every one of swatch’s new ‘the gent lacquered‘ watches is unique. each internal component comes in a variety of colours and are randomly assorted when constructed, making for a different one every time. very nice!

via sub-studio

lego and dc have released a movie maker app to rival the recently posted about frameographer app. like frameographer, the app allows you to simply and easily make stop-motion animations. the intentions being you use your lego men, but it works equally well with anything.

the advantage over it’s rival app is that it’s free, the disadvantage is that you have to have their own lego-and-dc-inspired titles at the beginning. it doesn’t look as professional as frameographer but it has almost all the same features, and is very simple to use.

the app designers say: “we wanted to create a unique experience that helps bridge the gap between the digital world and the physical world of lego”. definitely worth trying out!

via design taxi

as well as the wide mouth bottle i got to try out, i was also lucky enough to get hold of one of sigg‘s aluminium boxes. one of the few products they do that isn’t a bottle, this box has the same high level of quality and design that you’d expect from sigg.

equally useful on a camping trip as it is on your desk, it is a simple aluminium box, with minimal decoration. it has a rubber seal on the inside, and two clips to close it. it’s simplicity is what i love about it, it’s a really nice thing.

they are available in 4 colours, and come in two sizes: the larger (pictured) one measures 228 x 145 x 77mm and the smaller one 170 x 117 x 60mm, and cost £29 and £26 respectively. see them on the sigg website.

as well as the chairs and tables for magis shown in milan, the bouroullecs also showed a stool version of their osso chair for matiazzi. like the chair version (shown last year), it uses sophisticated 5-axis milling machines to create seamless joins in the wood, giving it a very organic, sculptural look.

they come in low and high versions, in a simple, muted range of colours. as with the chair, i like the plant-like look of them, and the process used to make them is very impressive.

via stylepark

these usb sticks are by big game (whose castor chair, also shown in milan, i posted about a couple of weeks ago). the ‘pen’ usb’s for praxis have the extruded-hexagonal body of a pen or pencil, blending into the flat usb at the head.

when usb’s have got pretty much as small as they can get (see freecom’s databar xxs), it’s nice to see what designers come up with to make them more useful or interesting.  these are simple, brightly coloured, and fun, i like them!

via collate

these lovely little bike lights by copenhagen parts attach to the bike with magnets, which is also what turns them on! available with either a polished aluminium shell or a silicone rubber case (in a range of colours), they are extremely minimal indeed.

using the steel frame of the bike not only as a means of attaching but to complete the circuit is a great idea, meaning there is no need for an on/off button. although maybe not quite as versatile as a knog or bookman light, it can still attach in the right places on your bike (as long as it it steel!). i thought those previous two lights were quick to remove but these would be even quicker, and (unless you’ve got some steel tube in your bag) much less likely to accidentally turn on.

i’ve posted about copenhagen parts’ bike porter handlebars before, which looked like a great product. these lights, released in autumn, look like they might be even better!

via moco mr

diagram.ly is an excellent site. a web-app for creating diagrams, it’s useful whether you need it for a quick sketch, to try out some quick shape combinations, or you can spend time and make something really complex!

via swissmiss

being a big fan of sigg bottles i was delighted to be able to review some of their newer products. i’ve had a classic traveller bottle for a while now and have found it great for all kinds of activities. one things that had caught my eye on their site recently was the addition of the wide-mouth bottles.

there are three main benefits i’ve found with this bottle over the standard top: firstly, it’s much easier to clean. being able to get inside and scrub is a big advantage and makes life a lot easier. secondly, it’s easier to fill fast. you can run a tap into it and not have to worry about not spilling it. the reverse of this is that it’s quick to empty, be it to replace the contents or just quench your thirst.

another important advantage is being able to put ice cubes in. these bottles aren’t insulated like some bottles, and after a few hours in the sun can warm up. i’ve often tried to crush ice into smaller pieces to fit in my other bottle, but with this one it’s much simpler.

available in a whole range of colours in 0.75ml, 1.0l and 1.5l sizes, prices range from £22 – 26 on the sigg site, i can highly recommend them!

during my research i also found this excellent ‘making-of’ video, which is definitely worth watching.

as well as the spar junior light posted about a couple of weeks ago, another great looking design for resident is the bing pendant.

designed by gidon bing using traditional hand-crafted techniques, i love the cracked glaze on the simple form. check out the video (below) to see the designer describing the process.

the bookman bike lights (previously posted about here) are available in two new colours: sixpence orange and oxbridge red.

