Well, hello!

We’ve been threatening to write our first newsletter for quite some time now but we finally got there.

Obviously, we want to shamelessly plug some of our new products that we have found or developed, but we also want to tell you a few other things we’ve seen/heard about/been to.

It’s that time of the year where the entire design community descends onto Milan for the annual Furniture Fair (Salone del Mobile) and for the first time I’ll be attending as a visitor, not an exhibitor.

Instead of being confined to my designated few square metres, away from daylight, I’ll be swanning about town, sipping cappuccinos (never after 11am! This is Milan after all!) and cocktails (never before 11am! This IS work after all!). I’ll be telling you about my highlights of the week in the next newsletter. We also have some exciting new products coming up which we will keep you informed about.

Anyway, here it is. We hope you enjoy it.

Norwegian born, UK based Alex Hellum has designed Esti with pure function in mind. Solid oak framed, the mirrors come in sizes of 45x45cm, 65x25 and 25x25, blackboards in both larger sizes. Revealing its beauty through materials and function, Esti is handy for keeping all those small things that you want close by. An interesting aside, Alex has also been involved with projects such as ‘testing ground’, commissioned by the Architecture Foundation, developing new concepts for the future of furniture in the National Health Service. Who’d have thought a visit to A&E could soon have an upside?

Going European

I’ve always considered myself European anyway but something new has happened this year. We’ve taken on a product by a non London-based designer and we haven’t even met her. She’s Spanish, called Attua Aparicio Torinos and she’s E-mailed us over the idea for the taz ah which we liked so much we decided to take them on. By the way, taz ah comes from the Spanish word for mug, taza, with the added surprise factor. It appears to be an unassuming bone china mug, but far from it. Who are you calling a dog?

Who would live in a house like this?

Finally, the beautiful new Bird Box by FredriksonStallard is here. Solid oak with a cast aluminium twig, It’s a dream home for any discerning bird and his/her mate (nest materials and chicks not included) To celebrate its launch we’re running a competition, posing the question above. We’d like you to draw your answer. So sharpen your HB and you could win a bird box of your very own. We’ve also got an under 15 category where the winner will get a set of all three taz-ahs. Look out for a gallery of our favourites and the winners in a future newsletter. Closing date 22/6/07. Good luck!

Spring’s here

Put a wash on and a Clapper out. Its as good to look at as it is to dry your clothes, Clapper (designer by André Klauser) is sturdy, light and easy to handle. In a pre-ordering frenzy, a customer asked recently, “Which of my rooms do you think it will look best in.” As it was a phone customer and we obviously didn’t know the lady we had some trouble deciding. Turns out, she dries clothes in her front room when she has visitors, which is testament enough of its appeal.

Beers 207m above the ground

I’ve been to Berlin recently. Unfortunately it was freezing cold one day and raining the next so didn’t do as much as I wanted to. Although I’ve been a few times before I’ve never been to the top of the TV Tower. We went at about 9.30 in the evening on Sunday night and had a few beers in the rotating restaurant, 207m above the ground and it was incredible. Make sure you go when next in Berlin. It’s open daily until midnight. www.berlinerfernsehturm.de

One last thing

I spent most of Easter Monday helping a friend empty his goldfish pond in the garden. After sending most of them to a local place I’ve decided to keep a couple for myself but now I need to give them a name. I’ve had some ideas but can’t decide. Please help.

Watch: Ernie & Bert watch goldfish

That’s all for now. I’m off to Milan. Enjoy spring, we’ll be back early summer with more news, thoughts and images.

Let us know what you think of this first issue, any feedback is greatly appreciated.

We’re all ears/eyes but as I know myself too well, we probably won’t listen to it anyway!

Thanks for reading,

© 2007 Thorsten van Elten | Contact us
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