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Articles Written by Katie

Katie

About Katie: Katie has been a product and textile designer, an art restoration specialist, and an interior designer/merchandiser. Her interests are focused on finding well designed items that improve daily life as well as reading fiction and making stuff. (View Profile)

 
 

The Bouclier Visor

Commuting or running errands on your bike is good for the environment and good for your health- except when all that time out in the sun results in your face soaking up dangerous UV rays. Protect your face with the Bouclier Visor. It fits onto your existing helmet with two peel-and-stick helmet mounts- super easy and detachable- and once on, you can pivot it up and down as needed. It shields your entire face from the sun, so there will be no need to reapply sunblock (or age prematurely). Back the project over at Kickstarter.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $49.00
Available from: Kickstarter

Anamorphosis Mirror

This mirror will play around with your perception of its shape, as the oval will distort and change as you change your perspective. Particularly suited for make-up application, the mirror shows both the front and sides of the face, which allows you a full three dimensional view of your face as the world sees it, in all its wondrous glory.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $235.00
Available from: Dwell Store

Donna Wilson Pouffes

These pouffes (or poufs, as you might call them) not only add pattern and interest to a room, but also they add a soft texture to a seating area. Plus, you can’t go wrong with anything done by Donna Wilson, or maybe you can and I just refuse to believe it. I actually have one Henry and one Ernest Pouffe in my living room, and we use them every evening as foot rests. Super comfortable. Now on sale from The Future Perfect.

-Each is made by hand stuffing Calico bags and upholstering them with knitted panels, reminiscent of segments of an orange.
-Upholstered in a specially designed Donna Wilson knitted wool pattern made in Scotland.

Henry Pouf, 16″ x 16″, $393.00 $195.00
Frank Pouf, 31.5″ W x 16″ H, $625.00, (not available)
Ernest Pouf, 24″ x 12″ H, $608.00, $300.00

Donna Wilson Pouffes

Updated price and link; originally from our archives (posted Jun 29, 2009).

Purchase Information:

Price: $195.00 - 300.00
Available from: The Future Perfect

Screwdriver MINI +|-

Do you remember the Screwpop Screwdriver? Here’s an even tinier version called the Screwdriver MINI +|-. It’s about 2/3 the size and weight of the original, yet has the same strength and function. Stick it on your keyring and be at the ready with a bottle opener and micro screwdriver whenever and wherever you might need it.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $15.00
Available from: Kickstarter

Friday Links

-Ceramics by Katharine Morling

-Want to learn something? This is the coolest: Theories of Everything, Mapped

-Yay for Hay! HAY Mini Market Hits New York

-Cute stools: Reproduction No. 5 and Reproduction No. 8

FreeYourFeet

-8/10 was my score this week. Fast Company News Quiz

ELERT Illuminated Sports Backpack

Stores Suffer From a Shift of Behavior in Buyers

‘Living Things’ (via unconsumption)

Have a great weekend.

Jacob Ethan Living Things

V-LITE Lamp

Clever! This V-LITE Lamp doubles as a wall sconce- just hang it up by its foot/feet when you need more space on your nightstand or desk. The perforated metal shade gives off a wonderful pattern on the wall, as you can see, and is adjustable to get light right where you need it. Should we be surprised that this is a Commune and Atelier de Troupe collaboration? Nope, it’s too good to not have had several brains involved.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $365.00
Available from: Commune

HAY Tree Trunk Vase

There’s nothing like a couple of Tree Trunk Vases to cheer you up. This cartoonish version of a tree trunk by British designer Richard Woods is for the newish Wrong for Hay collection (take a look, everything is pretty fun). Yes, that’s the same Richard Woods of the Wrongwoods line, which is an earlier collaboration between Woods and Sebastian Wrong (thank goodness they get along). I bet this vase would bring thoughts of happy characters triapsing through the woods, and also provide an excellent receptacle for branches, flowers and stems, of course.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $45.00 - 89.00
Available from: MoMA Store

