Sisyphus - The Kinetic Art Table

As a fan of staring in to space for elongated periods of time, this kinetic art table - Sisyphus - is the perfect way for me to escape reality. 

Sisyphus is the clever table designed by Bruce Shapiro that incorporates sleek electronic movement with art as well as home comforts. The Sisyphus tables that are offered as rewards in Bruce Shapiro's Kickstarter campaign are modern and artistic and perfect as main living room pieces, coffee tables and spellbinding end tables. 

You can really see the tables namesake in the design; "In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was condemned to roll a boulder up a mountain for all of eternity" which you can see clearly in the way that the metal ball forever rolls in the sand to create hypnotic, ever-changing patterns. 

The Sisyphus sculptural table is made of a metal frame, and a layer of tempered glass put over the top of the kinetic movement that makes it a fully functional yet elegant looking piece.

Now I'm not going to spoil the magic of it, but if you head on over to the Kickstarter campaign page you can check out all the production and manufacture processes that go in to making Sisyphus.

A Toast... to Toasteroid

I'm a sucker for a good Kickstarter project (hell, I've backed more than my fair share of stuff that's totally awesome but totally unnecessary too) and this new project from Toasteroid is no exception. 

This nifty kitchen appliance makes mums post-it note lunch doodles seem feeble in comparison, as it gives you the ability to turn breakfast time in to a fun doodling work shop. The Toasteroid is a smart toaster that allows you to print any drawn design on to your bread. Using the Toasteroid app you create your design and send it wirelessly over to your toaster, whenever you want! You can customize your image, unlike other printing toasters that have stencil slots... meaning the possibilities really are endless. And it's not just a pretty creative bit of kit, the Toasteroid is durable; made out of die cast aluminium this thing will stand the test of time and blend seamlessly in to your smart kitchen. 

The Toasteroid not only thinks about enjoyment, it also raises the game of the average toaster, removing all those aspects of the normal toaster that you loathe so much. Such as removing crumbs, the Toasteroid has a crumb removal tray. And fitting long and thick slices of bread in to your toaster is an easy task thanks to Toasteroid's ingeniously wide slots. (Seriously, why don't more toasters do this stuff?!?)

Why not wake your other half up with a weather alert printed on their toast using the Toasteroid's Weather Forecast Synchronization technology (I'm not joking, this is a thing!)? Or get the kids to draw funny cartoons on their toast to make meal times a little bit easier and a lot less hectic. 

The Toasteroid is a timeless design that I sincerely doubt you'll run out of uses for and it comes in to sizes. The first being the Toasteroid Mini which browns two slices of toast whilst only singing your design on to a single slice; this is offered as a reward on Kickstarter for $65. Or the regular Toasteroid which cooks two slices of toast with your creation printed on both slices. This comes in at $85; practically a steal for what they're offering. 

Great concept, great use of interactivity, can't wait to see how the world is going to utilize this product. 

Collar Keepsake

Everyone who has owned a dog knows how difficult it is to lose a much loved member of the family. And there's no better way to pay homage to your beloved pet than to keep their picture framed in the circle of your pet's old collar. 

The Collar Keepsake is a memorial to a beloved pet, cat and dog alike, that'll hang in your home in beautiful memory of your animal. It works by sandwiching your picture between the minimal frame - which includes a hanging slot in the back of the rigid structure - then you tighten your collar around the thick outside of the frame to make your pet's picture the focal point of this decorative wall hanging. 

Collar Keepsake comes in three different sizes to fit the diameter of your pets collar and isn't just limited to being a memorial piece for your departed pet, you can also use the Collar Keepsake as a way to immortalize your puppy's play days when he graduates up to a bigger collar. It's a lovely piece great for keeping your pets close to heart. 

Clampersand

Why would you use a simple c-clamp when you can fix that shelf together using a clampersand? This pun intended product started life out as nothing more than the doodling of Tony Ruth, but eventually morphed in to a physical product which is typographically superior to the c-clamp in every way. 

