Rapha is one of those rare exquisite brands whose excellence is both unparalleled and classical. Their cycling clothes and accessories sacrifice the ever common flash and graphics of the more pervasive kits from companies like Castelli and Louis Garneau. Crafted designs and colors will undoubtedly weather the roads and will stand the test of time and changing trends. As cycling culture becomes ever more fashionable and a staple in the urban sphere we have seen a lot of companies pop up touting a similar style or ethos to Rapha, but after nearly a decade I think they have truly established themselves as a riders company. This video they recently launch is a perfect embodiment of their company and their goods. No additional soundtrack is necessary, just the sounds of riding in its purest form.
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Woodcut Notecards
Princeton Architectural Press has been highly regarded for the architecture, design and creative titles they publish for quite a while. Recently they have launched a new gift line. My favorite piece from their initial selections is this set of Woodcut Notecards
(via Design Work Life »)
Showtime Vase
As part of the celebration for their 40th anniversary BD Barcelona Design has released a limited edition of their Showtime Vase. They collaborated with Jaime Hayon who painted the collection of 40 vases entirely by hand. The resulting vases fit right in with the other releases BD has done over the years with other artists including Juan Gris and Salvador Dalí. The vases are currently available for order through Northern Icon.
(via Daily Icon »)
Tid No. 1 Model
Form Us With Love recently designed the No. 1 Model for the new Swedish watch company Tid. Their name is short for the Swedish word meaning time and their minimalist name definitely helps to convey their brand values.
(via Cool Hunting »)
Shinola
In a defunct General Motors building Shinola is working to revive American manufacturing. They are producing an ever growing line of products, which includes watches, leather goods, and most recently some beautifully crafted ultra-utilitarian bicycles. All of their goods are focused around craftsmanship and longevity. Creating things that can be used forever and their production even helps sustain the US and Detroit economy.
(via The Scout »)
Super Sunglasses
This video very deliberately shows your why some products are better. The level of craftsmanship and care that goes into each step in the process of creating a single pair of Super sunglasses is remarkable. These 100% made in Italy shades feature Zeiss optics lenses and pure acetate frames, which are substantially more durable and carry a certain weight that the normal plastic frames never do.
(via The Fox Is Black »)
Folklore London
If you like beautifully crafted and designed home goods and furniture you will love the London shop Folklore. The shop curated and stocked by Danielle Reid gives 15% of its profits every year to a different non-profit. So you can feel good about buying things there for far more than a single reason.
(via NOTCOT »)
Ag++
It’s really intriguing the number of peripheral products being designed and produced for the iPhone. That said recently a few such items have cropped up, which demonstrate amazing aesthetics and functionality driven design. The Ag++ case designed by Andrea Ponti for Case Logic fits the build perfectly. The subtle machined aluminum case creates an ergonomic grip for the otherwise awkward to hold device, in addition to creating a strong durable layer of protection around it. If you are seriously rough on your technology the Tak Tik is still probably the case for you, but Ponti’s solution is definitely a more refined one.
Tak Tik
Founder of Minimal and Kickstarter celebrity Scott Wilson is back in the mix with his new mega-protective iPhone case called Tak Tik. The price tag of this iPhone case may seem a little steep to a large portion of iPhone owners, but in my opinion the iPhone deserves a case befitting to such a powerful piece of technology. Their Kickstarter has a few days left on it if you want to get in on the ground get your preorder in before these hit the market.
The Paint Evolution
Paint brushes are simple tools, and have been adapted very little during their existence. These playful brushes by design agency CuldeSac for Valentine a Spanish paint company.
(via NOTCOT »)
Industry City Distillery
I am extremely surprised I just hearing about Industry City Distillery and The City Foundry. These are an extremely motivated and collectively talented group of gentleman making amazing stuff right here in our great city. A well deserved hat tip to these guys. This film, by Christopher Parker was a nice way to find out about them. It captures the process and intentions behind why they do what they do.
(via Quipsologies »)
Pilot & Captain
The most recent, and amazing side project by The Heads of State is their new online store and collection of products titled Pilot & Captain. After creating the Travel Series posters Dustin and Jason were hooked on the travel theme. These unique t-shirt designs and prints grew out of that fascination for the golden age of travel long since faded into the horizon.
Designer First Aid Kit
First aid kits always seem to get overlooked by the design. This one available at the Radius Design Shop is particularly nice. The brushed aluminum bracket with the cross cut out creates a a great contrast with the red case fixed inside.
(via Design Dust »)
Envelope Chest
From a young age I was a collector. Rating the importance of my belongings and stowing them away in difference types of containers according to their related value. My most prized items and those alone made it into a beautifully crafted treasure chest which my dad built for me. This Envelope Chest from Field Day brings up all these powerful memories and associations from my childhood. It is also interesting to be able to look back at those behaviors and see what has remained the same and what has shaped me into the type of person I am. Still a collector at heart, this chest would most definitely have a home on my shelf for some very special things.
(via Design Crush »)
The Wallee
The Wallee iPad case manufacturers have now released a headrest mount that easily integrates with their case. So if you aren’t one of those distorted people with an Escalade with monitors in the back of all your headrests. Now you can easily turn your iPad into a headrest monitor for your children or any passengers riding in the back seat.
(via swissmiss »)
SWYP by Artefact
Why can’t more designers have on outlook and approach like Artefact? Their new printer concept called SWYP, which stands for See What You Print is a completely revolutionary idea in the printing and computing space. We rarely see the modern and most user friendly technologies manifested in home and office printing products, and the SWYP begins to fill that chasm. You should also check out the video on vimeo of the printer in action.
“The ideas of radical simplicity also extend to the box itself. We focused on the utilitarian aspects of the printer: opening the lid for scanning, easy access to the paper tray and easy access to ink cartridges. We made every effort to strip it down to the essentials and resisted the temptation to add extraneous details. In the process we believe we achieve a beauty that only simplicity can deliver.”
(via Minimalissimo »)
House Industries & Heath Ceramics
Eames and Neutraface are contemporary typefaces based on classic design inspiration with some well deserved updates. The timeless numbers from these two fonts are now available as ceramic house numbers made in collaboration with House Industries and Heath Ceramics.
(via Daily Icon »)
Govino Glasses
Truly inspired and functional new glassware designs are few and far between these days. It seems like a rather difficult space to redefine or at the least to improve the standard we have become accustomed to over the last century. Govino Glasses do a nice job of combining the beauty and aesthetic of wine glasses with a reusable, shatterproof, BPA free polymer. The design is impeccable, especially the indentation, which provides a nice little grip to keep the glass from slipping out of your hand.
(via Cool Hunting »)
Merchant No. 4 (Update)
Merchant No. 4 always has the best little finds, and some great bigger pieces too. Mostly home-goods and knick knacks for around the house, they also carry some great minimalist furniture pieces and lighting fixtures. I posted about some of their beautiful wood kitchen containers and fixtures a year ago yesterday, check it out here.
(via Pitch Design Union »)
Unitportables
It seems pretty common for a bag or luggage manufacture to make a set or system that has the same look and feel, but in this case Unitportables has taken it to a different and better place. Their ultra minimalist bag system all works together to create a multi function bag with tons of little pockets and compartments specifically designed for things like power adapters and iPads. Available in series of monochrome options including my favorite, all black. Their website says there are more products soon, and I excited to see what those end up being.
(via The Fox Is Black »)
