Graphic Design is most often used in support of relaying the importance of or attracting people to take notice on a particular subject, but there certain instances when design stands alone, free to be just what it is. Art. The Complément d’objet indirect exhibition presented by Designed in Brussels and featuring the works of six recent graphic designer graduates of Belgium’s Echole De Recherche Graphique, trumpets those rare instances where the graphic object’s relation to it’s surroundings is brought to the forefront instead of focusing on a purposeful functionality. If you find yourself in Brussels on September 13th, we recommend swinging by the opening of this fascinating display.

We like mixing up a bit of modern design culture with the great historic architecture. So when I heard that Hotel Josef just around the corner from Old Town Square in Prague was designed by London (though Czech nationality) architect Eva Jiricna I knew I had to stay there. The hotel had everything you would expect from a four star hotel: very helpful staff, gym, sauna, beautiful bar and breakfast — the typical amenities you can list off any given four star hotel website. But where Hotel Josef rises above the rest is in its attention to details. Beside being designed by one of the great contemporary architects of recent years, they completely cater to creative professionals: WiFi throughout the lounge and bar, high speed Internet and iPod docks in the room, and such progressive design you feel like your staying in a piece of art. If you make it to Prague we highly recommend checking out the Hotel Josef and if you are in the literary scene at all note that the Prague Writer’s Festival is hosted by the hotel every year. If Hotel Josef is a little out of your budget, we wrote up the wonderfully beautiful Miss Sophie’s Hostel a while back as well.

Check out some more pictures after the jump.

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We’ve written about plenty of travel guides, but this time we thought a) what’s one more? and b) it’s free! Whether you have a hankering for a happening lounge or a dose of architectural innovation in a distant land, Turnleft has got you covered. While their sphere of tourist influence currently only encompasses Paris, Helsinki, Amsterdam, and Berlin, the around-the-world adventure advice guides will be expanding their reach from the Americas to Scandinavia shortly. Pretty soon you’ll be able to find a tasty concept restaurant in Reykjavik or a dope design spot in Denmark. Did we mention it’s free?

I’ve been collecting the frequent flyer miles, and right now I’m in Rome for the next week (for the first time). I’m here because on Thursday I’m speaking at the TTI/Vanguard conference about the future of the social web, this new group of humans called Born Digitals, etc. The speaker lineup is pretty great, and I’m humbled to be here. But, like any good globe trotter, I’ve got some time to burn this trip (by design), and I have planned, wait for it, yep– nothing. Why would I come to Rome with nothing planned? Well, I figured a few of my faithful readers have been here and can lend a hand in recommendations. Where should I eat? What should I visit (other than the obvious city attractions?) Where should I shop? Who wants to get gelato with me? Drop me a note or leave a comment below. Ciao!

Warsaw, Poland may be known for the infamous ghettos of World War II, but these days it’s garnering plenty of positive attention as a European center of style. As home to one of the several European incarnations of the Comme Des Garcones Guerrilla Stores it would be an understatement to say modern street style has flourished within the confines of the city. The proprietor of CDG Guerrilla shop hasn’t stopped spreading the style love, as his second shop, Warszawska Nike is currently celebrating it’s first anniversary. To commemorate the occasion, the store is featuring sweet limited edition shirts (40 each) designed by the likes of Alex Purdy, Eboy, and Ill studio, amongst others. If you find yourself in Warsaw (not likely, but still…) in the coming weeks, we recommend checking it out. Or head to their website — provided you or a friend can read Polish. Or you can just contact Serek directly. Shirt pics after the jump…

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Fodor’s and Lonely Planet do an admirable job of helping first timers get around unfamiliar locales, but what about repeat visitors? After the obvious museums and landmarks, there are still plenty of cultural must sees and dos that escape our vacation radar. Le Cool publishing have found a way to bring all of the missing links of leisure to the attention of the jaded jetset. On the heels of their hometown “A Weird and Wonderful Guide To Barcelona”, the Spanish publishers have released four graphic guides: Amsterdam, Lisbon, London, and Madrid. They feature the work of top designers and insiders who find hidden gems in these Euro cities, and prove that while they may have been there, they might not necessarily have done that.

In the 1960’s and 1970’s, the creations by Romika Sport shoes ruled over the German sneaker-scape with a stylish, relaxed, and supportive grip. While recent times have brought the influx of a bevy of international brands, Romika’s influence has never completely faded. Hipsters and sneaker enthusiasts alike have been scouring the world wide web and second hand stores for their favorite sneaks of yore. Thanks to the urging of the folks at German trend blog Nodeland, these footwear aficionados can stop searching high and low for the subject of their shoe fetish. In order to remedy the lack of availability of some of their more classic models, Romika Sport is relaunching their collection. Classic models such as the Super Tennisana, Oxford, Laser, and Bolero have gone through a slight re-design and are now available for those looking to relive their glory days… or maybe even create some new ones.

