The Guru (of aircraft seating plans)

For plane boffins who like researching their in-flight seats before they travel turn to Seat Guru. Its detailed seat map graphics are a useful reference advising you where the loos, powerpoints and nearest exits are from your seat. Also handy for comparing different airlines seat widths from cattles class to business first, all the info at the click of a button!
Below is a Seat Guru map of the Qantas A380, the newest aircraft on the market that had its inaugural flight earlier this year. Its creative director Marc Newson has made sure their first class seats or "suites" are a whopping 29" wide so no need to worry if you've gained a little weight recently - you'll definitely fit.

Inspired Indonesian

Simple clean lines from up and coming Indonesian designer Alvin Tjitrowirjo who takes inspiration from his nation's traditional designs and materials. Click Alvin-T

The face of finance - Brokers with Hands on Their Faces Blog

Not as good as the blog dedicated to showcasing pictures of Ross Kemp's head - folded - aptly titled Kemp Folding but just as delightfully and pointlessly puerile. Feel the pain of working in finance in these troubled economic times. "The Brokers with Hands on Their Faces Blog" (click here) is well worth a visit. Thanks Syma!

Smart snaps

London-based photographer Natalia Calvocoressi just finished an exhibition "Still" at the Islington Arts Factory. Her boyfriend Piers often poses amidst a sea of books (below). Marring the lines between fiction and reality, images such as above have an ethereal aura coupled with a darker edge making for haunting impact.
www.nataliacalvocoressi.co.uk

It's a dog's life - Moncler A/W campaign

Vogue's favourite photographer Bruce Weber shot these darling little doggies for the new Moncler's A/W advertising campaign. Shows promise to do to Italian Moncler what Juergen Teller did for Marc Jacobs with his campaign shots that are so iconic they have been published by German Steidl

A humorous self-portrait of Weber buried in cameras (below left) is also part of the campaign.

What a Hoopla!

For all the spaghetti hoop fans among you, yet another genius and witty snap from still-life photographer David Sykes who gave you that lovely shot Light Breakfast. See his Spag bol where meat balls are basketballs and other works by clicking on this link.

Give 'em the boot

At first glance it's a ridiculously impractical take on the traditional water-proof wellie. No-one wants to get stuck in an autumn shower or downpour sporting wellies with a massive hole in them. Don't despair the slits aren't footwear fashion statements though - they're for your hands when carrying this tongue-in-cheek wellington boot inspired handbag or "bootbag" from Belgian Vlaemsch

Colour block

One of the more colourful stands from JC de Castelbajac at September's Maison & Objet.

Tight squeeze

If you're part of Vienna-based Compagnie Willie Dorner's living sculpture installtions, you're in for a seriously tight squeeze. Get squidged and squadged into urban spaces in weird configurations that no man has gone before.
Dorner's works inspire gawping onlookers to open their minds to different ways of viewing urban spaces and re-consider their attitude towards public places. Group performances including dancers prancing from location to location then manacling themselves together attracting both public and unfortunately often, police attention.


Via Weburbanist

See-saw

See this prickly little fellow from French toy companyBass et Bass in action and rocking it below.

Big news, small size

Creepy but genius new advertising campaign for German Welt Kompakt. On display at the Schoenfeld airport walkway.

Merci

Press coverage about Paris-based Merci on boulebard Beaumarchais, the new-ish concept store merci founded by the owners of baby-wear Bonpoint don't do it justice until you go their and experience it yourself. The most innovative retail concept to match anything that rolls out of Tokyo. Installations change regularly and this particular one is by Italian porcelain brand Richard Ginori and taken from the Taste Lounge they did that débuted at Salone in Milan this year, to see pictures click here on the design boom coverage.

A little selection of Caran d'ache pens that you can pick up and take to parties.

Want to buy a brush, pick a letter!Alongside a café, fashion, kids, cosy-haberdashery complete with an in-house seamstress cum sewing machine and a homewares department where Cappellini chairs sit next to affordable vintage and baccarat crystal sits next to lower price point pyrex, the buyers keen eyes have scoured the globe for a cohesive aesthetic vision.

There is also a rotating art exhibition this month by Jean Sonnet who has made art-works of his collection of things. Spend a small fortune on the artwork or pick up the poster for €5 or under. All and I mean every penny of profit made by Merci go to a charity or back into the business. That's why the name of the shop is Merci.

Snap! (crackle, pop)

The 35mm Diana Mini is the dinkier sibling of the classic Diana F+ (below). Lomography's new gadget allows you to move from retro square format to half-frame so you can shoot 72 shoot onto 35mm film. The camera will launch in September on line at www.lomography.com and then go nationwide into stores from October. A Lomography store will also open this week in London's Soho.

I'm a (c)lean machine

The Providence shower is made from sustainably harvested Indonesian teak and has marine quality brass hardware from Restoration Hardware. No more Sweaty Betty

Other companies specialising in cool Garden showers are Douches de Jardins; Californian Rittenhouse; more garden minimalism from Belgian firm Tradewinds and Orvis

An outdoor shower by Douches de Jardins. Unless you are a high-net-worth individual with a private beach, you probably need to sport some kind of swimmers to shower in this one as it's design over privacy