With 67% of Japan covered by forest and aggressive deforestation a troubling concern, designer Keita Shimizu created the More Trees Perpetual Calendar. By simply rotating each piece of wood to match the weekly structure of any month, Keita created a calendar that can be used forever. I love this brilliant piece of design and that it has so much meaning beyond its attractive good looks.

(photographs and details via rumors)

The beauty of wood grain never ceases to amazing me. I love how each type of wood has unique characteristics, patterns and, of course, different colours. Vicky from Asher Jasper created these Hardwood Building Blocks to not only give children a natural toy to learn from but to teach what makes wood different from colour to smell to texture. Talk about inspiration imagination-wise. I love the design and the stamped wood name. I wouldn’t mind a set myself to keep as wood colour swatches and general examples of beautiful design!

(to purchase, head to the Asher Jasper Etsy store.)
(photographs via asher jasper)

While making my nightly visit to the website of Room 6, one my favourite Vancouver stores, I spotted these gorgeous and colourful handwoven beaded cuffs by designer Julie Rofman. I immediately began to drool. Don’t they look like a chic, high fashion take on friendship bracelets? A mixture of matte, translucent, opaque and shiny glass beads, Julie uses a small bead loom to weave geometric patterns. Each piece is part of a limited edition and is finished with sterling silver clasp beads and ribbon ends. Inspired by global pattern and colour, each bracelet is named after brightly hued places in the world such as “Rio“, “Galapagos” and “Havana“. I don’t know if I can resist buying one of these bright and beautifully crafted designs. The only hard part will be picking which one!

(if you are similarly drooling, pop over to julie rofman or room 6 to purchase)
(photographs via julie rofman, room 6, shop big things, bikini bird, gem gossip & shop bop)

I imagine Emily Poe from Sparrow Nest Script has the most gorgeous grocery and to do lists ever. I have admired Emily’s writing for quite some time as it really makes formal calligraphy into something modern and casual but also elegant and full of personality. Sparrow Nest Script is a showcase of Emily’s beautiful work. How can you not lust after these cheeky notecards with beautiful india ink hand-calligraphy and vibrantly coloured paper? Email is fabulous but there is nothing like getting a real card in the mail. Especially if it says “Howdy” at the top!

(visit the Sparrow Nest Script Etsy store to view more)

Kristina Marie makes the most gorgeous hand-sewn paper garlands using recycled and sustainable materials. The KristinaMarie Etsy store has a wide variety of colours and patterns with Kristina adding custom items to her store in the next little while. Such a modern take on garlands with an intricate handmade soul. The photographs of the unraveled spools are so beautiful, I would love to frame a print of one!

These Porcelain Tea Light Holders by Graham and Green are my new obsession. Modern white outside and bold colourful inside? I’m sold! I can only imagine how amazing these would look at night. I’m thinking there is a heavenly glow that fills the room with colour. Dear Graham and Green, please consider making an exception to your international shipping policy for a colour lover?

(discovered on emma’s pinterest)

It often seems bizarrely difficult to find a good quality, attractive and colourful chair design but the new Hussl Collection by British furniture company Wharfside more than fits those requirements! With modern yet retro lines and endless eco-friendly lacquer colour options, there is a Hussl chair to match any room in your home. One of my favourite elements of the ST10 Model Chairs (shown in the bottom images) is the beautiful curvaceous tapering. Using sandwich technology, a concept from the ski industry, the pieces are stronger than your average chair and can resist ridiculously high levels of pressure. On top of all that, they stack too! Durable, endless colour choices and gorgeous lines? I really need some of these chairs! I just need to figure out how to send a barge over to England…

(photographs via wharfside)

I love Sydney Albertini’s Abstract Collection. The organic, almost watercolour shapes are gorgeous works of ceramic art. From plates to bowls to cake stands and with dozens of hue options, there are endless colour combinations possible to insure your dining pieces are truly custom! I can only imagine the beautiful results when the colours of your dinner mix with these vibrant ceramic hues. (Also, after visiting Sydney’s website, I fell in love with her colour swatches! Only a few of the many hues are shown above.)

(photo at top by liam goodman; other images via sydney albertini)

A colourful desk makes any work task more enjoyable don’t you think?

Some of my objects of desire for a happy hued workspace: 1. Lyra Ferby box of art pencils, 2. Lacie USB Cable, 3. Studio Yaacov Kaufman Morris Memo, 4. CB2 Carpenter Lamp, 5. MOMA Stickit Tape Dispenser, 6. Paperthinks Recycled Leather Notebooks, 7. Bobs Your Uncle List Pad, 8. Puntine Colorate Italian Pushpins, 9. MOMA Leaf Tray and 10. Kikkerland Endangered Species Jumbo Eraser.

(thanks for sparking the idea Margs!)

I absolutely love this genius calendar by Mytton Williams Design. The calendar consists of 12 pencils, one for each month. The days of the month are printed along each pencil and are sharpened off during daily use. My favourite part? The pencils are colour coded to match the seasons or expected temperature of each month. A fantastic piece of design and perfect antidote to sterile work calendars!

(image via aisle one)

I am fascinated by this re-imagining of a Louis XVI period console by Australian designer Adam Goodrum. Rather than classic mahogany and traditional details, Goodrum used lacquered steel rods in different colours as table legs and allowed them to pop through the sleek white console top. The resulting dots are meant to reflect a carousel of childhood but I can’t help thinking of a whimsical colour wheel. A fantastic modern interpretation that perfectly marries sleek with playful design. I am in love with those table legs and resulting colour dot details!

(thanks mélanie for the inspiration!)

(images via design milk)

The Kingdom Animalia are a creation by Brooklyn-based Enormous Champion. Crafted in the USA and made with sustainably harvested maple and non-toxic paint, the wooden animals are a perfect combination of brilliant design and environmental consciousness. The packaging design is fabulous. Fantastic typography, design and colour. I think my favourite part is the box edges and tiny animal icons that appear. I just love these modern wood animals and their brightly coloured edges. From product to box to the perfect packing material, The Kingdom Animalia represent simply outstanding design.

(via lovely package)

In the last few years, reusable shopping bags have become a commonplace accessory. It is a fantastic shift from the staggering number of plastic bags we all used yearly. Now, I understand that the main point is the carrier be environmentally friendly. But does that mean it must have no design? There are a lot of strange patterns, colours and questionable quality bags out there. I thought those were the only real options until I discovered Brooklyn-based reusable bag company Baggu. Their high quality, ripstop nylon bags hold the equivalent of 2-3 plastic bags and can be folded flat into a tiny pouch. There are also many other designs from small zippered travel bags to huge market totes. The best part of all? Baggu bags are available in dozens of solid colour choices. No strange frogs or watercolour patterns; just pure, vibrant colour. I won’t lie, I would like a fabulous Baggu bag in every colour!