The Adjustable Clampersand is a genius little tool that's both functional and aesthetic. You needn't worry about keeping your Clampersand hidden away from sight because you'd be proud to use this as a bookend or a note keeper, eager to share the pun with your equally artistic friends. 

And for $55 you could be the proud owner of a fresh Clampersand that'll give your projects a stylish edge all coutesy of the mad doodlings of an illustrator and the clever tinking of mechanical designer Tim Haley.

Oh SNAP!

Freedom to create is probably the best gift out there, and with SNAP you have the freedom to turn anything in to a coffee table, auxiliary table, desk or side table all with a simple assembly system that allows you to design your own furniture and change any space in to what you want it to be.

SNAP allows you to turn boards and surfaces in to tables that are portable, versatile and easy to create. There's no need to drill holes or make table legs, all you do is pull down the flexible portion of SNAP to fit around your desired table surface, then tighten the cable until your SNAP is securely in place. And voila!

SNAP is set up in seconds and you've got a sturdy table at the ready. That surfboard that gets in the way a little bit? Now it's a funky coffee table. An old chessboard sitting in the cupboard unused? Now a quirky side table to compliment your room.

SNAP has endless possibilities and easy set-up so that you can personalize your living space in a few, simple steps. And you don't have to use the conventional four SNAP's in making your table, you can use three for a more conventional feel, or two if you plan to rest your surface against the wall. You don't have to worry about it falling apart because it is literally fall proof. Prices start on Kickstarter from $60 for two SNAP's, to $80 for three and $110 for four, depending on what you want to do with your living space.

Show off

You've got precious items that need showing off but you don't want to leave them in a cabinet when the only time the eye is draw to them is when they get dusty? Then you should definitely store your trinket in a Showcase Mirror. 

The Showcase Mirror is your conventional glass mirror except for it has a plexiglass bubble formed over the middle center which provides a reasonably sized space for you to store your prized possessions and showpieces in a way that's a little more creative and unique than putting it on a shelf. The bubble makes it appear as if your souvenir is floating; genius! 

There really is no limit as to the stuff you can store behind the bubble of a Showcase mirror; be it your flowers, a necklace, a delicate piece of china or even some kids toys to spruce up their room a bit. Whatever you have that you want showed off to the world, you can put it in a Showcase Mirror. There's something almost poetic about the display of floating art. 

Designers Studio Thier&VanDaalen created their own machine which allows them to form plexiglass panels in organic curved shapes which make all of their Showcase Cabinets look as breath taking and magical as they are. And if your article is too big for the Showcase Mirror then maybe the line of Curator Cabinets is for you; with an all over plexiglass bubble to display larger items. 

Like a VIP

It's game day and you're in your comfy chair with a beer in your hand and the television remote well and truly under your control, no one is taking the game away from you and if they step in front of the TV during play time they risk ultimate death. 

But there's something not quite right. You're wishing you could be there, wishing you could smell that fresh tennis ball scent and feel the sweat running off your brow as they debate whether it was a penalty or not. Well if you had yourself a Sportstyle chair from Paolo Lillus then you'd feel so immersed in the game you'd struggle to remember you're not LeBron. 

Paolo Lillus' Sportstyle chairs are awesome feats of design; made to look like practically every iconic sports ball you could think of; be it the tennis ball, the basketball, the football, the golf ball, the baseball or the old pig's bladder they used to kick around back in the day. Each of the Sportstyle chairs are made with intricate and immaculate detail, completed to a high standard using an aluminum base, leather skin and tennis felt. You can chose to have a 4 spoke base on your seat and stool or a rotating circular base; making the seat suitable for any environment. 

These lounge room Sportsyle chairs would be perfect for sports fans and teenagers alike, and wouldn't look too foolish in a games room either. Imagine having one of each of these chairs seated around the dining table; bringing great craftsmanship and entertainment to dinner. 

