inspire*inspire

Storm in a teacup

This little treasure has been on my 'to-blog-about' list for quite some time now. So today I decided to bunk it up straight to the top (and it goes right onto my wishlist too), just because it really makes me chuckle and I'm sure it will make you smile too! :)

Storm in a teacup is a literal rendition that plays homage to the popular idiom.  John Lumbus's kinetic design is a feast to the eyes and soul. Available at Laikingland, in collaboration with Royal Delft and The New English.

Have a great weekend!

Darcy Clarke design

I can't wait for summer! Okay, I know I'm getting ahead of myself and it is hardly even spring but today for some reason I couldn't stop thinking about summer... I have a sneaky suspicion that this image of Darcy Clarke's 'Bonito' pendant lamp design had something to do with it... ;)

Isn't it  stunning?!

image via INDESIGN

Jonathan Adler

Hello Lovelies! Thanks for visiting this semi-neglected blog even when my posts have been reduced to once in a blue moon... I must say, I miss blogging regularly, but since I always put my heart and soul into everything I do, my studies have really taken up the majority of my time and energy over the last couple of months. But it is totally worth it!

I love the course and I love my new friends and I love how much I learn every single day! The only thing that could make me happier at this point is finding more time to blog...

Well, with the first term finishing in just a couple of weeks, my overall feeling is that I'm getting better at handling the workload, so *fingers crossed* next term will see me devoting more time to inspire*inspire! So watch this space :)

In the mean time, I shall leave you with these brilliant games and Hanukkah essentials from Jonathan Adler:

 

Also, to check out what's on SALE click here.

Enjoy!

Polaroid Flower Vase

Oh hello! Remember me?! I used to be the enthusiastic author of this blog... But now I'm a student and struggle to find the time and energy to do anything that falls outside my course duty.

I don't know if it's the commute to school or the amount of information I'm trying to absorb every day, but it's now a month into the course and I'm only just starting to get into the swing of things.

Of course, the fact that I already had to hand-in my first essay today (Eek!) and have two ongoing projects in motion (argggh!) has probably, a little something to do with it too.

Either way, I feel like I've fallen off the face of the blog-sphere! So now I've got half a day to rest, after handing in my work and before I get cracking on the rest, I can finally do my favourite thing in the world, which I truly miss these days- posting on this blog!

 

via: That unreliable girl

I found this adorable Polaroid Flower Vase by Jung Hwajin on That Unreliable Girl blog, and I just had to share it with you all.

For me, this really ticks all the boxes in terms of style, size, function, reference (I love Polaroid!) and the fact that it is hanging rather that sitting on surface. So adorable!

Have a wonderful weekend, lovelies!

Lille

This post should have been published on Friday... But with the last couple of weeks being so packed full of events and activities, I feel like I've been working against the clock to try fulfill all my obligations.

Still, Mr.inspire and I managed to clear our Thursday out and hop on the train to France, to spend the day in the lovely city of Lille.

image: Larazoni

I was incredibly surprised and inspired by the place and people of Lille. Although it had that wonderful European feel shining through,  there was also a invigorating fusion of old and new, local and foreign and traditional and modern influences.

image: Little_Break

We especially enjoyed walking around Vieux-Lille, the old part of the city, Where you can find gorgeous patisseries, boutiques, galleries and magnificent architecture.

image: inspire*inspire

One of the great surprises we came across, while exploring that district, was the design gallery/shop, Sr77.

The lovely owner and curator, Stephane Rochaix, has managed to create a stylish yet welcoming space, where you can happily explore the best of design goodness.

image: via Sr77

With pieces by Spanish design maverick, Jaime Hayón; luxurious home decor by Hella Jongerius and Arik Levy; and colourful gift items such as Pantnone mugs and Wallepaper city guides- this gem of a shop is a 'must visit'!

 

We concluded our day trip with diner at the Berliner restaurant (recommended to us by Stephane, of Sr77).

The place has a real Berlin-chic to it, with vintage furniture and a wall full of graffiti and 'street art'.

The menu was pleasantly surprising, and the food was fantastic.

images: youropi.com

Not your  typical French experience, the Berliner offers fusion cuisine in a relaxed atmosphere with friendly (and English speaking) staff.

I highly recommend it!

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Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend!

Stay tuned tomorrow for the giveaway winners.

Nano cage

The last few days have been crazy busy. I've been trying to cover as much of the London Design Festival as I possibly could, in between all my other obligations.

Over the next couple of weeks, I will share with you all the great finds I have come across, while visiting the different festival events and participating galleries and shops.

There's some really good stuff to come, so stay tuned!

But I'd like t start by introducing what, to me, was the star design of the whole festival...
Enter the Nano cage:

These little beauties are digital bird cages / art sculptures by artist Troy Abbott. They contain a digital video bird which makes for a very humane solution for all of us, nature lovers, and for those who just couldn't be bothered with cleaning up the mess.

