360 DEGREES Weblog

We all see granny as a gentle old lady who bakes us cookies and scolds us for not being married. But if we really think about it, the only reason we’re here is because granny got down and dirty with gramps at some point to make your mom or dad. In the distant past she must have partied. I’m sure if I dug around in the attic I’d find this ghetto blaster she’s secreted away. I guess those Saturday afternoon games of bridge she always goes to must be a little more wild than I thought. Though at this price she better be beating the shirts off everyone else’s grannies. The price is a hefty € 2600

A new initiative, Speel Goed met Geld (roughly: Play well with money), enables ‘kidpreneurs’ to earn money not for themselves, but for children in war-torn areas including Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Money earned through Speel Goed met Geld will be donated to War Child, a non-profit organisation that provides psychosocial aid to children who’ve been traumatised by war.

Launched today, Speel Goed met Geld is essentially an online marketplace for toys. Children who’d like to sell a toy can upload a digital picture and add a description to their classified ad. Buyers pay the price set by the seller, the money is collected by Postbank on behalf of War Child, and the bank adds EUR 2.50 to each donation. If a toy robot is sold for EUR 10, War Child receives a donation of EUR 12.50. Once the toy has been sold, the seller receives a confirmation from Postbank and can contact the buyer to arrange shipping. (Postbank suggests that buyers pay for postage.)

While Postbank’s previous efforts focused on helping children earn, save and spend money, Speel Goed met Geld demonstrates how money can be used to help others, and not just by donating cash or goods directly to a cause. More engaging than traditional toy drives, Speel Goed provides a thoughtful example for other social entrepreneurs and marketers looking to activate consumers (and their brand).

The Biomega Boston urban bicycle comes with an innovative feature – the bike lock is an integral part of the frame structure. Break the lock to steal the bike and you end up with a broken piece of equipment. Let’s hope the thieves realise that first, eh? It’s also a ‘semi-folding’ model

Till the date, you have come across a number of amazing shower designs that tout to enrich you with the ultimate in showering. The ‘Slider’ is a novel sliding shower room concept designed by Sung Hoon Mun. Equipped with an easy and simple sliding shower panel control, the Slider maximizes and gives a whole new meaning to the shower experience. It’s a new take on the design of showers, combining a wall mounted shower system with a normal overhead shower system in one place. The adjustable shower panel could be used as an overhead shower or a body and shoulder massage.The design is simple, minimal, tempting, and is contemporary enough to go well with the décor of your bathroom.

Wearing baggy pants and a hat pulled tight over his headphoned ears, Spanish design student Marcos Villalba stands out among the well-heeled customers of Louis Vuitton’s London branch. But the 27-year-old is no shopper, and staff smile as they greet the co-designer of the luxury accessory-maker’s Christmas window display.

Pioneers in giving up-and-coming artists a break, Louis Vuitton held a competition earlier this year among 80 graduates from London’s Central Saint Martins art college to come up with a design for its Christmas display, which is to be used in its more than 370 stores worldwide.(EXPATICA)

Tubes has manufactured and created hanging square radiators. These radiators appear to be pieces of art by the untrained eye, but secretly they distribute heat keeping yourself and your guests nice and toasty without knowing. Also included with the radiator is an elongated and heated towel rack.

Veuve Clicquot have commissioned Porsche Design to create this remarkable champagne storage tower. The Veuve Clicquot Vertical Limit By Porsche Design champagne storage tower is designed to fit twelve magnums of Veuve Clicquot horizontally in special bottle shaped lighted compartments which are chilled to the optimum temperature. The tower is over two meters tall and is made of stainless steel. Only fifteen will be made and they will be available to purchase exclusively from Porsche Design stores.

Nuvola Bath from Starpool is simply breathtaking! It comes in various styles and finishes, and is crafted in deep, wide and plush designs, out of wood or stone. If you care to relax and take a deep comforting soak, then this Spa Bath is ideal for you. The Nuvola Bath is loaded with the complete range of whirlpool functions that can be triggered by the waterproof control panel placed on the end of the bath space. Besides being the focus of attraction in your spa room, the bath wouldn’t let you get out of it, once you indulge in its luxury!

Whoever said that reading was a religious experience was right, especially when taking a visit to Selexyz Dominicanen in Maastricht, Netherlands.

Having just won the Lensvelt de Architect Interior Prize 2007, this newest addition to the Selexyz book chain is well worth the visit to this Medievil city if you are ever in the area.

Erected inside a former 800 year old Dominican church, this bookstore is said to hold the largest stock of books in English in Maastricht, one of the oldest cities in the country.

It was always going to be a challenging task for Amsterdam based architects Merkx + Girod who designed the space, to stay true to the original character and charm of the church, whilst also achieving a desirable amount of commercial space (there was only an available floor area of 750 m2, with a proposed retail space of 1200 m2). Taking advantage of the massive ceiling, both have been achieved through the construction of a multi-storey steel structure which houses the majority of the books. This is one giant bookshelf, with stairs and elevators taking shoppers and visitors alike, up to the heavens (mind the pun), to roof of the church.

To maintain a sense of symmetrical balance in the space, lower tables of best sellers and latest releases have been added to either side, and of course a small cafe at the back for readers to relax and enjoy a hot drink.

Overall a great example of how with clever thinking, spatial solutions can both achieve a suitable retail presence, whilst still respecting and remaining true to the original structure. By Brendan Mc Knight

Thanks CoolHunter

It may seem like an odd question, but if you’re Richard Moriarty who was tired of having his 1974 Lamborghini towed because the engine kept stalling, you’d choose to hang the car on a wall in your new home. And even with the engine removed and repurposed as a coffee table, the whole hanging operation still required the use of a 70-ton crane to lower the 1,000 pound car through a skylight to its final resting place.

The car currently hangs over a solid glass staircase (this guy’s got taste!) and actually connects to the home’s electrical system so all the lights in the vehicle can still be operated. Since he only paid about $60,000 for the car in the first place, his unique piece of art is actually considerably more affordable than a Picasso would be. And as you can tell, it gets him a lot more publicity.

Thanks Oh Gizmo