Loving Mike and Maaike’s new DIVIS Dining Table– another collaboration with the über-talented folks at Council. Lots of character with what they call “planned imperfections”– the piece will debut at ICFF at the Javitz Center here in NYC May 16-19th. No word on pricing yet. I want one!

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We came across Nori Morimoto’s light sculptures and were floored by their beauty and simplicity. Beyond their raw aesthetic value, Nori's creation of wood sculptures from sustainable sources adds a couple extra gold stars to his name. It is nice to see some progressive design getting back to its roots– literally. Now if he could only strike a deal with IKEA to get these out of the wild and into my living room!

Via Inhabitat

The first time we heard the words “warm organic material against cold steel” we began to romanticize about an afternoon trip to the gun range with Dirty Harry — which is rather strange seeing as we don’t consider ourselves the violent type. Thankfully, we snapped out of it when we saw those words were accompanied by pictures of Stanley Ruiz’s stunning design collection entitled, “The New Organic. ” Taking his inspiration from improv music, Henry David Thoreau, and walking (a classic combo), Ruiz employed the rudimentary tools at his disposal. He hand-assemble raw elements like twigs and machined parts into an inventive collection of wares that manage to fuse craft and industry into something as simple as a necklace or a clock. If you want to get a peak at Ruiz’s creations, we recommend heading to the ICFF New York this week, where the Brooklyn-based designer will be launching The New Organic as part of the designboom Mart.

If you’re big into sitting and design, you’ll want to be at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair next week in New York when former House & Garden Style Editor Brooke Stoddard speaks with world-famous German designer and head of KGID, Konstantin Grcic, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m on May 17th. Over the years, Grcic has developed products for companies such as Flos, Montina, and Cappellini, and his most recent project is the MYTO cantilevered chair that was commissioned by chemical company BASF and designed for Plank out of a new synthetic material. He has also been hired to design all of the furniture pieces for the expansion of Long Island’s Parrish Art Museum and fans will be able to admire his work when it opens in 2009.

ICFF time is almost here again, which means that our inbox is about to get flooded with contemporary furniture designers hawking their wares. One of the booths we will stop by though, is the Designboom Mart, which will feature new stuff from Ripple Design for the PAD Outdoor company. A couple of the inspired ideas we wish we came up with are an aluminum serving tray that has a perforated pattern which acts like a colander, and the Nuclear Planter, a playful pun shaped like the cooling towers from the infamous Three Mile Island disaster. If those aren’t your speed, not to worry. There’s only a 100,000 other products on the convention center floor. So make with the stoop sale, and clear some space in the living room, because we guarantee you’re going to come back to your apartment with decorative wheelbarrows full of home accessories.

I’ve been a massive fan of dVider for a while now — we spent some quality time at ICFF last year and I always check in to see what is new in the world of non-committal wall decor. Their endless parade of vinyl goodness continues with the dVider Guest Artist Series, this quarter featuring Brooklyn wallpaper goddess Jill Malek. Drawing inspiration from organic, repetitive pattern in nature, Jill’s decals are available at the dVider store through April 30th. There’s never been a better time to remedy your white-wall syndrome than now.

This morning’s travels led me to In The Habit, the web home of designer Tiziana Haug. At first glance, it’s a little overwhelming — she’s done a LOT of work. So I started where I usually do: with the person. Clicking “about” left me momentarily befuddled as I thought the button wasn’t working…until I clicked again. Then I noticed the simple description: blond, Swiss, New York resident, makes design, loves design.

Call me a complete sucker, but I love stumbling into moments like that on the web. Does it give me a full CV and history of her work? No, but it tells me a lot about who she is. And the work says the rest. With clients ranging from Tiffany & Co., the Olympic Games and ICFF, Tiziana has clearly been hard at work for quite a while now. Have a look, go explore, drop her a line. Her site is worth a look.

blik Wall Decals: Read JS Review | Buy It (prices vary; shown as 2)

There isn’t much to not love about blik; it’s a product which allows instant transformation to any wall, any space, without the application of paint or the permanence of wallpaper — perfect for both commitment-phobes and renters alike.

Legna Linens and Bath: Read JS Review | Buy It ($41-$387; shown as 4)

These towels and sheets are like the holy grail of linens; made of wood cellulose fiber, they are soft, luxurious and prone to theft from envious friends and houseguests which, if you ask me, is always the best compliment.

HUH Housewares: Read JS Review | Buy It (prices vary; shown as 5)

So much fun stuff here, you could make a serious dent in your gift list on this site alone. I mean, come on: who wouldn’t love an ink-blot mirror? Seriously.

Grandpa Clock: Read JS Review | Buy It ($79, shown as 3)

It’s like that old, noisy thing in your grandparent’s house…without taking up all that real estate and the noise that goes along with it.

Dwell Home: Read JS Review | Buy It (prices vary; shown as 1)

Giving the gift of Dwell — whether it be their bed linens, tabletop collection or baby line — is the stuff that brownie points are made of. Classic, sophisticated and sustainable, you’ll look about three hundred percent more thoughtful than you already are. We promise.

Are you ready for the JS08 Gift Guide? If you are, that's a shame; we're actually not doing one this year — we're going to do even better. Over the next month you're going to see itemized lists, broken down into separate categories for your easy perusal, and all you'll need to do to get to those posts is hit the “gifts” tag at the bottom of any of them. If you have any suggestions for a list, feel free to hit us up at feedback at josh spear dot com. If you're staying in today (instead of braving the malls and stores), we salute your intelligence. If not, try not to get arrested. Happy holidays!

