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Image: Andy Kurovets
I love unusual watches and thought this was a super sweet idea, though I'm not sure whether the Ninja Time watch is for kids or adults.  The face of the watch which is designed by Andy Kurovets has two “eyes” which tell you the hour and the minute, while the rest of the face and band which are made from moulded plastic mimic the ninja's hooded clothes. 


I thought this was bizarre and intriguing at the same time.  This concept in branding and marketing from Camp Nectar was designed to highlight the freshness of their juice box product but could perhaps be applied in other ways to reduce the extraneous packaging and branding of foodstuff including getting rid of those annoying stickers on fruit.

Once you can get over the unnaturally-shaped fruits and vegetables.  Have a look at the video.  The song is annoying but the effect is impressive.

Situated in the historic old town of Graz and on the right bank of the River Mur, I stumbled across MuR (which also stands for 'Modern and Rare') a few weeks ago.  The store was started in 2002 with an idea of having a design outlet in an accessible form and in one convenient location, you will find more than 200 designers including names such as Karim Rashid, Arne Jacobsen and Charles and Ray Eames.

MuR carries furniture, glass, lamps, accessories and other original designs.  It is the perfect place for lovers of design.
Image: island*atelier
Ornate swirls and glittery glamour.

Situated at the foot of Lane Hill in Hamilton is Hamma Galleries, Bermuda's oldest design house.  The lower floor of the building houses a home furnishings store while the other floors accommodate offices for associated professional architectural and interior design services. The store carries a wide range of high-end furniture, rugs, lamps, fabrics and accessories and if a particular item cannot be found on-site, the owners are more than willing to place a special order on their customer's behalf.
Marni has created a collection of 100 colorful wicker chairs which were made by ex-convicts in Colombia in a re-assimilation program.  The chairs are made on a metal frame and the backs, seats and arms are made of variously-colored PVC cording. While the style of seats is traditionally Colombian, they have been updated with Marni's reinterpretation of the woven pattern to create totally new colourways.  The chairs were exhibited at the 2012 Salone del Mobile in Milan and funds raised from their sale will be donated to ICAM, a Milanese organization that reunites imprisoned mothers and their children.

Image: House Industries
These cabinets, which were originally designed by architect Børge Mogensen, have been updated by Stellar Works with an inlaid oak and sapelli Neutraface Slab in a slashed-o pattern. The cabinets debuted at the  recent International Furniture Fair in Milan.
Image: Lisette Scheers
Another veteran of the 2012 Milan Furniture Fair which we continue to highlight sporadically here is this the Paradise coffee table by Stefan Schöning.  Part of Italian design company Skitsch's larger portfolio called Skitsch Forward which was exhibited at the Fair, the table features a white ceramic tray on slender metal supports.  The table is just saved from being too spare by its beautiful bird illustration. 
Image: Hilla Shamia
The second rocking horse we are featuring today also has a mix of elements. This beautiful natural wood rocking horse from Hilla Shamia is hewed from a tree trunk and uses the round bole as the rocker, while a sleek metal bar acts as the grip.
We're all about horses today.

First up, there is something about the juxtaposition of the smooth white moulded polyethylene of this horse and the natural texture of the rope reins that appeal.  This stark, minimalist rocking horse called Rocky comes from Magis' Me Too collection and is designed by Marc Newson.  Touted as "a modern take on a traditional object", the motion of the horse is intended to mimic the movement of a traditional rocking horse and the material from which the horse is made was specially chose for its durability and recyclability.

Here are some of the details of the superhero party we previewed here last year.  The theme was grounded around the colours (two shades of pink, yellow and green) and silver stars which could be found in wooden pinwheels, balloons and cookies.  Each guest was given a handmade mask and cape on arrival and superhero-themed games were played all afternoon.  As a thank you, guests were given treat boxes with superhero theme songs from the 1960s, ray squirt guns, superhero candy, the pinwheels and of course the masks and capes.
Images: Imaxtree

From top left: Calvin Klein, Bibu Mohapatra, Tory Burch, Rodarte, Cynthia Rowley

Images: Wiktoria Szawiel
Polish designer Wiktoria Szawiel has created the Rattatan Stool, the seat of which is made with rattan sticks.   While a single rattan stick is not able to hold the weight of an adult person, grouped together and bent in this fashion, Szawiel has created a strong, lightweight (the stool weighs less then 1 kg) and whimsical seat.
Fittingly, I came across this bag over Easter and thought it was the cutest thing ever.  Designed by Tomohiro Kato, the Picnica Tote Bag is a twist on the eco-shoppers which have sprung up everywhere recently.  The light-weight nylon bag is cute and ecologically-minded as a good-sized shopping bag is stored within the rabbit when not in use. 
Image: Biegert & Funk
Biegert & Funk, the makers of the Qlocktwo, a wall clock that eschewed numbers for common phrases to tell you the time, now brings you the Qlocktwo Watch.  Like its predecessor, the face of the the Qlocktwo Watch features a grid of 110 letters, which is used to display the time in words and phrases rather than numerically at the press of a side-mounted stainless steel button.   The watch, which will be available in English or German versions, is housed in a square, brushed stainless steel casing and comes in natural or black with a rubber or leather strap.  Other functions include the ability to show the calendar, days and seconds.

While I do still appreciate the watch's sleek, minimalist design, a major flaw in my eyes is that the text only tells the time in the closest five-minute increments.  This problem is inelegantly addressed by the inclusion of a series of four dots below the main letter grid which signify additional minutes between the five minute intervals.  Despite this failing, the Qlocktwo Watch is undoubtedly an innovative and unusual design.


Made by PRAKTRIK, a studio which has as its mandate 'practical tricks', these geometric, constructivist structures are inspired by burr puzzles. Part of the larger Coordinate Collection (thus named because in order to assemble the furniture their pieces must be moved towards the centre in a coordinated motion), the VIC chair consists of six plywood sections which lock together without the need for glue or nails. Once assembled, the chair is touted to be quite sturdy.  In its disassembled state however the chair folds flat and takes a little space.