Lazy Basketball

With society like it is it's a given that someone would come up with a way for people to play sport without having to move. And that product is the Lazy Basketball chair by Campeggi; a seat designed to allow you to shoot hoops without having to move an inch (well, depending on your shot to miss ratio). 

The metal structure of Lazy Basketball is covered in a synthetic net that catches the ball the minute you score a shot, and rolls it straight in to the arms of your friend in the other chair, ready for a game of back and forth free throwing. Lazy Basketball is colourful and would make a great garden game for both able bodied and disabled people alike. And although some may argue that Lazy Basketball will breed a, well, lazy generation, I'd argue that you're more than likely to miss the hoop altogether and end up running after the ball; as well, isn't it better to be sitting in the garden or house having an interactive game of Lazy Basketball than to be cuddled up in your room with your computer under your nose? 

Lazy Basketball is a great and fun invention and for roughly £600 you can get your hands on one of your own, ace for adding a new flare to your games room and getting your arms moving. 

Wave after wave

There's something almost tranquil about looking out to the ocean or staring down at your reflection in the water of a lake, and artist Gaetano Pesce seems to have captured the movement and beauty of the water in his aqua inspired table series. 

Using a range of plastic materials; like rigid Polyurethane foam, PVC, epoxy resin and soft urethane resin; Gaetano Pesce creates these beautifully artistic tables with blue and green hues so true to life that you'll have to look twice to make sure the table isn't liquid. He seems to get the surface of the water - with its ripples, flows and reflections - just right, also giving the pool of water a neighbor in the form of shrubbery and sea defense walls. 

These tables would make amazing statement pieces be it either for decorative use or for functionality as an actual table; they're true to life and deep blue, with natural forms and landscapes to make them appear more tangible. In the collection there is the; Lagoon Table, Lake Table, Ocean Table, Pond Table, Puddle Table and the River Table, all offering unique coloring's and styles that'll make you wonder and want to wander. 

Let's gather round the campfire and let's...

For those who haven't quite come to terms with the art of camping and can't stand to be outdoors where the mosquito's and creepy crawlies are, then the Campfire Candle by Revolution design house is great for giving you a little bit of camp in the comfort of your own home so that you can toast your marshmallows over an open flame. 

The Campfire Candle was inspired by the warm crackle of a campfire on a crisp autumn evening with an almost geometrical shaped candle designed to look like a flame sat on a walnut log base, that as you burn the candle it's edges kind of curl and spit like an actual fire. Perfect for taking the adventure anywhere. And the grass base they model it on is a definite must if you want to compliment the candle. So if you see a scrap of artificial lawn, attack it with your scissors knowing that it'll make an ideal background for the Campfire Candle to sit on.

Also Revolution Design House - the makers of Campfire Candle - have another rather artistic candle on their hands that I'm in awe of. Madison: The candlestick candle tilts convention on its head by featuring the candle as the candlestick itself too.

The Candlestick Candle is a modern take on the ornate style of a vintage Candlestick; combining wax and artistic molding to create a piece that turns in to something different as it melts and shortens. The Madison Candle is great for achieving a classical look whilst attaining a modern theme. 

How?!?

There are a lot of things in the universe that we want answers to, like do plants die of old age? Can germs catch germs? What is a hiccup? And my all time favourite; how on earth can you possibly make an electrically powered bulb float?!? 

Well, if you want to crack that code then you're going to need yourself a Flyte; Levitating Light. It uses magnetic levitation powered by air to get the bulb to hover, letting you have a mini art instillation in the comfort of your own home without the use of batteries. Instead Flyte powers light through the air via this crazy thing called induction. A magnet in the attractive wooden base plate uses magnetism to repel against the magnet inside the bulb which is pushing an opposing force; and somewhere in the middle of all of that you get light...

By gently lowering the bulb over the center of Flyte's magnetic base, you'll feel a resistance as it automatically settles on the electromagnetic field and causes the LED's the light up, slowly releasing it the bulb locks in to position and starts rotating.

