Design Heroes - Sir David Tang

I've always been fond of FT newsprint. From a design perspective it's instantly recognisable colour and typeface proudly proclaim it means business. Masculine certainly, but it's not just the financial pages that draw attention. Aforementioned design hero Tyler Brûlé is a regular columnist in the Life & Arts section, as too is eclectic businessman and power networker Sir David Tang.

This framed article by the Knight Commander is aesthetically pleasing, but monumentally important from a design perspective. Sir David discusses demolishes the fiddly pretense of interior design and preciousness of today's super designers. Like a beacon, this article represents everything design should stand for. Read it Here.

If Calatrava did Christmas...

Christmas for some means decking the halls with a multitude of garish fairy lights - Either bright enough to be seen from space or, with the popularity of LED bulbs, cast a glow so eerily unnatural that they may as well be from outer space. A shame because many of the forms of Christmas are so iconic; architectural even.

Take the candle bridge; a staple for many a mantle. Designers like Santiago Calatrava will spend many months designing a crossing before lending weeks to the task of lighting it. This coincidentally influenced decoration draws on the work of the acclaimed Spaniard for a suitably architectural Christmas.

Japanese White Charcoal - Actually Black

While Trawling a few years ago in Tokyo, I came across a mysterious black honeycomb cube for sale in the Need'k store near Daikanyama. I hadn't the foggiest what it was for until I noticed them again at 100% Design. The mysterious cube was a Japanese White Charcoal odour remover and it seems that the UK is getting a taste for the enigmatic substance.

The pictured chikutan sticks (£25 for a pack of 3) are created by carefully controlled the burning process of woods such as Japanese bamboo. The result is a porcelain like material that in air removes odour and in liquids absorb impurities. Once again, a suitably mancave solution to water filtration.

Faux Fur - Caveman & GQ Gent Approved

Synonymous with the wealthy fashionistas, alpine log cabins and yes, prehistoric cavemen, fur is an effective and iconic material. An absolute luxury in today's society, its use seems to attract the wrong sort of attention (as anyone who has ever strolled past Harrods will know).

Thankfully, a market exists in super luxury, super high quality faux fur. Today, demand for this premium and ethical product outstrips supply by a considerable amount (Japan alone is thought to consume one third of global output).

This Iberian Wolf fur throw from UK based specialists Faux Fur Throws, is made in England and exceptional in every way. Priced at just under £100, the lustre, depth and fineness of the fibres would be enough to fool  any Russian oligarch - And if you're not out to impress visiting tycoons, the company's association with Tatler and GQ should make you popular with visiting supermodels too.

Design Heroes - Tyler Brûlé

The first in a range of 'Design Hero' themed posts highlighting some important figures in mancave-orientated design. Tyler Brûlé is the editor in chief of Monocle Magazine an absolute staple for 'today's multifaceted male human'. Before founding Monocle, Tyler also founded Wallpaper* Magazine and creative agency Winkreative.

This framed illustration from Monocle Mediterraneo is signed by Tyler after the DesignTrawler spotted him at the soft launch of Marylebone clothier Trunk. I'm a particular fan of Monocle's fastidious attention to detail and Winkreative's design work with airlines such as Swiss, Porter and BA.

Piave - Italian for [Designer] Toothbrush

Ever wondered what the secret to an Italian supermodel smile is? The answer takes the form of these over well-designed toothbrushes from Italian toothbrush manufacturer Spazzolificio Piave. The special chrome and iconic Kent Comb style editions are made in Italy and certified by the University of Milan.

It isn't the first time the Italians have worked on a toothbrush, but refreshingly Piave gets it right with a focus on simple materials and simple angles. At around £5 each, these are an easy win for any design conscious boutique hotel, airline amenity kit or aspiring mancave locker-room.

The Locker Room - Chrome Louvre Vents

Following the previously mentioned post on interior signage, the mancave locker-room can be easily enhanced with additional hardware. These chrome louvre vents add an industrial coolness to the shower room; no cutting holes in your doors required. Be sure to use matching chrome machine screws.

Teak, Holly, Lacquer & Fizz... Veuve by Riva

It may be October 31st, but the combination of teak, holly, lacquer and fizz is no Halloween concoction (despite the seasonal pumpkin-yellow label of Veuve Clicquot's signature bottles). This presentation box for the 1998 Grande Dame from the aforementioned champagne house, is a work of design excellence.

