Clowning Around

Series of palyful objects by Swiss designer Tomas Kral. Based on the clown's nose and fashioned from ceramics with coloured elastic and cork. Happy red nose pinging.

http://www.tomaskral.ch

Hung up on you....

Love this late 1930s coat hanger rack in pear wood. Designed by Paolo Buffa. With bronze fittings from a lovely London-based antiques dealer called De Parma

Maison Objet 2010 - Kettal

A new collection of outdoor furniture by Spanish Kettal was the highlight of the Outdoor furniture selection in Hall 7. New collections presented were designed by Rodolfo Dordoni and Hella Jongerius, who will publish a book with Phaidon later this year.

Hella Jongerius's sturdy "Bob" chair and stool had an architectural feel and was an upmarket interpretation of the cheap plastic garden club chair. Lovely woven detail on the arms.

Bob chair is named after the "B" letter that the sides express

A matching footstool

Italian Rodolfo Dordoni came up with a more extensive collection of furniture called "Bitta" named after the knots used when mooring boats. The woven details are inspired by these knots and the whole collection sported a "natural" feel both in palette and table textures of teak and marble.

Just a snippet of the Bitta collection

Authentics - Maison Objet 2010

At the German Authentics brand, they had decided to work with new designers as consumers are getting sick of "star designers". One such star were duo Volker Albus and Stefan Legner's "Munich" light. Based on a beer mug and a tongue in cheek ode to Munich's annual piss-up, Oktoberfest.

Publish Post

Also turning heads was an unusual interpretation of a wardrobe "Wardrope" a hanging cable by Susa Stofer and Vernonika Hartjen.

Previously shown at Ambiente, nevertheless Urban Garden by Patrick Nadeau, made from coated polyester, they are also modular. Can work well as office partitions too.

Normann Copenhagen - Maison Objet September 2010

The Normann Copenhagen stand present "Ballo", the dancing toilet brush by Jozeph Forakis. It reminds of the Japanese Yu'ento products

Rubber and stainless steel "chop" kitchen herb chopper by LucidiPevere Studio by Paolo Lucidi and Luca Pevere. 

 Icelandic textile designer Bryndis Bolladottir works with woollen balls. Miyo Wada liked her trivets and coathooks.

Another new Icelandic designer Helga Sigurbjarnadottir's local stone and contrasting oak coathooks caught our eye. Coathooks were arife at the fair last week!

Super Furry Animals

Katie Hillier's collection of animal necklace pendants will burn a huge hole in your wallet and bank but are chyou-kawaii. Her website done by the lovely Rachel Pelly is also super great. Click here to see some bunny and other critter animations on the site.

The original Hillier bunny is in 18 carat Yellow Gold with a white diamond.

Rose gold bunny wi/ claret diamond. (whoops bunny whoops!)

winking owl in y. gold with absinthe diamond

18 carat gold squirrel wi/ Black Diamond nb: loves nuts.

Two violet diamond eyes give it an advantage over it's other garden friends

B&B Italia - Maison Objet September 2010

B&B Italia showcased the outdoor version of their best-selling Charles sofa sytem by Antonio Citterio at Maison Objet.

The collection has an additional chaise-longue, unavailable in the indoor collection

Citterio's Carpino table is made from slats of Ipé wood whereas the new Gelso table top is made from painted white crystal glass.

Carpino table in Ipé

Gelso table with crystal top

Muuto - Maison Objet September 2010

Muuto showcased the silicone rubber Unfold pendant lamp by Stockholm based designer and architectures studio Form Us With Love. The duo also designed a lovely tealight candle holder called Match. Click here to see it on the designer's homepage. 

Available in grey, black, blue, purple, yellow

Each year Muuto have a competition for young designers. Petter Thörne and Anders Johnsson from Konstfack School of Design in Stockholm's winning entry is the dining table named "Keep" made from scrap wood and secured with metal bands (cutting out the need for glue) and a linoleum table top.

The "Keep" table makes a statement about wasted materials

"Outside in" flower pot by Thomas Bernstrand

Available in brown, green, grey and purple

Wolf it down - re: Bocca di Lupo ( the mouth of the wolf )

Love the branding work of designer Caz Hildebrand from Team 5 - Here Design in Gelupo, the sister gelateria and delicatessen to chef Jacob Kenedy's Italian restaurant Bocca di Lupo just opposite in London's Soho. Hildebrand recently worked on a book with Kennedy that's both a cracking read and useful recipe book called "The Geometry of Pasta". Aside from artisanal ice-creams their shop also stocks frozen sicilian red prawns (you can't get hold of these anywhere else in London) and BDL's signature rustic pork & foie gras sausage with farro & porcini.