In case you didn’t notice this past year, ICFF is a pretty big deal around here. Here, of course, being both NYC and our cozy little blog. While I haven’t had the opportunity to check it out in person yet, I know Heather had a whale of a time wandering the Javits Center last year, sifting the rubies from the rubble. What I didn’t know is how people got invited or otherwise included in the exhibit. As it turns out, there’s an open call for a specific section of the ICFF called the ICFF Studio. “Conceived as a way to help young and promising designers with prototypes connect with the ICFF’s manufacturer attendees as well as the always news-hungry media, ICFF Studio makes the ICFF a truly practical venue for emerging talents.”

Entry is as easy as most design contests are — fill out a form and send in a few pictures of your stuff — so I want to share in case anyone’s cooking up something special in their basement that they’d like to show off to the world at ICFF ‘08. Without further ado, the entry form can be downloaded here. The deadline isn’t until January 15, so you’ve got time to finish up those semester projects for your ID program or your “studio”, and the turn around is quick. Winners are announced on February 15th. The only catch? If you get a piece in the show from reading this here, I want a pass to come check it out!

Most of the buzz surrounding Uhuru, a furniture design shop based in Red Hook, Brooklyn has focused on its commitment to making environmentally sustainable designs — something that has, of late, moved beyond a trend to a absolute necessity for many a designer and consumer. True to form, in their most recent collection (appearing at both BKLYN Designs and ICFF this year), Uhuru frequently make use of pine wood reclaimed from demolished New York City buildings, old bicycle rims, recycled steel, and other such attractive waste. All the furniture is assembled in their own studio in Brooklyn or in other local workshops.

But what might be left out in the appropriately congratulatory assessments of Uhuru’s eco-friendliness, is the other side of their designs — their attractiveness. Featuring clean lines and simple functionality, items like the Stoolen (pictured) and the Fenced in Table demonstrate that Uhuru isn’t just about politics or idealism, it’s about aesthetics as well. With increasing press coverage and interior design contracts — including one for Bar Martignetti on Broome Street in Manhattan, Uhuru might just make its way into your living room before you know it.

–Dan Steckenberg

This will be the last post about ICFF this year, I promise. There were just so many treasures hidden in the sea of eurotrash uh, trash that was too good not to share…after this we’ll be back to the bite-size pieces you know and love.

Rocking benches, snap-on wineglasses, Dan Funderburgh’s new wallpaper and more, after the jump.

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Now here is an idea I can get behind: a service that automates the process of making “mental notes”. I don’t know about you, dear reader, but I have a terrible time remembering anything unless it is in an email, on my phone, or (gasp) written down somewhere. While I do my best to create reminders, notes, and have even go so far as to send myself emails and texts, all that results is a disorganized mess. Enter the folks at Mindjot.com, who claim to offer a means to save time, stay connected, and “remember what matters”. After creating an account, users can note products and services bearing a proprietary Mindjot unique ID (or mCode). So the story goes, you spot something cool, open your mobile browser, sign in, and enter the code, plus any optional notes, leaving open the possibility of inadvertently hilarious tipsy commentary. Later you can sign into your account online and see saved summaries of the relevant Web pages. While this all sounds well and good, there are a few things I wonder about. For starters, while I honestly haven’t been on the lookout, I have yet to notice any mCodes in print or broadcast and what are the odds I’ll remember to look? I heard they were everywhere at ICFF this year, and similar exhibitions may be Mindjot’s best (and only?) use-case. Second, Mindjot claims you will receive spam “more information” on your phone after creating a note. (Why would you want to receive more information immediately? Doesn’t that go against the idea of making a “mental note”? Hopefully, you can opt out of this service.) Finally, Mindjot smells a bit of other dotcom projects — the CueCat, anyone? — that ultimately crashed, burned, and fell victim to hackers along the way. Even so, I’ll try anything that sounds like a good idea once. Now, about this piece of string tied to my finger…

On Saturday, I had a moderately awkward conversation with someone who couldn’t tell me where the teak in his pieces was sourced from. Not wanting to get into a human rights debate in the middle of the Javits Center, I politely excused myself and seethed quietly for the remainder of the afternoon — it’s amazing to me that there are still designers who aren’t morally or environmentally conscious when it comes to the production of their pieces.

On the other side of this story, however, were a myriad of companies who set out to make sustainability and environmental responsibility their number one priority. At times I was floored by the thought process evident from beginning to end in the development of such beautiful lines of fabric and furniture, and not just in the fabrication, but in delivery and end-life strategies as well. To be honest, I struggled with where to start, so I just decided to go with my five of my favorites. Stylish quasi-treehugging and photographic goodness continue after the jump.
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If there’s anything that I learned during the two days I spent at ICFF, it’s that I’m a little too obsessed with lighting. Sure, lighting is one of the most important, yet often one of the most overlooked elements in design, but my excitement over pendant lamps measuring almost five feet in diameter is beyond ridiculous. Luckily for you, though, that just means lots of pictures that will hopefully inspire you to get rid of that $10 piece of junk from IKEA. And don’t tell me you don’t have one, because I know you do. My favorites from the show are after the jump, and when I wade through the mounds of press kits I lugged home, I’m sure there’ll be even more.
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You’ll have to excuse the light posting for today, as I’m heading back to ICFF momentarily. Before I do, though, I wanted to share some of the highlights of my filled trip on Saturday. Josh had warned me there would be a lot of “garbage” at the Javits Center (and indeed, there is) but I guess you can chalk my kid-in-a-candy store excitement up to first-timer enthusiasm. After the jump is a just a snippet of some of my favorite things from Saturday’s field trip, and I’ll be back later this evening and tomorrow with a veritable boatload of photos and stories.

If there’s someone there you think I should check out, hit me up on my Blackberry and I’ll swing by.
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