To turn on and off your Flyte all it takes is a simple tap to the wooden surface of the base, turning the light off whilst keeping the bulb levitated in rotation; it's effortless and smooth, using a perfect blending between modernism and science to make an attractive product to make minds really think. Best of all, Flyte can double up as a wireless charging platform for your smartphone!

Flyte comes in three different styles; the first being the original square wooden base, a nice accessory for any home. The second is the premium version with a diamond cut wooden base ideal for those who would like a little more style in their Flyte. And lastly you can get your hands on the Flyte Maker's Kit; ace for letting you have a go of making up your own artistic light using the Flyte concept.

They're sleek and clever and take mind of sustainability in their powerful yet low energy consumption bulb usage. And starting from £160 it would make a fantastic piece to any room.

Don't let the airlock hit you on the way out

There's no better way to communicate to your dorm room mates that you're a hard core science and gaming fan than to paste one of these bad boy's on your door! 

Sci-Fi Door Decals are awesome accessories for any nerd or intense gamer out there who wants to bring a little bit of cyborg, mechanical or hyperspace in to their bedroom. 

These Sci-Fi Door Decals are removable and perfect for any teenagers bedrooms, offering four different varieties; Airlock, Armory, Freight Elevator and Lab Door, all great ways to make you feel as if you're in a fast paced science fiction film with a dead end and a bunch of morlocks heading your way... 

Except for this time you don't have to punch a code in to get out. And if you want a gun cabinet on hand in case of an emergency, or a freight shaft that lowers you to your secret bat cave, then all it takes is £35 and a spirit level to make sure you don't hang the decal at an angle.

Peared

Now these genius's behind Peared Creation know how to use old bottles and pipes and to turn them in to something awesome, as is proven in the creative and Industrial styled lamps and lights above. 

Peared Creations are a design powerhouse who create unique lighting products that put a twist on your conventional bottle lamps. Rather than putting a thread of fairy light in to the bottles or cutting them in to pieces to make room for a bulb, Peared Creations custom fit incandescent bulbs in to the heart of the vintage glassware's that are fit on to the frame of the lamp stand using Industrial style bolt and screw couplings. Peared lamps also continue the vintage theme with their fabric covered cord with makes the lamps feel classy and authentic. 

Peared lamps are turned off and on using rotating vintage faucets; thus adding an element of pre-mass plastic production fun, managing to bring back that Industrial style so well in the use of iron piping and vintage materials, and pairing the stripped back and bare metal design of Industrialism with the new timeless art of up-cycling glass bottles in to furniture.

They sell a series of different styles to suit all; with wall lights, to table lamps to overhead hanging piping lights, they combine the heavy duty iron with the ambient glow of illuminated glass to give a warm and inviting atmosphere. Peared lamps are utilitarian, modern and give a salvaged charm to any home. 

What the Snurk?

Just as their slogan says, Snurk are focused on making creative yet comfortable design 'For Horizontal Living'. By 'Horizontal Living' they mean those eight plus hours you spend wrapped up in your bed; sprawled on a mountain of pillows with a duvet sinking you in to sleepy by land. 

But Snurk was designed to help those who aren't as fortune as the rest of us; for those who aren't lucky enough to have a roof over their head or a bed to lie in safely. And to help support the homeless, the designers behind Snurk, Erik and Peggy, thought it would be awesome if they could bring the streets in to the house in the form of a duvet cover that looks like a tatty cardboard box, and a fitted sheet that looks like a grotty sidewalk. They called the design Le-Clochard and Le-Trottior, which literally translates to 'the tramp' and 'the sidewalk' And asides from looking amazing and authentic with the photographic print on both sides, some of the proceeds of Le-Clochard go to several charities throughout Europe to help tackle homelessness. 

