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SunnyLife, the Australian company that has been responsible for those chic, oversized, inflatable pool toys that were all the rage last summer, has brought style to the sand with this eye-catching paddleball set.  With bold, graphic patterns and neoprene-wrapped handles, the set comes in a vinyl case complete with two plastic balls.


Industrial designer Davide Anzalone has created the Re Cinto Sofa as part of the ‘Insofar’ international design contest promoted by Formabilio. 

The casual structure consists of an outer container made of lacquered plywood boards which encases a central seat like a floating island.  The gap between the seat and outer container is filled with cushions all along the side and the back and these form the arm- and backrests of the piece.  The shape of the cushions mimics a fence and the name Re Cinto is a play on words that mean 'recinto' which is Italian for 'fence'.  There is also a space underneath the padded seat which provides a storage area for small objects and, in a truly modern turn, there is a hole in the back of the container for an electrical cord to pass through.

The playful design can be customised by the use of different coloured cushions which can also be arranged in various ways.  

This adorable peg doll is handmade in Bermuda by Tricia Abbott Walters.  All decked out in a felt dress and cape and topped with a crocheted hat, no two of the gnomes are alike and the care and attention to detail with which each doll has been made is remarkable.  Each gnome comes in its own box and is ready to be taken on adventures around the globe.  Abbott Walters also makes peg dolls in the form of miniature Gombey dancers, an art form that is traditional to Bermuda.
The Antia, designed for Formabilio by Alpestudio Architetti Associati, is a spare-looking, graphic chair.  With simple lines, the steel bars of the structure provide a sturdiness to its construction as well as visual lightness to the overall aesthetics. The chair is finished with a water-based varnish in ice white and lagoon green, classic chrome plating or an exclusive copper plating with golden highlights. An exclusive version also comes with a cushion.

Once again it's time for the Bermuda High School for Girls' annual ecoRunway fashion show.  The idea behind the initiative is to foster responsible global citizens and the competition challenges those taking part to showcase creativity and sensitivity to the environment.  We were honoured to be one of the three judges in the inaugural competition held in 2012, and the competition has gone from strength to strength every year since.

The participants in the six-week competition are students in the senior school.  The students are divided into teams and are given the mandate of creating two designs each of which must contain at least 50% recycled materials.  Each team is paired with a mentor from the local fashion and design community who provides feedback, constructive criticism and guidance.  The completed designs are presented to the public during a runway show at which time the judges are asked to award points based on originality, wearability, creativity and presentation and the winning team walks away with the infamous Stiletto Award.

This year's ecoRunway fashion show takes place tomorrow, April 25.
This chair, which has been laser cut from a single piece of leather, is from furniture designer Marcelo Ligieri. Called the York Lounge Chair, the seat is designed to give and conform to the body thereby providing the best of relaxation and reinvigoration while also being pleasing to the eye.  The leather is available in several colours and is mounted on a carbon steel tube frame.  The York Lounge Chair is made in Brazil.

I've been stopped in the street and told that with me, it's either a statement bag or statement shoes.  I fully cop to that description, but my love of interesting footwear definitely predated my love of interesting bags, which is why I immediately fell in love with these glittery, shiny and seemingly completely impractical shoes by L’F Shoes.

The name L’F is an acronym for the line's designers - Licia Florio and Francio Ferrari - who first presented a capsule collection in 2011.  Their collections have an optimistic spirit and are characterised by bright colours and contrasting materials such as silver leather embellished with yellow feathers.  The shoes are built to last with a focus on attention to detail and Italian production quality.  The brand’s iconic shoe is a brogue that has been redesigned to be worn every day without impediments such as laces or a tongue but the typically masculine shoes are rendered in metallic leather and have thick lug soles.
Paris-based designer Olivier Dollé has created a coffee table, dining table and a writing desk all called Angkor after the 12th century temples at Angkor Wat in Cambodia where tree branches and roots have overrun the walls of the buildings.  The tables are made of a composite birch wood structure with a contrasting veneer inlay which represents the tree branches.  As a nice touch, each table has one "leaning leg" from which the tree branch appears to rise.  The leaning leg is veneered in oak as is the branch table top.  

We did a feature around two years ago about the proliferation of certain items worn by personal style bloggers and how it created an uniform of sorts, the purpose of which was to signal to the world that the wearer has style or is up-to-date with the current trends.  We thought we'd revisit the idea from time to time when a new trend emerges, so first up are these Wild Thing Suede Sandals from Aquazurra's Colombian-born designer Edgardo Osorio.  Move over Rockstuds because these pretty, whimsical sandals in a bright pink hue are starting to pop up everywhere.  They successfully combine fringe and tassel which are incredibly popular now, resulting in the perfect punctuation for a look or statement piece.

Image   |  Evian
Evian gets a stylish makeover from Kenzo with this limited-edition magnifying glass bottle.
These car-shaped building blocks are the second iteration of ArcheToys, the iconic series of steel model vehicles from Magis that began as a search for a balance between play and work but grew into a serious design project.  

CARtools' cartoon-like wooden components turn the basic building block on its head and allow much more room for the imagination through the combination of different basic shapes to create new and interesting configurations held together with tape or elastic bands.  In this way, the basic wooden block takes on the role of design tool.