Tired of everyone stealing your look? Maybe you should stop shopping at the Gap. Instead of populating your wardrobe with mass market pieces, drop by Hanging Out and ogle the unique accessories like the Casa Nostra Pizzeria and Nintendo shoulder bags, or the very early, limited edition back-to-school agenda (crazy panda ad pictured above). All of their products are available at reasonable prices — unlike that Mulberry purse you blew your paycheck on last weekend. Although if you don’t live in Europe, it’ll cost you a plane ticket to buy them.

The work of Austrian designers Bernhard Bucheggar, Michael Denoth and Thomas Feichtner is incredibly intriguing. Dark and angular, yet warm and mysterious, and very James Bond, the group say they practice a counter strategy to an economically motivated concept of design and instead, they search for a strategy apart of globalization and mass production. According to them, the future of product design lies in having a regional and cultural reference, fabricated by way of small-scale manufacturers. BD and F declare in their mission statement definition of “industrial design” as being obsolete and predict a movement back to “manufactories…” Either way, I’m a big fan of their solid silver CUTT cutlery, BRIC drinking glass and titanium timepiece, coincidentally titled WATCH.

Wallpaper…it’s pretty much always on display. However, not all wallpaper on display is as eye catching as that which currently gracing the walls of the ground floor at colette. The Paris retail store has the honor of hosting an exhibition of Pottok wallpaper by famed designer Geoff McFetridge. The exhibition is made up of several of the artist’s prints and patterns created with water-based inks and recyclable paper on some serious hand made silk-screens. If you just so happen to find yourself strolling down the rue Saint-Honoré we recommend checking it out.

Via SlamXHype

Oftentimes, I will stand in front of the bathroom mirror and utter the magic words Mirror, Mirror on the wall, what would it look like if someone were to make a mosaic of me? I don’t normally get a response, but thankfully that age old question is being answered. And it can be answered for you too…provided you’ve ever wondered that aloud to your mirror. While nobody’s invented the talking mirror (or maybe they have) the innovative designers at Hoet have creative not one, two stunning artistic alternatives to the plain ‘ol mirror. Their Mosaic and Carpet mirror designs surrounded by a black minimalist frame don’t necessarily distort the reality they are reflecting, but rather turn it into a attractive visual enhancement of what one sees while gazing into it’s midst. We recommend snagging your mirror of choice at Hoet’s online shop. We guarantee you’ll never look at your surroundings the same again.

Always on a quest to save space in the 50 sq ft we call a living room, furniture that fits into other furniture seems like an inspired idea. Well, an inspired idea that doesn’t involve beanbag chairs. Brussels-born Marina Bautier designed this chair / ottoman for her collection, lamaisondemarina. The ottoman part slides right under the chair like an Amish Transformer, giving you a both a place to sit and rest your feet.

As a child, building Lego cities seemed like a creative way to while away the years of toddler-dom, provided one wasn’t swallowing the pieces whole and being sent to the emergency room. However, nothing we ever made really proved to be useful and in the end our mothers discarded all of our creative tools along with the G.I. Joe’s and Millenium Falcon once adolescence hit. While we certainly outgrew our Legos, not all kids grow tired of their toys. Take the design team at Smånsk, for example. The Sweden based designers were inspired by the building blocks of childhood. A big hit at the recent Stockholm Furniture Fair, their prototype for Skew Bookcase features magnified identical Lego pieces that stack up and interlock one top of one another to create a colorful and original concept for the place you keep your favorite novels and you old lego instruction manuals. While they’ve yet to find a manufacturer for their playful block-by-block bookshelf, we wouldn’t be surprised if IKEA came a callin’. Here’s hoping someone does.

When most people think of cabinets and shelves, they often envision perfect right angles nestled up against a flat wall or surface. However, there’s only so much you can do with ninety degrees…and that only so much usually results in things resembling a bunch of boxes. German design company KnellDesign is out to prove that when it comes to storage and shelving that it’s better when it’s not boxy. Their patented Wave 8:5 furniture system makes quite an argument for realizing the effectiveness of ‘curved and flowing forms.’ The system which resembles a relatively tranquil ocean surface rendered vertically, employs the use of hidden screws that when removed allows for the user to more simply and effectively manipulate the size of their unit, while not resembling a boring wall of boxes. Talk about a wave of innovation.

Via DesignSpotter

Our friends at Friends With You are being super productive lately. Their “Tickle Party” made us giggle a few weeks ago, and now they’re getting ready to launch a new line of toys at the end of the month called Wish Come True only in Europe (gosh darn it) and through renowned art book publisher Die Gestalten. The gimmick behind this collection of nine handheld playthings is that they all come with heavy, rounded bottoms and bell chimes, which means you just might be forced to give up your new toy to your 3-year-old nephew — in fact, it’s supposed to be safe for kids older than 18 months — when he comes to visit. I love each character’s simple but sweet design, but in general, I love anything that encourages you to be a kid again. Friends With You are taking designer toys back to their original roots and it’s quite a commendable effort.