…inspired by books, the act of reading and England’s heritage.

via collate

this chair by ronan and erwan bouroullec was shown during milan this year for magis. the ash legs and plywood seat and back are supported by an aluminium frame hidden under the seat.

a matching table features cast aluminium connectors between the legs and the top. both pieces of furniture are very simple and elegant, but it is the cast pieces that are most impressive for me.

via dezeen

knog are well known for their brightly-coloured rubber-cased bike lights, two of which i’ve posted about before. as well as the lights, they also do a range of bicycle accessories, all with the same brightly-coloured, fun aesthetic. bike tools, bags, gloves, clothing and other accessories, as well as the ever important bike lock.

they do cable locks, u-locks and a couple of other lower security locks, but the one i got to look at was the straight jacket. they come in white, pink and green (pictured), and retail for around £20 in the uk.

chain locks can often look a bit cumbersome. the loops look heavy, and the sleeves are usually in a dark material that reinforces the idea that they should be for motorbikes. while this gives you the feeling they are secure, it often puts me off wanting to carry one around.

these locks look a lot nicer. the 800mm chain is made of hardened steel in a kevlar sleeve, and comes with a 50mm brass padlock hidden within a plastic case. it looks good and feels secure.

it isn’t too long, so you do have to think about where you will loop it around your bike, but the advantage this has is that it keeps the weight down. at 1.4kg, it’s not too heavy to put in a backpack. in fact, if it was a couple of loops longer i’d be able to cycle with it round my waist.

overall, a good looking lock at a good price. i can’t say it’s more secure than it’s competitors, but it definitely looks better!

this chair by big game was shown in milan for karimoku new standard‘s most recent collection. i posted about some of the products from their first collection last year which featured nice colours and details, and the latest collection looks just as good.

as well as the castor chair (pictured above and below) are a set of trestle tables by tomas alonso (which i had previously posted about, pictured bottom).

via dezeen

the ongoing collaboration between lego and muji (started a couple of years ago but only recently available worldwide) has been updated with some new collections.

the new kits can be used with the hole punch to create lots of different things from animals to vehicles to spinning tops, or (in the real spirit of lego) you can just make up something yourself!

via designboom

i like this turnkey pencil sharpener, designed by noam bar yochai for monkey business (also behind the recently posted about corkers). the sharpeners resemble clockwork keys, and look like they’d be great to use.

via dezeen

this sideboard designed by jesper ståhl for voice has compartments defined by A-format often used for paper sizes, starting with the largest compartment at A1 down to the smallest at A8. this means the overall front is the size of an A0 sheet. they have nice gradients of colours (although there is an all-white one too), and the A-format proportions work nicely.

via daily icon

lovely simple serving set from iittala. the basic forms of a circle, triangle, and square (there are also rectangles available), and as kaj franck put it: “colour is the only decoration needed”.

if you don’t agree though, they come in white too. £29.50 for the set, from skandium.

via bltd

robert welch has designed many nice things for the kitchen, but my favourites are the cast iron products. and none get more simple than the classic pestle and mortar! it has a really nice weight to it, and the handle incorporates not only a pouring channel, but a rest for the pestle.

available in small and large sizes, at £7.25 and £13 respectively, direct from robert welch.

there’s something quite nice about this double hanger, designed by stefania nicolosi. whereas the muji one i recently posted about stops your clothes from being stretched, this one allows you to hang another item with your coat, such as a bag or scarf.

via core77

i like this lamp, designed by jamie mclellan for resident. i recently posted about the studio chair designed for the new zealand company which also featured some lovely details, which i had seen during the london design festival next to a larger, floor lamp version of this one.

like the floor version, the cantilevered lamp takes its inspiration from the mast arrangements of classic sailing boats. the simple, two dimensional silhouette relies on a tensioned electrical cable for support. very elegant indeed!

via collate

these stools, designed by johanna dehio, can be converted into benches and tables by slotting into planks with corresponding round cutouts. the stools also stack, so everything can be neatly tidied away when not needed. lovely finishing, and a great choice of woods.

via it’s nice that

i love the combination of colours, shapes, textures and finishes on this dressing table by doshi levien, designed as a prototype for bd barcelona. the abstract, architectural composition is designed to be viewed from all sides, based on the gestures and daily ritual of dressing up and grooming.

via daily icon

i like these colourful storage units, designed by nathan yong. they can be stacked in different configurations, used as a side table, or as standalone boxes.

via minimalissimo

i’ve spent the last few weeks trying out the jambox, a wireless speaker designed by yves behar for jawbone. the jambox has been around for a while now, and i was keen to see how it would perform, coming from a company previously known mainly for their bluetooth earpieces.

as with their earpieces, this speaker works with bluetooth, rather than over a wireless network like the recently reviewed libratone live. when setting it up, this is a massive advantage. on a smartphone it is really simple to ‘discover’ the speaker, and it can be working within seconds.

it is a relatively small thing, but for it’s size the sound is very good. it will not compete in terms of quality and volume with bigger speakers like the libratone, but for most situations it is great. it’s main uses will fall in to three categories i think: firstly, to increase the audio quality when watching or playing things on smartphones and tablets. it’s easy to move around with you, and while you wouldn’t want a huge amp for the sound, it’s an improvement on the built in speakers in those devices.

secondly, for situations when you’re out and about, be it next to a pool on holiday or out camping in a field. again, the volume and sound quality aren’t hi-fi quality, but you don’t need that in those situations, and having a little speaker that fits neatly in the bottom of a bag to pull out when you need it is ideal.

the third use (which they make a big point of on their website) is for conference call use. i don’t have need for this myself, but it is a nice looking thing sitting on a table, and having a built in microphone and the wireless capability makes it perfect for this.

