I adore these minimen jewellery that Frédérique Conte has created. I stumbled upon these when I clicked on a link to Howkapow, a wonderful online design shop which sells many other lovely things including Lucy’s graphic scarves (which is how I came upon this gem). Seeing as summer is on the horizon and I am feeling it particularly more as I’m away in Kuala Lumpur where temperatures are well above 30° C, I have found the swimmers collection rather refreshing and the humour in these designs uplifting (check Nikki about to go skinny dipping!). I tried to find more information on the designer all I could find out is the little write up on the Howkapow website. Shops like Tombée du Camion do sell minimen like these. Guy and I are off to Langkawi soon and I cannot wait to be splish sploshing soon!
Tag: design
Mapped Out
I moved about 6 weeks ago and one of the first things I bought for the new flat was this Future Mapping Company shower curtain designed for Habitat.
The Future Mapping Company produce some spectacular wall maps but my favourite is the Future Map Wallpaper. I started thinking about other products for the cartophilia’s home.
For entertaining, Seletti has a robust offering of products in their World Map series. I love the placemats best. It is sold in packs of 50 with a selection of city maps from London, New York, Tokyo and Paris.
Seletii also has ceramic world map dinnerware for sale. The placemats remind me of these lovely wrapping paper sold in Magma which is probably the next best thing to wrap presents in after plain brown paper. I was in New York recently and the conversation at dinner turn towards maps. Liam mentioned a map on race and ethnicity in New York City he’d seen.
This led me to Frank Jacobs’ Strange Maps. I like the Gridding of London and the Nightclub Map of Harlem produced at the end of the Prohibition charting funtimes. Frank Jacobs has since been published and his book Strange Maps can be bought here
Tie me up, tie me down!
If my dreams were made of scarves, Lucy Jay’s scarves would easily furnish them. Her cool little collection of scarves named Bryan, Claire, Patrick, Irene and Lucy are anything but ordinary. The motifs are almost graphical analysis of Alejandro Jodorowsky’s films in eye-popping colours on silk.
The Patrick print is a bit of a cyclops. I love this and I find this amusing and wish more of my scarves had character. Lucy’s lookbook show you that her scarves aren’t just scarves. Check the number of ways you can tie these silk scarves.
The Lucy scarf makes a nice bandeau, perfect for the balmy days we’ve been experiencing in London.
My personal favourite. What a fabulous way with long tresses. Lucy Jay. She’s one to look out for. She’s a bit of a rising star and a lovely, lovely girl with an abundance of talent.
Available to buy from No-One.
Deep Geometric Gems
This weekend I fell in love with Glass Candy’s new single and also with Lorena’s embroidered wonders. Unfortunately for me, Glass Candy’s only gig in London is while I’m away and Lorena is moving so her shop is closed for a week.
I’ve always loved geometrical shapes. These hand embroidered designs in various guises of pyramids, cubes, triangles, oblongs in the prettiest colours make such beautiful pieces. I cannot wait for Spinthread to open up again so I can get at least one of these masterpieces around my neck. I am thinking it’ll be one of the bigger, conversational pieces like the cubic bib above.
Backed with dainty lace and hand embroidered, I will probably find it difficult to resist playing with the geometric shapes knowing that I’ll enjoy running my fingers across these shapes.
Sleep Slips or Pillowcases
Sleep. Your gateway to dreams. For such an important aspect in life, I sometimes think that there is very little attention paid to the things needed to help make sleep sweeter. The dream cloud offerings from Studio Psycho could help encourage certain themes in your dreams. These idream pillowcases are not to be confused with iDream speaker pillows which have inbuilt speakers and allow you to listen to music or to have “pillowtalks”.
I saw these Miranda July pillowcases in the ICA last year. Oh Miranda July! She never ceases to charm with her twisted humour. How I’d love for her cheekiness to be included in my bedtime.
Speaking of funtimes, I love these pillowcases for children spotted on Lapin And Me. Talk about making bedtime fun! I love that it’s embroidered on gingham too.
For the adults who don’t want to forget the psychedelic world of Alice in Wonderland, these pillow cases can help you get into the right mood for the film coming out soon!
Paper eyelashes a-flutter
Two things first.
1. I love paper cut outs and paper art.
2. I love dressing up.
Paper lashes bring together point number 1 and 2. Wow. What a find.
Paperself collaborates with designers to produce paper and cardboard furniture and other products. Together with Ting Yu Wan, they are offering these out-of-the-world paper eyelashes. Choose from peach blossoms to peonies to horses.
These are available to buy from Luna & Curious and is exactly what anyone needs for a night out and way cheaper than buying a new frock. And if you felt like a little snooze while you were out, at least with these eyelashes you have an excuse to.
I’ll Cheer For You
Winter’s a far more exciting season for accessories. The choice is endless. Scarves and snoods, mittens and gloves, arm warmers and colourful tights.
I found my perfect winter item in the form of Yokoo‘s Pom Pom headband. Check Yokoo’s Etsy store for winter warmers like the oatmeal soopascarf and the numerous cowlneck scarves. I love the quirky images and I know that I will be finding it difficult to limit myself to just this headband.
Now if only it would get properly cold. I would be able to wrap myself in lots of chunky knits cosily.
Creamy White Ceramics. The New Green.
Designs are best when they tick the aesthetic box and the functionality box. The best ones also come with a bit of humour. Seletti’s Estetico Quotidiano is a great collection of ceramics modeled after throwaway objects of the modern world.
Consider the milk carton, the sardine or anchovy tin and the egg carton. While you may recycle these objects, the shapes of these everyday objects have been designed to serve its purpose in the best way. Now they can have a permanent room in your kitchen.
I wonder if this collection was inspired by Rob Brandt‘s crinkle cup. Whatever it is, Seletti have taken ceramics to a new level and I love it!
Two by Two
Keetra Dean Dixon creates magical art in the vein of Miranda July. Just Between You and Me features various objects that require co-dependency. I especially love the objects above. The glasses you wear to see eye to eye would definitely help reach compromises. The shadowing shoes = hugwalks and the balloons that take two to blow up. Now that it’s getting colder, I am feeling rather romantic and daydream of walks on fallen leaves, wrapped in layers with the boy.
On the topic of sharing and togetherness, I recently spotted the Loving Cup by Maria Lintott Ceramics. The double handled cup makes it easy to pass hot drinks, which will make it perfect for when it gets colder. While you’re on the website, check out the moustache-protector cups too!
You’re A Mug! A Moustachioed One!
My love for moustaches is well-known. Guy sent me this link. Peter Bruegger‘s mugs come with a different moustache on each side. At £11.95 a pop for this wonderful piece of disguise it is guaranteed to brighten up mornings.
I can’t wait to get my hands on all of them!
The Happiness of Delicious Feeling 
