We seem to have a soft spot for pins, or maybe we just find pins that are simply fun and different from the boring standard stuff that’s out there…
These are by Artemy Lebedev and his wild team of designers in Russia and we just thought that they are pretty funny. In a weird way they support inter office communications – in a very weird way though. 2 sets are available, one for the type who is content with everything and the other for the person who is a little more talkative!
Colors: OK, Standard
Price: $159 / 128€

Technorati Tags: accessories, Charles & Marie, gadget hip, Modern Living, Soupe du Jour, stationary

So you wanted yesterday’s keyboard, but thought the price tag was a little hefty?
Well here’s your chance to satisfy your inner geek: The Optimus Mini! This is basically the smaller (read: a lot smaller) version of the Maximus, but with the same features, yet larger screens. 3 completely controllable buttons allow you to assign pretty much any function to this sweet little device. Your iTunes controls, or your stock prices, or your communication settings that show you whether you have new mail or a new IM… What got us excited though was the fact that it was hacked and can now even play video.
Don’t be alarmed, the buttons of today’s mini keyboard have a resolution of 96×96 pixel and are huge compared to yesterday’s and with the included configurator software that works on a Mac and a PC, they are a breeze to set up!
Here are a couple facts for you:
OLED screens with 96×96 resolution, USB 1.0 works on a Mac and a PC and at 116×52x18mm (4.5″x2″x0.7″) it’s a pretty small unit that looks good everywhere…
Colors: Black, Silver
Price: $159 / 128€

Technorati Tags: accessories, Charles & Marie, design, gadget hip, keyboard, Soupe du Jour

Today’s Soupe – yes a computer keyboard - is probably one of the hottest items we have ever had and when we first laid eyes on this piece de resistance our surpressed inner geek jumped for joy. It is another piece from Artemy Lebedev’s red hot design studio, this keyboard looks like pretty much any other keyboard out there, but it’s definitely unlike any other keyboard you have ever seen. Every single key is a tiny LED screen that can be personalized to your hearts content. Why an LED though? Well, if you press the control key, the keys immediately change to display the keys that you configured, if you press control and alt it changes again. Why, well in part thanks to the included super intuitive software (that works on Macs and PC’s) that let’s you assign anything to any key (literally anything if you look at the image of a sample key…), and to make it easy for you, the LED screens show you what’s on the keys in question. That’s pretty helpful, because you can assign up to 256 characters to any key and it might just get confusing…
Here’s the catch though: This keyboard is so sought after, that the first production batch (200 pieces), which will ship on November 31st (yes, 24 days before xmas) sold out within minutes. Today’s Soupe is from the second batch, which will ship December 3rd, but in order to get your hands onto one of those beauties, we can’t just place an order, but all orders must actually be pre-paid, or you will not get one… Once you are on the list, you will receive regular updates on the progress of the production, so you will know exactly when to clean your desk and make room for your new toy. Oh and just so you know, we will be flying in our order to make sure it gets to you in time before the holidays in case you want it as a gift…
Price: $1565 / 1256€

Technorati Tags: accessories, Charles & Marie, design, gadget hip, keyboard, Modern Living, Presale, Soupe du Jour

What can you expect from the hottest design agency? Simply the hottest products! And Art.Lebedev is definitely red hot. Never heard of them? Never mind, Artemy Lebedev and his team are currently heating up Russia with some stunning product design and a fabulous refreshing attitude, that you will definitely see a lot more of them very soon!
So what a better way to start out Geek Week than with this cool set of speakers? The set consists of two speakers and a subwoofer and is the ideal accessory for your Mac (don’t worry, it will also work with your PC), but it also connects to your iPod, or anything that boasts a standard audio line-out jack.
Now if you are a geek and interested in technical data, continue reading, all others visualize how great the speakers will look next to your computer screen…

Product specifications
nominal impedance: 8 Ohm;
nominal output power of subwoofer: 15 Watt, speakers—2 × 5 Watt;
peak output power of speakers: 15 Watt;
frequency range of subwoofer: 50–250 Hz, speakers—200 Hz–18 kHz;
signal-to-noise ratio: 80 dB.
Price: $120 / 100€

Technorati Tags: audio, Charles & Marie, design, gadget hip, hip home, Modern Living, Soupe du Jour

Ok, so you are thinking: What? Toilet paper? Have you gone completely insane, lost your marbles or spilled the brain away with too many Martinis?
Well actually none of the above. Black toilet paper has been around in the hopping clubs and hotels in Europe for quite a while already, but we were amazed how few people actually knew about this stateside. Made by Renova in Portugal, it has been dermatologically and gynecologically tested, it is made of 100% biodegradable, virgin pulp that is chlorine-free and entirely recyclable, so basically a 3 ply, completely non-toxic, soothing tissue. And no, it does not bleed any color when wet, in case you were worrying…
So treat your tush some color and if you have a little party, get-together or dinner thing, this will be quite a conversation piece, whether you want it or not. Oh, and if you don’t like black, it also comes in sunny Orange and a deep dark Red, but we’ll spare you the comments we could come up with for that…
In case we didn’t mention it already: 3 rolls of this luxurious paper come in one gift canister.
Color: Black, Orange, Red
Price: $15 / 15€

