Designed to show off the natural beauty of the ebony wood from which they are made is the Ink and Wash collection of card cases, lamps, rulers, and paperweights by designers Jerry Huang and Eva Zhou who go by the name E-Y Products. Ebony is considered a rare wood commercially and is often used in the manufacture of musical instruments and fine furniture. Here, the designers were inspired by the forms apparent in the black and yellow, irregular shape of each recycled ebony wood offcut which, to their eyes, resembled traditional Chinese ink-and-wash paintings. The wood was carefully honed to show the grain and set in a lightly inked resin in a silicone form. Air bubbles created naturally during the manufacturing process add to the effect and no two pieces are alike.

The card case has a built-in slot which holds the cards firmly in place and a U-shape design that makes it easier to pull them out. Convenient and beautiful, it can hold business cards at once. The irregular piece of ebony scrap used to make the ruler is balanced with the resin, taking the shape of a mountain landscape, whereas the dense wood of the circular lamp in its brass holder when illuminated from the rear against the transparent resin, creates an image of mountains, creeks, and clouds.

This gorgeous, sculptural item elevates one of the more mundane household tasks to the sublime. Broberg & Ridderstråle’s Svante watering can is made of brass.  Manufactured by Swedish design collective Klong, who believe in unusual products that are made to last and inspire feeling, the watering can is handleless and has a long, sleek spout making it a streamlined tool. The sleek lines are a wonder to behold and turn the vessel into an object d'art rather than one that is purely functional.

The Svante watering can is also available in burnished copper.

The F(loat) barstool from designer Chuang Chi-Hong appears to do just that from certain angles; the gap being designed to hold magazines, books and other objects. The F barstool is made from steel and comes in grey, black, pink, dark blue, and mint green.

If you like your tea with a twist, you'll love this artistic take on High Tea that is being offered by Rosewood London. Their Art Afternoon Tea is inspired by London's vibrant and energetic art scene. Served in the elegant Mirror Room, it includes a selection of mouth-watering finger sandwiches, freshly baked scones and loose leaf teas accompanied by an art-inspired pastries created by Executive Pastry Chef, Mark Perkins and inspired by five of the most iconic modern artists currently represented in London: Yayoi Kusama, Damien Hirst, Alexander Calder, Banksy and Mark Rothko. The interpretations are clever. Banksy’s Girl With a Balloon cake consists of a white chocolate cube filled with vanilla cream choux, cherry jelly, hazelnut caramel and chocolate crémeux while a tiny replica of the artwork marks the finishing touch. The Kusama cake has a sablé biscuit base topped with milk chocolate mousse, passion fruit crémeux and chocolate feuillantine on a bright yellow glaze.

A number of London-based designers and celebrities have come together to support the charity Women for Women International ("Women for Women"). A host of well-known names including designers Nicholas Kirkwood, Charlotte Olympia, Manolo Blahnik, Mary Katrantzou and Simone Rocha, models Naomi Campbell and Arizona Muse and milliner Stephen Jones have teamed with Havaianas and Women for Women to customise pairs of flip flops from the Brazilian brand.

The one-off pieces of art were displayed at Somerset House and auctioned on July 1 to raise funds for the charity. Having been given carte blanche, the creatives went all out with their interpretations of the Havaianas they were given and created bespoke one-off art pieces for the cause. Rocha added her signature pearl details all over a classic black pair, Jones used a Swarovski-embellished pair to create a headpiece, Charlotte Dellal elevated her pair with a gold platform and gold spiderwebs on the straps and Blahnik channeled the rose of Sicily and the colours and smells of the island. Other highlights included Swarovski’s series of glitter-finished pairs with the soles spelling out the word “sisters” to capture the spirit of female empowerment that Women for Women is known for. Katrantzou embraced as much colour as possible in her design, stacking three bright yellow, pink and blue pairs of flip-flops and layering them with Swarovski crystals.

It is hoped that the awareness of the cause and money raised through this collaboration will help the organisation to continue its support of women survivors of war as they rebuild their lives in some of the most dangerous parts of the world. 

Image  |  Chanel

Talk about diversification. Chanel is now selling boomerangs and while they are as elegant as you might expect, they're still an unusual choice for the design house. Crafted from wood covered in a black resin coating and with the brand logo prominently displayed, the boomerang is a thing of beauty but not practicality. Anyone seeking to add this to their collection will more likely be inclined to display it on a shelf than play with it.

This beautiful wooden circle swing appears to be in motion even when standing still. It is designed by Polish designer Iwona Kosicka, who eschews the idea of leg-supported seating and instead created SWING as an alternative to the conventional chair. The simplicity of its form means that the SWING easily adapts to a variety of contemporary decors while appealing to both children and adults alike. Made of Oak plywood finished with linseed oil, SWING comes in a number of finishes: natural, white and black.

Image  |  Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art

In celebration of its 30th anniversary today July 14, the Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art is staging The NY Centenary exhibit: an examination of the impact the island has played on several modernist and cubist artists.  American Modernists Charles Demuth and Marsden Hartley and French cubist artist Albert Gleizes, considered to be one of the founding members of Cubism, all visited the island 100 years ago and were inspired by the characteristic geometric shapes of the island's architecture, as well as its people and landscape. The excursion proved to be a fruitful one and resulted in the creation of several important pieces of art including Hartley’s 'Movement' (pictured above) and Gleizes’ 'La Maison du Gouverneur'.

Designed for the 10th anniversary of the 100% Norway exhibition, the Archipelago set by Permafrost is a minimal birch toy that represents the elements of Norway. The original set now comes with the accompanying Shipping and Offshore play sets which include fishing boats, a lighthouse, island houses, a helicopter and more.