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Articles Written by Katie

Katie

About Katie: Katie has been a product and textile designer, an art restoration specialist, and an interior designer/merchandiser. Her interests are focused on finding well designed items that improve daily life as well as reading fiction and making stuff. (View Profile)

 
 

Intimo Secretary Desk

Well, doesn’t this look promising? Compact desks are rather hard to find nowadays, so it’s refreshing to see one with a minimal design aesthetic that’s affordable. Plus, how lovely would it be just to close it all up once you’re done with your email/work? No tidying necessary, just close the hinge and you’ll not need to stare at your laptop and other miscellany. There’s a small storage shelf along the top and a hidden shelf along the bottom that will fit things like your laptop and phone.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $399.00
Available from: CB2

Neutra in Europe

How about some Richard Neutra interiors for your Thursday fix? In 2010, Iwaan Baan documented all of Neutra’s houses in Europe built between 1960-1970, specifically focusing on how each space is being used today.
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More information:

View Neutra in Europe here

Source: L'Esprit Nouveau

Chemex Coffeemaker with Filters

Flash sale sites are feeling a little old nowadays, but it’s nice to see there’s still a few tempting deals at wallet-pleasing prices. Gilt has a slight sale on the Chemex Coffeemaker along with 100 Prefolded Chemex Filter Squares. In my opinion, coffee from this thing actually tastes better than coffee from a machine, and it makes you feel a little like a chemist doing experiments with life-saving liquids (which, with coffee, may be the case in your household).

Available at Gilt Groupe, an invitation-based site, for a limited time.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $41.00 - 43.00
Availability: Buy Chemex Coffeemaker with Filters here

Custom Leather Luggage Tag

Now that the holiday season has passed, it’s time to focus on escaping for ski trips or warmer climes. And what will you need to distinguish your bag from all the other black cases at the airport? How about a custom leather tag hand stamped with your name, phone number, and email address? (Skip your address, for safety concerns and/or just in case you move house.) On a personal note, I watched someone receive his very own custom tag on Christmas morning, and that someone (a frequent flyer) looked like Ralphie with a Red Ryder BB gun.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $45.00
Available from: Owen & Fred

Make Your Own Banner

That’s right, the next time an impromptu celebration is called for, you’ll not be caught unawares. You’ll have this re-usable Make Your Own Banner Kit, which has 100 multicolored letters with spacers, links, and hanging strings, so you will be able to spell out whatever message is appropriate to the occasion, to the delight of all party attendees.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $8.00
Available from: MoMA Store

Imo Folding Stool

I’ve seen this in person and it truly is a lovely little stool. Perfect for tight spots, it folds down the middle so that it can be stored easily on the wall and free up valuable floor space. It’s not the least expensive stool, of course, but the craftsmanship is entirely apparent.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $421.00
Available from: The Future Perfect

Postalco Wall Calendar

So now that we’re all back at our desks and ready to face the new year, let’s start with making sure we have tabs on the important dates of 2013. This calendar lays out the whole year all at once so you can see at a glance what’s happening when. Do take a look at the other calendars we’ve posted if this one doesn’t fit the bill.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $19.00
Available from: Kaufmann Mercantile Store

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays! Our thanks goes out to you, dear reader, for visiting us often, and to each of our sponsors that have helped us keep the site up and running. We’re signing off until the New Year, so here’s hoping you have a very happy holiday season. Stay safe and warm, and do try and enjoy yourself.

Shown above: 18″ Unlit Charlie Brown Christmas Tree, $10.48

Michael Mundy’s Gift Ideas

You might know Michael Mundy from an afternoon with…, as he’s photographed quite a few interesting people and their spaces. Michael’s the last person to share their give/get list for this holiday season. Thanks again to everyone that has participated this year- it’s been great to see each and every point of view.

Here’s Michael’s give /get list:

1. A new Journal from Il Bisonte, $188

2. Small flashlight from Huckberry, $25

3. A Bag from BillyKirk, $350

4. A sweater from North Sea Clothing, ~ ยฃ125

Michael Mundy Gift Ideas

5. A Silver Swiss Army Knife, $127.95

6. Coffee from Fika

7. Anything from DiPalos on Grand Street

8. A Silver Compass from Tiffany, $325

9. Lots of Wool Blankets from MacCauslands Woollen Mills, $50 each

Pen Type-A

If you’ve ever written with Hi-Tec-C Pen, you know it’s amazing and well worth the price. CW&T have designed a stainless steel casing that looks a hundred times better than the original plastic casing, and a stainless steel sleeve for protection. If you missed their Kickstarter campaign, you can now purchase it for the retail price of $150.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $150.00
Available from: CW&T

The Arctic Trench by Aether Apparel

The following post is sponsored by Aether Apparel.

Take a walk in downtown Manhattan in the middle of January and you’ll see a few trends in women’s fashion -most notably, the full-length insulated parka. When it’s freezing cold outside, women dress for the occasion. But while the typical quilted parka does a wonderful job of keeping you warm, it’s not exactly the most flattering of options.

Too frequently women are forced to choose between wearing something warm or wearing something fashionable. Either dress well and die of hypothermia or dress warm and look like the Michelin Man. This dilemma was the inspiration for the Arctic Trench. Designed for women in cold urban environments, it offers some serious insulation, but with a refined modern aesthetic.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $495.00
Available from: Aether Apparel

Oreflector

Nice! The Oreflector is a safety reflective badge for when you’re out and about at night. Whether you’re on your bike, walking your dog, or going for a run, its reflective material shines out to let cars and other passers-by know to steer clear of your soft self. Best of all, it’s not as bulky (or obnoxious) as a blinking bike light clipped on to clothing. Comes as a set of two badges- one mini and one maxi size.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $19.00
Available from: designboom

Woodmobiel Starter Kit

Is it crazy to think that the little ones in your life might enjoy this Woodmobiel Starter Kit? Wooden parts and real tools will put their creativity to use, and maybe you’ll even have some fun helping out. With the starter kit, you can build about 9 different life-sized wooden toys (instructions included) with the 25 pieces and fasteners, or if you want to go big, there’s also the standard kit ($265) with 43 pieces (plus fasteners) that will build about 20 toys.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $146.85
Available from: creativebrains

Pinhole Art DIY Combo

Add this to the list of possible perfect gifts. This cardboard and paper DIY Combo can use 35mm or 120 film and allows for partial-frame and multiple exposures. Perhaps there will be more than a few soft focused images that quality as ‘art’ when using this puppy… you won’t know until you try it out. Also, not that you need reminding (because you’re so on top of things this year), but time is running short for shipping time, so best do your ordering today.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $50.00
Available from: Lomography Shop

Friday Links

  • Solar system quilt from 1876! (via @explorer)
  • Infographic: 10 Commonly Misunderstood Words In English
  • Just screaming and painting
  • Lights for your labratory (and how about Maarten De Ceulaer’s mutation series?)
  • On Etsy, cute Custom paper dolls by Jordan Grace Owens (too bad it’s too late for a holiday gift).
  • So smart. Vending Machine Dispenses Rare Books For Just $2
  • How to Avoid Work: A 1949 Guide to Doing What You Love
  • Macro photographs of snails and insects in the rain, by Vadim Trunov via it’s okay to be smart
  • Tim Knowles – Tree Drawings (2006) (via likeafieldmouse)
  • Still in search of design gifts for friends and family? Don’t forget to utilize our Gifts Section, where we’ve tagged anything we’ve ever posted as a gift according to price. If you find a broken link and feel like being helpful, let us know and we’ll fix it.
  • Have fun this weekend, and do something nice for someone just for the heck of it.