For those in the A/E/C practices, there is little doubt about the greatest gift of all: time. While AN can’t source that elusive asset for you, we have assembled a collection of material goods that are designed to make life a little more elegant, efficient, and even fun. Happy holidays to all!
Elements Collection
J. Hill’s Standard
A fresh take on Irish cut crystal, this barware is marked by cuts and textures of varying depth, creating a graphic language. Designed by Scholten & Baijings.
(Courtesy Alessi)
Ossidiana
Alessi
Fabricated out of cast aluminum, this old-school, new-style espresso makers comes in three sizes. Designed by Mario Trimarchi.
(Courtesy Chess House)Bauhaus Chess Set
Chess House
No prancing steeds or earnest foot soldiers here: Wood cubes, spheres, and cylinders comprose this 1923 chess set. Designed by Josef Hartwig.
(Courtesy The Glass House)Glass House Snow Globe
The Glass House
You’ll never have to battle the traffic on I-95 or shovel the snow at this finely crafted miniature masterwork.
Flo Bedside/Desk Light
Lumina Italia
Rotate the head of this minimalist light fixture to focus the LED beam where it’s wanted. In varnish-coated aluminum and steel, the fixture is also available in clamp, wall, floor, and grommet styles. Designed by Foster + Partners.
(Courtesy Marset)FollowMe Lamp
Marset
Cordless and rechargable via USB, this oak-handled lamp shines a diffuse light through its polycarbonate shade. Designed by Inma Bermudez.
(Courtesy notNeutral)Prismatic Scarves
notNeutral
From the product-design branch of Los Angeles-based architects Rios Clementi Hale Studios, these thirty-inch-square silk scarves are based on color studies for a competition project.
(Courtesy Yale University Press)Paul Strand: Master of Modern Photography
Yale University Press
Featuring more than 250 plates, this book by Philadelphia Museum of Art curators Peter Barberie and Amanda N. Bock chronicles the career of the seminal photographer.
(Courtesy Princeton Architectural Press)Louise Fili, Perfetto Pencils
Princeton Architectural Press
Graphic designer Louise Fili celebrates Italian typography with these two-tone pencils; related items include notecards and a book.
Qlocktwo W Watch
Biegert & Funk
In this reactionary design to a digital world, a grid of 110 letters illuminates the time in text form. And it’s multi-lingual: The watch communicates in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, and Arabic.
(Courtesy Louis Roederer)Brut Nature 2006
Louis Roederer
Of his design for the packaging for this vintage, Philippe Starck says, “The contents are so potent I decided to design a bottle that was stripped of any superfluous embellishment.”
(Courtesy Artifice Books)Shape of Sound
Artifice Books
Architect Victoria Meyers examines the dynamic relationship between architectural forms and materials and acoustics in this amply illustrated book.
(Courtesy Snøhetta)Snøhetta Limited Edition, XO Contemporary Cognac
Braastad
Adding Scandinavian cool to a classic French product, the graphic design team at Snøhetta uses subtle metallic colors and hand-lettering to reinvigorate the image of the stodgy spirit.
(Courtesy Spin Ceramics)Archaeologist Chopstick Rests
Spin Ceramics
Impeccably details and finished, these glazed clay pieces are both naturalistic and abstract in form. Eight pieces to a set; designed by Na An.
