Interior Design Sense

As a writer it never occurred to me how important and valuable a sketchbook can be to a designer. This was till I had an in depth conversation with fellow YD-er Brian Ling about his innovative Spaces for Ideas Sketchbook. Although most ideas are refined on the computer, it’s the basic sketch that gets the design flow going and as Brian says the fastest way to get an idea out of your mind and into reality is to sketch it. Drawing from his own passion for sketching, Brian has designed an essential sketchbook that highlights the work and not itself.

The Spaces for Ideas Sketchbook: Designed for people not afraid of big ideas!

The sketchbook is well constructed and affordable. More importantly it has been designed in such a way that you can sketch on the go and there is nothing to hinder your flow, as each page is big enough to sketch on. It’s just the right size but with enough space or room to play with. A key feature to the page layout is “Boundary-less” pages. The paper quality is good enough to take on all non-wet mediums like ink, pencil or markers.

Spaces for Ideas Sketchbook is for those who want an affordable and portable sketchbook handy at all times.

A set of 5 sketchbooks is for $60 where as a single piece will cost you $15.

The special pre-order discount will last until Sunday 11 April 2010, 11.59pm PST

If you Pre Order now, you sand to gain an additional 15% pre-order discount. This means each sketchbook now costs $12.75 and $51 for 5! [ Buy it Here ]

Look at that face. That’s a face you cannot escape. Looks like of like a labyrinth doesn’t it? Actually it’s based more around the swinging of the Earth around the Sun, and the Moon around the Earth, and the bird flying around my head. GET OUTTA HERE YA BIRD! And it looks so nice! It’s got no numbers, no hands, but it’s got a time about it, doesn’t it? Look at it for a moment, and you’ll see quite easily how you’re gonna know where you are in this continuum. And decide you must, how to serve yourself best: black leather or steel mesh!

It’s called the “Free Time Watch!” Each of the 3 concentric circles has a different rotation, the center telling the seconds, the middle the minutes, and the outer ring of course then telling the hours.

And if you take it all apart and put it in some lenses, you could make x-ray specs! Also take a look at the rest of the Projects watches, they’re hip!

Designer: Projects Design [ Buy it Here, Free Time Watch is available for $100 @ YD Store ]

Free Time Watch is available for $100 @ YD Store

It is just like it. Like a fantasy. For bottles. It’s the Ribbon Bottle Opener, and all you’ve got to do is place it near the bottle and it will be opened magically. OR you could be in the real world, and you’d have to actually pop that top off. It’s made of polished stainless steel, formed as a continuous ribbon-like loop.

Woop the loop.

It’s totally the same on both ends, and looks just fabulous at any classy party you’ve got. Or are going to have! Let’s say you’re going to have a party and it’s going to be called a “Fancy Dress Party.” What kind of bottle opener are you going to put out there for everyone to use? Not the Vikings Football bottle opener. No way! That’d be totally weird. You don’t want to be weird at the Fancy Dress Party.

You want to be classy. So classy. You want the Ribbon.

Designer: Scott Henderson [ Buy it Here, Ribbon Bottle Opener is available for $25 @ YD Store ]

Ribbon Bottle Opener is available for $25 @ YD Store

When compared to my leather Plain-Jane Capdase iPhone Case, the Sheet Metal iPhone Case looks smoking HOT!. Thankfully this is not one of the YD staples of being a concept, yes it’s available for purchase! Sleek Steel on the outside is combined with silicon padding for the innards and clever cutouts tackle wireless signals and heat emissions. Only dilemma is that with the iPhone I opted for a candybar style, this cover makes it an awkward flip, if I walk the middle-path…apparently you needn’t flip open to talk. Essentially, the decision is on leather vs steel then!

