Hasta La Ideas

A limited-edition set of dominoes fit for a king

Dominoes’ historically royal roots—they were discovered in King Tut’s tomb and played for centuries by Chinese emperors—are often forgotten since today, “bones” are frequently played on the streets of Brooklyn and the back rooms of bars. While there’s no discounting the standard double-six set gracing most tables, the limited-edition Bronze Bones set designed by the clever trio behind The Principals for The World’s Best Ever definitely puts a regal spin back on the classic game.

The geometric bones are each machined by hand in blackened bronze and feature rectangular grooves in place of the standard circles. Packed in a hollowed-out leather-bound book, the sexy 28-piece set comes with a score pad, pencil and sleek sharpener. The unique design may take players more time to read, but that just leaves more time for shit-talking—a major part of any good game of bones. Best of all, these heavy gems are the perfect weight to slam down with proper force when you’re making a major play.

Having just launched at the Mondrian South Beach during Art Basel, Bronze Bones are now available for $1,500—check out the dedicated website for purchasing information.

All images by Walling McGarity Photography.

Three projects that redefine usability from the design world’s newest competition

Starting with a reinvented trophy—designed as a mold for casting multiples to share with collaborators—the Core77 Design Awards is setting out to be a contest like no other.
The competition presents some of the industry’s most thoughtful concepts that often change the way we interact with the landscape around us. Below are three paradigm-shifting projects that enhance life by redefining space and usage.

Alcove

Felix Chun Lam and Joe Kenworthy created the Alcove, both a lighting component and storage solution, as a response to the reality of today’s fast-growing, consumerist society. Inspired by Terence Conran’s notion that there are three different levels of storage (at-hand, nearby and deep), the team added “seasonal items” as a fourth category. Showcasing the value in untapped ceiling space, the unobtrusive and easily-accessibly unit holds essential off-season items until the weather changes.

Tall Furniture

Winning the DIY-Hack-Mod category, Robert Turek’s Tall Furniture reassesses the stage’s role in live performances. Turek whittled the stage down to smaller, individualized platforms for each performer, in turn creating a more immersive experience for the audience by increasing visibility and mobility. Tall Furniture also allows for impromptu concerts by elevating performers even outside of traditional venues.

Node Chair

In most schools, critical thinking sessions and collaborative assignments that more closely mock the professional setting increasingly replace droning lectures. The Node Chair—designed by IDEO and Steelcase—lends itself to team-based work and classroom reconfiguration with its space-saving desk-and-chair combo set on wheels. Focused on “mobility, storage and fit,” the chair features a bucket-style swivel seat, a shelf underneath and an adjustable work space.

A new watch that won’t make heads turn

Known best for their creative and unusual timepieces, eccentric fashion accessory brand Nooka just released their newest watch, the 360. Looking past the subdued analog display and Italian leather wristband you’ll find what sets it apart is hidden in the details—or rather one large detail. The entire watch case rotates clockwise 360 degrees, giving the wearer and those around you unlimited angles from which to view the time. Driving your car? Adjust the watch to an optimal position a few clicks. The curious stranger next to you on the subway? Simply turn the dial to an angle that best suits them. Living up to Nooka’s ethos of universal language, the 360 does away with numbers and opts instead for simple dots.

The Nooka 360 comes in both black and mirror casings and is currently available for online for $285, and will hit store shelves by September 2011.

Our first of three camping features lets you rough it in style

Even a passing mention of camping conjures up vivid memories of sleeping under the stars, watching the sun rise and the quintessential smell of a campfire. An adventurous way to escape the daily grind, we’ve prepared a few gear round-ups for different levels of outdoorsiness. This first—for the more sedentary car camping set—includes a few items that will enhance your time at the campground.

As a perfect addition to any road trip (especially ones ending at camp sites), Courtney Heffernan’s Vehicle Field Notes offer cleverly designed notebooks to assist in some of the less exciting aspects of car travel.

Three originally illustrated notebooks are available to help with determining gas mileage, notes for accidents, oil changes and servicing. Clear, bold design makes these small journals a pleasure to look at even if they’re not frequently used. Contact Heffernan directly to inquire about ordering.

Standing at just over nineteen inces high, the Tundra 105 from Yeti Coolers is big enough to hold food for the whole family, with thick enough insulation to keep it cold for longer than you might expect—all the while working as an extra, and always needed, seat around camp. The Tundra series is one hell of a cooler; its wrap around freezer style gasket seals in the cold and its unbreakable hinges ensure that your supplies are kept fresh. The dual nylon rope and handle grips are a nice touch as well. It sells online for $430 from the Yeti store. A more affordable but also heavy-duty option, Coleman’s Heritage Cooler is a workhorse that holds up to 223 cans, 55lbs of ice and comes with a tray and cutting board—perfect for cutting up all those limes to help wash down a cold beer. The classic cooler sells online from Coleman for $250.

Black Diamond’s Titan Lantern provides light for all camping needs. Capable of producing up to 250 lumens of light you may just be able to light up everyone else’s’ campsites too. Dimmers are essential to controlling the mood, and we really appreciate that feature on this lantern. Plus it’s collapsable so it’ll pack away easily and it’s sturdy hook allows it to be hung from most places easily. The Titan Lantern is available through their online shop for $80.

Design Salt’s Cocoon series makes great lightweight travel products, including “sleeping sacks” that are designed to either line your sleeping bag or simply replace it on hot summer nights. The OutLast Coolmax is made of extremely breathable fabric that wicks moisture and dries fast, perfect for humid nights. This machine washable travel sheet comes in an assortment of colors and sells for $60 at Design Salt along with their other great travel gear.

Weighing in at less than 6 lbs. theBodum Picnic Grill is constructed of lightweight steel with an easy to clean colorful enamel coating. Bodum’s clever design features clamps that hold the lid securely in place for transportation. The performance is top-notch and the delicious smokey charcoal flavor infused in your burgers and eggplant will throw your friends off the fact that you really bought it for one of its six summery colors.

Of course no camping trip is complete without s’mores made over a fire. Gear Patrol led us to the S’More To Love STL-600 S’More Maker, a convenient rack that lets you roast up to six s’mores at a time. The STL-600 S’More Maker sells from Amazon for $15. To get the fireside snack melting fast, start with Fidibus Firelighters. These pure wood fibre sticks are soaked with natural paraffin and come 18 to a box. The German kindling can be picked up online from ManuFactum for €7.

Socks with athletic support and snazzy looks guaranteed to set you apart from the masses

If you weren’t lucky enough like me to have a wise Italian friend give you the tip, a glimpse of white tube socks will likely make any stylish woman run the other direction. And why run the risk of boring choices that may suggest a similar inner spirit? Thanks to imaginative companies like Stance, my feet will never be subjected to the abuse of plain again.

The San Clemente, CA brand may be rooted in California board sports (the socks have all the ergonomic support you could hope for), but Stance also has a literal foot in the creative community with many of their “society” of “Punks & Poets” doubling as talented athletes and artists. Some of their growing roster of supporters even put their own spin on a pair of socks through the brand’s Artist Series.

Artists like Kid Creature, Urethane, Russ Pope, Matt French and others expressed their personal style with socks serving as their canvas. Dominated by bold graphics and colorways, the series captures the feeling of sunny days on a surfboard and the graffiti-riddled streets seen by skaters.

In addition to jazzing up a simple ensemble of t-shirt and jeans, the super-soft and comfy socks have firm elastic at the top to keep them up while in action. As French points out on his blog, Stance are “really good socks that care for your toes like two litters of little marsupial babies.”

Selling through Tactics and their own online shop, Stance socks span $6-25 depending upon style, size and collection.