Obviously from there Snurk has only grown and their series of photographic prints are the kind that have you longing all throughout the day to crawl back in to bed. Perhaps Snurk are best known for their Ballerina and Astronaut covers for children, but their more mature line of expressive bedding's look awesome. 

If you're in to more artistic bedding then the Pool, Trampoline and Bassie are for you. The pool duvet cover has the lines that you see at the bottom of the swimming pool with gorgeous water ripples decorating the surface. The Bassie duvet set is designed to look like a clear water tank, a lone fish and his shadow in the bottom hand corner making the duvet look enchanting yet crystal clear. And if you're more on the funside and enjoy turning your bed in to a jumping apparatus, then the Trampoline duvet cover will help you complete the effect!

Spin on Spun

Just looking at Spun Chair you can see what inspired the design; and after extensively researching the process of metal spinning and the creation of circular metal objects such as timpani drums, the Heatherwick studios created this gorgeously symmetrical chair that looks a bit like a large spinning top. 

The bucket shape of the chair provides ergonomic seating from whichever angle it's rotated and seated at, whilst the bottom of the chair is designed with a flat pivot at the bottom which allows for it to be set stable, or stilted on to its axis for spinning purposes. 

Asides from being practical, this chair is just good old fashioned fun, allowing for you to tilt and turn and definitely set to put a smile on your face. Spun is made from rotational moulded polyethylene and is suitable for both indoors and outdoors; as was demonstrated in the many outdoors installations set up in city's to get people spinning.  Spun generally comes in four solid colours; Grey, Purple, Red and White. Though special Amber and Grey polycarbonate models were available, and unique metal Spun Chairs were demonstrated and sold at Haunch of Venison. 

Pedal to the Metal

Finally Diesel have created something relevant to their namesake; a whole collection of home ware and lifestyle products aimed at the mechanical edge of design. The Machine, Transmission, Lace Race and DIY collections by Diesel use the aesthetic elements of mechanics to create an awesome display of items.

In the Transmission collection, you've got candlesticks modeled to look like actual transmission pieces with a porcelain body painted an antique bronze colour to pick out the natural industrial colours of the car parts, bringing a motor-driven edge to the art of laying your table; great for masculinizing any room. 

And if you're looking for a place to store your keys and loose change then these large porcelain jars from the Machine Collection are great for storing all your crap. The thread detail in the porcelain looks artistically extraordinary, and the theme of these jars is shared in the design of these Diesel glasses; both managing to bring a minimalist style to a warehouse and junkyard themed design. 

By far the best design in the new style is the DIY flatware cutlery, made of your bulk standard knife, fork and spoon set except for they've got an awesome spanner head and handle. They're so authentic in their design that you'll probably end up with these in the toolbox and your actual spanners in the cutlery draw. Much like a kid with their special knife and fork set, any motor head would feel young again with these to cut their stake with. 

Last but not least in Diesels range of motor themed home ware is their Lace Race collection; which is a series of different sized towels in varying colours, displaying several different car parts. You've got the dark grey bath towel with a nut and bolt car part displayed on the front, the gears in the background giving amazing detail to the towel and lending to the overall mechanical vibe of the material. 

All I know is these would make great gifts to any tinkerer out there. And if you're interested in buying some then you can get some of the newer designs at the Diesel website, whilst several special items (such as the mars plate) are available at Fancy.  

Smells so... Ooh sparkly!

I know I'm not the only one who walks around Ikea sniffing every single candle within a ten foot radius, and when I got my Imperial Candle in the mail it was only right that I sniffed the essence right out of it. 

But the scent's aren't what make these candles truly amazing (though that is a contributing factor) what makes them unique is that once burned for a couple of hours, as the wax melts revealed to you is a hidden jewel. 

Wrapped up safely inside a metal parcel is either a necklace or a ring of the buyers choice, that you can pull out of the wax with a pair of tweezers and carefully unwrap, exhibiting the concealed piece of jewellery for the recipient to wear about. And in every Imperial Candle you will find an article of jewellery with a value between £10-£2000. (Yes, I did put three zero's after that two!)

