Inventory no. 80 | Monocle
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01.

Lamp

Edizioni Design

Milan-based Edizioni Design launched its first collection last April and we’ve taken a shine to its dazzling desk lamps. The arm can be fitted vertically or at an angle from its sturdy steel base to cast light in different directions.

02.

Coasters

Bower Studios

Founded by Brooklyn natives Danny Giannella and Tammer Hijazi in 2013, Bower Studios makes homeware including this chopping board built around geometric patterns. This set of cork-and-veneer coasters (below, left), made for Williamsburg-based Areaware, can be combined to create larger patterns.

03.

Book

Manuals 2

This weighty book describes the graphic-design backstories of a few choice brands, including Canadian National Railways, the Montréal Olympics and the Dutch police.

04.

Bike bag

Makr x Tokyobike

This pannier-style bike bag is designed by Florida-based firm Makr in collaboration with Japanese cycle maestro Tokyobike. Each panel is double-layered and water resistant.

05.

Gin

Koval Distillery

“We produce our own rye base, which gives our gin its distinctive hint of spice,” says Robert Birnecker, who founded Chicago-based Koval Distillery with his wife Sonat in 2008. This subtle gin boasts bright notes of citrus and a grassy palate offset with hints of spicy white pepper.

06.

Footwear

Broughton Boots

Inspired by the company started by his great-grandfather Elijah more than a century ago, Tom Broughton’s first collection of sturdy Northamptonshire-made footwear will be available from early 2015.

07.

Pestle and mortar

Normann Copenhagen

Made from oak and marble, this pestle and mortar joins a new rolling pin and a series of salt-and-pepper mills in the Danish firm’s new cookery collection.

08.

Scarf

Holwin’

This Scottish-made lambswool scarf comes courtesy of Antwerp-based knitwear ace Howlin’. Launched in 2009 by brothers Patrick and Jay Olyslager, the company releases 40 such comely cover-ups, gloves and hats each season.

09.

Watch

Kitmen Keung

This gold-rimmed stainless-steel watch comes from Hong Kong-based designer Kitmen Keung. Its thin profile makes it ideal for everyday wear and its calf-leather strap makes doing so a comfortable prospect.

10.

Saké

Shimonoseki Shuzo

Founded in 1923, Shimonoseki Shuzo is a small saké maker in Japan’s Yamaguchi prefecture. “Our founders wanted to make their own saké from their own rice,” says company president Tadaomi Uchida. The eye-catching logo comes courtesy of Yoshii Design Works. Best enjoyed chilled, this sweet and subtly flavoured drink pairs perfectly with sashimi or carpaccio.

11.

Woodworking kit

Tälja

This sharp-looking whittling kit was conceived to promote the idea of taking matters into your own hands. “Woodcarving is a wake-up call; a creative relief,” says Tälja’s Swedish founder Jakob Nielsen. The carry case includes a knife, birchwood for carving, sandpaper for smoothing and a how-to guide.

12.

Porcelain pot

Kristine Bjaadal

Since 2010, young ceramicist Kristine Bjaadal has built a following for her pretty vessels. The August pot is available in a range of colours and comes capped with a solid-oak lid. “A vase can be empty but still contain the idea of keeping and preserving something and taking care of it,” she says.

13.

Candlesticks

Avandi

We’re waxing lyrical about Belgian-born Ariane van Dievoet’s US-made candlesticks. Each has a leather strip on its base to add traction and a dimple to allow the three sizes to be stacked and reconfigured into angular towers. The tapered tip is designed for holding soft beeswax candles and its brass body casts a warm glow.

14.

Wallet

PB 0110

This leather wallet may be slim but the fanned interior of this Christian Metzner-designed piece makes it capacious enough for daily use. Accented by a chunky brass zip, the vegetable-tanned case will smooth and wear with age to form a distinctive patina and create a change holder to cherish.

15.

Tea

Wolf Tea

Wolf Tea’s designs have added a splash of colour to tea breaks since 2013. Each one is sourced from a single plantation (as opposed to blends) and selected from regions throughout Taiwan to include a high-mountain Oolong and a milky black tea: a sumptuous offering with a uniquely creamy and milk-like profile.

16.

Toy plane

The Oak Men

Transforming a box-fresh wooden stencil into this RAF Spitfire drums up boyhood memories for Danish cabinet-makers Anders Buchtrup Jensen and Peter Hensberg. The model’s name, Plane No.1, hints at the prospect of future landings from the duo.

17.

Cutlery

Graf Sunao

Setting the table is a pleasure with this playful stainless steel range so for our flatware we have turned to Osaka-based studio Graf’s Tsubame Shinko-manufactured pieces. Knives have been manufactured by the Niigata-based specialist since 1919 and as you can see the firm has kept its cutting edge.

18.

Honey

Foodscross

Harvested on the Aegean island of Astypalaia, this thyme-tinged honey is produced in small batches to keep the process sustainable. Illustrator Si Scott and Athens-based design firm Mousegraphics have teamed up to create the label. “We are treasure hunters trying to find the best food,” says Foodscross co-founder Panos Kirnidis.

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