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In the 1940s, the United States Navy commissioned from the Electric Machine and Equipment Company (Emeco) a chair that would be able to withstand the impact of torpedo blasts to the side of the battleship that carried it. The Emeco 1006 was born - the result of a 2-week, 77-step manufacturing process that gives the aluminum beauty a life expectancy of 150 years. After a few appearances on Sex and the City, as well as being featured inspiration for a line of Philippe Starck furniture, the 1006 has reestablished its footing as an ageless classic, which has led to its marriage to another American icon.

Emeco has teamed with Coca-Cola to create the 111 Navy Chair - a plastic reproduction of the original 1006, made from the plastic of 111 Coca-Cola bottles. Available for order online, Emeco and Coke expect the 111 Navy Chair project to keep an estimated 3 million plastic bottles out of landfills, which is the beginning of an ageless classic of its own.

And with colour names like Grass and Persimmon - and of course Coca-Cola Red - we couldn't ignore this beauty.

Click here before this link turns into a good looking chair.

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As a nod to The Cat in the Hat, One Fish Two Fish and company, Converse has just released a summer collection of sneaks that look as if they were drawn by Dr. Seuss. Sized for big kids or for real kids, (big kids will get more out of these, I think), the shoe maker has nailed the Seussian aesthetic with a sketcherly line and slap of the right colour. Available for order online here.

ps. We loved these so much that they inspired the Haft2 trend colour palette this week, found on Colourlovers.com as well as on our own homepage, haft2.com. (Did you know we change our homepage trend palette every week?)

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We love the customization trend, so here's a sweet Summer bit of custom ordering that'll definitely turn some heads. Smart cars is offering a chance to wrap your new little 'fortwo' in any number of custom prints and patterns, including topological designs, streetmaps, houndstooth, racecar patterns - the list goes on. Available to upload your own design also - or for those who wish to play it safter, there's an array of about 30 colours to choose from if you wish to leave the sporting of pattern to your louder friends.

smartlink

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Having only been announced fairly recently as the host city for the 2016 Summer Olympics, Rio de Janeiro is well under way in their preparation. This project, named Solar City Tower was designed by Swiss architectural firm RAFAA. It stands 105m above sea level and promises to be an environmental wonder. Solar power draws sea water up to the top and then the falling water will drive turbines that will produce even more energy for the city. With an amphitheatre, auditorium, cafeteria and shopping, the building seems a happy marriage of humanity and nature.

More pictures can be found at this link.

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From Japan comes 'Otete & Anyo' - Japanese for 'Hand & Foot' - beautifully made stamps customized to serve as a moment in time for the baby of your choice. Email a simple scan of Baby's hand or foot print and for about $100 you'll be able to stamp your little one's prints on everything, forever. The back of the stamp comes engraved with his / her birthday and name - all guaranteed to make a life-long impression for sure.

Here's the site

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11 11 Lincoln Road - intentionally spaced to ensure you pronounce it 'eleven eleven' - has risen in Miami and promises to offer a unique shopping, dining, residential and parking experience. Pritzker Prize winning architects Herzog and de Meuron - of Beijing Bird's Nest renown - took their inspiration from one of the more forgettable American icons - the parking garage - and rethought / reworked / re'wow'ed it into something imposing yet airy, and human yet otherworldly. With retail at grade, an event venue on the top platform (pictured below) and 2300-square-foot residences placed throughout the uh, garage, this new Miami treasure promises to make you think differently about where to leave your car.

This site is beautiful.

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Finally, what type are you? Brandmasters Pentagram created this little on-line quiz a few months ago - beautiful in its own right - to help you determine what font fits your personality best. The results can be fun, and telling, but the real takeaway is the test itself and how it was produced. I think we've heard that before: the benefit is the journey itself and not the outcome, but I digress. Take the test here. Then drop us a line and tell us what type you are.

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Louis Vuitton Creative Director Marc Jacobs himself has often called into question the collective sanity of the brand's customers, claiming they'll buy almost anything with the moniker or logo on it. Now he puts it to the test with the Louis Vuitton Trash Bag purse, which retails for $1,960 (USD). It feels like blatant disdain for the hand that's feeding them, and yet somehow, it'll work.

Here's New York Magazine's take on it.