there a are a few different colours available, and a few different mesh grill patterns too (the one pictured is a limited edition green with ‘wave’ pattern). what they all have in common is stainless steel construction, with moulded rubber casing. it not only looks good, it feels good too. it’s not too light, and with all wires removed and the minimal amount of buttons, it not only declutters but looks very elegant.

on the top there are three buttons: volume up, volume down and a talk button. on the side there is a usb input (for charging), a 3.5mm jack input (for non-bluetooth enabled devices) and an on/off switch. the jambox will last up to 10 hours on a full charge, which is pretty impressive!

the only negative point i could find with the speaker is the noises it makes when performing functions. turning it on and off, and increasing and decreasing the volume are met with various beeps and noises, which can get quite irritating. i have since found out that by updating the firmware on the jambox you can stop it doing this, which is a relief.

overall it is such a nice little thing, and really useful in the right situations. easy to use, and simple to set up too. not for anyone that wants a replacement for their hi-fi, but great to stick in a bag or keep on your desk.

the jambox costs £159 from jawbone themselves, but i have seen it cheaper elsewhere. the higher prices seem a bit much but for around £100 i think it’s great value.

free art & technology and synaptic labs have teamed up to create the free universal construction kit, a set of adapter bricks that off complete connectability with up to ten different popular childrens’ construction toys.

imagine, being able to securely combine you lego with your k’nex, or your duplo to your stickle bricks? with over 80 models available for free download, they can be printed on an open-hardware desktop 3d printer.

via cool hunting

these water bottles from eva solo are nice and simple. they don’t filter the water like bottles such as the bobble do, they are simply a well designed reuseable bottle. it is made of bpa-free plastic, which means that it contains no bisphenol, phthalates or heavy metals, and is available with four different coloured straps.

via hypebeast

i’ve seen a few nice movie posters from classic films done in various styles in the past, most notably the blanka posters, where all the text and imagery has been blanked out to leave the most basic shapes. in a similar way, these 8-bit movie posters reduce the design  to a very pixelated image whilst still being recognisable. see the whole collection at high snobiety.

another new bag in the freitag range, the f60 joan can be made bigger and smaller again, and attach to your handlebars, thanks to it’s well placed straps. they’re available in freitag’s signature array of coloured tarps, with a 4 litre capacity. check out the video below to see it in action.

available from freitag for €130.

via collate

these little acrobatic cable labels, designed by shahar peleg, bring a bit of fun to your cable management. £7.50 for five, from mocha.

via dominique

i recently posted about libratone’s wireless speakers, and was lucky enough to be able to try one out. the ‘live’ model is the middle one of the three they do, with 150w total amplification courtesy of 1x50W bass, 2x25W tweeters and 2x25W midrange.

they had originally caught my eye thanks to their simple design and italian cashmere wool covers, and when i opened the box it was certainly an impressive sight. the ‘live’ is an triangular prism shape, and the wrap around wool in bright red really stands out.

the first thing to do was to set up the wireless feature, which i have to admit was not as straightforward as other speakers i’ve tried. i had issues with the fact that my wireless network name had characters other than numbers and letters, which meant i had to re-configure my router to get it to work. once this was done it was still not completely intuitive in how it was set up, but i got there in the end. you could argue that you only need to set it up once and when it’s done it’s done, but this set-up is a key factor and should be as well designed as the physical product.

once i had it working, the airplay system worked very smoothly indeed. the speaker works with all apple devices, and is at it’s most simple with an iphone playing music. it is just as simple with itunes on a computer, but one frustrating thing is that you can’t use it to wirelessly play the sound from videos. i’m sure this is an apple issue though rather than the speaker, and for this they have a solution.

as i’ve said, it’s a very minimal design, and as well as the single button on the front, the rear has only a power input, an on/off switch and a analogue or optical cable input. it is all neatly hidden away at the bottom on the back, and although it it not quite as elegant to have to run a wire from the tv to the back it is a very good thing that it’s there. this also means you aren’t totally reliant on apple products, and can plug pretty much anything into a stereo jack.

whether playing wireless or with a cable, the sound is great. all the libratone range use patented ‘fullroom sound’ (explained here), and they recommend that you place the speakers near a wall the fully benefit from the ’360 sound’.

the ‘live’ has a handle at the rear for easy portability, and although it isn’t the lightest thing in the world it is still pretty easy to pick up and move. it’s a useful feature, meaning you can move it from room to room depending on what you need it for.

the handle is in a polished metal finish that runs all the way down to the bottom, but at the top there is a triangular plate to cap the end in a plain white finish (you can make it out in the top image). neither finish is bad on it’s own, but it seems a shame that they aren’t the same, given the overall minimalism of the rest of the design.

overall it is a great product. the retail price is around £500 and for this you get a really great sounding speaker. forgetting the trouble with setting it up and my minor issue with the different finishes on the top and back, it does look very nice wherever you place it. the wireless capability gives you complete freedom, and the handle is a really useful feature (it is a portable speaker after all!).