Designer: Ryan Glasgow for LtdTools

How much wine do you drink a year? How about a month? A day? Wow you drink a lot. And how do you display that wine out in the open? You don’t just stand it there next to your toaster do you? For shame! You’ve got fabulous taste in wine, you aught to be twisting it up nice in a knot, a “Wine Knot.” Everyone will ohh and ahh! at you when they stick their eyes upon this beautiful wood and metal masterpiece. This piece of wildness is made of two intersecting bent pieces of plywood held up by a simple metal rack. Rack em up!

You can stick 6 of your regular wines in there, and a big one in the center. Not for those who have a ton of kiddies around, unless of course you keep your wine out of their reach anyway? I bet you do. Kiddies can’t be drinking wine. You drink wine!

Designers: Scott Henderson, Tony Baxter, and Alberto Mantilla [Buy It Here, Wine Knot Wine Rack is available for $128 @ YD Store]

Wine Knot Wine Rack is available for $128 @ YD Store

There is nothing more comforting than a warm hug from your mother. It’s the most natural form of reassurance, and metaphorically speaking, an embrace can help us conquer our fears and achieve aspirations. My point is that a hug says a lot about human emotions, be it a bear hug or side-shoulder embrace. Depicting this raw gesture is the Hug Salt & Pepper Shakers delightful with a zing. Because when viewed from above, they also resembles Yin & Yang!

Designer: Alberto Mantilla [ Buy it Here, Hug Salt & Pepper Shakers is available for $24 @ YD Store ]

Hug Salt & Pepper Shakers is available for $24 @ YD Store

Equilibrium! Yes, until all scales are equal, all minds at rest, every video program recorded to VHS cassette, time must go on! And if you want to know where it is, where it was, and where it’s going, you’re gonna need a watch! And what better watch to slap on your wrist at a time like this than the “Equilibrium Watch” from Projects Design. It’s got all the creative time display you need.

Inspired by the artificial horizon instruments in the cockpit of an aircraft, the Equilibrium Watch has an aesthetic all its own. It’s quite simple to read once the wearer understands the simple sense of it all: that being the tiny circle in the center to show the seconds, the next largest circle with the smallest red dot showing minutes, and the largest showing hours.

Designers: Projects Design [ Buy it Here Equilibrium Watch ($95) is available @ YD Store ]

See how this watch displays time:

Equilibrium Watch ($95) is available @ YD Store

Most often designers produce encores, totally diminishing the meaning of exclusive and limited editions. This Table Will Self Destruct is a series of tables that are so unique and will not go into second productions. The top of the table is structured as a grid of concrete pixels, so with each new piece one pixel is removed from the design, thus following the rules of self-destruction! Mass production and handmade craftsmanship are both addressed with this design…it will be in production until the shape is no longer practical.

Total pixels removed: 33

Designers: Donna Piacenza & Jody Work [ Buy it Here, This Table Will Self Destruct ($980) is available @ YD Store ]

This Table Will Self Destruct ($980) is available at @ YD Store

One of the most effervescent styles in personalized banking is the trusty Piggy Bank. Some have it for real Dimes ’n Dollar savings; others keep it for pure novelty reasons. I for one, could never manage to save a single penny; yes I’m guilty of being a spendthrift! So if you’re still into home savings or want to teach your kids how to; this ceramic COINK Piggy Bank is the way to go. Its neatness-quotient comes from the wide mouth that allows you to empty your pockets faster; withdrawals are also from that same wide mouth!

Designer: Scott Henderson [ Buy it Here, COINK Piggy Bank is available for $36 @ YD Store ]

COINK Piggy Bank is available for $36 @ YD Store

There is a reason why this coffee mug is called the Radiator Mug, the bottom fins (called heat sinks) take inspiration from the radiator mechanics found within the PC or an engine, to keep things cool. Likewise these ceramic fins eliminate the need for a handle and keep your hands cool while holding a steaming cuppa coffee/tea.

Designer: Stephen Reed [ Buy it Here, Radiator Mug is available for $24 @ YD Store ]

Radiator Mug is available for $24 @ YD Store