Gear Patrol

Calligraphy is big business. It’s also manly. Has it been hijacked by the fairer sex? For the time being, perhaps, but that doesn’t mean ol’ John Hancock wasn’t afraid to whip out his quill and nib/feed combination when the right cellulose paper called for it. Are you better than John Hancock? We didn’t think so,…

Now that you’ve finally marbled out the kitchen counters, readied the Man Cave for football season, and upgraded the windows to the newest in energy-efficient double-paned glass, are you suffering from home-improvement withdrawal? Then this weekend try upgrading the first thing people see when searching for your house: your address. Modern Dwell Numbers ($28+) add…

IdeaPaint, creators of the brilliant whiteboard-anywhere technology have now concocted a new iteration that looks even better: IdeaPaint CLEAR ($225+). Brace yourself, doodlers, because now you can turn any surface, of any color into a writing station. Specifically, CLEAR is a certified low-emission and LEED-compliant finish that goes over any interior paint (or wood) to…

Nobody wants to bring work home, unless of course, you’re one of the fortunate souls earning doubloons as model photographer, single malt critic, or Jennifer Aniston’s brassiere fitter. But when it just can’t be helped Crate & Barrel’s Reese Tobacco Compact Office ($480) offers a minimalist solution that trumps working on the kitchen table. Most…

We don’t give a lot of thought to the design of stools when it comes to choosing furniture for our pads. You can choose some cheap jobber from Ikea or you can find something that makes a statement. The Capelli Stool by designer Carol Catalano fits that bill perfectly. Part of the prestigious Herman Miller…

Soft Cities is a fun little enterprise that allows users to rep their hood in a perfectly domestic fashion. Specifically, the San Francisco-based enterprise offers locally made blankets (lightweight fleece) and napkins (100% Kona cotton) that can all be customized via Google Maps. The ordering process starts with picking a location, various map marker styles,…

It’s time to replace your ceiling fan. That brass and wicker adorned wafter you installed in your living room in 1991 has had its day in the country kitsch sun. Update your decor with the 2012 Red Dot Design Award winning Haiku Fan. Completely deconstructed and reimagined from the ground up by the experts at…

Thanks to a practically impenetrable, yet ultra-soft fabric layer called Crypton Super Fabric (seriously, that’s the name), the Read n’ Rock Rocker ($849) will hold up against even the worst chunky eruptions or sippy-cup snafus. Sized for 1.25 people and available in five colors (we like sandstone), the chair should serve nicely both as a…

You had posters of them tacked all over your walls as a kid, like some kind of auto-obsessed John Nash after weeks of skipping his meds. You dreamt of driving one up to the high school parking lot, simply to scoop up your cheerleader girlfriend and drag away into the sunset, waking even that sleeping…

Last February, we featured Andrew Capener’s incredibly stylish approach to the classic board game we all know and love, back when it was still a concept. We’re happy to announce that come August 2012, the board-game lover in all of us will be able to splurge on this gorgeous set thanks to upscale gaming vendor…

German industrial designer Florian Saul’s furniture concepts are consistent in their merging of simplicity, aesthetic elegance, and functionality. The Servus / r75 rack is a modern take on the suit valet and our favorite of the lot. The minimalistic piece consists of a single strip of polished wood that bends slightly forward at the top…

Walk into any fraternity house bathroom and you may begin to understand the accidental genius behind Restoration Hardware’s 1930s Stainless Steel Laboratory Collection. Obviously made with more refined guys in mind, the bathroom collection of vanities and storage cabinets boasts zinc hardware and rounded finishes throughout, as well as customizable Italian marble tops and beveled…

Apart from a home theater and a pool table, few other fixtures enhance the sheer entertainment value of a man cave like a foosball table — even for us pigskin loving Yankees. Yet they never had that classy, luxurious feel to them — until now. Teckell’s mouth-watering foosball tables are a modern re-imagining of the…

Having a hard time getting a seat in Yountville? Instead of constantly hitting the redial button for reservations, the chefs-for-hire team at Kitchit offers a different solution that will have you feeling right at home. The San Francisco-based web company brings some of the top chefs in the country — including those of The French…

The specialty print house Sonic Editions and Sean Sullivan’s The Impossible Cool are at it again, following up their first print collaboration with a new volley of ten incredible photographs dug up from over six million photographs found in archives of the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. Just like the last batch, each image in…

