Kill two birds with one stone with UMA, a portable lantern for the modern age. Designed by Carmine Deganello who is based in Milan, and Venezuelan-born industrial designer Pablo Pardo, UMA combines LED technology with 360° high fidelity surround sound and provides a one-of-a kind portable light and audio experience housed in a strikingly elegant design. 

UMA is designed for effortless portability indoors and out. It is made from diffused polycarbonate and comes with a tan or grey leather strap and a premium cotton travel bag for additional protection. It features touch-sensitive volume control, an intuitive full-range light control dial and Bluetooth connectivity so you can stream audio wirelessly from any mobile device.

A new design store opened in Hamilton last year just before Christmas. & Partners is owned and operated by husband-and-wife team Andrea Sundt and Peter Lapsley, the latter of whom is a well-known local artist. The couple returned to Bermuda a few years ago and set up their store with the credo that good design should be timeless and not based on trends or fads. As such, the store carries a wide variety of classic pieces, mainly Scandinavian in provenance or style, including items such as the scissors, building blocks and wooden cutting boards by HAY we previously featured, enamel trays and other household items, textiles, watches and jewellery. Some local pieces like the handmade wooden spoons by Alex Davidson are also on sale. Our favourite items include the small-batch, functional porcelain ceramics by Tennessee-based Bean and Bailey and the graphic, laser-cut leather pouches by Molly M Designs. 

Nuse Design's Corvo is a whimsical flock of birds made of one of three types of wood: walnut, ash or oak.

Pacific and West

These binders are out to challenge Moleskine at their game. 

The Wood Notebook from Pacific and West is engineered to inspire creativity through the use of unique natural materials and thoughtful design. Made in the US from 100% recycled paper, black walnut and brass, the designers placed their focus on the importance of functional and beautiful tools. The resulting custom 5-ply wood front and back covers showcase the unmatched natural beauty of the material and are incredibly durable. The grain is hand-oiled and this shows the natural material off to its best effect.

The notebooks come with the option of plain, ruled, or dot grid papers and are available in three sizes.

Timex

With a bullseye dial inspired by a design pulled from the Timex archives, the Timex x Todd Snyder Mod Watch may be retro in appearance but not in its usefulness. Both 12- and 24-hour time formats are available at a glance due to its three separate rows of indices. The watch has a gray nylon strap that works for nearly any occasion and goes well with the silver case and 40mm cream, red, and black face.

Jacob Riches

This clever piece by Jacob Riches is designed to be as versatile as possible. It can act as either as a side table or a low bench and the shelf provides storage for papers, books and magazines.  We'd be reluctant to cover it up though as the intricate weaving adds a beautiful touch to the curved wood of the piece.

Sometimes when we're covering the various fashion weeks, we end up not writing about a collection we had initially wanted to highlight. When this happens, the collection can remain as a draft for months until it is eventually deleted. Such was the case with our review of Byblos Milano back in September 2016, when initially the bright, punchy colours caught our eye but we never completed the post. Upon reviewing our drafts since then, we think in retrospect that this collection is simply too pretty to pass up.

Manuel Facchini, the current creative director, took air as the inspiration for this collection. The element was interpreted in an esoteric manner through his use of colour, volume and scale and more literally by incorporating clouds as details and through the use of parachute silk as the dominant textile. Movement came from the use of fringes on tops, mini dresses and high-heeled sandals. In addition to silk, materials included tulle, nylon, organdie and jersey. While some shapes were boxy, the dresses exhibited a certain amount of fluidity.

Dwell Magazine is synonymous with modern shelter design and while Target may not be your first resource for such things, the coming together of these two entities marks Target's continued push to differentiate itself in the world of big box stores and to democratise good design. For Dwell, the partnership makes sense as the publication looks to evolve from a magazine into a lifestyle brand.

Modern by Dwell Magazine is a 120-piece collection that debuted in Target stores and online on December 27, 2016. The collection's aesthetic is cool and urbane, from the copper-accented barware and tableware to punchy throws and compact storage, seating, and accent pieces. The collection is more minimal and modern than Target's usual partnerships but the collaboration is a marriage of each brands' strong suits: Dwell’s aesthetic and Target’s ability to mass-produce products and a reasonable price. Everything is affordable coming in at under $400. You can find candle holders for $17, terra-cotta planters for $20, prismatic throws for $40, an upholstered pouf for $80, a hand-tufted wool rug for $190, a lounge chair for $250 and an outdoor sofa for $400.

The most recent version of this collaboration between South African jewellery designers Pichulik and Espadril SA launched in October of last year. It features studding around the sole and wide ankle straps for stability. There are four new espadrille styles in the collection with four different colour combinations.

Damien Gilley + Revolution Design House present the Boxcar One Artist Series limited edition planter set the third collection in the Boxcar One artist series, featuring Portland based artist Damien Gilley. The six original designs are hand painted and laser engraved with gold and fluorescent paint and showcase Gilley's attention to detail through his use of intricate patterns and lines. 

