It seems my fellow bloggers were also impressed as Marisa Marcantonio from Stylebeat also awarded this her Blogger’s Choice.

Other winner’s included: Baggu laptop cases by Baggu, selected by Hollister Hovey of HollisterHovey.blogspot.com; Belle Helmets by MODEL CITIZENS NYC, selected by Kate Reynolds McLeod of the DailyGrommet.com; Chick-a-Dee smoke detector by neo-utility, selected by Evan Orensten of Coolhunting.com and Stephanie Murg of UnBeige.com; Helen Lamp by Gambrel Workshop, selected by Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan of ApartmentTherapy.com; and School Joke Chair by Alessandro Zambetti for Seletti North America, selected by Dickson Wong of the HuffingtonPost.com.

As I mentioned before, it was really hard to pick one favorite. Additional products that caught my eye included:

“Ooh la la”…What more can I say about Alexandra Ferguson‘s sassy pillow talk!

Kontextur‘s Duck Harry, a clever duck-shaped sculpture has a variety of uses from tooth brush/toothpaste holder to doorstop to paperweight.

Black + Blum‘s eau good – a BPA free water bottle with a binchotan active charcoal that serves as a natural water purifier. 

Jenn-Air started the night off right with a series of delicious cocktails!

DJ Kreemy kept the party going with his mix of electronic beats!

The Krups Stage was a lively spot as keynote speakers including Matali Crasset, Fabio Novembre and Bjarke Ingels drew massive crowds.
Speaking of hot sessions, students had the chance to talk with Novembre and fellow Italian designer leaders  Piero Lissoni and Piero Gandini at Italian Design Unplugged, which took place at the FLOS Power Station on the exhibition floor.

Offsite, we had a chance to get a sneak peek at the new Templar hotel. Local design hero Del Terrelonge took us on a tour of the brand new 8 story bespoke boutique hotel in the entertainment district and explained his extremely cool concept for lodging. From the public spaces to the private rooms, the hotel is filled with Poliform furnishings, Duravit toilets, Axor faucets, Hansgrohe shower heads and Miele appliances. The kitchen is open 24 hours and guests are treated to a private chef. Airport transportation is provided by a chauffeur-driven Porsche Panamera. You name it, Del has though of it. His attention to detail is extraordinary.  We couldn’t be more proud!   Speaking of hotels, we spent Saturday night at the Gladstone – ducking (often times literally) into the guest rooms at the Love Design Party at the Come Up to My Room exhibition. This alternative design event, which took over the hallways and second floor of the hotel featured the work of 44 artists and designers. Each were asked to present what goes on inside their heads. The results were incredible…

Interstice Studios' CAST is a public space installation that explores the potentials of material reuse. Made of thousands of tiny paper clips, CAST takes the form of an intricate weave and is heavily influenced by traditional craft and textile techniques.

Wendy Fok's Geo-Cognition made guests stop and think about urban landscapes. Can you spot the city in the shadow?

Stay tuned as we’ll be following up with some of our favorite products from the show floor!

The exhibition’s very first installment will be at Capsule Studio in New York City from February 10th through the 12th, featuring innovative items designed and produced with a contemporary Japanese sensibility. It will include include Collaboration Handicrafts with well-known brands such as Louis Vuitton, FENDI, Baccarat, and Hello Kitty, as well as Curators-selected Handicrafts, and Future Tradition Handicrafts. Curators of the exhibition include Maiko Itai, Miss Universe Japan 2010, Sayumi Gunji, Creative Director of Vogue Girl, Architect Kengo Kuma, and Chef Yoshihiro Narisawa among other influential individuals, making this exhibition a truly collaborative effort between all areas of art and design.

“We are eager to present our creativity and craftsmanship to the city of New York,” says Ikoma. “The collection of designers and products are truly inspiring and we look forward to sharing the innovation and “secrets” of Japanese traditional crafts.”

To learn more about “Future Tradition WAO,” Cool Japan, and the featured products in the exhibition, please visit http://cooljapan-wao.com/.

If one were to make an analogy between a literary work and the design of the new wing of the Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum by Renzo Piano, than one might look to Guns Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond. But whereas Mr. Diamond talks about how one culture may overtake another mainly by environmental differences, Mr. Piano’s buildings are Glass Diagonals and Steel that combine to unite the inhabitants of the structure with the environment. Taking a page from Mies van der Rohe who strived towards an architecture with a minimal framework in order to give a maximum of free flowing space the new wing of the Gardner indeed complements and enhances the old wing and embraces the air, the sky, the light and the earth. And where the old wing in its DNA is a part of the Renaissance not only in art but also in quality of dim lighting of the era – by contrast, the new Renzo Piano designed wing opens up to the sky and integrates into the exterior architecture of the Gardner by offering the inhabitants the opportunity to gaze upon it when going upstairs or when using its glass and steel covered walkway on the first floor.

