Mondial de l’Automobile 2012: Concept Cars

European dreams from the Paris Motor Show

The 2012 Paris Motor Show featured several auto makers flexing their design muscles on both production and concept vehicles. Here are our seven favorite models representing the best of imaginative European design. Peugeot Onyx A true concept car—one created to inspire and provoke conversation, and not likely to see a production line anytime soon—Peugeot’s Onyx is made from copper, carbon fiber and recycled newspapers. The …

Haeckel Haus Co.

Nineteenth-century lithographic curiosities reborn for home and fashion

The 19th-century biologist Ernst Haeckel is credited with categorizing thousands of species, creating a genealogical tree that unites all life and coining the world “ecology.” But his prominence in the scientific community is matched by his cultural legacy: Haeckel’s lithographs of rare creatures have become emblematic of the Victorian era. More than a hundred years later, Haeckel is enjoying a second heydey as the inspiration …

Benjo’s Colored Pennies

Color-coated pennies for loafers from the "colored lace guy"

A real estate developer by trade, Ben Hertz navigates traditional style with subtle ways to break the mold. His company, the Minneapolis-based Benjo’s, made waves in the style world when it released colored laces for shoes and boots. The idea came to Hertz when he snapped a pair of laces in Rome and found a bright red replacement near the Spanish Steps. Later, Hertz realized …