Less and More: The Design Ethos of Dieter Rams

€50

width=”100″ height=”100″ />

€50

width=”300″ height=”300″ />

The man who taught us to “question everything generally thought to be obvious” is celebrated in Gestalten’s book “Less and More: The Design Ethos of Dieter Rams.” One of the most influential designers of all time, the book is both a retrospective and contemporary reevaluation of his work and philosophy on design.

This product is sold by Gestalten

Greener Pup Beds

$53

width=”100″ height=”100″ />

$53

width=”300″ height=”300″ />

Probably the best dog bed out there. Each bed contains 70-120 recycled plastic bottles as filler, and is covered by luxury fabrics recycled from high end home projects. On top of that, 100% of profits go to the Ace of Hearts Foundation which places shelter dogs into loving homes. Show your dog some love this holiday.

This product is sold by Greener Pup

The Storymatic

$30

width=”100″ height=”100″ />

$30

width=”300″ height=”300″ />

Like an old-fashioned game of Exquisite Corpse, the Storymatic is the new must have game for your holiday party this season. Players draw two gold cards to find their characters, a person “with a large scar,” “who has never left the city,” and then a white situation card: “batteries are dead.” Let your imagination go from there. Literally trillions of stories can begin with these simple prompts. Use to create a fun parlor game, or on your own when you need a little antidote to writer’s block.

This product is sold by Storymatic

Cool Hunting’s 2009 Gift Guide

Constantly updated with our finds—from luxurious hand-sewn boxers ($65) to a Kenny Scharf-designed bong ($400)—this year's Cool Hunting Gift Guide makes a go-to resource for anyone tricky or otherwise on your list. We’ve included gifts for all types (grumpy dads and crafting sisters alike) and at a variety of price points, including under $25 (check out the cult NYC restaurant cookbook "Momofuku" and beyond ($30,000 for a Damascus steel and platinum straight razor).

We'll be adding new stuff daily, so check back often to get a dose of Cool Hunting-style holidays.

Birds of Sausalito Boxers

$65

width=”100″ height=”100″ />

$65

width=”300″ height=”300″ />

California-based Birds of Sausalito are offereing one of the most comfortable and luxurious pairs of boxer shorts ever created this holiday season. Hand sewn with luxurious 100% Peruvian Pima Cotton, mother-of-pearl buttons, and the single needle stitch sewing technique, your man will never go back to a regular pair of boxers after trying these on for size. Each boxer comes in its own Pima Cotton pouch for easy gift giving.

This product is sold by Birds of Sausalito

Liddabit Sweets

$6

width=”100″ height=”100″ />

$6

width=”300″ height=”300″ />

Brooklyn-based Liddabit Sweets are a CH favorite—especially the caramels and coconut bars. Local ingredients make it even sweeter.

This product is sold by Liddabit

Albert Maysles Glasses

$350

width=”100″ height=”100″ />

$350

width=”300″ height=”300″ />

Designed after the legendary Grey Gardens and Gimme Shelter documentary filmmaker’s own glasses, the new Albert Maysles frames are the thing to transform any look this season. Maysles sent in his own 1960s frames to designer Barton Perreira to reproduce in updated lighter frames, available in white, black, and cloud. A percentage of proceeds benefits the Maysles Institute.

This product is sold by Barton Perreira

Beer Pot Candle

$18

width=”100″ height=”100″ />

$18

width=”300″ height=”300″ />

The hand coiled ceramic pot is a common item found in Swaziland. Usually used as a beer drinking pot it has been put to a new use as a candle holder. The proceeds help support AIDS orphans.

This product is sold by Global Goods Partners

Argan Oil Products

$25-$55

width=”100″ height=”100″ />

$25-$55

width=”300″ height=”300″ />

Among our favorite products this year, Kiehl’s line with Argan oil ranks near the top of the list. Argan trees are found only in Morocco, and the oil from their nuts has been used in the kitchen and in skin care products for centuries. Limited editions of the Superbly Restorative Body Lotion benefit the Waterkeeper Alliance charity.

This product is sold by Kiehl's

Foxy & Winston

$5

width=”100″ height=”100″ />

$5

width=”300″ height=”300″ />

Brooklyn-based Foxy & Winston was established by illustrator Jane Buck. She produces stationary, greeting cards, wall art, in addition to a variety of other silk screen-printed products. All of the cards are printed on 100% recycled paper and use non-toxic acrylics.

This product is sold by Foxy & Winston

Le Knockout

$119

width=”100″ height=”100″ />

$119

width=”300″ height=”300″ />

Kim Kovel came up with the idea to make a gold cast of her baby’s first lost tooth, and with so much interest, she decided to create a business out of it. Just send in the tooth you want and it will be cast in 14 or 18 karat gold, to create your very own personalized charm.

This product is sold by Kim Kovel

Hommage Damascene Razor

$30,000

width=”100″ height=”100″ />

$30,000

width=”300″ height=”300″ />

For those who take shaving very, very seriously, no gift will compare to the legendary Hommage Damascene Razor. There are a mere 15 of these bespoke razors worldwide, each one hand-made with 128 layers of welded Damascus steel and sheathed in platinum. The mythical steel can be traced back to the Crusades when Syrian soldiers needed a sword blade durable and sharp enough to last through multiple battles.

This product is sold by Hommage

ThumbTacks

$13

width=”100″ height=”100″ />

$13

width=”300″ height=”300″ />

This plug-n-play ThumbTack turns any iPod Nano 4G or iPod Touch 2G into a portable digital recorder. An apt, affordable gift for a person always on the go and full of ideas that will change the world.

