Motivated by our visit to Unseen last weekend, we are ready to share a new truly extraordinary photography book (not seen at Unseen) which will be released officially at the end of next October. Inspired by the late-great cartoonist William Steig and his classic children's book; 'The Lonely Ones' - consisting of ligne claire drawings with smart captions by the author - photographer Gus Powell created his own 'The Lonely Ones' published by J&L Books: a series of remarkably beautiful color photographs of interiors and landscapes, inhabited by people, animals and inanimate characters. Every photograph is paired with a suggestive text by Powell - each of the 40 color photographs in the book hidden by a gate fold, on which is printed the single phrase. Every photograph is revealed individually behind its gate fold, resulting in one of the most elegant and living photography books which will be released in this year. [ Continue reading ]

Last week the oldest Parisian department store; Le Bon Marché, inaugurated an inspirational reflective room, created by New York designer Thom Browne whose Autumn/Winter 2015-2016 installation ‘Office Man 2′ dominates the complete second floor of the retail institution. Formulated as a conceptual variation on the designer’s  presentation at New York Men’s Fashion Week last July, the dedicated floating space replicates a kaleidoscopic infinity effect of wall-to-wall mirrors illuminated by fluorescent tubes. The main twist of the Paris edition is not it’s lack of suited male models, but rather the surreal, still life install of more than fifty pairs of Browne’s iconic black leather wingtip shoes – each produced in genuine silver – which seem to reference the designer’s Spring 2013 men’s show. [ Continue reading ]

Upcoming 9, 10 and 11 October, two-Michelin-star chef Edwin Vinke from restaurant De Kromme Watergang is going to serve an exclusive dinner in the Lloyd Hotel & Cultural Embassy in Amsterdam as this year's edition of the super inspirational Steinbeisser‘s Experimental Gastronomy initiative. The dinner is entirely plant-based (vegan) with all ingredients from biodynamic or organic agriculture sourced in the Netherlands. Edwin Vinke is since 1993 owner and chef of the two-Michelin-starred restaurant De Kromme Watergang. Pleasure, passion and perfection form the basis of Vinke’s kitchen for which he was awarded “Chef of the Year” in 2011 by Gault Millau. For this edition Edwin Vinke will feature historical and curious flowers, herbs and vegetables. A special challenge for a chef that takes his inspiration from the Zeeland waters. [ Continue reading ]

Today a new online store - created by Concern and based on the SUPERMODELS exhibition which took place in the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam last year - will officially launch for the public under the moniker Dutch Design SUPERMODELS. For the interesting endeavor, clearly inspired by the fascinating exhibition, an exclusive collection of 3D printed miniatures was created to be sold, based on more than 100 iconic Dutch designer chairs. In the collection one will finds designs like the 'Knotted Chair' by Marcel Wanders, the 'Relax Chair' by Ineke Hans, the 'Aluminium Chair' desktop by Piet Hein Eek and some of our favorite chairs every created; the 'Berlin' and 'Crate' chair by Gerrit Rietveld. If you always wanted to own some of Dutch Design's greatest heritage pieces, from now on the chance is here to own one of these icons, as a 1:6 miniature that is. [ Continue reading ]

We have been following the very talented Japanese designer Yusuke Seki for a couple of years in which he is constantly taking his work to the next level, whether it was for the Interior Design Office in Tokyo, corporate clients such as AU or Sony, and his independent projects on design products and architectural space design, of which many have been exhibited at the Milan Salone, Designer’s block, the Tokyo Style Exhibition, Stockholm Furniture and Light Fair. After establishing his own studio in 2008, Seki has designed for a variety of spaces, from shops like his incredible design for the Kyoto-based kimono store Otsuka-Dofukuten and his work at Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten-gai, to candy stores and salons like his work for Kolmio+LIM and most recently the utterly incredible Maruhiro Flagship Store. With Seki being such an everlasting source of inspiration, we asked him what he finds inspirational in life. [ Continue reading ]

With its slim profile, the Vallance briefcase by the London-based OPPERMAN brand is both elegant and sharp. Featuring one open compartment and one slim pocket on the side, the model can hold everything the modern man needs, making it one of the more desirable briefcases on the market since 2012, when the brand was founded. Last month a new version of the Vallance saw light, being our favorite edition of the briefcase till date. The so-called 'Naturale Collection' is made with a vegetable-tanned leather from the renowned Belgian tannery Masure, which has been operating since 1873. The leather used in the 'Naturale Collection' is uncolored and unfinished, meaning it is very sensitive and will develop a beautiful patina quickly. The leather will darken after a few days in the sun, and after years of use the hue will resemble a cognac color, showing amazing character one only gets from natural leather. [ Continue reading ]

We have been greatly appreciating the elegant work of Norwegian designer Lars Beller Fjetland in the last few years and on the 4th of September - during Maison Objet in Paris - the inspirational creator returns with the official presentation of his latest project, which is once again quite incredible. Named poetically the 'Moment', Beller Fjetland created his new work inspired by his childhood fascination with the flickering flame – being mesmerized by the rhythm of the burning light; the concept of time seemed to slowly dissolve. The 'Moment' candle extinguisher was created to revisit just this lost meditative watch with an added reminder of its impermanence. As the flame slowly makes its way towards the bottom of the candle, the suspense builds towards its split second finale. We love this new elegant and playful creation of Fjetland! [ Continue reading ]