bltd

The Kingstown Barstools from Studio Dunn are just as sleek as they were when they first hit the market a few years ago. Similar to the popular Conventry Stool, the barstools combine traditional handmade joinery with contemporary manufacturing methods to create a seating option with incredibly graceful lines. And, as a tip of the hat to their eco-friendly credentials, it’s worth mentioning that Studio Dunn works with high-quality domestic timber from sustainable forests.
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From our archives (originally published May 3, 2010), for your gift list consideration…

I don’t know whether to grrrrrr at the price or awww at how cute they are. Luckily, Makiko Yoshida designed them out of squishy and pliable polyurethane resin, so they’ll hold their shape whether I bear hug them or chuck them at the wall when the credit card bill comes.

Set of four, “white” or “brown”, and 2.75 inches in diameter

Mypressi, Mypressi, Mypressi! Not only do I love the concept of a handheld espresso maker, but as you can tell, I love the name too. Just put in your coffee, add hot water, and press. And it now ships with a free Mypressi Milk Frother!

-produces single or double shots from either fresh ground coffee or ESE pods
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I’ve always loved a cool pair of glasses. Gunnars feature special lenses with properties that include: contrast enhancers, wavelength filters, and more…great for techies, gamers, writers, or anyone else who’s in front of a screen all day. And Gunnars can also be customized with opthalmic prescriptions.

Available in several frame colors and five lens types.

You know that feeling you get when you see someone really cute and you can’t get them out of your head for days, even weeks? That’s what’s happened with me and Studio Dunn’s Barrington Chair. Yes, I’m crushing on a chair. I wrote a haiku about it…

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Clean, crisp, and cool – the hallmarks of Studio Dunn. We love the Coventry Stool as if it were our own; in fact, we’ll take one in every color: Maple, Cherry, and Walnut!

12 x 14 x 17.5 inches
American hardwoods

Ok, I’m a little late getting the pics back to you, I’m sorry, but ICFF was uh-mazing! My jaw actually dropped a few times especially at the prototype items that were there…creativity was definitely not in short supply. And kudos to the design universities that were there helping their students get some exposure, including Parsons, whose students really steamed my brocolli with their ingenuity…wooden furniture made by termites, seats held together by bungee cords so you feel like you’re floating on air… Check out the Flickr slideshow to see my pics, like the one above featuring the guys from Studio Dunn, who won the ICFF 2010 New Designer Award (their Coventry Stool is a fav here at BLTD). Congrats to Studio Dunn and other prize winners! And keep an eye on the pic details in the Flickr account for websites, names, and contact info coming soon!

So rough and uncouth, yet so chic and expensive. Irreverent design is Astuguevieille’s signature, as is rope…he uses it whenever possible! And when he’s not using rope, he’s covering things in other questionable media…

(Available with short or long legs)
21 x 13 x 30 cm
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Actually, it’s just the little pomegranate-colored thing plugged into the dock connector. And that combined with the free app turns your iPhone or iPod Touch into a sleek little universal remote. The system is completely customizable to feature as many or as few buttons as you’d like (up to 100,000) and has the brain power to replace up to 1,000 individual remotes: TV, cable, DVR, etc.

Make your cup of Joe even more special with Carl Mertens’ stainless steel stencils. Sprinkle cocoa powder over the stencil and onto your cappuccino for a cute graphic surprise.

Designer: Carsten Gollnick
5.1 x 4.1 inches

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This is a gem of a book for anyone interested in Japan, architecture, or just a good, solid interview! 20 Japanese Architects is the culmination of Roland Hagenberg’s work as an internationally renowned author and filmmaker, who has been lucky enough to delve deep into the lives and souls of twenty of Japan’s most influential modern architects. The book is 308 pages featuring conversations with major forces including Tadao Ando (Pritzker Prize winner), Hiroshi Hara, and Kengo Kuma (LEAF Award winner); available in English and Chinese.

Continue reading to see and hear an excerpt from the book read by art critic and journalist, Edward Gomez.
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The International Contemporary Furniture Fair is almost here! What is it? Four days and 145,000 square feet of the world’s coolest contemporary home goods from 500+ international exhibitors!

And next week, forecasting giant Trend Union will be presenting their trends for 2011 and 2012!
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Speaking of color, check your color vision here at X-Rite.

A change in color is part of what keeps things fresh. It’s a technique that designers in most fields use (you’ll see it at work everywhere from The Gap to IKEA) and it was the idea behind the color-changing lights in AA Studio’s Scenography Apartment. AA Studio is known for their contemporary, thought-out, and constructed interiors and the color-changing lights help to continually re-invent and re-define what could be an otherwise stark space.

Continue reading for shots of the apartment in its technicolor glory and for shots from IKEA’s new color campaign, because it’s so cool and makes so much sense.
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Fashion designer extraordinaire Vivienne Westwood is known for her punk and rock-influenced clothing (she has ties to the Sex Pistols, helped Sandra Bullock look like a million bucks, and was the designer of choice when Sex and the City’s Carrie almost married Big), but she also has a fancy line of wallpaper with Cole & Son. The collection features eye openers like an almost nine-foot-long Union Jack as well as prints inspired by some of her most iconic fashion collections, including 1981’s Pirate collection and 2007’s I am Expensiv collection (wallpaper seen above, second from the left).

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