Check out this link to the artist's website to see how it works.

Origami teabags

Here's something that would make your daily cup of tea, a cause for celebration!

Designed by Nathalia Ponomareva, these origami birds teabags are already making waves in the design world and blogsphere. Not surprising, considering their massive appeal to tea drinkers, birds lovers, origami and papercraft fans, product and graphic designers and those who just enjoy the simple things in life.

Personally, I am going to be counting the days until these lovelies are picked up by a manufacturer and brought from the prototype stage right onto the shelves of my local shops.

To Dry for...

Sometimes, art can be found in the most unexpected places...

 

These beautiful designs are just a few of my personal favorites, from a selection of 101 brilliant and joy-inducing tea towels from the online shop To Dry For.

 

The brainchild of Oxford-based duo, Sally Gough and Dave Emery, ToDryFor offers a fantastic range of eye-pleasing tea towels that would add a spot of quirkiness to your kitchen and a little bit of fun to the, otherwise rather dull chore of dish-drying.

The vibrant designs can be just as well framed and hanged on the kitchen wall. Not to mention, they would make for a lovely, lightweight, low cost gift  (with prices ranging between £7.50 -£11.50) that you could easily send in the post!

With commissioned work from Rob Ryan, Stuart Kolakovic and People will always need plates,  and designs that cover anything from architecture and skiing, to nature and classic nostalgia (note the hilarious Mr. T towel) there is truly something for everyone at ToDryFor!

Visit the website to view and enjoy the full range and read through the witty product descriptions.

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nendo design

Ever so often a remarkable design comes my way that makes me gasp with total surprise and delight!

This stunning ornate birdcage design, by nendo, made it to the top of my wish list before I even bothered to check what its functional purpose was. 

And the last thing I expected it to be is precisely what it is!

This beautifully designed wireless speaker is the antithesis of all electro-acoustic transducers, as far as I can tell.
It reaches beyond the definition of gender by breaking through the masculine tendencies of even the most androgynous audio equipment.

Aptly named Music Cage, it can be hang from the ceiling or mounted onto the original floor / table stand.
And the idea is for the user to enjoy the emerging sound, much like the sound of songbirds.

And there is more!

As if the sheer joy of a birdcage shaped speaker wasn't enough to make my day, I went on to discover these brilliant chocolate pencils, also by nendo!

 

I reckon that the description and details of this product are completely redundant, as the images speak for themselves:

 

 

via Dezeen

I promise not to judge you, if it turns out you tried to lick the screen a little bit or  salivated all over your keyboard :)

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Pepe & Friends

Hands down- this has to be the cutest tableware design I've ever come across!

You can visit Pepe & Friends here to see the entire range, including a line of greeting cards and the Flatfaces bone china figurines with 22 carat gold and platinum decorative patterns.

Have a wonderful weekend, lovelies!

Sliced bread notebooks

Simple and straightforward: Twelve little notebooks, designed and packed to resemble a loaf of sliced bread.

When I first came across this product, the design appealed to me straight away, but the concept alluded me. I had to 'go around' it a few times before it finally hit me: notebooks/ sketchbooks are the designer's basic essentials... as basic as bread. I suppose the ideas that go onto the pages are the butter.

Together they literally make the designer's bread and butter (= livelihood).

Ahhh... Don't you just love clever design?!

images via burakkaynak.com

Tea stain

Wouldn't it be great if all things aged gracefully?
And if the more you use something, the better and more beautiful it would become?

British designer, Bethan Laura Wood, created unique teacups that do exactly that:
"The interior surface of the cup is treated so as to stain more in predetermined places. The more the cups are used, the more the pattern is revealed. Over time they will build up an individual pattern dependent on the users personal way of drinking tea."

Don't you just love how clever, simple and beautiful this is?

images via woodlondon.co.uk

inspired*design: Constance Guisset

Clever, beautiful and entertaining. 

No wonder 'Mezzanine' by Constance Guisset is an award wining design:

Also loving the 'Duplex' design, where birds and fish can coexist at the same visual level.

images via constanceguisset.com

Dream playhouse

When I was a child, the world was my playground. I grew up on a farm and was free to roam around the fields and orchards (I guess that makes me free range...?!)
I didn't have a playhouse, nor did I need one. I was always climbing trees and hiding in the overgrown grass with my cats, dogs and various other creatures I would find and bring home (hedgehogs, snails, tortoises etc etc).

Back then, the world was a bigger and safer place. But nowadays the majority of us are confined to much smaller spaces and for children that often proves to be a real problem.

Well, help is at hand with two brilliant playhouse designs that would keep any child busy and happy:

Borgen (castle) is a beautiful split-level corner-playhouse, by Swedish company Vera Vera.

Dreaming spires willow playhouse, by Judith Needham, is handmade in the UK from sustainable materials. The design is magical and can accommodate adults who may be invited for the occasional tea party.

Don't you just wish you were a kid again?