The Penny Floor that Started a Craze

In 2011, I posted an article about how I glued 7,500 one penny coins to my kitchen floor. I never imagined the impact that the penny floor would have. I didnt' even coin the term 'penny floor' [excuse the pun!] - But if I had a penny for the number of links, pins, posts and times I've been introduced as the guy who covered his floor in 1p coins, well, I could probably do several more penny floors! [2p floor anybody?]

I've had questions on how it was done; including one from a prominent architecture firm with a penchant for picked cucumbers; seen a bizarre range of templates and tutorials on the subject, and been asked how it has coped with daily wear and tear [fine actually, and it hasn't turned green!]

Celebrating Design Trawler's launch on Pinterest, you can now view the original images from the famous penny floor in high resolution, along with one or two more from the present day. Stay tuned for the real how to guide - from preparing your floor through to sourcing, laying and protecting your pennies.

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U+ Suspend Clock by Alan Wisniewski

I've always loved contemporary artist/taxidermist Polly Morgan's sculptures. Some feature birds with a delicate balloon suspended in a glass dome. These domes are an iconic way of drawing attention to precious objects, and the fragility of the whole ensemble creates a museum-like artefact to behold.

Alan Wisniewski has got it perfectly right with his Suspend Clock for Umbra's premium U+ Studio Collection. The walnut clock face cleverly floats in mid air, it's contour perfectly matching the dome around it. Like Polly's balloons, the effect is fragile and mesmerising. Time captured and suspended.

DesignTrending - Golden Metals in 2012

With the new year imminently approaching, DesignTrawler.com takes a moment to think about what themes and materials are going to prove popular in 2012. This teak calendar from Mucu [MoMa Tokyo] sums up the predictions.

We're already seeing brass growing in popularity as a material. With the rise of the steampunk set and austere design ethic [we're in recession apparently] raw materials like bronze, copper, teak, and dare I suggest it, pine, represent honest elements that have fallen off the designer's radar. Golden metals in particular look set to replace chrome and brushed steel, as we tire of facsimile showhome furniture and gear up for the gold, in this, London's Olympic year.

If Kevin McCloud did Goldfish Bowls

It's hard to think of a pet more iconic than a goldfish in a simple glass goldfish bowl. I previously mentioned that artifacts, plants and animals lend a powerful 'anti-design' balance to an interior and those 'down' with their feng shui would agree - goldfish symbolise wealth and prosperity in ancient Chinese culture.

While companies such as Biorb have attembeted to bring the humble goldfish bowl up to date (with a not-so-humble price tag), Canadian designer Teddy Luong's Fish Hotel is a home that any prosperous goldfish would approve of. Upscaled with aquarium lighting, black bauhaus cladding and located in the kitchen for super-quick goldfish sashimi.

Designer Bubble Bath for Blokes

Admittedly, bubble bath for blokes is a bit of a hard sell - there isn't an immediate resonation with the Mancave locker room coolness. Nonetheless, I recently spotted this £30 masculine brown glass bottle on the shelf of Sir Terence's Marylebone hangout and was instantly hooked.

The scent of prehistoric amber is described as warm, musky, rich and honey-like. While true, I think the scent of, what is essentially an expensive rock, conjures up images of teak, brass and crisp £50's in vintage leather. Also available in eau de toilette, home fragrances and a variety of other formats.

Big Game Hunting - Last of the Battlecats

I first heard about artist Robert Burden from uber-blog Uncrate in May 2008. Burden's stylised idolised portraits of toys and action figures from his youth have a 'big kid' boyish coolness perfect for any aspiring Mancave. Battlecat, He-Man's fearless sidekick, is the best of the bunch and fuses an iconic pop style with powerfull 1920's glamour.

I dropped Burden a note asking to be informed when Battlecat was nearing sell-out. A year later, I receive a message that there is one left. The opportunity to take an edition out of circulation is instantly attractive; appreciating as soon as it leaves the gallery it validates the success of the artist, the edition and comes with 'big game' trophy status.