This product is sold by ThumbTacks

Fingerprint-Proof Rectangular Recycler

$180

width=”100″ height=”100″ />

$180

width=”300″ height=”300″ />

Simplehuman’s convenient Fingerprint-Proof Rectangular Recycler step trash can has two compartments—one for trash and the other for recyclables—eliminating the need for extra bins cluttering up a tiny kitchen. With a lid that closes slowly instead of banging shut and a 10-year warranty, this will become one as much a classic as your favorite Le Creuset pan.

This product is sold by Simple Human

Papillon Sexuel

Whether you wear it around your neck or not, this stylish limited edition sex toy is sure to get the party started.

This product is sold by Matteo Cibic

Barcelona Skyline Print

$23

width=”100″ height=”100″ />

$23

width=”300″ height=”300″ />

Artist Neema Sadeghi produced this amazing image of Barcelona. Available in multiple sizes.

This product is sold by Neema Sadeghi

Eye Print by Tiptoe Collective

$15

width=”100″ height=”100″ />

$15

width=”300″ height=”300″ />

London-based Tiptoe is an illustration collective formed by Mark White in 2008.

This product is sold by Tiptoe Collective

Big Roi Print

$26

width=”100″ height=”100″ />

$26

width=”300″ height=”300″ />

The artist takes bits and pieces from the real world and illustrates images that create an imaginary world. Available in several sizes.

This product is sold by Max-o-matic

Glassybaby Votives

$44

width=”100″ height=”100″ />

$44

width=”300″ height=”300″ />

With gently shifting colors, the 70 different glass vessels that make up the Glassybaby collection set the mood for any occasion–whether used as a cup, vase or candle holder. Founder Lee Rhodes, or one of 30 team members, blows each one in their Seattle studio.

This product is sold by Glassybaby

Archie Grand Notebook

€10

width=”100″ height=”100″ />

€10

width=”300″ height=”300″ />

This is a blank, colorful notebook with a variety of titles such as “Actors I Met and Liked” and “Gardeners I Met and Liked”.

This product is sold by Archie Grand

Wiggly Eye Dice

$12

width=”100″ height=”100″ />

$12

width=”300″ height=”300″ />

When it comes to games of chance the eyes have it. These wooden dice liven up any game of craps or yahtzee.

This product is sold by Leafcutter Designs

Yatzer’s Top Luxury Gifts

For many, gifts with a three-figure price tag make a generous offering, but this year Yatzer upped the ante with their guide of gifts for the ultimate in luxury and the pinnacle in price points. CH picked a few of the gifts that may just be worth saving up for—providing you have a very large piggie bank.

Hasselblad's H4D medium format DSLR features a 60 Mpixel MF sensor and a new True Focus technology, an attribute built to provide outstanding focus throughout the entire image. The camera will be available January 2010 for €19,995 (pictured above left). Maison Takuya's wild alligator iPhone case adds even more class to the sleek device. The Bangkok-based luxury label offers the case and other bespoke goods in their signature alligator or ostrich leather. Find it at the finest department and specialty stores around the world for €293. (Pictured above right.)

The 24-carat gold and Swarovski crystal encrusted bike from Aurumania is a limited edition of ten, and features opulent additions like a Brooks saddle, hand-sewn grips and a ten-year warranty. Delivered via White Glove Service anywhere in the world for €80,000.

A limited edition of five, the fox fur hammock created by German design studio Bless for 20LTD provides the perfect place to relax after a hard day at work. Lined with cashmere and assembled by hand, the silky-soft hammock is a real pleasure. Available from 20LTD for €9,000.

via Yatzer

Child’s Sewing Machine

$48

width=”100″ height=”100″ />

$48

width=”300″ height=”300″ />

The “there’s no business like sew business set” includes everything a burgeoning fashionista needs to hone their trade. This set Includes sewing machine, 4 bobbins, 2 machine needles, threader, felt, ric rac, pin cushion, sewing needles, straight pins, scissors, thread, buttons, measuring tape, thimble, ribbon trim and two yards of floral fabric.

This product is sold by Land of Nod

Journal of Popular Noise Special Edition Giveaway

Our favorite ode to weird music and the singular satisfaction of printed artifacts, the Journal of Popular Noise's latest issue recently launched. Produced in limited editions of hand-folded, letter-press printed copies, the semi-annual audio magazine simultaneously recalls the joys of high-end design periodicals, photocopied punk rock fanzines and the intricate liner notes and packaging of the seven-inch.

We like the new special edition so much that we decided to give three away to lucky and loyal Cool Hunting readers.

The new Journal, produced in an edition of 300, features selections from Foscil's album Residential.

According to Journal mastermind Byron Kalet, “In 2008 Foscil participated in an artist residency at the now defunct BLVD gallery in Seattle. These recordings are the end result of the experiments and performances that took place between January and June of last year.â€

To enter, go to the bottom of the page, click on "Contact" and select "Journal of Popular Noise Giveaway." Tell us about your favorite experience with a music-based printed artifact—your most treasured old 'zine, the craziest seven-inch packaging you discovered at Amoeba or maybe just your favorite seamless integration of music and print. Our three favorites will receive a free copy. Submissions must be received by midnight EST, 24 November 2009.

The Flat Lamp

$72

width=”100″ height=”100″ />

$72

width=”300″ height=”300″ />

This lamp comes to you flat with just a few steps to assemble. It comes with different light options: light, dark, red or white veneer, and illuminates your home effortlessly.

This product is sold by Flat Lamp