The Wrist Ruler is a great example of form and function coming together.  While it resembles a leather bracelet, the strip is actually a completely functional ruler with laser-engraved inch and centimetre markings.
The Cloud sofa from &tradition is designed by Italian born, Stockholm-based designer Luca Nichetto. The sofa is made in the shape of traditional Danish design but the addition of the pillows which are upholstered in Kvadrat textiles designed by Raf Simons and gives it an Italian touch.
Image  |  island*atelier
This intricate, rope covered metal chair is certain to make a statement in  any room.  Stunning with or without the cushion, the chair is ideal for a covered porch or sunroom and is available at The Irish Linen Shop.  
Even in this digital age, Trinidadian-born calligrapher Paul Antonio Attong is much in demand, working as one of perhaps 50 full-time, professional scribes plying their trade in Britain today.   We first came across him while listening to a programme on the BBC and were determined to find out more about his craft and his history.  Antonio's knowledge of and passion for calligraphy is nothing short of amazing.  Growing up in Trinidad and Tobago, he was particularly inspired by maps made in the 18th and 19th centuries. He moved to Britain in 1998 and studied letterform history, calligraphy, manuscript illumination and heraldic painting. 

Paul Antonio is incredibly knowledgeable about the tools and materials relating to his trade. He prepares his own calfskin vellum, cuts his own goose quill and even makes his own ink.  From a studio in Clapham, south London he works for private and business clients and gives the occasional lecture at the V&A or the British Museum.  His studio produces calligraphy for placecards, placement envelopes, escort cards, invitations, envelopes, scrolls for presentations, memorial pages, cyphers, certificates, dedications, poems, logos and documents for film and TV.  Paul Antonio charges by word and by script type as some in the range he offers are more time-consuming than others.  He either writes each document individually or can print multiple copies from a high-resolution scan.

These figurines are inspired by traditional Japanese dolls and each has been designed to embody an exemplary virtue.  The limited edition Virtue Dolls are designed for Momiji HQ + The School of Life.

Of all the sports out there, we seem to write about foosball the most.  This table from Fleux is touted as the first full-size foosball table made entirely of natural materials.  Formed from recycled cardboard, the table is completely biodegradable and recyclable.

The table is assembled and disassembled by folding without the need for glue or screws and can be built in less than an hour.  Because it is made from cardboard, the table is super light but strong at the same time.  It is easily transportable thanks to its suitcase configuration and built-in handles.  While designed with the standard dimensions of a foosball table, its height can be altered to allow children or adults to play.   The table also comes with integrated cup holders and a speaker for smartphone holder.
Botanical artist Makoto Azuma (who recently sent flowers into space) transformed a warehouse into an art gallery with stunning exotic floral bouquets frozen inside blocks of ice.

Azuma is interested in observing flowers in unique settings as he sees them as offering a perspective on the life and death of the plant that is often ignored in traditional flower arrangements.  As such in the past, he has suspended plants in midair using wires and stuffed flower petals into bottles.  This art installation was located in a factory in the town of Saitama two hours North West of Tokyo, and consisted of 16 large blocks of ice placed in rows of three on the concrete floor of the building.  


A really simple but effective design by Anne Stensgaard for Bolia could possibly be easily replicated if you are slightly handy.  The key chain and holder combination means you'll never be stuck hunting for your keys again.  
This sweet little seat called the Gustave stool was was exhibited at Maison & Objet in 2014 by Harto Design.  Designer Charles Seuleusian combined solid oak and metal to create a stool which has a light and geometric silhouette making it easy to use with different types of desks and tables. 

Stella Jean has produced children's wear for the first time as part of Kid’s Evolution, the new project realized by Pitti Immagine in collaboration with Vogue Bambini.  The project is the brainchild of Alessandro Enriquez and brings a selection of designers to Pitti Bimbo to try their hands for the very first time at collections for children.  Other designers involved in the collaboration include Benedetta Bruzziches, Anitaliantheory, SuperDuper Hats, Vivetta and Studiopretzel.

Stella Jean's collection for Pitti Bimbo 79 features her trademark cultural references.  The children are dressed in brightly coloured cotton using wax prints which mix well with striped fabrics.  The collection has a retro feel and is inspired in part by the holiday atmosphere found in 1960s Forte dei Marmi.

Vitos by Paolo Cappello is a three legged stool with a visible screw in natural and brightly coloured lacquered wood.  Designed for Miniforms in 2012, the seat is made from beech wood in a natural oil finish and the legs come in natural beech wood, or a lacquered white, red, black, green or yellow finish.
This functional piece called Tusciao is designed for Formabilio by designer Andrea Brugnera.  A clothes horse, the lines of which are designed to mimic traditional Italian architecture, it is made from Beechwood and metal rods that are held together with hinges made from fine leather.  The Tusciao is designed to accommodate heavier clothes items as well as more delicate apparel.

Sturdy and safe, simple and stylish, this timeless classic is the Carl Hansen Children’s Table and Chair by Hans J. Wegner and has been produced in some form since 1944. The table and chairs are made from wood which can be easily assembled and taken apart without tools. The chair was originally designed by Wegner as a present for the son of a friend and colleague Børge Mogense.

For all you Instagrammers and semi-professional photographers who rely more on your phone's camera than anything else, Melbourne-based Knog's Expose Smart Light attachment for the iPhone will let you shoot photos and videos in low light with fantastic depth and clarity.  

While Knog are better known for their quality bike lights, this seamless segue into camera lights makes sense.  The Expose Smart Light amps up the camera's own flash 120 lumens through the use of nine high-powered LEDs.  Control over the intensity and use of the flash, including white balance levels and shooting mode, is via an accompanying app and Bluetooth connectivity.  More than one Expose Smart Light can be controlled from a single iPhone allowing the user to fully illuminate their subject from multiple angles. 

The Expose Smart is currently available for pre-order and comes in black or white.