Mixology on the Menu

How the humble cave has evolved. From a simple place to sleep at night to a place to live and entertain at all hours. The Mancave has come to symbolise gastro pub, members club and cocktail bar - complete with bistro blackboards, Swiss mechanical timers and, of course, the remarkable Bang & Olufsen wine machine.

Keeping track of all of the best beverages required to qualify for Mancave status, however, becomes a little tricky. Enter, some commercially sourced bespoke bar menu's with embossed logos and Moleskine stock for easy updates.

Smoke & Mirrors - Experiment #2

I previously mentioned how bespoke cut mirrors can add depth and dimension to an interior; particularly when applied to irregular wall profiles. Using the same principle, I wanted to see what effect using mirrors on the inside profiles of recessed windows would have. Reflecting back the face of the window makes it seem significantly wider; increasing light and window real-estate by up to 50% (depending on the depth of the recess) at virtually no cost.

Experiments with Smoke & Mirrors

I've recently been experimenting with bespoke cut mirrors. I want to see how mirrors and reflected light can add depth and dimension to an interior. A successful example is this full-height shard which lines an irregular wall profile in the Mancave. It adds a fantastic richness and complexity to the room; reflecting back different materials and textures in a 'vertical slice' as you move around the space.

Good Dog - Blue Dog

At the risk of upsetting RSPCA sorts, animals in the home are best skinned and made in to carpets, bathmats, blankets or wine coolers. If you can't guarantee they won't do their business against your Carlo Molino writing desk, or otherwise gnarl a hole in your Corbusier LC-2, they're best kept outside.

Much better to Fido by way of fun Brazilian pop art. This is Blue Dog. Acquired from Romero Britto's flagship gallery in Miami, Blue Dog pre-dates even the Man Cave. Loyally ascending to greatness, from Bond Street to Buckingham palace, Britto's Blue Dog has found itself in the windows of Opera Gallery and counts the Queen, amongst others, as one of its owners.

Invisible Heat - Visibly Cool

What do smartphones and cooktops have in common? While you could probably fry an egg on the surface of an iPhone on a hot day, I'm talking about invisible interfaces - The way that on many handsets, it isn't apparent where the screen starts and finishes while switched off.

The British designed and made CR600 by Stoves, as pictured [genuinely, with no Photoshop trickery], vanishes in to the work surface when not in use. It's as if the entire counter is a gigantic smartphone; the chunky chrome knobs the only clue that you can fry an egg without invaliating your Apple warranty.

In Bed with Boateng

There was something that always bothered me about the Saville Row inspired bedding that I had made up a little while ago. Yes, the pinstripe Super 120's wool & cashmere cloth makes for an excellent ornamental pillow, and yes the fact that bedding can 'always bother me' is cause enough to hand in my Man-licence, but I've finally cracked it! Any suit worth it's salt, needs silk.

Be it a bright Ozwald Boateng lining or burnished Hermès cravate, the addition of these burnt orange herringbone bolsters not only increases the pillow count to a luxuriously inpractical seven, but delivers the much needed punch of satorial bedtime power dressing [£510 Hermes Faubourg pillow-case optional].

Mini Dolmen Grows Up

One of the first items on Design Trawler, the Mini Dolmen by Lexon is a soap-sized utilitarian field radio [pictured, rear] that sits nearly in the bathroom broadcasting news every morning. Three years on, and it's been challenged by the Goliath that is the Bose Soundlink.

A bluetooth behemoth in the bathroom may sound like overkill, but the bassy true-audio stream from any device means a greater variety of morning music. In particular, the Monocle 24 digital radio stream replaces utilitarian breakfast news with rich, curated commentary and current affairs.

At five times the price of the Lexon radio, the Bose is in a different league all together - But from a design point of view the Mini Dolmen exudes charm with it's circular speaker and telescopic aerial. Bluetooth or not, it would have been nice to see more character behind the [otherwise excellent] Soundlink design.