Funnily enough we stumbled across our Q&Q solar watch the other day after a long period of disuse having been forced to return to analogue since the recent Pebble debacle rendered our timepiece redundant. So we were happy to see that the company has launched some new designs including the SmileSolar Mini watch. Like the main timepiece, this watch is powered by the sun and operates for more than three months on a full charge. Available in countless colours and designs, this watch is more than a functional accessory: Q&Q donates a portion of profits to Table For Two, which is an organisation that delivers school meals to children in need in Africa and Asia.

Who says your pets have to miss out on good, modern design?

These subtle bowls from Kind for Dogs are designed to meet both the needs of man and animal by fitting seamlessly into the decor of your home. The Ole Hyvä ceramic dog bowls are handmade in Finland and their palette is inspired by nature: Midnight, a matt black finish, Feather, a serene white, Mist, a greyish-blue and Blossom, a soft pink.

The curved lines of the Brum Brum bike echo those of the Alma Bicycle which we featured here. This bike for children is designed as an introduction to cycling and is based on the balance principle.

The bike is a unique example of functional eco-design. The shape of the frame ensures a spine-neutral position when riding and the bike features integrated shock absorbing properties of durable, high-quality birch and oak plywood (which has natural suspension properties) and this allows it to traverse bumps in the road without causing the rider too much discomfort. The Brum Brum bike also comes with "finger-safe" alloy wheels which do not require air, are puncture proof and retain their shape. Lastly, as an extra feature, after unpacking the bike's cardboard box converts into a stand where it can rest until it is used again.

We love the idea behind the QWSTION + Sibylle Stoeckli Travel Shopper, a versatile bag that converts from a good-sized tote to a backpack or a shoulder bag. The lightweight bag offers multiple carrying options.

Studio Campana

Last year, Louis Vuitton expanded its Objet Nomades collection, launched during Design Miami 2012, to include sixteen furniture items designed for travellers.

For their contribution to the collection, Brazilian designers Fernando and Humberto Campana of Studio Campana produced Cocoon, a swing seat with a curving form covered in bright red calfskin. The egg-shaped seat is made from a latticed 3D-printed structure and hangs from the ceiling on a gilded steel and brass hook.

These 3-D printed nylon Caged bangles by Maria Eife Jewellery are big, bold, lightweight and strong.

The Casilda collection from Ramón Esteve for Talenti is based on the idea of the deconstruction of classical furniture. The simple, graphic lines of the frames are a foundation on which the special elements that give the collection its distinct identity - namely the straps of the seats or the use of marble or wood on the tables and the armrests - are grounded. The different materials are treated in a contrasting manner: rough or crude elements become delicate when a golden or bronze finish is applied to them. For the seats, the strict geometry of the metal frame contrast with oversized pillows that ensure a pleasant and comfortable sitting position.

We can scarcely think of a better, more suited collaboration than this one steeped in colour and multiculturalism. The strongly North American influenced capsule collection designed by Stella Jean for United Colors of Benetton walks a fine line in these politically correct times, with its reworking of the concept of knitwear, one of the pillars of the Benetton brand. Stella Jean commonly takes her inspiration from tribal and other indigenous cultures, and these influences show here with her use of colourful folk-styled embellishments and Navajo-inspired fabrics on coats, sweaters and knit dresses. 

Items include a knit coat with lapel collar, a cashmere blend turtleneck with a loose fit, a cashmere blend pleated skirt with ethnic inlay and a leather keychain with multicolour print. The accessories are in part made in collaboration with a community of Haitian and Ethiopian craftsmen, standing by the philosophy – which also pertains to the brand – of crossing socio-cultural factors and restoring manufacturing traditions. 

Morten Husum Nielsen

With exaggerated extremities - like the character after which it is named - the Dumbo Chair from Danish furniture designer Morten Husum Nielsen was a contribution to KADK’s annual exhibition in Ventura Lambrate, Milan in 2015, a material-based project established in conjunction with danish producer Sika-Design that asked designers to explore Rattan and the techniques by which it can be used. The double curved membrane, creates a comfortable and flexible backrest and the sloping seat provides tensile support. 

Vans

While most people seem to be sporting some version (high or low) of Vans' SK-8 at the moment, we love this collaboration between the company and Brooks England, the makers of classic English cycling gear and accessories. The two companies have collaborated on a limited run of products that combine the iconic sake sneakers with Brooks' hand-tooled leather wear.

Our New Year's resolution to exercise more would certainly be a lot more fun (and not to mention stylish) on this wooden bicycle from Alma Bicycles.

The bike was designed around the basic principle that it should be similar to a piece of furniture. The frame has rounded corners on the essential points to complete the circularity of the wheels and to simplify the manufacturing process. Made from multiple layers of veneer just like furniture, two steel tubes are inserted through the frame to ensure stiffness and to handle torsional forces.

The bicycle is handmade in the Netherlands and custom built to order. The frame colour can be customised and comes in a choice of light ash and dark mahogany veneer. There are also three different colour options for the steel tubes: black, grey and white.

Image  |  Vaughn Evans: 'Extinction Road' [Detail]

We would start this post with a couple of caveats: first, we acknowledge that while not everyone is an art critic, we think everyone is entitled to an opinion. Second, not everyone who exhibits is necessarily an artist, far less one good enough to warrant a place in a country's biennial.