Have you ever seen something great and thought, “Wow, I’d love to get that but I have no room for it.” So, you end up renouncing on something really cool for your home. I know how that feels as not only is my home more of a concept than a place. It’s actually only about the size of a garage!

My laptop commutes between my footstool and my carpet, my glasses are at a constant risk of breaking in their acrobatic positions in my credenza, the contents of my pockets are always emptied out on tables and in vases and my clothes drying rack constantly blocks the only hallway I have inspiring bizarre contortionist moves on my part.

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We already know that ducks are very celebrated birds but I’ve discovered that a Duck Day actually exists!
Last Sunday, the Thames looked like a giant bathtub. The only thing missing was the foam!

Two hundred and fifty thousand plastic ducks (a Guinness world record) competed in the Great British Duck Race, a one-km race from Hampton Court Bridge to Albany Reach with spectators on all sides.

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I always tire out easily when I run and now I’ve discovered why. I’m wearing the wrong fabric! I need an aerodynamic suit like Fiona May has!

Well, I could go to Superhuman Performance - at the Textile Museum in Prato - and choose from a variety of high performance, aerodynamic, hydrodynamic and fireproof sports garments that would make even Spiderman envious!

We often buy clothes because we’re dazzled by their shapes or colors while we see their fabrics as secondary. However, fashion is adapting to new lifestyles primarily because of the development of new sportswear fabrics.

Let’s see what new textiles come out of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, which just may become part of the history of fashion!

Technorati Tags: textiles, sports garments, Olympics, Beijing

The 21st edition of the “Compasso D’Oro” Awards has just concluded. The theme was security and functionality and included domestic objects that may already be in our homes.

Two of the winners were Marc Sadler for “Big”, a modular library with essential lines made from extruded aluminium for Caimi Brevetti.
And Eero Aarnio for his multifunctional child’s rocking chair designed for Magis.

The show continues at Venaria Reale Palace in Turin until 31 August.

Technorati Tags: design, Marc Sadler, Eero aarnio, Magis, Caimi Brevetti

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These days, the window-shopping has become a “mission impossible”.
You have to choose between the tropical climate on the city streets or the Antarctic temperatures in the malls.
There’s no in-between! That’s why online shopping is a real alternative.
And you can do it comfortably from your own home.

By pure luck, I found the Virtuy Mall website. 
It’s a virtual shopping centre where everything is in 3-D. I’ve read that it’s the first of its kind in the entire world!
I was so curious that I clicked on the virtual map and entered a few stores. I found a myriad of things, even ultrasound rattraps and fermented papaya! I even found a record player, which is great because I still have some LPs I’d love to listen to!

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While book shopping, have you ever been told, “It’s out of print” or “there are no more copies available”?
Well, don’t panic!

If you can’t find any bestsellers by John Grisham or Ken Follett, you won’t have to check every bookstore in town because you can now get books on demand!

The Espresso Book Machine is coming to Blackwell’s in Oxford soon. 
It will print your book in the time it takes you to drink your coffee! Hopefully, this praiseworthy descendant of Gutenberg’s printing press will be coming to Italy soon.

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As we all know, when we go on vacation in the summertime, so does our usual routine. This, however, should not be the same for our good manners!
Above all, for people who remain in town.

In Bologna, it seems that city etiquette, as seen in New York Magazine isn’t trendy, yet. City etiquette tries to domesticate the jungle-like behavior that tends to explode in the summer months.

The few poor souls left wandering around town with iPods in their ears in a catatonic state - probably due to the Saharan heat - are simply oblivious to their surroundings.

The situation would be different if the Marie Claire ”proposal” on city etiquette came into effect.

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After my return from Formentera, I’m already ready to take off on another trip. While I’m waiting, I think I’ll have to equip myself with a suitcase full of books for my weekends in Bologna at the pool or in Porretta with my parents.
First, I have to detox from traffic! So, I’m going to read Traffic to learn about avoiding traffic jams, finding the shortest routes, deciphering signal errors and understanding sociological behavior.
This way my life won’t be so frantic. I wonder why no one has ever written a book like this before!

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Mathieu Lehanneur is the eclectic curator of a display project realized for the Y’s line by Mandarina Duck.
The images - of backlit shelves and modular display cases in the form of beehives - were published in the 135th issue of the French magazine Intramuros. 
Lehanneur is inspired by nature, for which he has great respect.

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Giulio Iacchetti - creator of the “Mandarina” ergonomic pen – has experimented with wooden knives for the Italian company Coltelleria Berti and presented them at the most recent edition of the Furniture Show in Milan.
He had spent a month hand carving 22 knives, each made from a different type of wood with a unique aroma and soul.

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