zeitgeist clocks by mylumi

look at these abstract graphic zeitgeist clocks from the creative duo of kerstin nill and sebastian pehl, aka mylumi. designed in an old fashioned flip style, these clocks present a bold new image every minute of the day — literally. there are 1440 different combinations. kerstin and sebastian describe this distinct styling they call typology as “avant-garde and visionary.”

learn more about the design team’s philosophy here, and purchase the clocks, available with typographical or city imagery (bottom two photos), at apt.

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acme animal fun metal art

i think these funny tabletop sculptures and clocks from the canadian team of don gidley and sue parke are so much fun! i love the scratchy texture on all their handmade pieces and all the bright colors they use. you can really tell they enjoy making their delightfully whimsical collection.

find a wonderful assortment of don and sue’s work at uncommon goods, the human arts gallery, conversation pieces and maddi’s gallery.

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snapshot sunday

the clock tower at seward park

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bingo clock by margaret taylor

i love bingo, and i am not ashamed to say it. i remember my hip (read: younger) cousins telling me they used to play in the west village at a bar every week about ten years ago. at the time i thought they were nuts, but now i see the light. i can see what time it is too, with this fun bingo clock from margaret taylor, the fantastic reclaimed barnwood furniture maker who has graced this space before. these are handmade pieces, made from vintage bingo cards from st. leo’s church in pennsylvania, and mounted on reclaimed wood.

find the clock at uncommon goods, and see the hook and other wonderful things on margaret’s website.

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skogstad/vold product design: let’s chat!

ever since i caught a tiny glimpse of their work on designboom, i have been charmed and slightly obsessed with the clean, youthful designs of petter skogstad and haakon vold, for their company skogstad/vold. the items they have included in their collection are fresh, playful and inviting all at the same time. the designs have a flexible versatility, which make them appropriate for use in a variety of applications. to me the outstanding consistent theme here is the focus and balance of both masculine and feminine qualities. i love their stealth lounge chair (above), which was inspired by modern military aircraft, but it also reminds me of the opening petals of a flower. i enjoy the minimal lines and strong material of the steel break vase (below), which softens and transforms when flowers are placed within it. and of course this balance is clearly demonstrated in the graphics on the appropriately named fun wall clocks. these are the thoughtful qualities that compel us to appreciate, seek out and live with quality design everyday. let’s have a chat with haakon and petter and find out more!

q: where do you live and where do you design and make your collections?
a: we both live in oslo, norway, and we are senior students at akershus university college of product design (bachelor). we make most of our prototypes in the workshops at our university, but for bigger projects and production processes we use other companies with the competence we need.

q: what is your top priority (or the most important element) when designing furniture?
a: to create products for the future. we focus on making contemporary products where aesthetics, function, environment and high quality play a big role.

q: who or what are your main influences?
a: we get inspiration from nature, specifically norwegian nature and clean shapes. this is further enhanced by exploring new materials and technology. we also have some favorite designers: ronan and erwan bouroullec, konstantin grcic, stokkeaustad, norway says, arne quinze, karim rashid and mid to late century scandinavian design (in the 60-70’s).

q: are any of the pieces in distribution yet?
a: no, not yet, but we hope some of our products will be in production soon. we have a catalogue and website and have been in contact with a few manufacturers.

q: do you have a favorite material you prefer to work with?
a: we are trying to work with new materials, new technology and new production processes all the time, so we have no favorite material.

q: what is the best single piece of advice you have received as designers?
a: keep it simple and focus on the details.

q: how would you finish the following sentence? the future of design…
a: the future of design will have more focus on the environment and it will be important as a designer to focus on the whole life-cycle of the product.

skogstad/vold will be exhibiting these pieces and some exciting new prototypes too at the milan international furniture fair, from april 16th-21, 2008. they will be located in the area considered the launching pad for young designers, called saloneSatellite. i have high hopes that production with a quality manufacturer will begin soon, and look forward to seeing their pieces here in chicago someday.

thank you haakon and petter!