It was a pleasant surprise to be asked to participate in a photo contest as I stood in line waiting to go in to view the new structure. It reminded me of another interaction I had as a student at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. As an art student there, I did a performance piece employing a rooster and two gallons of paint – one of blue and one of violet – in the Mies van der Rohe designed Student Union building.

The difference this time is that the tracks I left are digital and are images of the building rather than part of it… A difference I am certain the Gardner Museum appreciates.

The theme for Maison & Objet’s Observatoire this year is “Crazy”. The idea behind the Observatoire is to “catalogue new trends in consumption and emerging lifestyles”, and the Observatoire will be showcasing three spaces. These spaces being, Vincent Grégoire’s Sweet Freaks, François Bernard’s Art’keting, and Elizabeth Leriche’s Dream Box.

Other highlights of the exhibition are the 2012 Designers of the Year, where three new designers on the cutting edge of creation will be awarded the title. Also, the business lounge is a meeting place set up for networking and business meetings.

The lecture series will be divided into 7 lectures. On the first day Humberto and Frenando Campana, the 2012 Maison & Objet designers of the year, will speak about where their Brazilian design creations come from. Also on the first day Tokujin Yoshioka will speak about his renowned design though some of his representative projects. Generation Y, a Galaxy to Explore and Understand will be part of the Forecasting lecture on Saturday. The Innovation section of the series will include Sports Design and Design on the March in Small, Mid-sized and Very Small Businesses. The final lectures will be Chain or Independent Hotels: a Global, Local or “Glocal” Approach as well as Sensual Cities, both of which are part of the new urban codes lectures.

Other event information can be found on the Maison & Object site.

Next month, IIDA NY is hosting a residential forum event, focusing on the vitality of combining art to interior designer. They’ll be serving up cocktails and stimulating dialogue. Speakers including Maria Buatta, Principal, Mario Buatta “Prince of Chintz:” Amy Lau, Principal, Amy Lau Design; Lauri Simmons, Artist, Represented by Salon 94; Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn, Owner, Salong 94, Art Collector, Art Advisor. The presentation will be moderated by Stephanie B Simmons, Director, Jason McCoy Gallery.

Location: Desiron, 151 Wooster Street, NYC

Date: February 7, 2012

Time: Cocktails: 6:00 – 6:30pm Presentation: 6:30 – 8:00pm

Cost: $15 Members, $30 Non-Members, $10 Students and Educators.

Register HERE

Once again, Design-Calendar, has been asked to judge the semi-annual “Bloggers’s Choice Awards.”  We are looking forward to attending this year’s NYIGF and walking the aisles of Accent and Design to see the fresh new talent that awaits! Four rookie design studios have been invited to partake in the “A+: The Young Designers Platform” showcase. These emerging designers will have the chance to travel to New York from all over the world to introduce us to their new and innovative products. This is a great opportunity for young designer to get their foot in the door.

We recommend that you keep an eye out for these new comers! Here are the A+ Studios participants that have been chosen for the competition:

Hongchao Wang & Peng You launched Benwu Studio in 2011.  The biocontinental company is based in London, England and Columbus, Ohio. The founders are both current undergraduate students; Hongchao Wang studies at Columbus College of Art & Design and Peng You at the London based Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design.  The team is inspired by both fashion and architecture and focuses on traditional techniques with a Zen philosophy.  HOT ITEM: “Sunmao” a three legged stool which incorporate ancient Chinese design techniques. CLICK HERE to view the studio’s collection.

David Litzler is a lighting design and maker, based out of Seattle. He studied architecture at the University of Oklahoma but has spent the last decade in Seattle providing custom residential design. In July 2011, he incorporated his formal education with his knowledge of shop tools and opened his current lighting design/maker studio.  HOT ITEM: the Helen Lamp, made from 16 gauge mild steel which is welded and powder coated in five varying colors. To see more on David Lizler CLICK HERE.