Technorati Tags: bath, Charles & Marie, hip home, Modern Living, Soupe du Jour

Hi! So here’s a question: Is your office desk organized and perfectly clean? And can you present that perfect example of how a den should be organized without any clutter?
OK, we won’t ask. Mostly, because it won’t be organized, but actually filled with notes, magazine clippings, business cards, to-do lists, and so on and so forth.. And if we would ask, we would make you look like the somewhat unorganized slob you (and the majority of people we know, including ourselves) actually are.
But this wonderful little device might actually cause some organized chaos on your desk. It’s basically a spring shaped like an oversized stainless steel paper clip that allows you to stick anything that’s currently lying on your table, or sticking on your screen, or pinned to some wall, into the soft springs. In turn, you will relieve your desk of some of the chaos it had to endure. Or make room for more chaos, but let’s not even go there…
So this little thingy comes in black and in stainless, is 10 x 4 x 4 cm (or 3.9″ x 1.6″ x 1.6″ if you are stateside) and can hold even CDs…
So what are you waiting for? Clean up that mess!
Price: $20 / 20€

Technorati Tags: accessories, Charles & Marie, hip home, Modern Living, Soupe du Jour

Need some light to set the right mood? Try this on for size: It is such a wonderfully simple idea and creates such a beautiful mood. It’s a lamp made out of oak wood frames and the frames provide both the frame of the lamp as well as the lampshade. At 3.9″x3.9″x10.6″ (or 10 x 10 x 27 cm if you feel more at home with the metric system) it is a perfect size for any small surface that needs enhancing. The wooden frames are attached alongside one axis, allowing you to play with them and create different overlapping spaces, which in turn allow the light to stream out.
Whether you are into clean and crisp geometric shapes or prefer the more chaotic approach, anything is pretty much possible with this unique lamp. A word of advice though: If you and your significant other have debates about how toothpaste should be used and stored – standing or lying down, with or without the cap, squeezed from the top or the bottom – then you might want to skip this Soupe…
Price: $60 / 60€

Technorati Tags: Charles & Marie, hip home, lighting, Modern Living, Soupe du Jour

It was a tough ICFF weekend and we tried hard to find great products for you and over the next couple weeks you will be the one to decide whether we succeeded or not. Let’s start out with these wonderfully cute egg cups designed by Liz Kinnmark.
There are sooo many egg cups out there, traditional, elegant, whimsical and always bold. But nothing that just says: put you egg in here, I’ll be unobtrusive, heat resistant and won’t visually offend you because I am so bold in color or design. Liz’ Eggpants are made out of heat resistant Silicone, are flexible and adapt to pretty much any size egg you can find. And they are really cute. A very nice addition to the morning table. Oh, and did we mention they come in a set of 2? Now we did!
Price: $20 / 20€

Technorati Tags: accessories, Charles & Marie, Epicurean delight, Modern Living, Soupe du Jour, tableware

Though this week finds us roaming the streets of New York in search of the newest products, we were in Berlin last week for DesignMai where we were amazed by the fantastic work the designers in the capital produced.
Amongst them, this fabulous idea from the great guys at e27…
Basically it is a blanket (39″ x 59″ / 150 x 100 cm) that has strong sturdy ropes attached to the corners, why you wonder? Well if you are a parent, then you know that the little one loves to be rocked around, and if it’s in a blanket, the joy doesn’t seem to stop. What does stop though, is the stamina of the parents who are holding the edges of the blanket, making sure little Tommy won’t take off.
The re-cover blanket takes the work out off the equasion because the sturdy ropes are formidable handles that allow you to hold the blanket safely and securely with little Tommy getting a kick out of the action.
Color: Red
Size: 39″ x 59″ (100 x 150 cm)
Price: $55 / 40€

Technorati Tags: accessories, Charles & Marie, kids, Soupe du Jour

AlissiaMT should be known to all of you design aficionados out there for her wonderful collection of ‘diamond’ rings and her unique nested appetizer plates ‘A Handful of Plates’. We are very happy to present her brand new collection here on C&M, which literally just arrived today!
The InsideOut Collection of barware turns the common knowledge of what a drinking glass should look like on its head. In AMT’s collection of barware, the well known and oftentimes iconic shapes of glasses are hidden behind a neutral and discreet outer shape, unassuming and simple. But once you pour the drink, the glass’ inner identity appears creating an unusual and highly fascinating effect.
Besides the visual beauty, there is another extremely convincing argument: your drink simply doesn’t warm as fast as it would in a normal champagne glass as you are not touching it at all and if you really want it cold, chill the glasses in the freezer and create an amazing visual presentation…
The glasses are all handmade, are 1.5″ (3,8 cm) wide and 9.25″ (23,5 cm) high and come in a set of 2. Now all you need to do is choose the right bubbly…
Price: $60 / 60€

Technorati Tags: barware, Charles & Marie, design, Epicurean delight, glassware, Modern Living, Soupe du Jour