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California Architect Michael Graves can probably be credited among the first of this wave to bring good design to the mass market when he introduced his line of housewares at Target - which still sells brilliantly at the American chain. Isaac Mizrahi followed suit also at Target. Some of the latest design work to spill into real life is Starwood's chain called Aloft. It's as if W Hotels and Sheraton Four Points came together to create inexpensive rooms with an eye to cool design.

The Aloft homepage has a strong presence of social media too, offering 'Tweets' and a Facebook group to keep abreast of where other Aloft fans are staying, and what they're doing when they're there. The Aloft blog 'A-Go-Go' keeps those in the know informed as to new hotel openings as well.

ALink

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For all of the silver and black automobiles that are sold every year, one set of products we're often willing to be a little colour-experimental with is our stable of kitchen appliances. Turquoise, avocado, almond, stainless (and of course white) could only lead to this - Karid Rashim's line of custom-colour appliances for European kitchen maker Gorenje. Dubbed 'Touch of Light', any of the pieces' colours may at any time be customized according to the owner's whim. In the future, look for customizeable walls, flooring, windows etc. I like where this is going.

See the line and more beautifully coloured kitchen pieces at http://www.gorenje.co.uk.

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Thanks to the internet, nearly anything can be found quickly now - including a black Christmas tree. (They call it 'Tuxedo Black', to reconcile any hesitation you may have in buying one for your surly 16-year-old.) Treetopia.com might not be able to get your 'In the Navy' blue tree to you by Friday, but they're sure a great resource to check out for Boxing Day sales. The array of colours is staggering, and they come lit, or not. A nice way to mix a little extra brilliance into your tree next year.

This one below is the Stephen J. Colbert Tree. For real.

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In our ongoing quest to find things to custom order on-line, our friends at Hipstery.com might be at the helm of the next wave of custom ordering, which is this. You don't actually design it / choose it / determine it yourself, you merely supply information to the seller, and based on what they discover about you, they select it for you. Hipstery.com will ask you a number of questions including "What's your preferred method of air travel?" and "At the movies, which armrest belongs to you?". Depending on your answers, a t-shirt is chosen to suit you and sent along. The burden of choice can be daunting.

Here it is

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This weekend, why not consider a last minute dinner party inspired by this frightening, but gorgeous room. Showcase TV in the U.S. created this interior for an issue of Metropolitan Home, in order to promote their show, Dexter. (In case you couldn't tell, the show's about a serial killer.)

For those that wish to take it one step further, dress your bathroom in these crime scene inspired accessories - pictured below and created as a nod to fright lovers, film buffs and design aficionados alike.

Here's the macabre link for these pieces

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London interior designer David Carter wants to tell you a story, and he wants to do so in his own house. Just last year, Carter turned his beautiful 18th Century townhouse into a boutique hotel with only two rooms to let. (Those are them pictured by the way. Ya I know - stunning.)

40 Winks, as it's called, has since become a hit and due to its size, a hit with a waiting list. Something that's made this little place so popular has been Carter's nights of storytelling, when hotel guests (and anyone else) are invited to gather in one of the living rooms of the house in their pajamas to listen to readers - both known and not - read, relate and recant tales by candlelight. Cocktails are served to take the edge off lying around in your Victoria's Secret silks. Events conclude with a live musical performance.

http://www.40winks.org

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We've known that forever, but these business cards really push the boundaries. 40 of the most creative business cards. A compilation of 40 of the most creative craziest business cards you will ever see. These are really some interesting business cards which are the perfect inspiration for creating your own business cards. We maybe not on your own, but with the help of Haft2!

Continue reading "A great business card says it all" »

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and have it delivered within 7 days or less. Try your creative ability by choosing from one of several colour combinations from the Urban Outfitters Bike Shop. They've teamed up with Republic to bring us some amazing wheels. Aristotle is a singlespeed bicycle with a fixed/free hub. Fixed gear or track bikes have their rear cog attached or "fixed" to the rear wheel. A fixed gear bicycle is essentially a singlespeed bicycle. However, singlespeed bikes allow the rider to coast without pedaling, but on a fixed gear bicycle you can't coast without pedaling. So, you're always pedaling on a fixed-gear bicycle.

