Daisuke Tsumanuma and Kenichi Yamada named their miniature hydroponic terrarium company 10¹² TERRA to reference the number of new cells a plant in one of their containers can produce a day. Their minimal designs, the tallest planter standing at just under one foot, have a big advantage over sealed terrariums in that the separate top and bottom chambers make replacing murky water easy. [via Spoon Tamago]
Each terrarium is made by hand, and cost around $100 depending on the size.
Inspired by Danish woodworking from the island of Amager, Chiaozza (pronounced "CHOW-zah") cuts its shelves by hand. Made with traditional Japanese wood saws, the company offers about ten different variations, with details like overlapping wood joints, subtle colors, and light wood that keep the designs modern. Each piece is produced in small runs of 10, and some can be ordered as mirrors.
The shelves are availabe directly from the artist.
Justin Porcano, the product designer behind Wallhub, was in a brainstorming session when he realized the light switch plate was an incredibly underused structure. So he gave the switch plate a second functional purpose by adding simple hooks for things we grab on the way out of the house, like keys, mail, and umbrellas. And best of all, because the Wallhub is built to fit on a standard switch plate, there's no additional wall damage from hooks or other hangers.
The Wallhub comes in three styles to fit most light switches.
We often applaud triple threats in the sports and entertainment industries—those rare birds who excel at three skills, often all at once. But are you familiar with the art world’s quadruple threat? Someone with hands successfully in so many areas it’s a wonder that they can get anything done, much less with exceptional quality? Meet Leah Goren. The California-born, Brooklyn-based illustrator and pattern designer is killing it with everything she does. Perhaps best known as the mastermind behind a now-viral cat-print dress, the textile designer has been busy putting her unique, colorful illustration style on everything from oversized crop tops to tote bags. She also recently gathered a small group of as-talented friends to make Sad Girls, a wistful zine “featuring work by girls who make things and have a lot of feelings.” Goren’s latest endeavor is ceramics: simple plates, cups and bowls featuring botanical-inspired illustrations. Goren does enough rad stuff to make even the most proactive maker feel a bit lazy.
Visit the Leah Goren Etsy shop or buy Sad Girls online. She also has a great FAQ with info on her process.
With little fuss and a two-tone palette, A.OK's simple packaging design for its candles seems to radiate confidence and quality. The candles, which are hand poured in California, are anything but minimal in terms of performance. Available in a variety of scents, including cucumber, bergamot, rosemary, thistle, and fig, A.OK candles are made of 100 percent pure soy wax and deliver more than 70 hours of burning time. If the quality matches the sleek look, we're sure even the toughest minimalist will be lighting one in the chill-out room soon.
A.OK Candles are $38 at Oak NYC.
We read certain magazines online and in print for their taste in visuals and curation of style, so it makes sense in a way that we'd buy from their online shops, too. The latest tasteful mag to launch a shop is two-year-old Thisispaper Magazine. Thisispaper Shop debuted earlier this month, selling goods sourced from sustainable and local manufacturers in Poland or handmade by the creative team at Thisispaper Magazine itself. The shop is carrying a clean and clever range of kitchenware (mugs, jars) and accessories (rucksacks, bags)—all perfectly suited to your no-nonsense minimalist household. The Thisispaper team says the impulse to start the shop comes from "the need to provide our audience with a way to surround themselves with objects that combine beauty and sustainability and are used in day-to-day activities." And they've stuck well to their informal motto: "Simplicity is king in everything we do. Fashion isn't."
We've culled some of our favorite debut Thisispaper Shop items in the post below.
Start shopping at Thisisipapershop.com
Handheld drills
Scissors
Pure Mug
Rucksack in Ecru
Honey dripper
Slippers in brown
Single strap pedal clip
Walnut pan
Butter knife
Folks who play with flowers for a living haven't always been on the radar of forward-thinking visual culture vultures—cue nightmares of the most expected arrangement in the whole world ever: stark red roses surrounded by the sweet white buds of baby’s breath. But when a group of young, cool, Brooklyn-based florists cropped up, it marked a sea change in the world of floral arrangement. Now, it’s becoming the norm to expect artful, inventive, overflowing arrangements and bouquets, often for magazine photo spreads, and sometimes for picture-perfect weddings. Our favorite of the bunch is Amy Merrick, who spends her time arranging overwhelmingly beautiful bouquets for both high-end events and favorite publications like Kinfolk (she was the mastermind behind the flowers-as-ice-cream shoot from the magazine’s latest issue.) She documents everything on her beautiful blog, which helps us feel a little more connected to visions of natural beauty, even while in front of a computer screen. And when she's not styling for editorial shoots, Merrick is imparting her skills to aspiring arrangers, teaching flower classes in Brooklyn and on a Washington state flower farm. Keep an eye on her blog and Twitter feed for updates.
Marvel at Merrick's portfolio online.
Ice cream flower photos by Parker Fitzgerald
The soft rubber bulb of Booo's new light fixtures doesn't just filter the LED light source. Designer Nacho Carbonell realized that shipping large (and fragile) glass light bulbs was an unnecessary risk and expense, so he set out to make a collapsible and attractive fixture that could ship more securely in a smaller package. The lamp's simple form is another conscious decision: the designer hopes it will be used as a standalone light fixture, but it's also simple enough to work inside a bigger lampshade.
Sure, you could measure pasta without Studio Lievito's handsome marble Spaghetti Meter, but that's incredibly risky and we wouldn't recommend it. The Meter is dead simple to use: the carved shapes on each side of the block hold just enough pasta for one, two, three, or four people. Simply rotate the meter to the correct number of people you're feeding, fill with spaghetti or whichever long pasta you prefer, and cook. [via It's Nice That]
The Spaghetti Meter debuted during Milan Design Week. Check out more of Studio Lievito's kitchen wares, like hand-blown glass pasta holders and marble utensils, online.
When the Michigan-based designers at Color + Mirror created their flagship line of mirrors, they drew inspiration from the vintage dark glass mirrors popular in the 1920s. For their Spring 2013 collection, they replaced the elaborate frames and etchings of those original pieces with a minimalist circular design, and cut their version in three colors: gold, emerald, and black. With the right color and placement, the results can be fairly dramatic. The mirrors are designed and manufactured in their factory just outside of Detroit.
