The Damn You rubber telephone by Mingyu Jeung is an excellent tool for venting anger and the usual telephone frustration, but the Peep Show bookshelf by Alice Naylor is a civilized way of hiding one's low (or high) brow taste from the wrong prying eyes. Or just good for plain old tidying up. Seongyong Lee 's Colour Space is certainly sleek, but might not hold quite as many books. A folio storage option, perhaps? The Tea Handkerchief by Miho Kaneko is just as dignified, and an elegant way to enjoy tea anywhere. Pixie Vases from Wik & Walsøe were faves from the 100% Norway section, and the Wine Bottle Speakers by Sante Kim were a hit with everyone.

+ designersblock.org.uk

+ The new Ripple table from Jason Phillips Design is a smooth and inviting design that is bound to be a conversational centrepiece.

+ Among the new designs from Switzerland's 366cm are the flapacked Fibonacci silicone lampshade by Alain Jost and the PVC Cheers coaster set designed by Vincent Schertenleib and Sergio Streun.

+ LXL is the new extendable walnut table from Salamander Designs that opens to any size between 71" and 84".

+ Axis, from Australia's Snack On Design, is a laser cut fruit dish that comes with a serving tray in a contrasting colour.

+ The Sale Tag for luggage identification by Antrepo is light-hearted way to spot your baggage on the carousel.

+ Atlason, a new design studio based in New York, introduces the Victoria Butler coat rack above, a seemingly random arrangement of dowels that has been put together in perfect order and is as glossy as a grand piano. The Victoria Butler is joined by the slipcast porcelain Bomb Vase below, like something out of a cartoon.

New work this season by Dave Keune includes Sfere, a ceramic vase with a lid that can be removed or used to arrange the flowers by inserting them into the handy holes. Plint is a hanging lamp with an expanding bamboo shade that functions as a built-in dimmer. Clover is a steel coat stand created from a continuous loop that looks like clover from above.

+ davekeune.com

alissa and carly at coe and waito have launched a beautiful new series of ceramics. their existing collections have been smash hits and i have a feeling these pieces will be welcomed with the same enthusiasm. i love their coral vase (above) and the sweet scalloped bowls below. they would both be perfect for holiday gifts and they’re all between $56- $200 so there’s something for everyone. click here to check out their new collection and place and order.

What do flowers, drapes and wave flower vases have in common? They were all sources of inspiration for designer, Jane Punnopatham who created the Drape Side Table. The molded acrylic table form resembles tablecloths except there are no tables!  The rigid form of the Draped Table makes it free-standing. The design softens with the wavy  edges created by heating and hand molding. Each table is thus unique.

Here’s what’s cool about it - invert the table and you’ve got yourself a handy basket!! Somewhere to toss dirty laundry perhaps? Or a toy basket to corral the toys that get underfoot? The Drape tables are available from Spectrumwest for $1250 in black, clear and frost. - Via

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Drape Table by Jane Punnopatham

'swivel chair' by bokja, sixties furniture upholstered in embroidered vintage fabric from tajikistan - image © bokja

al-sabah art & design collection is a contemporary gallery which is scheduled to open its doors in dubai in early
spring of 2009. the gallery is the result of a recent partnership agreement between DIFC (dubai international
financial centre) and founder of the luxury retail emporium villa moda, sheikh majed al-sabah from kuwait.
the mission of the gallery is to promote the craftsmanship of the middle east. sheikh majed al-sabah wants to
encourage local governments to take more responsibility in preserving their cultural heritage.

before the gallery is even completed, it will preview its collection at this year's design miami 2008 from
december 1st - 8th with an exhibition entitled 'ALEF'. the name of the exhibition refers to the first letter of the
arabic alphabet 'a', but also acts as a symbolic name to mark the gallery's first show. 'ALEF' will highlight the
work of two lebanese designers, huda baroudi and maria hibri of bokja. the duo is known for their use of
vintage furniture, embroidered in fabrics originating from the east. also on show will be the work of dutch
product designer, pieke bergmans, who works in porcelain, plastic and glass. he will be creating a series
of pieces using traditional syrian mother-of-pearl inlaid antique pieces of furniture. for the gallery's official opening
in 2009, new works by studio job, maarten baas, marcel wanders and jaime hayon, who have created limited
edition pieces with local artisans, will be revealed


'swivel talia' by bokja, vintage furniture upholstered in a combination of vintage lakii from central asia together with
suzani (decorative textile) and new fabric - image © dina debbas


'crystal virus' by pieke bergmans, blown glass vase

designboom snapshots design miami 2007

design miami: http://www.designmiami.com
al-sabah art and design collection: http://www.alsabahcollection.com

kokuyo design group holds an annual workshop with student designers in japan called tukurite.
the workshop partners the student with in-house designers to create new product ideas for kokuyo.
products featured this year included jewelry, coasters, a tape measure and vases.


'instant pinhole jewelry' by sasaki taku
image © designboom