Art shark

Designed by Alexander Calder in the 1920's for his grandchildren, this collectable wooden pull toy-shark is art collector material. Currently re-produced by french wooden toy specialist Vilac there is also a bull, kangaroo and elephant. 

Eastern promise

Marseille based soap company Compagnie de Provence looked to the east for packaging inspiration. Wrappers come with insert instructions on how to fold into origami shapes.

Stars in their eyes.

On display during Milan design week at the Fiera's rising stars Salone Satellite section were Singaporean d.lab headed by director Patrick Chia . A harmonious collection of never-seen-before prototypes included the "T" lamp (above) in the lovely milky hue they seem to have mastered and other "Objects Around the Tablescape".

Bare Essentials

Designer Luca Nichetto teamed up with Venini for his new "Essence series" for Bosa at Salone 2010.

They're old news for Bosa but I love their colour coded Dedo spice sticks.

My Old Dutch

Exhibited at Milan Salone's new Dutch-heavy design district Lambrate, was designer Aldo Bakker's urushi series, produced by Dutch gallery Particles. Made up of stools, tables and cutlery, Bakker has coated each item with 60 layers of Urushi -a special Japanese lacquerware made from tree sap. Bakker's tableware designs (salt paddle below), available through Dutch design retailer Wannekes, are although worth a mosey.

Swept Away

 

At last week's Salone in Milan two Spanish students at Design Academy Eindhoven called Forma Fantasma were exhibiting at the Rosanna Orlandi gallery with an installation that explored natural materials. No details were spared in this well thought out exhibit by the talented duo. Pots resembling clay were actually made from cornflour, limestone and agricultural waste and they teamed up with french bread-maker Poilane who baked loaves of sorghum flour (the same material used to cook the pots) bread. The straw brooms in the background were made by the oldest straw broom maker left in the world, Guiseppe Brunello who left the cornsheafs on the brushes for maximum effect.