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Truly awesome tattoo.
2007-08-17 18:18:00
I have no idea who this guy is, nor do I know of anyone else with a tattoo this seroius. As far as I'm concerned this is a masterpiece. It must have taken innumerable painful hours under the needle to accomplish something like this. It there's a tattoo competition, this work should win a prize.
More About: Tattoo , Awesome , Some

Maybe it would get me into too much trouble.
2007-07-25 15:21:00
I like the idea. But I have to ask myself. (#1) Do I think shopping center security guards have a sense of humor? (#2) Would this bag get me into trouble? (#3) Would I take it on the plane to L.A.? (#4) Would I end up on the no-fly list for this? It's at least a possible "yes" on #2, #3 and #4, and a definite "no" on #1. So I guess I won't get one. I'm a coward, I know. If you want one it's USD 11:99 on the Perpetual Kid webshop. Good luck, and don't say I didn't warn you.

Construction kit style party place settings.
2007-07-25 15:20:00
Anyone who spent their childhood and early teens trying to put together construction kit planes, tanks and boats must love this idea. I know I do. Snap apart the knife, fork, spoon, plate, chopsticks, toothpick, and napkin ring, and let the party begin. They come in four colors. From Fred & friends and available at, among other places, I Want One of Those for GBP 9:95 and Spoon Sisters for USD 14:- for a set of four.
More About: Party , Construction , Style , Place , Lace

The re-born Fiat 500.
2007-07-25 15:20:00
The Fiat 500 was the car that put Italy on wheels and back on track after the devastation of WWII. The tiny vehicle was cheap to buy, cheap to run, and although it's actually even smaller than you'd think from looking at the pictures, large Italian families piled in to go see relatives, have picnics, and perhaps go to the beach. Italian cities was swarming with them. Now, just like the original Cinquecento helped resurrect Italy, Fiat is hoping that the new incarnation will put the Fiat company back on track for the 21 century. Fiat says their goal is to produce cars with better quality than the Japanese by 2010. We'll see about that, but so far I think it's looking good. I like how they have blended their retro elements with contemporary car design, both inside and out (silver car is 500 Mk II). It's at least as nice as the Mini, and I just hope that Fiat will be able to their quality promises, because BMW is a truly formidable competitor.
More About: Fiat 500

Maybe it would get me into too much trouble.
2007-06-25 16:39:00
I like the idea. But I have to ask myself. (#1) Do I think shopping center security guards have a sense of humor? (#2) Would this bag get me into trouble? (#3) Would I take it on the plane to L.A.? (#4) Would I end up on the no-fly list for this? It's at least a possible "yes" on #2, #3 and #4, and a definite "no" on #1. So I guess I won't get one. I'm a coward, I know. If you want one it's USD 11:99 on the Perpetual Kid webshop. Good luck, and don't say I didn't warn you.

The Paulistano chair.
2007-06-25 09:11:00
Designed in 1957 by Paolo Mendes da Rocha, among other honours Winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize 2006, the Paulistano chair is a Brazilian classic. It is mentioned among other iconic design classics as the works of Alvar Aalto, Mies van der Rohe and others. Beautiful. I have never seen it until to-day. God, do I have a lot to learn... It's GBP 775:- (approx. USD 1,540:-) a piece on Bodie & Fou.
More About: Chair , Chai , Lista

Vote for us!
2007-06-25 09:11:00
Cool Finds is nominated in the Blogger's Choice Awards in the "Best Pop Culture Blog" category. Please vote for us!
More About: Vote

Conversation piece.
2007-06-25 09:11:00
The "Tete-a-Tete" Rocker two-seater outdoor/indoor rocking chair. Cool. By Laurie Beckerman. It would look great on the balcony. [Via the always interesting...]
More About: Piece , Conversation

