In the 1960s, the United States Rubber Company (Uniroyal) introduced the world to their discovery of a supple synthetic leather substitute called Naugahyde, primarily for use as an auto seating leatherette material. It made its debut on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Their brilliant Mad Men
advertising idea was to create a fictional creature called the NAUGA from which the Nauga hyde
was harvested. Needless to say, it was a huge hit — via Arcane Images
This sharp little Honda CB360 from Federal Moto is a prime example of a budget build. Despite only being the Canadian workshop’s second build, it’s loaded with attitude and ticks all sorts of boxes. It’s based on two, non-runner ’74 CB360 donors that had to be Frankensteined into one—on a budget. The client is a young guy that lives, works, and parties downtown,
explains Federal’s Shaun Brandt, hence we’ve named it
— via Bike EXIFThe Couch Surfer
. He wanted a whippy little tracker that he could tear around downtown, jump curbs, and have fun with
The Sowden House, built by Lloyd Wright, the son of famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This beautiful, unique structure, sometimes referred to as the Jaws house
for its windows that resemble a shark’s open mouth, was built in 1926. The 5,600 square foot home in the Los Feliz section of Los Angeles is currently for sale, listed at $4,875,000.
The house also has the dubious distinction of formerly belonging to a suspect in one of the most notorious unsolved murder cases in American history, the Black Dahlia (Elizabeth Short) murder. From 1945 to 1951, the Sowden house was owned by Dr George Hodel, who at one time was the prime suspect of the LA District Attorney in the Short murder. Hodel’s son, former LAPD homicide detective Steve Hodel, even wrote a book claiming that his father killed Elizabeth Short somewhere in the Sowden House — via Neatorama
Hilla Shamia, a product designer in Israel, developed an amazing technique for combining the natural and the synthetic. She places blocks of wood inside moulds, then pours in molten aluminium. The liquefied metal flows smoothly into every crack, filling it and providing support when it cools — via Neatorama
A relative newcomer to the French knife game is Paris-based Deejo, founded in 2010 by two friends looking to revisit the concept of the pocket knife. Originally designed for hiking, Deejo’s lightweight design has garnered a widespread following for its simple aesthetic and dependable 420-grade stainless steel blade. The hardwood options start at 37 grams, while the mechanical grade plastic comes in at 27 grams. However, for the simplest treatment and lightest weight, check out the naked stainless steel, that starts at just 15 grams—about the weight of two No. 2 pencils.
Deejo knives start at just €19 and are available via Deejo’s webstore. For those looking for a more custom experience, design your own knife online, with choice of blade artwork, finish, handle and size — via Cool Hunting
Chisel & Mouse have introduced the Brutalist Trellick Tower and Centre Point to their range of architectural models. Each model is priced at £140 — via Retro To Go
Quick, what does the word Vespa
bring to mind? If you say cute lil’ scooter
, you probably haven’t seen this image above of the Vespa 150 TAP (for Troupes Aéro Portées), a Vespa scooter modified for use with the French paratroopers in 1956. It’s probably safe to say that this is the deadliest Vespa in the world. The military scooter is powered by a single-cylinder 146 cc two-stroke engine. It sports a M20 75 mm recoilless rifle, US-made light anti-armour cannon, and storage for some ammos. The scooter would be parachute-dropped from airplanes, accompanied by a two-man team who’d scoot along in absolutely menacing style — via Neatorama
Photo: C Galliani/Wikimedia
40 years after man made his first impressions on the dusty lunar surface, we release the Giant Leap rug through our Stories by Permafrost collection. We would like to think of it as a tiny tribute to an enormous achievement — via Permafrost
Federico Babina is back with his latest illustration! This time, he explores 23 works of architecture through the lens of one interesting or intense detail that speaks to the character of the work as a whole. Seeing these illustrations as movie posters, which use visual imagery to suggest, insinuate, and convey the essence
of the film, each illustration reflects the work and the architect’s aesthetic overall — via ArchDaily
