tobias.wong

Under the Op-Ed section of the New York Times website I found an article about Tobias Wong, an up-and-coming designer whose recent death was ruled suicide. The article, The Mysteries of Tobias Wong, paints the man as a successful artist who "questioned concepts like luxury and consumerism" and wonders if Mr. Wong's death came from being "a serious, chronic sleepwalker." The article is interesting but the slideshow that showcases the designers work caught my attention, a small portion of which is captured below.

The encased silver capsules immediately caught my attention, reminding me of the ancients who drank mercury only to die from liver failure and poisoning. Idealist notes that the Mirror Puzzle is equally interesting by becoming "an exercise in matching forms rather than pattern" and displaying "an image of whatever happens to be reflected at the moment" in lieu of a static portrait. Lastly, the Killer Ring should be the new logo of Lifetime (fairly self-explanatory).

[caption id="attachment_1998" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="24 Hours of Pure Silver Leaf"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1993" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Mirror Puzzle"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2007" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Killer Ring"][/caption]

ping.pong

The Puma Chalk Ping Pong Table popped up on Uncrate the other day and it seems the shoe company is joining the ranks of Audi and Porsche in breaking their own boundaries. Puma already has more than 300 pairs of mens shoes for sale on their website so why not take advantage of the designing resources and branch out into product design?  The $3,900 table was designed by Aruliden and features a ceramic chalk top that allows players to keep score and/or doodle. Cooler yet,  the net is made of a steel chain-link. The storage underneath is convenient, the wider net practical, and the overall aesthetic beautiful and modern.

porsche.fire

Porsche Lighters have been featured nearly everywhere, even making a couple appearances on Gilt. Like all products from Porsche Design, they're modern, sleek, and very functional. You can decide between an ultra-cool blue torch flame or regular flame, both powerful enough to withstand reasonable wind. Porsche Design also has a series of pipes and cigar cases to create a matching, but not too-similar/tacky, set for those capitalizing on the post-embargo opportunities in Cuba.

straight.razor

Featured on both Luxist and Uncrate, my two favorite blogs, the 45th Anniversary Razor from Baxter of California is a few notches up from my current Art of Shaving collection. Featuring black steel and 14-karat gold inlay, the razor arrives sheathed in a horse-hide sleeve from Makr. The straight razor by Hart Steel costs $345 but that's a lot cheaper than most handles that come from precious metals. Besides, what's money when you're running a blade across your face everyday? Although the pulsating and gyrating of 5+ blade razors has more bells and whistles, the classic shave achieves the closest shave and attests to effectiveness in simplicity.