I really enjoy designs that use alternative materials to give modern products an industrial edge. Much like the MetroFarm Benches I featured earlier, Makr's Studio Work Stool uses rough components to create a minimalist masterpiece. Found on Uncrate.com, a White Walnut seat tops off the hand-welded steel body and makes a perfect compliment to the concrete and glass tumblers posted previously.
Created by Brian Borrello, "New Orleans Skyline" is made using oil collected from the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The skyline composition benefits the St. Bernard Project, a non-profit working with the LSU Health Sciences Center Department of Psychiatry to help those impacted by the BP oil spill. According to Luxist, Borrello has a history of mixing "toxic components" to produce skyline pieces but his most current creation donates 20% of the $290 price-tag, though with a limited run of 100 pieces, time is short.
For $45, the Fresh Traveler by Arian Brekveld features two compartments for your parfait to avoid lunchtime sogginess. The double-walled stainless steel bottle keeps the upper chamber cold and the bottom half screws in to keep the dry food fresh. Uncrate mentions it would be good for mixed drinks but I'm not quite sure why you wouldn't mix your drink before hand, or why it's appropriate to travel with a big cup of alcohol when a flask is usually more appropriate. Whatever you decide (cereal and milk?), the container will help you get there. If you want a matching cup to drink from, check out the Tkara Water Bottle.
If you can't afford a Bentley, a Ducati is a good way to look sporty and fresh without shelling out enough money to buy a small home. The Ducati 848 EVO, found on Uncrate.com, is a beautiful black-on-black bike that features an 140 horse Testastretta Evoluzione engine and curb weight of only 369 pounds. I don't know much about bikes so we'll leave it at that but the vehicle comes in Ducati red for the traditional and a stealthy black to hide from cars that will now sideswipe you when changing lanes.
The Kalamazoo Outdoor Pizza Oven beats the heating coils at Domino's but the $6,495 poolside appliance doesn't come with an employee to staff the machine. I'm sure the food tastes great but you're going to need some spare time to buy and prepare all the ingredients to turn dinner into your own. Found on Uncrate.com, the oven gives the option of using a composite baking stone or integrated wood trade depending on the goal of your taste buds for the night. There's also a digital thermometer but without a pizza box to tell you what temperature and how long, there are going to be a few trail and error runs before it's mastered.
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).
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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.
