Whimsy Group – folding boxes and luxury packaging

Whimsy Group specialises in the design and manufacture of gorgeous, high quality bespoke gift boxes and decorative tins. Whimsy Group works closely with clients to custom-design and develop highly individual ranges of designer boxes, customised specifically for a company’s products. You can choose the original folding box construction or sturdy round boxes, embellished with your company branding. Check out the website here and see below for the colourful new ranges they have developed for Il Migliore, a Melbourne gourmet biscuit and hamper company, as well as Capital Kitchen and The It Kit. Whimsy Group will be an exhibitor at the 2012 Design Made Trade exhibition at Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton from July 19-22. Pop in and say hi!

Il Migliore box designs are based on ancient hand painted fabrics from Europe and India, matched with contemporary stripes and spots. Each design is unique, rich and colourful to reflect the premium qualities of Il Migliore’s amazing products – and to put the fun back into gift giving. Whimsy also custom designs the top quality grosgrain ribbons, developing “just the right stripe” and colour matching the dyes exactly to the packaging colours.

Whimsy-designed boxes with bold stripes in sophisticated grey and white with unique wooden button closures for Melbourne’s newest gift hamper sensation The It Kit.

Whimsy’s cute as a button yellow, taupe and white striped box range in 3 sizes for Capital Kitchen (as Featured in Vogue Living magazine) – Melbourne’s hippest eatery/homestore concept. Visit the store at Chadstone Shopping Centre to choose your own brightly coloured box of goodies (edible or not).

Brice Portolano, Photographer

Some beautiful images from French photographer Brice Portolano…

A stitch in time…

This delightful object is none other than a knitting clock. Conceived by German designer Siren Elise Wilhelmsen, the 365 Knitting Clock measures time by literally knitting together the hours in a day. The clock itself houses a circular knitting machine with 48 needles, a thread spool, a thread holder and roll of yarn. Moving in a clockwise direction, one day leads to a complete round (or row), and after 365 days the clock has turned the passed year into a 2 metre long scarf. I love the juxtaposition of ideas in this piece – the hand made versus machines – and the idea that knitting became mechanised in the past to speed up an essentially slow, artisan process for mass production. The Knitting Clock reverses this idea to bring the machine back down to an almost human level. Literally, a stitch in time…

Need/want: Tim Webber furniture

Wow, busy month! I haven’t posted in a long time. What better way to get back in the swing than with this stunning furniture from super talented Kiwi designer Tim Webber. There is not ONE thing this man designs that I don’t covet desperately. Apart from the fact that his pieces are finished flawlessly, I love his playful take on industrial minimalist functionalism. He always adds a splash of bright colour or a playful or elegant twist to his designs that make them surprising and delightful.

Upon graduating in 2009 with a Bachelor of Design – 3D and object, New Zealander Tim Webber is now in the process of establishing his own furniture brand under the name Tim Webber Design. The range will incorporate all objects neccessary for home living and will be largely constructed from the highest quality plywood. Go Tim! Keep the gorgeous design coming.

Spotted – Huile d’Olive

SPOTTED: This fabulous packaging design for French purveyor of fine oils, wines and spices – Chateau d’Estoublon. The huge 750ml bottle is shaped like a French perfume bottle and can be bought at Simon Johnson for $149.95. A tongue in cheek nod to food fetishism and the perfect gift for the foodie who has everything!

Kiwi spirit rises among the ruins

I love this. Kiwi awesomeness.

Velvet Bean homewares

Here’s one of those nifty ideas you wish you’d had! If you like your typographic homewares a bit rustic and imperfect, then  Velvet Bean pillows and ottomans are for you. Handmade from upcycled burlap coffee sacks, each coffee bag is completely unique, stamped with the country of origin, and bearing the rustic markings of both the merchant and exporter. The durable burlap coffee bags were rescued from landfill and repurposed into exquisite feature cushions. Reinforced stitching adds extra strength and durability. Cushions are lined and feature a concealed zipper for easy cushion insert removal.

Perfect for outdoor furniture or as floor cushions when you need something good looking and durable. Cushion covers are a very reasonable $55 and ottomans $190. Check out Velvet Bean’s website for stockist info or to buy direct.

Typography of the week: Fontables

The latest installment in the increasingly popular typographic modular furniture, FONTABLE is a series of alphanumeric elements reproducing letters A-Z in lower and uppercase and numbers 0-9. The graphic, 3 dimensional ‘type’ becomes the protagonist of a new language in design which is both versatile and eclectic, allowing us to shape our environment in ever evolving and surprising ways.

Produced in a small atelier outside of Milan under the supervision of Alessandro Canepa and Andrea Paulicelli, the tables are made from steel sheet with lacquered varnishing in white, black and red. Legs are in anodized aluminum and are height adjustable, allowing overlap of table surfaces. Special colors and finishes available on demand. Suitable indoors or out.

Order a single letter (or number) or several. Compose words which express your personality in single colors or mixed.

‘Light Tray’ by Daniel Rybakken

Want/need this gorgeous, subtle, pared back Light Tray by Swedish designer Daniel Rybakken, which makes me think of the beauty of valve amps. Problem is… if I acquired these I might also have to buy his inverted trestle Structure Table to put them on….

Deb Fallowfield Erosion Ring – WINNER

Thank you to everyone who entered the competition to win the gorgeous Erosion Ring by Deb Fallowfield. There were some fantastic entries – some funny, some sad… and some wonderful, generous and heartfelt messages of support for Deb Fallowfield – the super talented jewellery designer who lost so much in Christchurch’s devastating February earthquake. It was incredibly hard to choose from all the great entries… but ONE winner there must be. And that winner is…. drum roll….

REBEKAH K of Christchurch!

Thanks Rebekah – we will contact you by email for details on claiming your prize.

Keep checking back here for more great giveaways and competitions in future.

And PLEASE continue to support Christchurch businesses as they try to rebuild their lives and livelihoods over this difficult period.