Horizon 2.0 light by Humanscale. Photo courtesy Humanscale.
Design-minded individuals can often be hard to shop for, as style plays a key role in completing the perfect aesthetic. For the design-lover in your life, below are some masterfully crafted pieces that are bound to make the perfect gift this holiday season.
For the Night Owl:
The Table Torch from the award-winning lighting brand Stickbulb makes a great gift for a minimally minded individual in need of a desk or bedside lamp.
Available in 2-foot- and 3-foot-tall options, these sleek, linear LED module lights are elegantly held in place by a simplistic yet high-quality steel base.
The wooden component is offered in sustainably sourced maple or walnut, reclaimed heart pine, ebonized oak, or reclaimed water tower redwood. The metal base is available in powder coated white, slate grey or matte black, hand-blackened steel, polished nickel or brass, or brushed nickel or brass.
Photo courtesy Stickbulb.
For the Scholar or Entrepreneur:
A champion of well-being in the workplace, Humanscale’s two new task lights, Nova and Horizon 2.0 utilize advanced LED technology for improved comfort, optimal light output and cost-saving energy efficiency. Now ready to order, Nova and Horizon offer a smarter, healthier choice for offices and the environment.
“As the lines between office and home blur, products need to offer functionality paired with simple, clean aesthetics. Nova and Horizon 2.0 are highly versatile LED task lights that combine industry-leading technology with a contemporary yet timeless design,” says Mesve Vardar, director of industrial design at Humanscale.
Perfect for anyone looking to dress up their desk and enhance their wellbeing at work, the Nova task light offers adaptability and comfort in a striking, sculptural form.
Energy Star 2.0 certified, the inventive, ergonomic design protects the eyes against strain, faithfully renders colors and produces a single shadow on a work surface, so the hard worker in your life need no longer complain about a headache after a long day at work.
Humanscale’s new Horizon 2.0 also checks all the boxes for the eco-conscious individual who loves iconic design and technology. Improving upon the prestigious Red-Dot award-winning Horizon task light from Michael McCoy and Peter Stasis (featured in the MoMA permanent collection), Horizon 2.0 implements the latest LED technology to produce its signature, ultra-thin plane of light with greater efficiency.
Energy Star 2.0 certified, Horizon 2.0 uses only healthy, sustainable materials and is available in five vibrant colors: Bronze Gold, Silver, Jet Black, Arctic White, Twilight Blue and Morning Pink.
Photo courtesy Humanscale.
For the Drink Enthusiast:
True’s Undercounter Beverage Dispenser is ideal for person who appreciates a perfect beer pour. Handcrafted to specifically dispense the perfect draft pour, the company’s advanced airflow technology ensures a consistently frosty, and refreshing flow. The unobtrusive 15-inch stainless-steel dispenser comes with either a single or dual tap and for indoors or out — a true gift that won’t go out of favor or flavor! Also, because of the brand’s TrueFlex® shelving system, the versatile cooler is completely convertible into a wine cabinet.
For the budding sommelier, while a wine cellar might be ideal, True’s Dual Zone Wine Cabinet and storage system is pretty fantastic for wine enthusiasts. Designed to preserve your bottles, independent climate zones allow for separate temperature ranges (from 40°F to 65°F), while glide-out, vibration-dampening racks hold up to 45 bottles and protect that special vintage. TruLumina LED lighting — with 14 different color options — allows for the ambiance to fit your mood.
Left & Bottom Right: True Residential’s Undercounter Beverage Dispenser. Top Right: True’s Dual Zone Wine Cabinet. Photos courtesy True Residential.
For the Wellness Guru:
A stocking stuffer that actually enhances wellness, Hansgrohe‘s newest design, aptly called PowderRain, recently hit the market as the perfect tool to enhance the shower experience while also fitting into any style. Characterized by a “powder-like” micro-fine mist, the eco-efficient spray is designed to completely envelop the body, with thousands of microscopic water droplets cloaking you in a protective oasis of relaxation.
Photos courtesy Hansgrohe.
For the Design Afficionado:
For the most discriminating buyer, Salone del Mobile.Milano is ready for the holidays with the launch of their 6th partnership between SaloneSatellite and the Rinascente Department Store. For 2018, 12 select products, created by 9 international designers, will be on sale through the holiday season at the famed department store.
The selected products place huge importance on the quest for new solutions, both tangible and intangible, always intelligent and sometimes poetic, inspired by traditional craftsmanship and ancient materials that can inform a better future. A plethora of chairs, tables, lamps, trays and vases, fitness equipment and everyday and decorative objects will be on display, all deriving from simple intuition and actions and marrying technology, craftsmanship and emotion.
Ekster, the world’s largest smart wallet brand, recently launched its third-generation product line with over $1 million gained from its crowd-funding campaign.
