Miniature Monuments to Luxury

Every now and again whilst Design Trawling you'll chance upon a most unexpected discovery. State-side purveyor of fine taste West Elm served up that most pleasing of finds this weekend. On an unassuming teak sideboard sat a single cube of while marble that couldn't escape my attention.

The pictured caddy in shimmering white stone is capped with a lid featuring a sculptural brass handle reminiscent of Brancusi's birds in space or Philippe Stark's Asahi building in Tokyo. The combination of cool monolitihic marble and rich fluid brass is almost ethereal - I'm not sure it it's more appropriate fill it with bath salts, or the cremated ashes of a beloved household pet [you have to admit, there is something curiously Mormon temple about it]. Either way, the material combination is certainly one to remember. Just don't mix up your bath salts with the remains of Constantin the hamster.

The Writing's on the Wall

Narrow wall spaces can be tricky. If it's anything less than a foot wide, it's probably best used only for light switches or slithers or mirror. Here's another thought however. Next time you're roll home after the polo [Design Trawler recommends Hamptons, Windsor, Sand, or Snow] take two minutes to dismantle some of sidings and take home a pitch-side memento.

Hailing from the last ever Cartier International at Windsor back in 2010, this simple hoarding is a nice way of remembering a summer day in the sun. Just add autographs.

Like a Moth to Neon

I am utterly and hopelessly addicted to neon. A colorless, odorless, inert monatomic gas, with about two-thirds the density of air. Pass a high voltage current through it, and the resulting glow from gigantic typographic letters and logos draws me in like a moth about to get it's wings burnt.

It was a former ammunition factory in Warsaw that got me hooked, and no matter how strong the gift shop offering is [exceptionally strong], it was only a matter of time before the museum came to Moses Design Trawler. This masterpiece of restored marquee lettering is my first neon. It relates to Ultraloft's building name, and features beautiful italic serifs, loops and eyes. Stay tuned for more neon acquisitions.