IKEA PS collection

I've been known to bang on a bit about wishing we had IKEA here in South Africa, and I think these pieces from the PS Collection illustrate exactly why I feel we are so awfully deprived:

The wonderfully wonky PS Svarva lamp is designed by Swedish wunderkids Front - a delightful bit of craziness.
Swedish speakers, I'd be most grateful if you could fill us in on what the IKEA PS Sprakka is for? I think it's a spice grinder. Whatever its practical purpose, it would make a wonderful sculptural piece.
And my favourite, the nifty little PS Karjohan sidetable . It's so darn cute, I'd be tempted to paste eyes on it and take it for a trot in the park.

Oh, and South African readers, you may feel a little better knowing that we're not the only ones without access to these amazing pieces - the PS Collection is only available in Sweden (for a while, anyway)!

Chicken vs Puppy

I for one, have had enough of the plastic Puppy by Eero Aarnio. To me, it's a little too ubiquitous to be considered the icon it appears to be held up to be. I propose that it gets replaced by a new plastic animal, and would like you to consider Jaime Hayon's chicken.

What do you think - reckon it'll catch on in the same way?Via Orange you Lucky

Mirror mirror

Sanell Aggenbach has been having fun making mirrors lately, using some iconic pop imagery.

These are very limited edition (only 5 available!), and are available from African Image in Cape Town.

Sacred from the profane

The ethereal objects and jewellery made by designer Gülnur özdağlar are a perfect alchemy of the sacred from the profane. These exquisite objects, like insubstantial glowing jellyfish, are implausibly made from discarded PET plastic water bottles.


See more work by Gülnur özdağlar at her blog and get some for yourself at her Etsy shop too.

via Design Sponge

Woodsmen need wallets

My Japanese not being what it used to be (ahem), I don't know much more about these gorgeous faux bois accessories than that they're available from Japanese design store Cibone. Whatever else there is to know about them, I reckon they're definitely worth an eyeballing.

Shippo Plates

Dutch design superstar Hella Jongerius' modus operandi is to design on the basis of a tradition, researching the history of a product, giving it a twist and creating something new. Her latest exploration is with an old enamel technique called Shippo cloisonné, creating these five Shippo Plates .

Shippo cloisonné is a technique whereby fine silver strips are applied to copper, and then enamel is poured into the spaces, then repeatedly fired and polished. The pic below shows the process at work in the Japanese enamelling studio that produces the Shippo Plates for Tokyo-based company Cibone.

Via Frozen Fountain

Fun at the office

Lots of our readers will be back at work today, and you're possibly feeling a little sorry for yourself. So to cheer you up, I've put together a few office accessories that will make take the ho-hum out of a day at work.

Nothing sounds more like getting down to work than the clackety clack racket a typewriter makes. Give your office a sound and colour pop with this genuine 1950s refurbished typewriter from Three Potato Four.


Engage in endless busywork as you juggle your diary with the Puzzle Calendar from Urban Outfitters.
On another level completely, this modular Daily System integrates high-tech devices seamlessly into your daily life. For instance, the Weekly Meal Planner organizes weekly plans for meals and groceries, while a digital frame slideshows up to 1,300 photos on a 6" screen. Talk about getting organized!
Going down a notch or two, I think a caveat should accompany this Wildlife Tape Dispenser from Urban Outfitters: your boss isn't likely to take you terribly seriously with this taking pride of place, so try injecting a spot of Bauhaus gravity with the Bourne desk lamp below, from Habitat.Work hard, everyone!

Time for a riddle

Q: What is large, round and woolly, with two arms, and goes "tick tock"?

A: Why, it's the Gomitolo Knit Clock, of course!

The knitted clock by Carlo and Benedetta Tamborini is available from the Conran shop, and you'll be glad to know that the hands of time will be kind to this designer accessory, as the cover may be removed for washing.


Via Dwell

Scaling the walls, floors, bed...

Feeling all retro chic and bold? Then get your eyeballs all a-jangle by kitting out your apartment in the full suite of Color Scales accessories - all brand new at Urban Outfitters. You can have the zingiest walls...

...the most hyperactive bedspread around......and a rug that fairly ripples with grooviness underfoot too.

Revo glass

Just loving this blown glass fruit, available for sale from Revo Studio. Mmm, delicious.