This time they have engineered both the slimmest and the first voice-activated smart wallet to date. With a collection of smart products designed for an efficient and secure everyday carry, Ekster’s products help to safeguard your daily accessories in the most stylish manner.
The first voice-activated smart wallet, Ekster’s products are compatible with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. This means you can now locate your wallet or phone using your smart speaker or even just use voice command on your phone using either of the two apps. “This is the first solar-charged smart wallet on the market, which means you won’t ever have to charge or replace your tracker batteries,” says Ekster co-founder Richard Canneman. This patented solar-charging solution does not require direct sunlight to charge and only requires three hours of charge time to last two months with full worldwide tracking functionality.
Partnering with Chipolo, a creator of the world’s slimmest and loudest tracking devices, owners can ring their wallet, find it on a map or make use of the widespread community to help locate their missing belongings. Each tracker has a unique QR code that links it to your smartphone like a fingerprint. If your wallet is lost and someone finds it, by scanning this QR code a message will be sent to you, immediately letting you know where the wallet is. Seamlessly designed with luxury in mind, these wallets are made with handcrafted premium leather available around the globe, sourced from LWG gold-rated tanneries who serve only top-of-the-line luxury leather brands.
Ekster was first brought to life in Rotterdam by Canneman and two other Dutch founders who shared a frustration with the everyday carry products offered in the market. Today, the company finds itself as the largest smart wallet brand worldwide, with products available in hundreds of stores ranging from Macy’s to Selfridges. Though their reach extends across the globe, no expense is spared on even the smallest detail. Every product that makes it through the company’s detail-oriented design process adheres to five criteria that distinguishes these products from the others on the market: efficiency, safeguarding, innovation, quality craftsmanship and style.
“We named our company Ekster after the Dutch word for ‘magpie,’ a bird who often hides its high intelligence, and has a taste for finding and protecting shiny objects,” says the brand. “Just like this bird, we wanted to create classically attractive leather products jam-packed with hidden technology to easily access and protect important everyday valuables.”
Photos courtesy Ekster.
Originally launched in 2010 as a designer and product lab, Ecuadorian design brand Sensi Studio is known for crossing into bolder territories when it comes to fashion. The brand’s use of color and intricate, artisanal products from its summer and fall collections are making statements within the industry, all by the innovative thinking of owner and designer Stephany Sensi.
Sensi, who studied Fashion Design at Istituto Marangoni in Milan, takes much inspiration from her surroundings. Many designed pieces showcase a deep appreciation for Ecuadorian artistry and the natural landscapes of Massai Mara in Africa, blending the tribal aesthetic with the brand’s South American vibe. The studio’s upcoming collection highlights both warm and cool tones for the summer and fall, offering a more natural, down-to-earth approach. “We always take inspiration from nature and the colors that surround us here in the Andes region where we produce,” says Sensi. These sparks of creativity from the Andes are demonstrated through the mixture of strong color palettes and softer, feminine tones.
The studio also consistently works with local artisans to learn more about the surrounding natural landscape and new techniques to develop more unique designs in all of its handmade products. “My goal is to stay true to our identity and DNA while being current, fresh, and innovative,” Sensi affirms. These efforts have not only helped women in Andean communities claim job independence, but have have instilled a sense of social responsibility that has spread to 15 countries. Sensi Studio offers artisanal concepts through a current approach to entice fashion-savy clientele.
This article originally appeared in the Spring 2017 Edition of Homes & Estates Magazine.
With price tags rivaling those of Italian sports cars, buyers of super-luxury timepieces are paying for the labor of skilled artisans.
By Roger Grody
Throughout history, watches have always incorporated innovative technologies, but the finest of those miniature machines showcase craftsmanship, through meticulous movement assembly or exquisite decorative enhancements. “When you want to buy exclusivity, you want something that requires the labor of true artists,” reports timepiece authority Ariel Adams, whose “A Blog to Watch” is an industry standard.
Precision craftsmanship is the foundation of watchmaking and premium manufacturers continue to emulate techniques perfected hundreds of years ago. Hand-painted dials are currently popular and watchmaker Bovet is known for remarkably detailed illustrations on lacquered mother-of-pearl surfaces, while Jaquet Droz’s Les Ateliers d’Art series reflects various techniques: painting, enameling, engraving, bas relief, and mosaic. Blancpain is one of several manufacturers that exploits the current trend of see-through cases by engraving or hand-painting freshly revealed surfaces.
Widely acclaimed Greubel Forsey — its limited-edition watches average about $500,000 — is renowned for…
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY AS SEEN IN THE SPRING 2017 ISSUE OF HOMES & ESTATES.
Photos courtesy Richard Mille and Grueber Forsey.