvas covered one from the 70s and i take them all over the place. The Bag-Kaku is a great design from Monacca, a company that salvages uprooted cedars from tree-thinned Japanese forests. The bags are super light and hand-sewn. Clean and rounded design, perfect!

Shirley Fintz

A Zimbabwean by birth, Shirley Fintz is a versatile artist, who boasts an ever growing creative output. Shirley has a degree in Fine Arts and did her thesis on food, photographing hundreds of branded products. Once this was done she started to make replicas of food as it was served, working mainly in Barbara Jacksons pottery studio. She found her niche when she started sculpting animals - on wheels, on top of each other and her latest buddha series. She has exhibited all over the world and in 200 founded monkey biz bead project with Barbara Jackson. What I like about her work is her use of Shwe Shwe print on the animals, a nice example of this is the giraffe (thanks Ann) featured on the left.

A Matt finish.

As you can tell from previous posts I really like screens and room dividers. I think it is the ability to tranform a rooms shape anytime you want thay is appealing. Matt Gagnon Studio has some nice wall/room dividers in their portfolio. The other projects in his studio reflect proportional relationships and the interaction between individuals and their surroundings. The motion in the work is evident, even though they are stationary objects. Each piece pushes its limitations in terms of materials and elements. I was liking these featured walls/dividers from Matt a lot.

Scrapile

Scrapile is the collaborative combination of designers Bart Bettencourt and Carlos Salgado. Their pieces are constructed out of discarded scraps and shavings from New Yorks wood working industry. These one of a kind designs are unique in every way and yet again are from a pair of Brooklyn based designers. I'm loving the three legged table and boxed lights, featured above.

Susan Woods

Established in 2003 by Susan Woods, Aswoon/Susan Woods Studio has a foundation of expertise, working with an extensive arsenal of materials, the studio is dynamic in creating environments for modern living. This company has great fresh ideas on interior design. For example the Rave Wave couch, well maybe more of a bench to me, but still look at those lines and curves created by bending plywood. The tone and richness of the wood is a great accessory to any room. I just love the screen/divider on the right.

AntiGirl

This is pretty old news and has been posted before by DesignMuti, but I had to post them as the design and typography is excellent in my point of view. AntiGirl has some amazing work on the site and I can't get enough of it. I would love to print some out and frame them in my house one day.

An Inconvenient Truth

Al Gores movie/documentary/major eye opener, An Inconvenient Truth, is really the most terrifying movie made. What we, as humans, have done to this planet is disgusting. I am just spreading the word that the climate crisis needs to be addressed now, TODAY! Please watch this movie and tell yor friends about it and tell them to tell their friends about it. We need to act now to save our delicate world from absolute ruin...And no I don't support the democrats...or the republicans.

Photo No.7

This photo was taken from the top of St. Pauls.

7 Wonders of the World

I don't know who decides these things but the world is voting for a set of new 7 Wonders of the World. The new Wonders are going to be announced at a massive official declaration in Lisbon on the 7th of July 2007, yes it is 07.07.07. The only monument from the old 7 Wonders still in the running are the pyramids in Egypt. New ones include, The Eiffel Tower, The Sydney Opera House and the winner of my vote Machu Picchu...Although the Great Wall of China is pretty Wonderful...Votela Now!

Be Brave

We spend a lot of time sleeping and in bed, so why not have a great bed to do it in. The Folded Bed from Brave Space is a slim and modern bed that sits low to the ground to minimize its presence. Attached to the side of the bed are two symmetrical end tables that include semi translucent plastic panels, allowing illumination for reading. Very geometrical but nice clean design. I feel like a sleep now...

iScape

Do you wish sometimes that you could work from home, but in a seperate space of your own? You can now, with iScape (I sound like an infomercial), a producer of home offices that come in various shapes and sizes with a wide range of colours, get your very own home office. I think it is a great idea for anybody wanting to start a small business or has the opportunity to work at home to buy one of these garden offices.

Angela Shaw

Colleague, friend and wonderful photographer Angela Shaw exhibited her work recently at ArtSpace in Durban. Angela has lived and worked as a photographer in Hong Kong, India and Burma, now back in South Africa. Her recent exhibition was her 3rd solo exhibition. A collection of old favourites and new work that explored her love relationship with light and water. On one side a series of portraits of the dear people in my life inspired by Rembrandt's chiaroscuro - shadow and illumination - and on the other side a images of light on water. Holiday is one of these series, 9 seascapes -sitting watching the light and tide shift over different times of day while on holiday. Angelas work is truly inspirational and holds your eye fixed to the canvas printed photographs, scanning every inch of colour, light and composition. It is really amazing work, and I could only hope to be such a visionary behind the lens as Angela is. A big thank you to Angela for letting me post such fine work, and if anybody is interested her photography is for sale and I'm sure I could send a pricelist through to you, so please leave a comment with email address and I will get back to you.