Continue reading "Build your own Aristotle" »

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How good looking is THIS? The craftsmen at UK furniture shop Kent and London present their Alphabet Drawers. The piece is handmade from solid oak, which means of course it weighs a tonne. And it's inspired by vintage printing blocks, which means it looks like THAT. Not much room for your underwear here, but your aprons, babushkas, col bateaux, dungarees and earrings will never be more accessible.

http://www.kentandlondon.co.uk

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T's aside, nothing says summer like a cold can of Coke. The next time you pick one up though, you may notice something's changed about it. The 'Classic' part of 'Coca-Cola Classic' is finally being dropped.

After almost 25 years, Coca-Cola is finally (almost) finished apologizing for ever having introduced to the world, New Coke. On April 23, 1985 the company announced it was changing its famous recipe and to the dismay of many, 'New Coke' was released. You may remember that within a very short time, 'Coca-Cola Classic' was brought out as an apology to loyal fans of the original. The two brands remained on shelves beside each other for years, before New Coke became Coke II in 1992. It has since been pulled from shelves everywhere, except for U.S. Territory American Samoa and Yap, one of the four Federated States of Micronesia, where it still sells well. (I know - really?)

Just as Pepsi has undergone a makeover taking it closer to its graphic roots, cola wars are heating up, and it's almost as if it's 1985 all over again. Just no more Max Headroom please.

http://www.coca-cola.com

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More and more, we can customize online everything we could possibly want. You can monogram clothing, engrave a coffee pot, publish a manuscript, and design your own credit card, all within the comfort of your own room. Here's another example of an idea that's not new, but so terribly appealing. Design your own Converse sneaks. Choose from leather or canvas; low or high top, and a vast spectrum of delicious colours. Somehow, I think we're not far off from customizing an entire wardrobe, without ever having to glance a salesperson in the eye.

Design your own sneaks here.

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There's something really relevant about these little wax dolci. They're friendly and they're good looking and who wouldn't want to carry around a little pack of ambiance? Perfect for when you're spontaneously proposed to, the office birthday party which you 'of course remembered', or the next big blackout.

http://poketo.com/shop/archives/862

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Whether you're from the Americas or Europe, the people at UK paper purveyors presentandcorrect.com have assembled a collection of goods that'll make some distant part of your past salute the present day. From vintage snail mail goods, to primary education tools your Kindergarten teacher would have tacked up above the blackboard, this site is packed full of cool stuff that'll make you smile and grateful we haven't yet switched to the pending 'paperless society'.

http://www.presentandcorrect.com

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Dutch designer Jonas Samson wants to shed a little light on the world, and he strives to do it beautifully with this wallpaper that doubles as a light source. When turned off, your walls will appear to be covered with - well, wallpaper, but when turned on, they'll look like that. The inclusion of tiny LEDs in the paper will ensure your room inspires those within, which of course, turns us on.

http://www.jonassamson.com

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I guess when you're as good-looking as Apple is, you get a little defensive when others try to emulate. And so it was recently, when the computer giant reached from California to Victoria, BC to pluck from the branding tree another apple-based logo, used by the Victoria School of Business and Technology. Apple thinks the small school is trying to capitalize on the success of the MacBook maker and wants VSBT to cease usage of their logo immediately. The school has told Apple they'd be happy to move the leaf from the right side to the left, but apparently haven't heard back if this'll be satisfactory or not. I imagine Apple will say this town's not big enough.

Strangely, we've seen this happen before. In April, Apple told a New York City environmental initiative, GreeNYC that their logo was also too similar to theirs to use. This could get out of hand.

http://www.schoolvictoria.com/ApplesandOranges

http://www.palluxo.com/2008/04/05/apple-threatens-lawsuit-over-greenyc-logo/

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UK Designer Mikael Metthey could potentially become God in the eyes of the world's children with 'Pox Teddy' - a concept toy that if successful, could eliminate the need for syringed vaccinations. (Needle Day was always the most dreaded at school.) This smart little bear exposes kids to a virus in order to foster their natural immunity against harmful diseases. The website below offers some more images, as well as one of Metthey's 'Vaccination Playground'. The future is upon us.

http://www.interaction.rca.ac.uk/people/alumni/05-07/mikael-metthey/projects/project6.html

