Chances are if you live anywhere near a city you see those spiraled cables attached to electricity and telephone poles and they’re just what inspired Mariana Aguila to design a rocking seat called CFE . Those cables are the lifeline that provides every city with power, phone lines, and other resources and most of the time, we don’t even think about them. No doubt this design will have you looking at them differently in the future and actually taking notice. Made from three different sized powder-coated metal tubes that are joined together, the seat can be used flat or to rock back and forth on. Photos by Karla Agis and Mariana Aguila

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CFE Rocking Seat by Mariana Aguila

This wooden replica of a reflex camera lens is actually a lamp by Monoculo Design Studio  - what a fun idea! Handcrafted from alder wood with water-based varnish and beeswax finish, the lamp includes a ceiling frame with a stainless steel cable and a red wrapped power cord. The lens hood can even be reverse mounted or removed. This is such an awesome gift for any photography lover. You can get one  on Etsy .

Originally posted here:
Strike A Pose Under This Camera Lens Hanging Lamp by Monoculo Design Studio

Self-taught designer  Reza Feiz  founded his Los Angeles-based firm  Phase Design  in 2000. Working within his philosophy of “strength in simplicity,” he uses solid woods, metal, ceramics, and fiberglass in luxurious finishes to realize his simple, yet dynamic furniture, lighting, and tabletop designs. His work has been acquired by some clients ranging from Gensler to Google, and from Starwood hotels to Tom Ford.

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Friday Five with Reza Feiz of Phase Design

100% TobeUs began as the brainchild of Italian architect and designer Matteo Ragni who became a father and realized that modern day toys were nothing but disposable objects with no real value or meaning. So began his quest of “giving children the possibility to love an object” and TobeUs was born – wooden toy cars made from cedar that are built to last and cleverly designed by skilled designers. Untitled by Fernando and Humberto Campana (above) Would you like a slice of toast? by Tomoko Azumi Cedar, with its distinctive smell and durability, became the perfect material choice. With the help of Alessi , 100% TobeUs expanded the project to include 100 toy cars that were designed by 100 designers, all to be shown in an exhibition in Milan.

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100% TobeUs: 100 Wooden Toy Cars by 100 Designers

Toer has released Dome , a metal and wood stool that gives the impression you’re sitting on air! Using 80 carved steel rods that spring out of the wooden stool base, creates a geometric structure reminiscent of structures used in architecture, like the Pantheon. Therefore, this metal shape looks light and airy but has a ton of strength behind it. Its wood base is constructed from beech, which is a nice contrast to the steel. Share This: Twitter | Facebook | Discover more great design by following Design Milk on Twitter and Facebook .

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Sitting on Air: Dome Stool by Toer

The following post is brought to you by Ketel One Vodka. Our partners are hand-picked by the Design Milk team because they represent the best in design. I’m always impressed with the quality of submissions we get on Design Milk, and often amazed at what people can make with their hands.

Excerpt from:
Calling All Modern Craftsmen: Enter The Modern Craft Project

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

Are you a lover or a hater of Valentine’s Day? I’ve always loved it, whether I’ve had a Valentine or not. It’s just a fun, whimsical holiday that can be serious in love or just a happy-go-lucky day. Yeah, people call it the Hallmark Holiday, but who cares? It’s an excuse to show extra love and joy than usual.

Anyway – if you had to choose what would make your PERFECT Valentine’s Day – what would it entail? For me, it’s pretty simple – all I want this year is a bottle of pink champagne to enjoy and a bunch of delicious cupcakes. Specifically these Baked by Melissa cupcakes – if you are ever in NYC, you have to try them. They’re about the size of a quarter – and a bit expensive – but the flavors are out of this world and the small size allows for more taste-testing! I think I also want some pizza to cheat on my diet and make this V-Day extra perfect. Of course, diamonds would be nice, but I’m trying to keep it low budget it this year!!!

So, tell me what would make today your ideal Valentine’s Day?

[Pink Champagne [no original source]

Vipp , the ruler of the bathroom and kitchen world, enters a new universe with this beautiful table made of untreated, recycled teak planks and powder-coated aluminum. Because each table top is made using recycled wood, each table will be unique with its own character.

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The New Vipp Dining Table

Loving these new inkbrush placemats and napkins from west elm . Inspired by Japanese brushwork, the set is artistic, but also adds a little zen to your dining experience. It reminds you to be in the moment and enjoy a special meal with friends and family, something my house seems to need these days as we rush to eat dinner standing up and running around after toddlers

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Inkbrush Tabletop Textiles from west elm

One of things that makes the S tockholm Furniture Fair one of my favorite design shows, is Greenhouse. Entirely dedicated to new designers, this area showcases products that have never been shown before and are not yet in production, making this a really exciting place to see new design thinking. This year, the space was designed by Note Design Studio . Susanna Wahlin, Interior Architect at Note told me: “We were thinking about what it’s supposed to be and why it’s called Greenhouse. We took inspiration from baroque gardens – they were a place to socialize, to experience beauty, where you can meet and mingle, and experience each other’s ideas. This year, we’ve called it ‘the garden of new ideas’, so we’ve removed some of the walls that are normally between the exhibitors, so the new ideas could really meet, so that both the exhibitors could talk with each other, but also so the audience could ‘dare’ to step inside.” Alexis Holmqvist, AD and Graphic Designer at Note added: “When you have deep walls you have to put the stands in a row, when you have shorter walls you can have softer curves

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Greenhouse at the Stockholm Furniture Fair 2013