Three students from the University of Montreal founded PANOPLIE in April 2011.  Sarah Brousseua, Cleo Poirier Muszynski, and Marie-Christine Rondeau, teamed together as part of their Bachelors degree in Interior Design. Collectively, they invented their first product, a wine glass coaster and identifier called the “Gluk.” HOT ITME: the “Gluk” a wine glass coaster and identifier, offered as a multi-color set that attaches to the bottom of a wine glass.  For more information on the trio, CLICK HERE.

Ruti Stopnizki is an accomplished creative director, designer, and design lecturer. A graduate of the Bazalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem and has spent the past two years advancing her fabrication techniques, while enhancing her jewelry expertise. In March of 2011, Stopnitzki launched her jewelry line called MEANINGS from her home in Amsterdam. HOT ITEM: typography-based design, it translates two-dimensional drawings into wearable three-dimensional miniature sculptures. To learn for about her first collection CLICK HERE.

HOT ITEMS

Sounds pretty cool, huh? Here’s how you enter (link the word enter to www.12x12nyc.com) Established designers, as well as emerging talent (including students) are welcome to submit portfolios for jury review.The panel of jurors will include prominent editors and journalists, design industry influences and interior designers. Judges will be looking for innovation, modern, contemporary designs, attention to detail, sustainability and quality.  The deadline to enter is January 31, 2012.

 UNFILTERED is a new brand of vodka that celebrates the age-old process of distilling potatoes. It is made from Swedish virgin potatoes of Cape Bjäre. The company was born from the belief that good ideas are best left unfiltered.  UNFILTERED will launch in February 2012 with the help of some of today’s most thoughtful and inventive rising creatives. Karisson’s Gold vodka is now supporting the project; this will give the public the opportunity to experience this new creative series.

UNFILTERED will launch an entire line of objects that pertain to the ritual of drink making. Along with the multi-disciplinary firm Rich Billiant Willing, they will collaborate in creating a series of vessels such as pitchers, ice buckets and glasses, as well as a serving tray. These innovative projects continue with the theme of the origins of vodka making. The creative plans are all conveyed through rustic and natural ingredients.

The word “unfiltered” is defined as not modified, processed, or refined. So in conjunction with the organic and natural food crazes of today, why shouldn’t vodka fall into the same category. With this mission in mind, UNFILTERED is extending the support to the creative community and requesting an open call for project submissions. Voting will be publicly decided. For more information visit www.unfilteredideas.com.

Upcoming events for UNFILTERED include a unique printed version of Sight Seen which will be presented in March 2012. Sight Seen is an online magazine that takes readers inside the worlds of design, art, fashion, food, photography, and other creative disciplines. In May 2012, concurrent with New York Design Week and the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF), the American Design Club will present their 8th group exhibition; this time as a part of the UNFILTERED series. This exhibit will explore the idea that the nature of unfiltered is never perfect. Showcases will present materials or processes in their most natural state.

Today in our society, technology is no longer a luxury; it’s a necessity. Developing countries are constantly at a disadvantage because they lack the essential means of technological practices that keep the leading countries thriving. The importance of exposing children to technology at a young age seems more and more vital as we head further and further into the computer age. I remember spending countless hours trying to explain basic computer instruction to my parents, who were as my mother calls it, are “computer challenged.” My parents’ lack of familiarity with computers, only leads me to believe that children who haven’t had the luxury of watching “Dora the Explorer” on their portable dvd/blue ray players beginning in utero, share some the same problems. The new XO-3 tablet has plans to bridge this gap.

The new tablet is being introduced this week at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). This new gadget is not designed for the cutting edge technology junkies of the computer age but instead for poor children in developing nations. The XO-3 tablet integrates off-grid power sources and durable, kid-friendly design to provide a low-cost, energy efficient way for children in developing nations to learn and utilize technology.

The tablet is part of a 6-year collaboration with Yves Behar, founder of fuseproject and OLPC Chief Designer, and Nicholas Negroponte, founder of the non-profit organization, One Laptop Per Child. The goal was to minimize complexity, while delivering a high quality, and a heightened touch feel. This is achieved through the green anti-slip grip rubber boarder, which provides a safe and protective casing to the laptop. The connectors, power switch and speakers are arranged on the bottom edge, facing the user. One of the new features includes the solar cover option that can house a solar panel and combined with internal batteries for outdoor or indoor charging keeps the laptop energized.

Across the world, new generations of children are no longer being left in the dark when it comes to technology. With the help of the XO-3 tablet, developing nations are given the opportunity to improve the lives of their youth so we avoid another “technologically challenged” generation.

Click here for more information.