Construction kit style party place settings.
2007-06-25 09:10:00
Anyone who spent their childhood and early teens trying to put together construction kit planes, tanks and boats must love this idea. I know I do. Snap apart the knife, fork, spoon, plate, chopsticks, toothpick, and napkin ring, and let the party begin. They come in four colors. From Fred & friends and available at, among other places, I Want One of Those for GBP 9:95 and Spoon Sisters for USD 14:- for a set of four.
More About: Party , Construction , Style , Place , Const

The Paulistano chair.
2007-06-08 18:22:00
Designed in 1957 by Paolo Mendes da Rocha, among other honours Winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize 2006, the Paulistano chair is a Brazilian classic. It is mentioned among other iconic design classics as the works of Alvar Aalto, Mies van der Rohe and others. Beautiful. I have never seen it until to-day. God, do I have a lot to learn... It's GBP 775:- (approx. USD 1,540:-) a piece on Bodie & Fou.
More About: Chair , Chai , Lista

Vote for us!
2007-06-08 15:32:00
Cool Finds is nominated in the Blogger's Choice Awards in the "Best Pop Culture Blog" category. Please vote for us!
More About: Vote

Anonymizing glasses.
2007-06-03 19:29:00
Dubbed Flickrblockrs, these glasses will instantly put one of those anonymizing black rectangles across your face whenever you feel you don't want to have your face plastered all over the internets. When you spot a camera, just whip these puppies on and presto! It is unclear, however, if the Flickrblockrs allow you to see through them or if they render you totally blind while wearing them. From Flickblockrs for USD 9:99.
More About: Glasses , Anon

Just like an old pants' hanger. But with a mirror.
2007-06-03 19:29:00
The obvious comment is of course "why not". And that it would go so very nicely with the naked light-bulb in the ceiling and the noisy bedsprings in a really cheap motel. Designed by Cheong and Nogtev, in 1998 it's USD 35:- on the Moma Store. [Via the ever interesting...]
More About: Pants , Mirror , Like

Conversation piece.
2007-06-03 19:28:00
The "Tete-a-Tete" Rocker two-seater outdoor/indoor rocking chair. Cool. By Laurie Beckerman. It would look great on the balcony. [Via the always interesting...]
More About: Piece , Conversation

Just like an old pants' hanger. But with a mirror.
2007-05-24 01:50:00
The obvious comment is of course "why not". And that it would go so very nicely with the naked light-bulb in the ceiling and the noisy bedsprings in a really cheap motel. Designed by Cheong and Nogtev, in 1998 it's USD 35:- on the Moma Store. [Via the ever interesting...]
More About: Pants , Mirror , Ants , Like

Limited edition "Sophia" retro phone on Design Boom.
2007-05-12 18:48:00
This will sound like an ad, but I couldn't help myself. If I had the cash I wouldn't tell anyone, but buy them all for myself. The beautiful retro phone inspired by the the twenties and thirties, designed by Hulger UK, is for sale on Design boom's new web shop. And there's only ten of them. The phones use bluetooth technology to connect to your mobile, PC or Mac and they are fully compatible with Skype. Whats the catch? Well, alas, they start at USD 239:-. That's 2,390:- for the lot, so what's your credit status like?
More About: Phone , Retro , Sophia , Sign

Perhaps for Swedes only. The Bilar USB memory stick.
2007-05-12 18:47:00
We had an e-mail from Johan Ellingsen suggesting this novel USB stick his company has produced for Swedish candy company Ahlgrens Bilar for us to post on Smart Stuff. Even though we don't think it's really smart enough for Smart Stuff, we do think it's cool enough for Cool Finds. The Ahlgrens Bilar brand is a much beloved soft marshmallow-like candy in the shape of small cars that has been produced and sold i Sweden since the early fifties. This USB 2.0 , 128 MB memory stick was produced (we think) as a give-away for employees and business partners. For a Swede with a sweet tooth this would be a tasty item, indeed.
More About: Memory , Only , Memo , Stick , Memory Stick