Tsilli

Check out these great Pillow from Tsilli. I couldn't really find out anymore information from this site about the creator of these awesome pillows, so please if you know anymore on Tsilli I would love to know...(comment please) Oh and while you checking her site be sure to download some desktops, they are really great!

American Color

American Color by Constantine Manos is a set of fascinating photographs that engage both the eye and the mind in repeated viewings and contemplation. A series of photos of Amercian life and the colours that reverberate from everyday people living their lives. These eighty images were all taken at a shutter speed of 1/250 that add up to less than a second of real time. Constantine is one of the great photographers featured on Magnum Photos, where there is plenty of talent to browse and inspire you on your photo shoots.

Never Happened

Always on the lookout for other cool blogs of interest, I came across Never Happened. A blog that kept me reading for quite a while. (I have the attention of a small kid, smething else is always catching my eye.) Give Never Happened a read, it has unique and different material in its posts.

Polanoid

Polanoid was invented for the pure love of the Polaroid. It all started at the Lomographic headquarters back in 2004 with a coloured flash, Holga camera and some Polaroid backing. It is a free site that begs anyone with Polaroids to load these up and share them with the Polanoid pack. Polanoid is predicting the comeback of instant photofun, in whatever form it may be. It is a nice site to browse and collect inspiration for your own shoots. Super cool!

The Papered Wall

Created by Lesley Hoskins, a specialist Curator at The Museun of Domestic Design and Architecture at the Middlesex University, The Papered Wall is a book full of history, patterns and techniques of wallpaper design. It has a fully illustrated chapter on recent trends alone and has a reference section which includes suppliers of historic prints and collections open to the public. The Papered Wall also comes with a complete guide to care and conservation of your walls and a stimulating record of wallpapers for every use, market and taste.

Split design

Split Design is Mario Stipinovich, a freelance designer and animator in New York. Mario has worked on big names like MTV, Mercedes, Vh1 and many more. He is such an amazing talent and when looking through his portfolio the only sounds that you will make are, "oooo...aaaah". It seems that a lot of designers also have mini stores attached to their sites and Mario is no different so be sure to hit the new arrivals section in his store. Some great designer goodies to be had.

Silja Goetz

Silja Goetz is an amazing artist and designer. Please do yourself a huge favour and view his portfolio here! Check out the collages page...wow...

Banjo

A fun little site,...well it sort of doesn't have a real point to it really...Banjo is just a group of people who got together, created a small simple site and well...put some things up they created and thought were cool. I like it! Simple, yet sort of pointless in a way. It's nice to see some peoples creativity without a brands logo attached. Featured are beautiful photos taken by Lacey Chain.

Sleeve Mug

Check out Ian Walton's to-go cup called the Sleeve, for use in your home. No hurting yourself on a piping hot drink anymore, the curved sleeve fits around the cast ceramic cup providing a great looking and well designed mug that protects those delicate fingers and hands from being scolded. Great design!

The Rain Trust Foundation

This is a great idea! You can buy an acre of rain forest for just $100 and protect it from the incredible rate of destruction that is hitting the South American rain forests. It is such a worthy cause and everyone should do it if you have the cash. The Rain Trust Foundation is behind the project and is counting on the public to make the first move, as the governments of the world are pretty slow at doing anything when it comes to helping the environment.

Type Selector

Like a Pantone colour fandeck, the Type selector is a tool used for choosing type. It features 226 fonts that are divided into categories. Each page includes, examples in different weights and styles. The fonts are grouped into, Serif, Slab Serif, Sans Serif, Script, Black Letter and Display. A fandeck is sometimes hard to use but I still think thsi would be a handy tool for any designer. It retails for about R350. via cool hunting

Atomic Bonsai Kit

I like the Japanese culture, long time. It is so different to what westerners experience everyday. Japan has only really been exposed to the western world for around 100 years, which is actually a good thing in my opinion. Which brings me to the Atomic Bonsai Kit. If you are keen to have plant life in your house but not keen for the maintenance plan that comes with it, this kit is just for you! The pieces clip together easily to create your own bonsai bonanza. The shape can also be altered by moving the pieces around into a brand new configuration.