A Smart and Stelthy Massacre

I've been meaning to massacre a Louis Vuitton belt for a while now. While the check daimer design is subtle and synonymous with dodgy markt stalls purveyors of fine steamer trunks, the LV monogram buckle is as understated as a wall of Cristal champagne labels.

Browsing in Gieves and Hawkes this weekend it struck me. The team at #1 Saville Row now carry a range of superb shoe laces in a variety of colours. A quick chop of the luxurious leather and a bow stolen from a brogue is enough to make two smart and stealthy curtain tie-backs.

The Shape of Things to Come

While my 2,000 year old Han Dynasty warrior head is probably my favourite design item, the most important item in my collection is something entirely different. This festive bauble is a miniature version of the Quin.MGX form, most commonly available as a pendant light, from Belgian firm Materialise.

Designed by Yale mathematician turned artist, Bathsheba Grossman, the Quin is the poster child of the 3D printing design revolution. The intricate shape would otherwise be impossible to realise. It's second only to the wheel in terms of what it represents from a design, engineering & aesthetic perspective.

Copper Hangs On - HAY

Big brother of design classic the paperclip, the wire clothes hanger is an iconic every day item. Danish design house HAY makes things a little less laundrette with these anodised aluminium hangers. Smartly finished in the must have metal; copper; the wire of the body rejoins the neck without the traditional 'twist' - a subtle detail that separates the HAY hanger from the rest. Perfect for Saville Row open rails.

The Continent-Busting Cooktop by Stoves

When it came to selecting a new countertop hob for the Man Cave, I thought the decision would be easy. The best looking, most beautifully designed, flawlessly engineered hob would of course come from the continent. But would it be from Gaggenau or Gorenge whose alluring names boast designer collaborations with Karim Rashid and Pininfarina? or from the likes of Bosch or Miele; confident poster children of the Vorsprung durch Technik generation?

Surprisingly, the most attractive cooktop isn't of German design. It doesn't even carry a designer price tag. Designed and manufactured by hand in Britain by Stoves, the CR600 is the clear winner. Achingly elegant, the ceramic hob features chrome rotary controls [no thank you, flash touchscreen displays, we like our tactile knobs and buttons!] and a flush, frameless surface with clean and iconic indicators.

If Christian Louboutin Did Cookware

...It'd probably look like this. With a silver turned exterior, sleek black surface and red hot handle, this is about as close as cookware will get to the French shoemaker famed for his red lacquered soles. The red handled pans keep things decidedly 'va va voom' coming from France's family run DeBuyer company.

Available from the Conran Shop priced from £25, I consulted the previously mentioned 'rule book' to see what UnhappyHipsters.com had to say about design in the kitchen: "Follow the golden rule of three: When the chef is standing at the centre island, visitors must be able to see at least three rare and expensive cooking items" Check. "Cookware is best unsullied by organic matter such as food. Keep in mind that cooking doesn't actually need to happen - it's actually advisable that is doesn't - but the design must imply that it could" Double Check.

Free Spirits - Signage by Stout Industries

Manufactured in St. Louis since 1886 by Stout Industries, I picked up this vintage gas station sign on the other end of the world at the Acme store in Meguro, Tokyo. At first glance, the admission that no tax is included seems a little peculiar. Once part of a $ and ¢ price sign, this end leaf has a great typographic quality about it. Now it makes perfect sense, on the face of the 'furniture as metaphor' home bar where drinks cost 0 [Tax Included]

Scent of Succsess - Gold for Molton Brown

I mentioned back in January that 2012 was a year for golden metals. The new fragrance from Molton Brown, purveyor of locker-room staple black pepper, firmly agrees. Londinium, in limited edition gold for the Olympics, is described as having notes of bergamont, oakmoss and malt whisky. A capital blend with gold medal design from £75.