These luxury handmade candles are made from 100% natural soya wax and each candle comes in a scent that will set your mouth to watering. And I vouch for Imperial Candle here in saying that the Birthday Cake Candle smells phenomenal, like you're actually eating creamy butter cream frosting! Imperial Candles have a burn time of between 120-150 hours so that the smell is long lasting. 

Imperial Candle sell a series of gorgeous smelling delights to suit any occasion; from Birthday's to Valentine's to Christmas and candles that are suitable all season round with refreshing and rich scents. Alongside Candles they also sell bath bombs that fizz in the bath to release your hidden gem; making excellent gifts for any time of the year!  

POLAROLL

The toilet selfie might not have taken off just yet but this toilet roll holder is a kitsch accessory for any keen photographer out there who used to love the art of printing out a Polaroid. 

POLAROLL works similarly to a instant picture camera which instead of giving you your developed image, gives you endless streams of toilet roll. How fun?!? 

This retro POLAROLL is cute and tidy, bringing an 80's vibe to your bathroom that allows you to disguise your one ply loo roll in a clever plastic caddy that will have you no doubt filling your guests with liquids just so they have an excuse to use the loo and see this awesome camera buddy. 

And asides from being an ace gift for camera lovers, the POLAROLL comes in two different varieties. You can get your bulk standard retro camera style of black and white, or if you're more into your pastels you can get the pink and blue model. Me thinks I need a POLAROLL in my life.

Wig out

For those of you who want to get some blooms in to the house over this spring and summer than the Wig Vase sounds like the perfect solution to bring sophistication and modern design to your flower arrangements. 

The Wig Vase is either a matte or gloss finished ceramic head vase that allows for you to place the stems of your flowers through the series of holes in the head and arrange them as if to arrange a floral wig over the vase's head. It's artistic and fun and encourages you to get creative with nature by either making an Afro, a Mahican or a number of other crazy styles to jazz up the home with. 

Slightly Art Nouveau in style, these chic vases work with a detachable neck base which pulls away from the main head piece to allow you to fill the inner vase with water to keep your 'do' healthy and refreshed. 

This home decor by Tania da Cruz transforms flowers in to one wild head of hair and the ceramic vases are hand made coming in a choice of either white or black with the option of a gloss or matte finish. 

Craighton Berman

Designer Craighton Berman really impresses with his prototypes, products and sketch ideas so I thought I'd talk about some of his awesome inventions and what makes them so amazing and innovative. 

First of all is the Coil Lamp which is a genius design composed of only a laser cut acrylic lamp frame and a long length of electrical wire, designed to coil around the frame to make the volume of the lamp's shape. The lamp challenges convention by making the electrical component the main attention, the coiled design doing all of the aesthetic work as well as the functional. Coil Lamp is so well proclaimed that it's a permanent fixture in the Art Institute of Chicago as part of the "Rethinking Typologies" Exhibition which features many creative designs. 

Another of Craighton Berman's witty designs is the Daily Aspirations collection of bedside trophy's created to inspire daily aspirations. 'Fiscal Responsibility' is the trophy made to keep your wallet at hand and remind you of your monetary duty's, whilst 'Honest Communication' provides a neat space to keep your mobile docked, helping to remind you to be friendly, and last but not least 'Civic Engagement' which provides a nice nest to keep loose keys in place. These trophy's act as a gentle reminded to stay happy throughout the day and to live up the message on each trophy. Although they do also make an attractive trio of functional trophy's to keep your gadgets in. 

The last of Berman's stylish products I'd like to talk about is his highly practical 'Stimulation' mug and ash tray combination. Stimulation is a helpful stack-able mug and ash tray which allow you to get your daily fix of legal drugs in the form of caffeine and nicotine. It's a simplistic design that allows for an easy stimulation boost and can be tidily stacked.