Minimalux, a London based design brand, got some lovely items in their collection. Modern collections of desk objects, table objects and accessories all with great simplicity and splendor, made out of premium materials and lustrous finishing. Our favorite is definitely this ballpoint pen made from a single fluid sleeve of lasting solid brass. The pen is not plated or lacquered in any way, thus allowing its surface finish to change with use and age – eventually developing a rich natural patina and becoming uniquely personal to its owner. We very much like that!

Last week we received a lovely package with some small notebooks, pens and pencils from Calepino. We love stationary, but are are always very picky which one to use. Years back we started with Moleskine, then moved a level up with Rhodia (also made in France) and we’re now very attached to the Midori notebooks. But we can’t leave these small books un-noted. In their nice boxes, with rounded corners, robust cover and practical dimensions, they’re simply beautiful. ‘The Calepino pocket book was designed to be carried anywhere. Stored in a pocket or at the bottom of a bag, it’s the ultimate accessory for jotting down unexpected ideas, for writing down your new big ideas: shopping lists, sketches and revolutionary inventions, travel log, memories from trips, books you have read, or have yet to read, layouts of prospective houses, seeds for the garden, phone numbers, journals, dreams, secret codes, testament, song lyrics, delicious recipes, menus and the weather forecast.’ The books come in three flavors: Ruled, Graph and Plain, and the whole set is definitely the perfect gift idea. All 100% recycled and made in France.

I think we wrote about it before, but couldn’t find it, and I guess it’s worth writing about it more than once! White Blocks is a set of stone-sized balancing blocks to build structures focusing on height, speed or style. The ten salvaged hardwood game pieces finished in a really nice ‘vintage white’ made by For Standard, are the perfect piece for your interior and a nice toy for your little love.
And keep an eye out on For Standard’s blog, they make beautiful things!

One of our favorite stationary brands, Japan’s Craft Design Technology, is now available at Vetted. Some highly aesthetic pens, a beautiful scissor, and a smart Memo Roll to name a few. All extremely beautiful, functional and enduring. (via Acquire)

‘Collection of light‘ by ‘Human since 1982‘ is simply a collection of LEDs which together constitute a lamp in itself. The aim is to create an aura of a real collection (similar to a collection of insects) and expose each illuminant as a worthy industrial product. The LEDs are all labeled (with name, size and colour temperature) and arranged in a specific order to accomplish harmonic light. Being a collector myself I love this. And more than just an assortment, it probably is the most useful collection I’ve seen lately.
Apart from the big lamp which contains a selection of 300 LEDs there are also two smaller versions with 150 LEDs and 90 LEDs available.

We simply love these animal boxes by Karl Zahn. This Rhino, made with sustainably harvested new growth beech wood, is one of our favorite. On the shelf, it is sculpture. On the side table, it’s a totem. On the counter, it offers a hiding spot. They are all available at Areaware.

Last week we received an email from Romain Lagrange who just graduated from the ECAL in MAS-Luxury courses. Between interior croquet games for adult players, a very style-full bubble stick/spoon and a really nice set of tableware made in a workshop for Pierre Charpin is this ‘Flat for Baccarat’. Together with Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby, Romain made this ‘celebration of the iconic Harcourt glass and his unique shape’. The piece is exhibited during the first edition of Paris Design Week in Maison Baccarat for the heritage exhibition Harcourt forever and visible until January 28th, 2012.

Big fans as we are of the work of David Weeks Studio for Areaware we are happy to see there’s a new member added to the family. Meet Lucy the Crocodile. A beautiful 20″ long wooden crocodile with moveable limbs and a jaw that opens and closes, made with sustainably harvested beech wood and elastic held “muscles” that allow the solid wood frame to be positioned in numerous poses. Available exclusively at Design Within Reach.

Love these wooden blocks, initially designed for drawing exercises, but just as useful as paperweights or eye candy upon your desk. The blocks, made in Russia, are really nicely packed and sold online at Present and Correct.

Excavations is a charming treasure cabinet that fires the imagination, made by the Dutch design studio De Intuitiefabriek (‘the intuition factory’). The cabinet is filled with a unique collection of treasures, dug up from the corners of their imagination, varying from hand tools to vessels, from brushes to spoons; each unique and handmade. I would love to have one like this packed with the treasures from the corners of my imagination!

The House of Martell asked Frédéric Pinel to design a creation that would enable connoisseurs and lovers of Martell cognac to rediscover the pleasures of tasting. The result is this amazing trunk by Pinel Pinel, filled with all the best cognac’s of Martell. From the legendary Cordon Bleu, the complex Création Grand Extra to the beautiful L’Or de Jean Martell, plus 4 exclusive and delicious blends accompanied by a notebook with the handwritten tasting notes of Martell’s cellar master Benoît Fil.
It’s all there: crystal glasses, cocktail tools, cigar cutter, a crystal ashtray and a Trudon candle. The perfect combination for when the days get shorter. More here >

‘… A journey of the senses in the vineyards of Charente and the cool cellars, amid the flavours and aromas of a cognac.’

— Lionel Breton, Martell & Co Chairman and CEO

Love this video by Crane.tv showing the innovative glass blowing technique developed by Omer Arbel for Bocci to make the 28 chandelier. It showcases an unconventional glass craft approach which involves reversing the direction of airflow (out of the glass matrix instead of into it), resulting in a unique form in each iteration of the process. The video is shot on site at Bocci’s Vancouver based glass blowing atelier. More great videos reporting art, design, fashion, lifestyle and travel on Crane.tv