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No need to go out and buy a huge plastic cooler for your next outdoor fete, just snap up a couple of these recycled cardboard coolers. It has the same thermal performance as a plastic cooler and can be recycled at the end of its use. No worries about the weather either, as it’s lined with a waterproof coating that makes it reusable and weatherproof. Smart.
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Feeling a bit prickly? Maybe this Cacti tea towel will cheer you up. Designed by Topher Sinkinson from design studio makelike, this tea towel is hand screen-printed using water-based inks. The Succulent Sketch Tea Towel is worth a look.

100% European linen. 18″ wide x 23″ long.

I’ve always liked the look of Field Notes, and now Fab.com has this limited edition set of all 50 County Fair Field Notes Notebooks for $74 (reg. $99). County Fair Field Notes, if you’re not familiar, are memo books that highlight an individual U.S. state by featuring facts and figures on the back covers. A custom box with six Clic Pens are included.
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This colorful cube set by MoMA will keep track of the calendar date for years to come. Cubes indicate month, day of week, and date. Available from MODULE R or MoMA Store.

Made of polystyrene.
Dimensions are 4.75″w x 1.75″d x 2.25″h

This is the sort of object I wish I had the patience to make. It’s a simple bookshelf made from a steel strip, leather strap, and a brass ring. Its form was inspired by the designer’s favorite old belt and has a handcrafted quality that would work well in many a modern interior. I also like how it would lend a certain amount of importance to one’s current reading material.

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Tear away placemats and napkins sound pretty perfect for an outdoor lunch or dinner, and, as is the case with this collection by MYdrap, they’re re-usable and fully washable 100% cotton fabric. Come to think of it, these would be handy for lots of occasions, not just for outdoor meals.

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Four narrow boards bend to form this very simple chair. Interestingly enough, you can create your own hybrid design if you own multiple colors, as it’s easy to disassemble and reassemble. It was originally created for the Danish Pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, and you can read more about it at KiBiSi and HAY Denmark.
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The Australian store funkis has what looks to be a very thorough collection of Le Klint pendants, if you’re interested. I’ve always liked these shades, as they’re hand-folded and would add a nice, soft, textured light to any room, yet I was unaware at just how big the collection was. A quick search on your favorite engine and you’ll find various US retailers as well (YLighting, Hivemodern.com, allmodern.com, just to name a few, and Amazon too.)

Designed by Poul Christiansen between 1969 and 1978.
All pendants include 5 feet of white cord.

Running around with scissors just got a whole lot safer. This pen-like device houses a pair of compact scissors: remove the cap, slide up/out the flexible handles and cut away. Handy addition to a pencil case, I’d say. Green appears to be sold out, but black and pink still have some in stock.

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Here’s yet another option to consider in your battle against messy cords. The tennis sized ball can hide (or “swallow”) up to 5 feet of cable, cutting down on all that extraneous cordage that most of us have behind/around our desks and media centers. Designed by Søren Refsgaard and manufactured by Bald & Bang.

Available in red, orange, pink, grey, blue, black, yellow, green, and white.

Whoa, this cabinet by Xavier Pauchard is on sale for $299, from the regular price of $499. The steel cabinet has 5 compartments with doors that swing up and close magnetically, and it’s available in 4 colors: orange, green, cream, and black. There’s also a 10 drawer version in cream or black, on sale for $510 from $850.

If your current travel bag is worse for the wear, consider the Spacepak™, as it’s currently on sale at MoMA Store. The tri-fold case has mesh pockets and compartments to organize your stuff easily and a built-in hook means you can hang it anywhere. If you don’t mind bright orange, it’s a good price for a durable travel toiletry bag.

Made of durable 100% nylon with a bright orange exterior and handle and a gray interior.
Hand-wash only.

Have a delightful weekend.

This sleek-yet-solid desk lamp is a new dark horse of task lighting. I recently received a sample and I was quite pleased with the heft and overall feel of it. The actual movement of the arm has a nice tension so that it stays at the exact angle you prefer, and as it’s an LED, it provides a great deal of concentrated light without much heat. The arm/shade rotates around so you can use it as a task or reading light, or if you rotate it up, it gives off a nice ambient light. There’s a floor lamp version ($387.03) as well. It looks a little Bauhaus too, don’t you think?

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Do you have an extra 3 grand lying around? If so, you could spend it on this handcrafted bar cabinet by urbancase. It has a sliding panel on the front that reveals compartments inside (perfect for glassware) plus a drop front drawer and a pull-out drawer for tools and such. Mostly it’s a great looking cabinet that doesn’t necessarily look like a liquor cabinet… and, there’s got to be some sort of pleasure in opening it up for the big reveal when you have guests.
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