A simply designed, fun and informative menu.

Their affogato is to die for.

The book - Geometry of Pasta

Light up

"Arabesco" wall light by Giacomo Benevelli designed c 1960s. It will feature in the new Jicky commercial to be aired this week. Available to buy from antique dealer Tycho Andrews from Alfie's Antiques

Snappy Snaps

A little bit of styling Miyo Wada did from a test shoot with UK-based photographer Charlotte Brown. Still not photo-shopped or anything.

The animals go in three by three through the wooded shrubs of candy-cane flowers

All Tied Up

Ribbonesia art project by an illustrator named "Baku" (full name Baku Maeda) with ribbon and fabric. Love the seal with ball.

Moosey or Deer, not sure but it's got fancy antlers

Horse in dressage

Miyo Wada's favourite Sea-world esque balancing act

Net worth

Love these Net box Cabinets by Patricia Urquiola as spotted at the Molteni & C stand in the Rho Fiera in April's Salone in Milan 2010. Slightly too ubiquitous Urquiola used a technique used for roof-panels in shops. The metal is stretched and laser cut to take away the illusion of weight when using metal. Not only clever, it looks great. Reminds me of Bottega Veneta and what their furniture should look like rather than the Poltrona Frau-esque conventional stuff their furniture line showcased this year at a showroom that you literally had to have a security pass to get into.

Full Net box, was released in 2009 with a leather upholstery

Miyo Wada's favourite

The upper panel cleverly slides down

Detail shot of the mesh

You're Gorgeous

Remember the lyrics to the biggest selling UK single of 1996 - "You're Gorgeous" by Babybird. Well that's how I feel about this vintage 1950's Hermes t-shirt. Shame the pictures is so appalling, doesn't do it justice.

The Engineer

The In Site Exhibition at Casa da Arquitectura, Matosinhos, Portugal by Cecil Balmond is showcasing over 100 original sketches and models of his works. This includes Danzer and his most widely known Orbit, the 120m high sculptured created with his long-term friend and collaborator Anish Kapoor for London's 2012 Olympics. Balmond, Deputy Chairman of Arup is the world's most influential engineer and behind most major bridge and building in the last 30 years. The exhibition will run until the 10th September.

Original Model for the CCTV Headquarters in China

ArcelorMittal Orbit by Cecil Balmond

Original sketches for the ArcelorMittal Orbit by Cecil Balmond, Anish Kapoor - steel provided by magnate Lakshmi Mittal

Airplanes in the Night Sky

'Paper Planes' armchairs by British based design studio Doshi Levien for Moroso

Candle in the Wind

Cire Trudon have teamed up with Undercover's Jun Takahashi for a set of new candles including Gilaapple, a metallic apple. Takahashi worked with Ciré Trudon's Creative Director Ramdane Touhami to come up with a set up 10 unusually fragranced scenets. The white wax seals are phosphorus so glow in the dark. Check out Takahashi's blog here.

Pump up the Jam

On sale early 2011, the BowWow ballet flat is a collaboration with the King of plastic furniture Kartell with Moschino. Made from a non-toxic thermoplastic technopolymer that is 100% recyclable. This isn't a first for the two to collaborate as Kartell upholstered Philippe Starck's Mademoiselle chair in Moschino fabrics. 

Don't be taking Liberties

The new "Libby" lamp is designed and manufactured in the UK by Overend Studio designer Alexander Harris, who also works for Conran's joinery, Benchmark. Available in department store Liberty from August, a shop we daren't go into this month - their amazing summer sale = reckless credit card spending. Great bargains on there if you want to spruce up your home, see what they have to offer here.

Minimalux - Part II

On September 23rd at 00:01 hrs (don't know why the time is so specific), the 2nd Minimalux collection will go live on www.minimalux.com. British designer and co-founder of forward-thinking furniture brand Established & Sons Mark Holmes launches new products. Miyo Wada likes the pill tube and conical vase made from Borosilicate Glass, silver and copper.