A remote, 76-foot lighthouse is for sale in Maine, and it could be yours for only $31,500. It’s located far to the south of the coast of Bailey Island, on a place called Halfway Rock, due east from Portland in the cold ocean waters of Casco Bay. Indeed, it’s so far out in the waves that Google Maps doesn’t even show detail for the seas around it — via BLDGBLOG
It looks every bit the period property from the outside, but the inside of this 1930s E William Palmer-designed art deco property in Brighton, East Sussex is very much contemporary living. The asking price is £650,000 — via WowHaus
Solid titanium construction, including the solid lug bars, large numerals on the dial for easy readability, tritium tubes for night or low light viewing, sapphire crystal, and a dependable quartz movement with a 5 year battery. Bertucci envisions making the ultimate field watch, and they want to do it with pride. This is why the watches are designed in the USA, straps made in the USA, the packaging made in the USA, by a USA owned company. Yes, the movement is Swiss and the cases are produced in Asia, which you would expect at this price point of $439.00 — via Youtube
Flamingos
pattern digitally printed on high quality pre-glued wallpaper. Measurement width 50cm x length 1m Our wallpaper is sold per metre length, printed to order. If you require 10 metres, add 10 x the item to your basket and we will print as one continuous piece — via All The Fruits
This is the Tower of Hercules near La Coruña, Spain — the northwestern tip of the Iberian peninsula. It may be the only ancient lighthouse still in use. It’s possible that a Phoenician work preceded it, but we can be sure that a Roman structure lies at the core of this tower. The Romans built it sometime during the reign of Emperor Trajan (r. 98-117 AD), who was himself from an area that forms modern Spain. The Romans referred to it in classical writings as Farum Brigantium
.
During the Eighteenth Century, the architect Eustaquio Giannini conducted a renovation of the site, building a 49m tower over the original 34m Roman one — via Neatorama
Photo: Bernt Rostad
Watch colours evolve with every passing minute on this modern sport style timepiece from Winter Design Group. Every revolution of the minute hand reveals a surprisingly beautiful new colour palette to make time pass by in the most captivating way. This unique instrument transforms the artist’s and designer’s tools of Cyan, Magenta and Yellow into a variety of colours. Eye catching graphics make this watch a conversation piece wherever you go — via Youtube
The Stanley R Mickelsen Safeguard Complex in Cavalier County, North Dakota, is the focus of an amazing set of images hosted by the US Library of Congress, showing this squat and evocative megastructure in various states of construction and completion. It’s a huge pyramid in the middle of nowhere tracking the end of the world on radar, an abstract geometric shape beneath the sky without a human being in sight, or it could even be the opening scene of an apocalyptic science fiction film—but it’s just the US military going about its business, building vast and other-worldly architectural structures that the civilian world only rarely sees — via BLDGBLOG
Photo: Benjamin Halpern, courtesy of the US Library of Congress
Electrical engineer Bruce Campbell lives in a retired Boeing 727-200 that he has parked on his rural property in Hillsboro, Oregon. Campbell bought the plane back in 1999 for $100,000, and has spent the intervening years converting it to a modest living space. The plane-home features one working lavatory, a futon, a simple kitchen, and nine emergency exits. He estimates he has spent a total of $220,000 on the project — via Laughing Squid
Photo: John Brecher/MSNBC
A Cat Cushion in burnt orange by Robin & Mould. This hand-made cushion (complete with filler) has a dashing orange cat hand-printed on a natural linen woven in the UK. It is printed using only 100% solvent-free waterbased ink; has a warm grey linen/cotton back and is finished with a concealed zip — via Howkapow
Elevators Rising, originally uploaded by Red Wolf
Kai Lin, a designer in Brooklyn, developed Klippa, a prosthetic leg for rock climbers. He designed it for American veterans who have lost legs, but would like to continue or take up climbing. Standard prosthetic legs are designed for walking and prove inadequate for the needs of climbers.
To make Klippa a functional tool, Lin interviewed climbers and examined how their legs move. He determined that a climber’s leg needs easily replaceable rubber, an elastic pivot point, and a small contact surface with the rock. Animals contributed to the design, too: the foot is shaped like the hoof of a mountain goat — via Neatorama
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