Updated daily, the Buy section is a deep directory of stuff we love. From this collection we organize Gift Guides for the holiday season and special occasions all year long.
As an alternative to the bulky size and cheap plastic of many entry-level turntables, Austria-based Pro-Ject Audio Systems’s Elemental is a simple record player especially fit for vinyl newbies that’s as easy on the wallet as it is on the ears. With counterweight and anti-skating already pre-adjusted, it’s easy plug and play. While it doesn’t yet come with a dust cover, Pro-Ject is planning to release one specifically for the Elemental this fall.
Designed by Australian homeware duo Kate and Kate, the Oscar blanket is entirely free from any harmful substances—so you can feel comfortable bundling up little treasures in the 100% cotton creations. The fabric is cozy and breathable, and the bold geometric design is gender non-specific and soft—in off-white, sandy and gray hues. Fully machine washable (and able to be thrown in the dryer), it’s also convenient for busy parents.
New York-based lighting designer Bec Brittain plays with unexpected colors and materials for brazen sculptural fixtures that become the (literal) highlight of the spaces they inhabit. Her Vise light, named after the grip, has geometric “claws” that create volume in space without being aggressive; a handblown glass globe, in tropical gradients, serves as its softly bright beating heart. Each of Brittain’s pieces are hand-assembled and produced in New York.
Design collective Field Experiments resided in Ubud, Indonesia for three months for a not-so-typical design research trip. Immersing themselves in a community of local Balinese craftspeople, the team explored innovation and play during the design and creation processes—and the result is 100 one-off, cross-cultural “souvenirs” that think outside of the mass-produced tourist box. A highlight are the 20 one-of-a-kind kites made from recycled plastic shopping bags.
This ashtray—handmade by Brooklyn-based designers Deirdre Shea and Na Kim aka Young Alexander—blends the perfect amount of sophistication with a playful, rebellious nature. Boasting real gold luster, the “Puff Puff Pass” ashtray is a subtle way to make sure your guests abide by the unspoken rules.
Sometimes, scarves are just so nice that you’re afraid to wear them out at all. For the first time, Brooklyn-based illustrator Billur Kazaz has transferred her watercolor designs onto quality scarves—but keeps the price affordable so you can run, splash and sweat with scarf in tow without a worry. Made in Turkey, with production overseen by Kazaz herself, these scarves are a fun, versatile way to add a pop of color to your day.
Tokyo-based Ryo Kashiwazaki’s label Hender Scheme has become known for its thoughtfully designed shoes—many of which are crafted from natural, un-dyed leather. Kashiwazaki gives the same attention to this Home Bank made from raw cow leather. It’s a beautiful place to drop your loose change and, on those “rainy days,” it’s simple to take coins out without breaking it at all.
Born out of the basement of a UC Berkeley robotics lab, Lily is a radio controller-free camera that starts recording as soon as you throw it in the air. Whether you’re snowboarding or surfing, the waterproof quadcopter follows (and films) you around via a small GPS tracker you wear, and uses computer vision technology to keep you center of the shot. More robot than drone, Lily is a camera of the future—literally, as orders won’t ship until February 2016, but to reward your patience, they’re offering a hefty $500 discount.
French design studio Constance Guisset has created a special product with their “Cumulus,” an essential oil diffuser whose function is as calming as its design. Aptly name, the diffuser is shaped like a puffy cloud and made from matter porcelain that is soft to the touch. While underneath, there is a high-tech, functioning diffuser, the outside of this piece conveys a dreamy and peaceful vibe.
Modeled after an intergalactic space station is the Starfleet Machine, a table clock dreamt up by horological design house MB&F and engineered by Switzerland’s oldest clockmaker L’Epée 1839. Cool Hunting has partnered with MB&F to create a distinct version with bright blue domes—and only 10 have been made. 48 jewels, a 40-day power reserve and moving laser-gun turrets are just a few of the painstakingly crafted details found in this artful masterpiece that will delight clock nerds and Trekkies alike.
Aelfie Oudghiri and Alex Proba both attended medical school, but changed course and ended up as prolific designers. The two have collaborated on a stunning collection of rugs for the home—all inspired by Kurdish weavings and mid-century design. The results are bold, colorful and definitely statement-making. Five designs have been made in a strictly limited edition of three each, and our pick is Rug No. 5, a pink, blue and lavender hued carpet accented by a strong black and white geometric pattern.
LA-based artist Cheryl Humphreys uses the technique of blind embossing to slightly raise the words “We Are Not Impressed” on paper, resulting in a minimalist print that can be felt as much as it can be seen. It’s artwork with attitude.
Boasting the statement “Modern Art = I Could Do That + Yeah, But You Didn’t,” this fabric key ring by Third Drawer Down Studio and Craig Damrauer are part of the New Math Collection. New Orleans-based Damrauer’s New Math project lasted from 2008 to 2014 and explored tangible and intangible concepts, from rumors to truth and teen angst (one example: Uncle = Dad + Fun). The bold equation on modern art remains one of the truest—and funniest.
Compiled by The Guardian journalist Ruth Jamieson, “Print is Dead. Long Live Print” is a hardcover tome that looks at independent publications—and explores the reason they are thriving in a time when traditional magazines are struggling. Jamieson profiles the pubs that she thinks are the best in the world—with themes reaching from sports to current affairs and the arts—through imagery, words and quotes from editors and founders. A fascinating look at the current state of publishing, but also an introduction to new titles like the bilingual English-Japanese “Cat People.”
Aside from their pure incense, Greenpoint’s Incausa offers bronze, hand-hammered singing bowls from Tibet that vibrate with beautiful harmonic overtones when rubbed or struck. Not only beautiful to look at, the bowl helps guide you into a meditative state (especially when cars are honking outside your window) as you follow its almost infinite frequencies into emptiness and stillness. This Bath & Meditation gift set also includes incense, fragrant handmade soap and clay incense-holder. More importantly, Incausa’s fair trade and social business mission ensures that this is a gift that keeps on giving back to the craftsmen and indigenous people who make it.
Boasting a spectacular image taken by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) land-observing satellite “DAICHI,” this climbing jacket from Minotaur is reversible and comes in three colorways: blue, green or black. The photo is of the rainforest island Yakushima—a UNESCO World Heritage site that serves as a sanctuary for wildlife, including monkeys and loggerhead turtles.