Crafted by super-iconic Italian yacht maker Riva, it features a polished teak and holly construction: Reminiscent of the achingly cool wooden motoryachts dotted around Lake Como in Italy, and manufactured of course by Riva. Throw in some black lacquer, chrome, a engraved nameplate and you're ready to hit the water. Purchased from New York merchants Sherry-Lehmann on Park Avenue.

Paris 2010 - Les Puces du Design

This month, Design Trawler ventured over to Paris for the bi-annual design exhibit that is Les Puces du Design. Held twice a year, almost 100 design dealers from around Europe and the World gather to exhibit their best 20th century design pieces.

Like a kid in a candy store (or rather, the previously mentioned Can A Suc store), it was difficult to focus attention on any one area. Prices were high but the quality and variety of items made this 'flea market' a museum-quality exhibition - the bonus being everything's for sale. You can't say that about the V&A!

Architectural Sweetener - Design or Foodstuff?

I discovered the posh creative sugar company Can A Suc in the Printermps Haussmann store in Paris. While I'm not generally a fan of sugar in my coffee, it's just as well because this little spiral of perfectly shaped sugar 'steps' are best rolled-out for guests.

For around £30 you get  enough sugar pieces (in brown and white) to refill the perspex holder three or four times... at which point you can head back to Paris for a refill, or come up with a similarly artful way of displaying sugar cubes.

Banking back in Style - Ballograf Epoca

So the public backlash against bankers has subsided. Ever ahead of their time, the Japanese realise that it's about time banks and bankers should be celebrated (not that I'm biased or anything). I spotted the beautiful Epoca Bank pen last year in the Scandinavian Design House at Omotesando Hills in Tokyo.

Manufactured by Jan Johansson's and Tommy Kvistsuper's Ballograf AB in Sweeden, this is an iconic ballpoint with black/chrome satellite stand and classic ball bearing rope. It deserves to be on every desk, by every telephone and on every counter in the Square Mile. Buy! Buy! Buy!

Le Fridge by Veuve Clicquot

 

Had to get this one posted before winter rolls in. Every year Veuve Clicquot commissions a designer to create a new 'ice box' presentation case. Iconic in so many ways, the charming 2010 design by Denis Boudard manages to incorporate Veuve's trademark yellow with a simple 50's fridge form. Does what it says on the door, keeping the bottle of brut cool for up to 2 hours. Do grab one before they run out.

100% Design London - Stephen Johnson

I mentioned that some of the events and exhibitions held as part of the London Design Festival weren't commercial enough - 100% Design at Earl's Court was probably on the other end of the scale, with all it's high-budget corporate stands and weighty press kits.

I liked Stephen Johnson's 'Happy Happy' chrome/aluminium bows. Commercial, at £3,000 each and similar in style to the works of Jeff Koons, Stephen was refreshingly forward about his inspiration - A bow is a commercial 'folly' intended purely to look pretty and make people happy. Like the work by Dixit, I think it sits at the design end of the Art-Design scale, and is certainly less twee than his other work.

Tent London - Design Trumps Art

Highlights from the Tent London exhibition this weekend included Dixit Design Lab. In particular these Yes No art pieces caught my eye for the interesting use of colour and 3D layers. The artworks are made from stepped, hand carved and lacquered segments in Y and N patterns with graduating colours and embossed/raised text reflecting the positivity (or negativity) of the word.

I particularly like the use of light to make shadow emphasis the design. Interestingly the rep made it quite clear that the pieces were not art, but actually design. Fantastic to hear somebody finally make the distinction between the two and hail design as something that can command a £2,500 price tag.

Designersblock London - Top Picks

I was invited to a preview of the Designersblock London exhibition last night as part of the London Design Festival. A few most designs were highly conceptual and un-commercial, but a few did stand out.

Gerald the Dog from Lazerian (pictured) is a £10 cardboard do-it-yourself kit that takes the form of the company's mascot. Charming and accessible, the angular cardboard form replicates Lazerian's more ambitious designs like the £1,700 Bravias armchair - made from over 200 hand cut components.

Also of interest was the Light Light by Charlie Sekers; an iconic representation of a table lamp made entirely from a neon tube-light, and the luxury flat-pack Baba Lounger chair by Objekt International.