Select pieces from last month’s Design London‘s fair…
a . carpenter’s workshop gallery
b . jousse entreprise
c . demische denant – I just love this precious yet industrial design
d . dewindt – coffee set
e . nilufar gallery

Download Pantone’s Fashion Color Report for Spring 2008 here.

My love of chocolate began in the womb. My Mother’s obsession with pregnancy-inspired Rocky Road icecream and Sweet Marie bar cravings presumably ignited my love for all things chocolate. I amaze my friends when I devour a massive slice of double chocolate fudge cake for breakfast…after all, chocolate DOES taste better in the morning. And my fiancee just shakes his head and sighs at the knowledge that I eat well & count my calories just so I can have a chocolate bar each and every day.

I’ve tasted chocolate in virtually every form – cakes, profiteroles, bars, truffles, icings, pastries, and hot cocoa. My only regret is that, up until a few years ago, I had only been exposed to powdered hot chocolates and cocoas. On my first trip to Spain, my sister and I stopped at a quaint outdoor churrería. It was about 10:00 a.m. and over 100 degrees but the photo of their piping hot chocolate and churros looked like the perfect morning feast. “Hot chocolate for breakfast,” I though, “I’m in heaven!”. When the waitress brough us our breakfasts and I tasted my first hot chocolate-dipped churro I nearly fell off my patio chair. This was THE most delicious thing I had ever tasted!

Image Source: Flickr

SO WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
Unlike the powdered North American cocoa variety which is mixed in boiling water, European Drinking Chocolate is chocolate shavings that need to be melted with hot milk, cream or water and whisked. The finished product is thick, rich and decadent.

Photo source: Flickr

HOW TO MAKE IT
The easy way…
Use a Drinking Chocolate Mix: Try L.A. Burdick, Torani, Schokinag, Chocolat Vitale, Bissinger’s, or Vosges.

- OR –

The authentic way…
2 oz heavy cream
6 – 8 oz milk
1 cinnamon stick
1 vanilla bean
2 oz finely chopped dark chocolate
1 1/2 oz fresh whipped cream

Heat the cream and milk with the cinnamon and vanilla bean (split lengthwise) very slowly for 15-20 minutes. (If you don’t have any beans add 1-2 tsp of vanilla after heating). Remove the bean and cinnamon. Add the chocolate. Mix until fully melted.
–
Serve topped with some very dense fresh whipped cream. Serves 1-2 depending upon how much of a glutton you are.
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For a richer chocolate, use 4 oz of milk, 4 oz of cream, 4 oz of chocolate. Serve in coffee mug.
Recipe source: Drinks Mixer

HAUTE CHOCOLATE
Hot chocolate is a drink that is revered by numerous cultures: The Mayans, The Spanish, The French, The Germans, and many, many more. Vosges has a most delicious line of drinking chocolates fused with herbs and spices – so delicious, they were voted the #1 hot chocolate by Rachel Ray.

HOT TOOLS
Check out chocolat-ologist Max Brenner’s hot new tools to enjoy drinkable chocolate.

Left - Hug Mug: Keep your hands warm while enjoying your drinking chocolate.
Right - Suckao: Designed to allow you to suck pure, warmed chocolate through a straw. Mmmm, decadence.

aun2h4 is the epitome of structured and refined Japanese design. I find the following products, designed for Milano Salone, very inspirational.

Could Fogscreen get any cooler? I mean it’s a truly amazing technology. I wrote about it back in July, I included it in our company newsletter and I just watched it in all its glory on The Hills. Now I’ve witnessed the interactive version using Playmotion technology! Truly amazing!

Doors serve a functional need – whether to keep drafts out or provide security and privacy or create a barrier between the outside and inside worlds. Yet there’s something a lot more magical and esoteric about doors. This becomes obvious when we look at historical architecture. I had the opportunity to do just this during my tour throughout the suburbs outside of Frankfurt and the city of Prague. A delightful smorgesborg of architecture styles – all of which were pitted and weathered with time, the elements and years of war. Yet not once did I look at the doors and think to myself: “Wow, this must really protect the occupants from the world outside!”. Instead, they piqued my imagination to wonder ‘what on Earth could be contained within the walls behind this beautiful door?’.

Doors greet those who wish to enter with an impression of what lies beyond. They create an expectation of status and of design…they welcome, they warn…when they open, they unearth the mystery of smells, sounds and sights you could only imagine when you stood outside. They are the epitome of the crescendo before the climax.

So the question is: Why is the door often forgotten at events?
Whether entertaining a few or a few thousand, create anticipation before they enter your space. Create a crescendo of anticipation, intrigue and imagination. Make them wonder…what lies beyond.

If you’ve read my posts, you know I’m not the biggest fan of cute little cupcakes. No, it’s not that they bring back a horrible childhood memory. I just find them messy and over-rated. Well, enough of my bah humbug moment…I got kind of excited after reading Perfect Bound’s post on Filagree Cupcake Wrappers by Paper Orchid Stationery. They are quite sweet…I might even venture to say that they’re pretty. BUT that doesn’t mean that I’d eat a cupcake…well, maybe one.