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If it appears you won't be able to make the trip to Venice for this year's Future of Science World Conference (the fourth annual), here's a taste of what you'll be missing. A trio of entrepreneurs will be unveiling their plan for turning the Sahara Desert into a huge source for renewable food, water and energy. The Sahara Forest Project is a 20 hectare, 80 million euro undertaking that will ultimately produce a titanic bio-entity that could potentially produce enough energy for all of Africa and Europe combined. It'll turn sea water into fresh water, it'll produce steam energy through the use of thousands of little mirrors to reflect the sun's light, and on top of it all, it looks like that.

http://www.thefutureofscience.org

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So, the whole idea of making old things into art is certainly nothing new, but come on! Who can look at Jean-Luc Cornec's Telephone Sheep and not say they love them? These things are adorable, and while we're at it, it never hurts to be reminded of the value of being earth conscious and green-minded and all those other things that are easy to overlook due to messaging overkill. Consumption. Environment. Reuse. Recycle. Rethink. Green. Really, these words should never lose their currency. Anyway, lesson over.

http://galerie-herrmann.com/arts/cornec/index.htm

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Only in Dubai. Here's another speculative design from the city of desert dreams. The Cloud will be a resort city elevated 300 metres above Dubai and supported on slanting legs meant to resemble rain. Designed by Lebanese architectural firm Atelier Hapsitus, The Cloud is inspired by desert nomads, whose lives have always been defined by their relationship to clouds which they followed for water, and for survival. The structure itself is a 20,000 square metre platform comprising bridges, walkways, gardens, an auditorium and lake. No word yet on when construction may begin, but we can dream about it.

http://www.hapsitus.com/

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Introducing, the BMW GINA ("Geometry and functions in 'N' Adaptions"). It's the conceptual brainchild of the BMW design team and while it's said that it'll never see production, you can't help but love this thing. It's clad in a silver, seamless fabric and designed to change shape at the will of the driver, through the use of electric and hydraulic actuators. Head Designer Chris Bangle called it a challenge to "existing principles and conventional processes" and claims that GINA will, at the very least, influence future models of BMWs. Looking at this picture, I'm thinking GINA might influence what I'll be wearing out this weekend.

http://www.bmw-web.tv/en/channel/new

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The movement to reduce, reuse and recycle is taking on new meanings all the time. Now it's starting to hit the construction industry and there's an entire civilization of unused building materials in the world's shipping yards. With so many empty and unused shipping containers in nearly every developed country, and then some, people are using them to build offices, homes and commercial structures - including Europe's biggest shopping mall in Ukraine.

Ready Made Link

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One of Canada's largest oil companies EnCana recently hired UK architectural giants Foster + Partners to design their new headquarters in Calgary. Talk about carbon credits. This building, dubbed The Bow is sustainable architecture at some of its finest. Features include an entire network of interior green spaces as well as three sky gardens. And in winter, the giant south-facing atrium will capture the Sun's heat to lessen the costs of keeping warm throughout a Calgary winter.

http://www.fosterandpartners.com

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As environmentally aware as we're becoming, the auto industry is still making things that look like this. And people are buying them. AutoData reports that in 2007, SUV sales in the United States increased 22.7% from the previous year. China's SUV stats for the same year actually increased by 49.1%. Early stats from this year seem to indicate high gas prices will prove to be a viable damper on SUV sales, in favour of their compact counterparts.

http://www.autodata.ltd.uk/default.asp

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Researchers are developing a sort of nervous system to be built into bridges, airplanes, buildings and ships. This "Structural Health Monitoring System" uses ultrasound waves that travel through minuscule fibers that are embedded into the structure's materials. The idea is that the individual components themselves will be able to detect defaults such as cracks or rust. The information would then be conveyed to a central computer system, informing engineers and repair teams of the need for attention. Now that's brainy.

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Make no bones about it. New York's Brooklyn Brothers presents Fat Pig Chocolate and lays no claim to even attempting to make it sound better for you than it is. It IS chocolate. Mind you, it's organic and ya, it's wrapped like THAT, so guilt levels will remain low in relation to the pleasure metre reading of your body's other senses. Available for mail order.

Fat Pig Site

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