Wilfa Precision Coffee Maker

You might think this coffee maker looks like a chemistry experiment, and that’s entirely understandable due to its beaker-like tank. Any avid coffee fan knows that it takes a precise temperature and water control to create the perfect cup, and this automatic filter brewer is made for a professional barista’s exactitude*. It also looks pretty cool in action, as heated water (of an optimal 197ºF–205ºF temperature, as recommended by the SCAA) is extracted from the water tank and pumped into the double-wall filter holder. Watch it in action on the retailer’s site to see the full effect.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $249.95 - 329.95
Available from: Williams Sonoma

Frame Hi Bed

As you get older, do you feel like your taste in furniture becomes more expensive? If so, let’s commiserate together. I’m trying to settle on furnishings for a lake house, and it’s been a continual push and pull between budget constraints and nicer items of quality. Case in point, do I splurge on beds, as they’re the main item in a bedroom, and thus will most likely be there forever? Or do I settle for a pretty good alternative, as I’ll probably be the only one that notices the finer details between the two? Hmm, choices.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $3,212.00 - 3,528.00
Available from: Hivemodern

Mindful Dock

How can you concentrate with all those texts and notifications? In the past 20 minutes I’ve received no less than 5 texts, and I’m not even all that popular.

The Mindful Dock aims to give you a distraction-free zone; just slide your phone into the dock to avoid peeking at its screen every single time it dings/rings/buzzes. It charges your phone too, of course, but it’s more of a displayed intention of concentrating on the task at hand. After all, those cat videos that your friend keeps sending are super cute, but your work/love-life/sleep will suffer if you keep picking up your damn phone. You know I’m right.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $98.05
Available from: Kickstarter

Nebia Shower

Water shortages are a big concern in some cities, but how can you help? Yes, you could shorten your shower time, but you might also want to take a look at the Nebia. It uses 70% less water than a typical showerhead by atomizing water into millions of very tiny droplets. All those droplets equal about 10 times more surface area than a regular shower, so you’ll feel just as clean, and maybe that skin of yours will feel more hydrated. The Nebia Shower is also way more thermally efficient- 13 times more- so you’ll be saving water and saving energy. Lower water and utility bills? Sign me up.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $299.00
Available from: Kickstarter

Orée Wireless Wood Keyboard

Is that a wood keyboard you see? Yes, indeed it is. And why do you need the Orée Wireless Wood Keyboard? For the warmth or for the novelty, you pick. It’s completely wireless and connects via Bluetooth with up to 5 devices. Notice that the wood grain matches on all the keys- nice, right? Pick from three different fonts and two different woods, and also be sure to check out the multi touch wood trackpad and numerical keyboard ($190) as well, as it would make a nice companion piece.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $190.00
Available from: Design Boom Shop

Aelfie Rugs

Once again, here’s a bunch of geometric rugs that are impossible to choose between. I’m sure you’ll be able to pick your favorite, but I’m having a hard time deciding which pattern is most pleasing. The black, grey, and white Olivia Rug? The blue Maimana Rug? The Saskia Rug? Ugh, choices…choices.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $89.00 +
Available from: Aelfie

Folkform Bookend for Skultuna

Your best books deserve nice bookends, dammit. Cheap bookends are just plain cheap, and they do nothing to show that you care about your precious tomes. That’s why you’re seeing these polished brass Folkform Bookends, as they are very sleek and very fancy, and will elevate any shelf to the same standard as your high-brow literature.
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Purchase Information:

Price: $165.00 - 205.00
Available from: Simon James

Friday Links

A Renovated Farmhouse in Northern Italy

Jon Stewart On His ‘Daily Show’ Run: ‘It So Far Exceeded My Expectations’ (#”ŽJonVoyage”¬)

-Cool collapsible guitar stand: Stol

-USB powered motorized monitor accessory: ROTATO

Appreciation is a better motivator than money

Inkbox, the 2 week tattoo

-A cute, simple smartphone controlled alarm clock: JustTheBell (this might be a post next week)

-Handcrafted skate boards: Murksli Custom Boards

Art Bikes

Have a great weekend.