Hommin, Trashcan

I found this really cool trashcan (by Hommin, Hung Ming Chen) whilst browsing Oblingo!. Its so brilliantly simple. Although one would have to stop using the standard black plastic bags that we get in SA. But I think it'd be well worth it.
You can buy the Hommin Trashcan directly from designer Hung Ming Chen’s website, or from the horrible to navigate, DesignTorgent website. [via Oblingo!]

5.5 Designers, Wallpaper Games

"How to design a wallpaper without confronting a decorative vision?
More than a simple wall facing, we have created a range of expression surfaces. Surfaces that become an area for playing. Alone or with several people, try find the labyrinth's exit, the hidden words or challenge your partner(s) with the well known tic tac toe square."

These wallpapers are awesome, especially good for bathrooms and waiting areas. I like how even though the user is scribbling on the wall, the "rules" or process of the games themselves limit that graffiti to small individual marks on the surface, not intrusive, and growing with time.Done by 5.5 Designers, and design research and consulting firm, founded in Paris in 2003. The company is dedicated to discovering the hottest new objects, developing innovative products at low cost.
(via DesignBOOM)

BCXSY Play!, Swing Lamp

I came across this Swing by BCXSY, it forms part of their Play! range,
"a collection of products that was conceived out of a desire to bring a sense of nostalgia and playfulness into the grown-up environment."
The Swing Lamp creates a comforting ambiance through lighting and movement.
BCXSY really do have a great collection of nostalgic/quirky objects, from two sided coffee/tea cups, to a See-Saw Bookshelf.
The making of the "real-world" more childlike is definitely a direction I can see my own work going. Being grown-up can be mightily boring.
via ffffound.

Premio Vico Magistretti results

Finally the results for the Premio Vico Magistretti
'Living simplicity in furniture design' competition have been published. Although I never won (the winning entries were brilliant), I was one of he shortlisted participants and will have my design featured in the book being published by DesignBOOM. You can see all the other shortlisted entries HERE (Mine is about 8th from the top).

Check out he book for sale HERE, I've ordered mine already. I must say, I'm quite chuffed.

Orange

Ok I blame Denise of Freshly Found for my current addiction to orange, Its one of those obsessions that slowly you manage to get under control until someone (ahem) brings it to the fore again. Anyway I asked Denise if she'd mind me continuing from where she left off by posting some things (orange) that are super cool.
Above are really cool, scarab beetle room dividers by EggDesigns, a South African Industrial and Interior design company. The do some Brilliant stuff.

And I'm very lucky in that the new Alba by Furni Creations also happens to be orange, so I can add it to this post. I love every single clock that these guys produce, they're brilliant.

And heres a new find, via NotCouture (in a roundabout way) these marbled resin rings by Free People are really cool, very simple, but very cool.

I can think of a few more people that have either very cool orange (ahem, Skinny laMinx) tea-towels or other people who have a similar love of the colour (ahem, Orangebeautiful/The SCOOP).

Egg Designs website and furniture

I created this website, for South African design studio Egg Designs done in flash. But I must say, that my love of their products goes far beyond just my connection with their site.
Some very cool things, worth checking out. I particularly like the chair design second from the left.
I wish there were more clients like them, very cool content to work with. Check out their site a EggDesigns.co.za.

Fill in the cat, Chair

"Three characters disappear from large, solid white blocks, and their absence suddenly makes them important. The resulting emptiness is filled with the user's belongings and through this action the silhouettes' meaning shifts." NEL

I came across these pieces at 72dpi (A very cool blog), I really like the way the chair and table retail their minimal shapes, whiles the silhouettes cut out the bottom provide the detail and interest. Very cool. One thing I'm not too sure about though, is how long the polystyrene retain it's shape.
Participants: Ricardo Casas, Héctor Esrawe, Emiliano Godoy, Cecilia León de la Barra, Óscar Núñez

Premio Vico Magistretti

"simplicity is an essential quality of good design. and it is one of the most complicated things in life, because you have to take away, take away... it is the start from a precise executive and functional concept, and the designer should be able to explain over the phone why his object is designed in a certain way and how it ought to be made - so simple that it endows the object with a distinctive character." Vico Magistretti

I'm not sure if its allowed, but I cant contain my excitement, I recently received an email from the team at DesignBOOM to let me know the the chair design I submitted to their "Living simplicity in furniture design" competition, by DePadova has been shortlisted within the top 150 of 5402 entries from 98 counties. Unfortunately I can't post the design I entered...yet, but I will definitely do so when the results come out.

Staircase drawers

Regardless of attempts to be organized in the modern world, most of us continue to be ashamed of one junk drawers around the house - black holes filled with old receipts, pens, and random trinkets. But now you can flaunt your junk drawer with Unicraft Joinery’s simple yet brilliant under-the-staircase drawer solution.

What a great way to utilize a generally overlooked space! Step and store in style, using each step as storage for a different item- everything from socks and shoes to books and, well, junk. The Australia-based company unfortunately does not have a website, but contact info can be found here, with more details in Vogue Living Australia’s Autumn/Winter 2007 issue.

Foldschool Furniture

Mass culture is run by superficiality and ecological absurdity. Foldschool supports craftsmanship as a face-to-face approach to design and brings together product and user the closest possible.
The mindset of foldschool is to restore design to one of its original missions: to provide a product at an affordable price through a smart manufacturing process.

Magazine Reader

Simple and functional. Side table which caters for the need of the discerning magazine reader. It's made of powder coated 3mm mild steel. Designed by Richard Shed for thorsten van elten.