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floridium clock

look at this stunning floridium clock designed by yee ling wan (the designer of the the ghost clock) for uk company innermost. it is a take (perhaps more robust than the ghost clock) on a traditional carriage clock but uses materials of mirror, glass, leather, steel and crystal for a more modern presentation.

find the clock at the design museum shop, and see more interesting products on the innermost website.

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studiomold manimani clock

i like this lovely looking laser cut steel manimani clock, from multi-disciplinary uk designer brendan young for his studiomold company. it was inspired by the outline of a handful of antique clock parts that were dropped onto the floor.

loose and fun, and i like the industrial edge in the rusty finish.

purchase this piece (in five different colors and two different sizes!) and see more truly gorgeous product designs at the studiomold website, and view more work on brendan’s (and his design partner vanessa battaglia’s) design website.

via design milk

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paula mccullough art

have you ever read an artist or crafter’s blog out here on the interweb that really moved and affected you, because the writings were so authentic, and then looked at their work and found a mystical holistic connection to the blog content and style? if you do, i want to know about it, but for now i will show you one i found: self taught artist from paula mccullough. the blog is all about paula and her personal, passionate journey of making art. in 2003 she packed all her belongings up and left arizona to pursue her true vocation. after some brief stops and travel through the united states, she came to settle in vermont. now, four years later, through curious trials and experimentation, she has created a broad collection of work that ranges from photography to mixed media, which is almost exclusively made with found objects. sculpture is crafted from puzzle pieces; clocks are created out of discarded industrial scrap. through her writings, we have a ringside seat to read about the creation of these works and the reasons behind them, but through her collection we receive a very intimate glimpse into the mind and heart of an artist.

paula can find the soul of the object, whatever it is and despite its original purpose, and reveal its beauty to us. or is it her own soul and beauty? i know that if i were to place one of her pieces in my hands and hold it, that focused energy and urge to create and pure expression is what would resonate. and that, that precious human emotion, is the true mark of the artist.

see paula’s work in person at the west branch gallery in stowe, peruse and purchase a large selection of her pieces on her website, and read her compelling thoughts on being an artist on her wonderfully written blog.

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finn magee flat life art

look! up on the wall! it’s a poster! it’s a trompe l’oeil! it has a, plug? it’s a… lamp??

well, yes.

london-based irish artist finn magee has created this fantastic flat life series of common household items. here’s the amazing part: these items on posters are embedded with led lights and become illuminated when they are plugged into a socket!

what a wonderful surreal, original, innovative, imaginative thing to see hanging on your wall everyday. it doesn’t look like these are in production right now but hopefully they will be made available soon!

see more intriguing things on finn’s website.

via technabob

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crazy for cuckoos

i don’t know where this is coming from (my state of flux perhaps?), but i’m batty about cuckoo birds and clocks. apparently, i’m not the only one!

contemporary german wood clock from moma, via crib candy.

abstract digital clock, via geekalerts.

maple or walnut finishes and clean lines from interior hattori.

original acrylic painting from washington artist michelle knowlen, for her eggman etsy shop.

delicate sterling necklace from scotland’s lustre shop, also on etsy.

gorgeous chinese woodblock print from chinese artist jin’s dawanda shop.

fun!

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modern see-through tic wall clock

warning: objects on wall are larger than they appear. 

this contemporary wood clock is almost a functioning art piece (or maybe it is!), with those off center hands and cut out numbers that use your wall to create a clock double the size of its 12″ square dimension. the other three quarters of it are provided by your house.

the face is bold and simple, and only shows the see-through 12 to 3 hours. the hands go out and over the wall for the rest of the hours and minutes, and you get as much texture and color as whichever wall you place it on.

i imagine it would look pretty darn cool on the wall with other assorted pieces.

purchase it at chiasso.

via design milk

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