Tord Boontje Second Shadow Lights

These new Second Shadow lamps by Tord Boontje for Artecnica were introduced at the New York Gift Fair this month. (insert swoon here) For a moment, we forgot we were there to buy for the store and started mentally placing the green one in our house.



For some reason, Tord Boontje's designs have always made us think of set elements from Jean Cocteau films...at once fantastic and surreal, but at the same time sublimely organic and familiar. These new Second Shadow Lights are no exception.

Clocky Is Here!

We couldn't wait to dig into the boxes when we saw these arrive today. Clocky is an ingenious little alarm clock on wheels, designed by MIT student Gauri Nanda. Here's the deal...

When Clocky's alarm starts sounding, he jumps off the nightstand and runs around the room randomly...beeping his little heart out all the way. (You can only hit snooze once.)

Take a look at Clocky in action in this You Tube video...

Our Current Obsession: Thomas Paul Paper

Chiefly known for his organic and contemporary designs in silk twill and linen pillows, Thomas Paul has introduced a line of stationery and desk products, using the same images that are his signature. Thomas is one of the designers that has been setting the pace for sublime home accessories for the past few seasons. We are head over heels with his vision and his knack for combining familiar and iconic objects with unexpected and organic color themes.

We received the full line of the Aqua & Leaf and Chocolate & Orange Thomas Paul Paper goods. We were...for lack of a better word...giddy.

Queen Bee Creations

We sold out of these Truckette bags from Queen Bee Creations before we could talk about them! They are absolutely gorgeous and we love that they are from an independent designer. Not to worry...we have more on the way and they should be back in stock next week.

Each bag is handsewn in Portland, Oregon by a very small workshop of crafters that are passionate about quality and design. This from Rebecca Pearcy, the designer....

The perfect bag for toting around your daily needs. The Truckette is constructed of high-quality waterproof vinyl, has two front pockets underneath flap, an additional layer of vinyl on bottom of bag for reinforcement, adjustable heavy duty seat belt webbing strap, and a silver velvet lined flap that closes with two snaps. Hand made in our studio in Portland, Oregon.

We have added a new style...The Stylus Truckette. It rocks.

The Atlanta Gift Show

The Gift Show at America's Mart here in Atlanta is winding down. We have found some great new goodies.

The new scent diffusers from Voluspa and Archipelago are just beautiful. Look for them sometime in mid September. We were wowed by the gorgeous new glass vases and lamps from Fringe Studios.

Some of our favorite new items from the show...

The great new felt totes from Mixx. Always fun and fresh...their Fall introductions made us smile.

These new tumbled stone coasters from Studio Vertu with the vintage bird renderings are amazing. Their combination of the aqua and the vivid colors of the illustrations is right on. (There will be one less set in the store when these arrive. We're snatching a set up for ourselves immediately.)

This is another one of the stone coaster sets from Studio Vertu. Just look at those strikingly beautiful images! (Yep...our love affair with birds and nests continues.)

The embossed travel journal from Eccolo is simply beautiful. (It makes us want to go to the Amalfi Coast and sit around writing something in it with really bad Italian grammer.)

The hand-carved wooden troughs filled with deliciously scented candle wax from Himalayan Trading Post are earthy and sublime....with a gorgeous Red Currant fragrance. I know...I know...it's not a new concept at all, but they have executed theirs so well that it seems new. Can you say "Freakin' awesome housewarming gift"??? (We can see one of these on the old bamboo butler's table right inside our front door...We're taking one of these home the day they come in too.)

We were most happy to see that the growing Green trend in the industry was especially evident at this show. More and more designers and manufacturers are becoming aware of recyclable and sustainable materials and are using them. This new book from Gibbs Smith is a wonderful and interesting little guide filled with things that everyone can do to be a little kinder to the earth.

Das Vinoglobe

This ingenious little goodie was featured in Sunday's New York Times as the newest "must have" wine accessory. It's the Vinoglobe. We used one during an event here at the store and we were duly impressed. The concept: the glass sphere manipulates the air flow around the wine as you pour and aeriates and decants immediately. It made a significant difference in freshly opened reds.

There's even a groovy little flash demo video at http://www.vinoglobe.com/.

Modern Design Icons And Independent Designers

We can't think of a more adorable and iconic kitchen product than this. It's the Hug Salt & Pepper Set from Mint. We love the thoughtful design...we love the inherent sentiment...and we love the story of the designers who created it.

Mint's very first product was the 'Hug' Salt and Pepper Shaker. Although the three founders of Mint thought it was a beautiful piece of modern design, it seemed as though they were they only ones. After suffering the rejection of several major manufacturers, the team had to reevaluate their plan. They produced the Hug Salt & Pepper Set with their own funds and it quickly became the number one selling item at the Museum of Modern Art's store. Luckily for us, they were confident in their design and it would not be long before those same manufacturers were lamenting the day they ever doubted those fellows from Mint.

Throughout the year, we will be offering more and more product from independent designers. You will see more and more great contemporary handmade items and products from new designers that have chosen to remain independent from the large corporate wholesale entities.