Anonymizing glasses.
2007-05-12 18:47:00
Dubbed Flickrblockrs, these glasses will instantly put one of those anonymizing black rectangles across your face whenever you feel you don't want to have your face plastered all over the internets. When you spot a camera, just whip these puppies on and presto! It is unclear, however, if the Flickrblockrs allow you to see through them or if they render you totally blind while wearing them. From Flickblockrs for USD 9:99.
More About: Glass , Glasses , Anon

Limited edition "Sophia" retro phone on Design Boom.
2007-04-13 09:17:00
This will sound like an ad, but I couldn't help myself. If I had the cash I wouldn't tell anyone, but buy them all for myself. The beautiful retro phone inspired by the the twenties and thirties, designed by Hulger UK, is for sale on Desi gn boom's new web shop. And there's only ten of them. The phones use bluetooth technology to connect to your mobile, PC or Mac and they are fully compatible with Skype. Whats the catch? Well, alas, they start at USD 239:-. That's 2,390:- for the lot, so what's your credit status like?
More About: Phone , Retro , Edit

The English butler alarm clock featuring Stephen Fry.
2007-04-11 09:55:00
Not long ago we had an e-mail to Smart Stuff from Simon Carr, the inventor of the alarm clock above. After considering its features we decided to publish it here on Cool Finds, instead. With all due respect to Mr. Carr, we don't really think it's Smart Stuff stuff. But. We do think its wake up messages recorded by Step hen Fry are very, very funny indeed. Mr. Fry, being a long time favourite, has recorded fifty messages for the clock, and a few of them are available for play-back on the site. Try the one above for a quick sample. The Voco clock is GBP 25:95 (approx. USD 50:-) on the Voco website.
More About: Clock , English , Ring , Alarm

Tire-track rug.
2007-04-11 09:55:00
As any reasonably frequent reader of these ramblings (I actually believe there are a few) know I have a soft spot for rugs. At least for the unusual and fun ones. The oriental kind leaves me indifferent, I'm afraid. Here's yet another installment in the never ending series of rugs I'd like to own. The tire-track rug from Amazed, i.e. artists Madeleine and Dudley Edwards.
More About: Track , Rack , Trac , Tire

Perhaps for Swedes only. The Bilar USB memory stick.
2007-04-11 09:55:00
We had an e-mail from Johan Ellingsen suggesting this novel USB stick his company has produced for Swedish candy company Ahlgrens Bilar for us to post on Smart Stuff. Even though we don't think it's really smart enough for Smart Stuff, we do think it's cool enough for Cool Finds. The Ahlgrens Bilar brand is a much beloved soft marshmallow-like candy in the shape of small cars that has been produced and sold i Sweden since the early fifties. This USB 2.0 , 128 MB memory stick was produced (we think) as a give-away for employees and business partners. For a Swede with a sweet tooth this would be a tasty item, indeed.
More About: Usb , Memory , Only , Memo , Stick

Tire-track rug.
2007-03-24 16:16:00
As any reasonably frequent reader of these ramblings (I actually believe there are a few) know I have a soft spot for rugs. At least for the unusual and fun ones. The oriental kind leaves me indifferent, I'm afraid. Here's yet another installment in the never ending series of rugs I'd like to own. The tire-track rug from Amazed, i.e. artists Madeleine and Dudley Edwards.
More About: Track , Rack , Trac , Tire

The English butler alarm clock featuring Stephen Fry.
2007-03-18 21:39:00
Not long ago we had an e-mail to Smart Stuff from Simon Carr, the inventor of the alarm clock above. After considering its features we decided to publish it here on Cool Finds, instead. With all due respect to Mr. Carr, we don't really think it's Smart Stuff stuff. But. We do think its wake up messages recorded by Step hen Fry are very, very funny indeed. Mr. Fry, being a long time favourite, has recorded fifty messages for the clock, and a few of them are available for play-back on the site. Try the one above for a quick sample. The Voco clock is GBP 25:95 (approx. USD 50:-) on the Voco website.
More About: Clock , English , Ring , Alarm