You’ve been meticulous about the furniture inside your home, having amassed quite the collection since the end of those IKEA years. Unfortunately, all of that accumulated taste means squat the moment your Lowe’s patio set becomes the center of attention again as a summer retreat for meals and cocktails. Mercifully for your social life, Herman…

Want to add beauty and sophistication to your wall, and channel your inner Magellan? We’ve got you covered. Woodcut Maps is a Bay Area start up specializing in handcrafted wood inlay maps that are designed by you ($150 – $500). Whether you’ve travelled the world and want to reminisce over a favourite spot, or barely…

Petrified Design revives reclaimed materials to create timeless new furniture that’s not only functional, but also artfully crafted. The Austin-based furniture maker gets its inspiration and materials from old ceiling slates, pieces of old gooseneck trailers and wine barrels — and combines them with industrial steel. Their resulting creations range from chairs and stools to…

The south side of Chicago is infamous for many things, one of them being a long history steeped in industrial manufacturing, meatpacking, and various other bare-knuckle activities. This steel-clad tradition is carried on today by a small group of craftsmen in a Bridgeport warehouse, who since 2006 have been supplying some of the heaviest bands…

One man’s trash is another’s treasure, so it goes. That is, indeed, the case with Castor Design Deadstock Lighting. Castor (or “beaver” in French) Design did green one-up by utilizing what might have been cast off in the garbage heap as “mere junk” and turned it into one-of-a-kind lighting decor for your hipster pad. What…

Somewhere along the line men moved from physical hunting and gathering to hunting and gathering inside the cubicle. Have we succumbed to this same fate? We’ll never tell. However, for these reasons, and others of the PETA nature, we bring you the Unofficial Taxidermy Deer LEGO Kit ($28). This custom LEGO kit is the handiwork…

Before you draw your conclusions about the name, let’s “shift gears”. Carnology: The Car Identification Game ($40) is a board game we car lovers have been waiting for, having had to weakly satisfy ourselves with mindless rounds of Monopoly over the years. Creator, John Cupit, drawing from wonderful childhood memories of playing the game of…

The airport runway screenprints ($24) series from Chicago design shop Nomo combines two of our favorite subjects, design and travel, to create a unique set of wall art. Each 18″ x 24″ print is made using white ink on Steel Gray 100# Dur-O-Tone Cover by French Paper Co and depicts the runway layout of some…

The Escea DX15000 pushes the snowball of fire-controlling skills kicked off by our ancestors to the next logical platform — the smartphone. Besides being the first-ever contained gas fireplace available with a 60-inch wide flame, the Escea DX1500 features a Smart Heat intelligent control system that allows users to manipulate the fire via a smartphone…

Short of procuring a magical wardrobe with a bridge to a pool playing dimension, the Fusiontable is an ideal solution for satisfying a billiards craving without wasting living space. Measuring 53″ x 91″ and standing 30″, the table is sized perfectly for six, ships with matching benches and is customizable in a variety of colors…

The BE Light by QisDesign may not boast the ridiculous lifespan of the CSYS LED task lamp, but it does represent an ideal combination between form and function. Inspired by the art of origami, its articulating design allows users to extend the arm to a variety of positions, providing fully dimmable, warm white LED light…

Buck the digital onslaught by adding some retro flair, Ektachrome style, to your walls with the Slide Light. The backlight fixture can be mounted vertically or horizontally and is available in a variety of different sizes ranges from 13 slide showcases all the way up to 36 slides. Tip: it works best with 2mm width…

Crafting, scouring and sourcing the best in Americana decor and appointments, Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co. will have you rethinking every room in your home. With roots fimly planted in sublime lighting, Schoolhouse has recently expanded its inventory and footprint with a new factory in Portland — a perfect time to roundup five products we’re…

Founder Marc Knight’s days don’t just begin and end with a building, despite the fact that he helms a successful construction company in Austin. But one look at Machine Shop Lighting Co. and you might see why. Born from a dissatisfaction for available lighting choices on his building projects combined with a passion for industrial…

When it comes to home design, — it doesn’t get any cooler than having your own secret passage way. If you can’t have the real thing, though, designer Ben Light’s (that’s seriously his last name) Secret Passageway Switch ($50) is definitely the next best alternative. This clever hack is designed to work with most book/lamp…