Cubebot by David Weeks

Our apartments would be a total yawnfest if it wasn’t for New York-based design shop Areaware, and we’re pretty excited that our favourite source of objets d’art is celebrating its five-year birthday during the celebrations for New York Design Week.

Banana Bowl by Harry Allen

In an exhibition on Great Jones Street running from May 15-18, Areaware presents a hit-list from its five years in operation, including designs from David Weeks, Tobias Wong, and Harry Allen. And if you’re the sort of person more likely to sport a lampshade on your head than on an actual lamp, make sure to check out the opening party on May 15, featuring custom handmade pinatas by Confetti System, gourmet S’mores by The Jewels of New York, and a DJ set from Chad Phillips (AKA Kidrobot’s Creative Director).

On/Off Light Switch by Tobias Wong

Areaware 5-Year Anniversary
45 Great Jones Street
May 15th –18th
Sunday – Tuesday 11 am – 6 pm
Opening party Saturday May 15th, 7 – 10 pm

To date, some of Saarinen’s most iconic landmarks are: the CBS Building, the Vivian Beaumont Theatre at the Lincoln Centre (the soon-to-be location for New York Fashion Week), and the TWA Terminal at JFK International Airport, which is now the slick and swanky home of JetBlue Airway’s Terminal 5.

Who knows, maybe you’ll pick up the swagger of James T. Kirk’s womanizing ways. The exhibition runs until January 31, 2010. www.mcny.org

It’s fitting then, that the two have teamed up to create Insound Classic 10, a collection of limited edition hoodies, tees, and posters. The project features Perry’s interpretation of ten bands from the 70s to the 90s (such as Galaxie 500, The Promise Ring, and The Feelies). The collection tells a historical narrative by highlighting some of the iconic bands of its era.

Already having his own studio, magazines, and two books, Hand Job and Over and Over (the former is not what you think, Hand Job is a catalogue of hand-drawn typography, while Over and Over is a book of hand-drawn patterns), Perry was a natural choice. All it takes is a quick look at Perry’s signature graphics and hand-drawn fonts to know that he was just the man for the project.

Insound Classic 10 is a reflection of Insound’s philosophy: music is for the fans. Started by three self-proclaimed music nerds in 1998, Insound began as a small mail-order business and has slowly grown into a successful online music aggregator over the course of ten years. From Joy Division to Sufjan Stevens, Insound boasts a tasteful roster of vinyl records.

And while we’re not likely to give up our iPods anytime soon, wearing one of Perry’s tees means we don’t have to.

http://www.insound.com/classic10/
http://www.mikeperrystudio.com/

Don’t dare compare one of these Diesel lamps with any ol’ lamp you find at a flea market. Successful Living, a line of furniture created by Diesel – spearheaded by Diesel’s Creative Director, Wilbert Das – has collaborated with Foscarini to create a series of lamps to illuminate homes in all styles.

The design series is inspired by genres of music, the 60s and 70s, and discovery and exploration. The seven types of lamps are functional as much as they are fashionable. The knockout prints of Graf, which is designed to look like a disk-jockey’s console, to the ingenuity of Tri-p, which is travel friendly with its collapsible structure, will have us tossing away our clunky good-for-nothing (except, we guess, lighting a room) lamps. The Successful Living series is sold exclusively at Diesel stores (San Francisco and New York) and online. http://www.diesel.com/furniturefair/

Brainchild of Swedish clothing line Elvine and the designers at Next Century Modern, Creators Inn accommodates visiting artists gratis – so long as they contribute to the creative welfare of the city.

Creators Inn comes with the standard accoutrements you find in your local Holiday Inn, like branded soaps, room service, and clean towels. But it’s the thoughtful touches like Alcohol and the Bible by Howard H. Charles in the nightstand drawer, free bike rental, vinyl record player, and “freshly grown air” (via exotic, handpicked houseplants) that put Creators Inn in the five sparkling stars category. So if your creative endeavours ever lead you to Stockholm or Gothenburg, leave your pesos, yen, rupees, and even your Swedish kronas behind, because Creators Inn guarantees the best rates in town. http://www.creatorsinn.com/

Newly added to what seems to be our never-ending wishlist is the work of Montreal-based design group Samare, specifically for their one-of-a-kind pieces that pay homage to our Canadian heritage.

Inspired by Aboriginal techniques and materials like babiche, a resilient hide used in the lacings of snowshoes, Samare’s first collection Awadare: We Live In combines modernity with tradition. The result is a compilation of uncomplicated chairs and tables made structural by weaving lengths of nylon or babiche into bold, monochromatic steel frames. http://samare.ca/