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It’s easy to be a sucker for a map graphics, and we’ve certainly featured a few items —Land Carpet, Haptic Lab Quilts, Magnetic Future Map, Places on Earth — on the blog before that would go well in any well traveled or geography nerd’s household. I’d like to add this new Atlas Tapestry from Urban Outfitters to this list, not because it’s particularly unique, but because it’s both incredibly affordable and versatile. Hang it on the wall, use it as a bedsheet, or use it for pretty much any fabric-related project you can think of.  Material is 100 percent cotton and is available in orange or blue.

Dimensions: 90″w, 108″l (Fits a Full/Queen)
Material: Cotton

If you’re looking for a clock that’s equally vintage, modern, and pure geekery, look no further than the Chronotronix V400 Nixie Clock. Nixie tubes are electronic tubes that contain bent cathodes that glow, kind of like neon. They were used for displaying all kinds of information in electronic equipment but have long been replaced by the modern LCD display, but that didn’t stop the folks at NixieClock from creating this incredible desktop clock. Six nixie tubes are planted in a cherry wood frame and finished wita h black anodized aluminum surface, chosen specifically to reflect the glowing numbers. These are made in very limited quantities, so act quick if you want one.
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Felt is ridiculously popular in furniture and product design right now. A new felted-whatever seems to be coming out every other day so it takes a little more effort to make something that will stand out. These pieces from Austrian children’s furniture company Perludi are doing just that.  The material is properly applied in three ways: it adds cushioning and padding for safety, it creates a playing surface for use with hook-and-loop fastners, and it adds some really fun color to the products. Perludi creates amazing non-felted products as well, but I had to just point these out in particular because it’s so refreshing and exciting to see felt used in a new and creative way.

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I’m digging this series of glass pendant lamps from Produzione Privata. They’re created from mouth-blown Murano glass and are available in an assortment of finishes/colors, but I think most would agree with me that the ones to get are the transparent glass ones. They best illustrate the form and showcase the beauty of the internal hardware itself. Prices range from $600 – $900.

Designer: Michele de Lucchi
Colors: white, black, sanded, silver, transparent green, transparent
Material: Mouth blown Murano glass
Comes with 59″ of cable that can be shortened
Uses 1 X 100W 120V E26 (medium base) incandescent lamp (not included).
Dimensions: 8.75 H x 9.4 D (inches)

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This is to news to me, but keeping vegetables like garlic, shallots, onions, and potatoes from light will delay sprouting and they will last longer. These cotton Vegetable Keep Sacks by Mastrad do just that while also providing a convenient means of storage and access. And of course, they look awesome. Comes in small, medium and large sizes, priced at $7.95, $8.95, and $9.95 respectively.

Small: 9″ L x 5.5″ W, holds 2 lbs
Medium: 10.25″ L x 6.5″ W, holds 4 lbs
Large: 14″ L x 8″ W, holds 8 lbs

Materials: Cotton and linen
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Okay, this is coming from a bicyclist and a non-runner, but I never really understood the jogging-while-pushing-your-kid-in-a-stroller thing. It just doesn’t look very fun. The Taga however, I can certainly get behind. In 20 seconds it converts between a baby stroller and carrier bike. Cargo bikes that can double for kid transport is nothing new, but the Taga is the only one that converts to a compact stroller. If that’s a bit hard to picture I would highly suggest watching the demonstration video, or the embed below. Yeah it’s very expensive, but think of how jealous Bugaboo-toting parents will be when you and your child fly by in one of these.

Specifications:
High-finish aluminum alloy 6061 frame
Shimano Nexus Inter-3 internal gear hub
16″ wheels
Tricycle dimensions: 73W x 165L x 102H (cm)/ 28.7W x 64.9L x 40.1H (inches)
Stroller dimensions (cm): 73W x 120L x 102H (cm)/ 28.7W x 47.2L x 40.1H (inches)
Weight: 20-29kg/ 44-64lbs, depends on configuration
Colors: Red, Green,Orange, Light-Blue

Click here for full specifications.

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The Piegato wall shelf maximizes efficiency and material use by being constructed from a single piece of laser-cut steel. It ships flat and all that’s needed to “assemble” it is to simply bend it into shape. Available in yellow, orange, blue, and green.

Designer: Matthias Ries
Material: powder-coated steel
380mm H x 660mm W x 200mm D
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Bluelounge, a company that is completely obsessed with organizing your electronics and workspace, has recently released a smaller version of their popular Cablebox, appopriately named the Cablebox Mini. Plug in your gadgets to the provided 4-socket powerstrip and close the lid. The sight of power adapaters and messy cables will be replaced with a clean, minimalist box. And if you get any of the bright colors, it might actually become a focal point in your room.

Dimensions: 9.3 x 4.6 x 5.2in
Material: fire retardant plastic

Colors: White, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Pink
Includes UL listed 4-socket surge protector
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We featured wooden iPhone cases previously, but with the release of the new iPhone 4, why not show a few more? This particular line of products comes from Grove, a Portland, Oregon-based company specializing in bamboo iPhone cases. They are fully customizable by uploading your own artwork, or you can choose from the Artist Series, their curated selection of custom artwork from independant artists, or if you’re feeling plain, bare bamboo. Available for both iPhone 3g and iPhone 4.

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If you’re in a creative rut and need some help thinking outside the box, this Inspiration Pad may be able to help. It throws away any standard line or grid system and in place of it are pages of zig zags, swirls, and non-sensical bends. Each page should inspire you to draw or write differently, or possibly give you a headache. Each notepad contains 32 pages and measures 165 x 210 mm.

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I guarantee you’ve never solved a puzzle like this. The Mysterious Mushroom Puzzle is a set of engraved mushrooms that fit together in a six inch birch square. Each mushroom is unique and based on a real species of mushroom. How fungi.

Designer: Xylocopa Design
Material: assorted hardwoods; maple, cherry, mahogany, padauk, bloodwood, finished in all-natural tung oil.
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The simple and straightforward clock goes to show how a simple change in material and attention to detail can transform a relatively mundane object like a clock into something cherished and special.

Snap! Ghost Cameras are handmade, glazed earthenware replicas of vintage cameras. They come in three variations: 1960, 1970 and 1980, modeled after the Argus C3, the Polaroid SX-70, and the Polaroid One Touch, respectively. I’ve only seen these online but recently have just had the pleasure of seeing the 1980 Ghost Camera at awesome East Village store Alphabets. Ghost Cameras are designed by Yellow Owl Workshop and handmade in Portland, Oregon.

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This here is one impressive looking lamp.  It may be hard to see from the picture, but the wooden fixture has a “scalloped-edge ring effect” across its length, creating a pretty neat visual and physical texture. It’s available in Maple or Walnut, with a Bronze or Hydrocal (Plaster) base. The light itself is supplied by cool and efficient LED bulbs.

Designer: Commonwealth
Maple or Walnut, Bronze or Hydrocal Base
Body dimensions: L 26.75″ x Diam. 3.5″
Base dimensions: H 19″ x Diam. 7.5″

Scanwood is a Danish company mostly known for creating attractive and functional kitchen utensils from sustainably harvested woods. However, they looked outside the cooking area for a recently introduced line of office supplies. Six products – paper clips holder, tape dispenser, note box, pen tray, pen cup, and letter tray – are presented in all-natural maplewood, guaranteed to spruce up your work desk or home office.

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