The Serra lounger by Felipe Zanardi.
2007-03-18 21:39:00
Among all the e-mail to Cool Finds the past week, there was one from Felipe Zanardi, a young designer out of Sao Paolo, Brazil, asking if I'd care to have a look at his stuff. Among all his cool stuff I particularly liked this; the Serra lounger. At almost three meters across, it surely needs a big room, but in the right environment I think it'd look just great. If you don't have the space, then imagine it in the company library or coffee room... The prototype (at least that's what I suppose it is) is covered with plastic grass, but I think I'd opt to have it done in soft carpeting if had the room for a piece like this.
More About: Lounge

Toolkit cutlery.
2007-03-18 21:39:00
I have to admit I am a bit of a gear head. At least as far as driving goes. I'm not a great mechanic; but I like to watch those who are. I might not be such a great driver either, but I have a few races In cars) under my belt and the Nomex suit to prove it. That's probably why I fell for this cutlery kit. The tip was mailed in by by Berne P. and meant for Smart Stuff, but we could not agree on the smartness aspect, so I chose to share it here instead. I think it is a really cool find. It even has a professional looking plastic toolbox! It is available on Aerostich, it comes in two sizes (kid's and adult) and it is USD 20:- for the small one and USD 24:- for the full size one.
More About: Tool , Toolkit

Bathtub glass holder.
2007-03-06 15:54:00
This item strikes me as all but essential for the true enjoyment of a nice hot bath after a hard day's work. The bathtub glass holder. It attaches to the side of the tub via suction cup and secures your cold chardonnay to the edge while you enjoy the suds. For the slightly more frivolously inclined it can of course also be used with champagne flutes. Available in stainless steel from Bosign for SEK 69:- (approx. USD 10:-).
More About: Bath , Glass , Hold

Camouflage tent.
2007-03-06 15:54:00
It is often said that the insane looking razzle dazzle patterns of WWI was the origin of camouflage, or DPM (Disruptive Pattern Material), but I think the idea of camouflage must be a lot older than that. But never mind. All modern camouflage is aimed at disrupting the size and shape of the object or person camouflaged, and anybody who watches the news must have noticed the change in US military camo during the war in Iraq. From chocolate chip to digital dots. Here's another take on camo, here's blending in. This tent must of course be pitched in a cow pasture, but that's a small price to pay for such a cool outdoors item. From mat&jewski. Via Cool Hunter.
More About: Flag , Camouflage , Tent

An extra room in the back of the garden.
2007-03-06 15:54:00
There's been a lot of posting on prefab homes this fall, so maybe this rather cool little guest house, studio, music room or whatever you need could be of interest. The house is called Enkelrum and it's designed and sold by Swedish design firm 436, and it is an attempt to upgrade the garden variety garden shed, or Friggebod, a little. According to Swedish law anyone with property can put in a garden shed without permission providing the shed is no larger than 10 square meters (about 107 sq.ft.) There are a lot of kit sheds on the market, but almost none of them look as nice as this. Its exactly 10 square meters, it comes in four different trims and in one version with the entire front wall made of glass. The deck in front of the house has dual uses, as it folds up like a drawbridge to protect the house when no one is there. Prices start at SEK 129.000:- (approx. USD 19.000:-) plus taxes and the house comes with winter insulation, power connected and spotlights installed, and coul...
More About: Garden , Back , Room , Extra , Xtra

Beautiful hand made brushes.
2007-03-06 15:54:00
These brushes are made by hand using the traditional methods used in brushmaking for hundreds of years. The base of the brush is birch, beech or oak and fitted with natural bristles; flexible horsehair for delicate objects, tough piassava for heavy-duty cleaning, and soft goats hair for sensitive faces. There are different brushes for different uses, like dishbrushes, vegetable brushes, bath brushes, nail brushes, shaving brushes (using badger hair), brooms, scubbing brushes and more and they are all made by visually impaired craftsmen and women. More on the Iris Hantverk website (link to the English version).
More About: Beautiful , Made , Brush , Rush , Hand