Just in time for 100% Design in London, Thorsten van Elten released 2 brand new designs for our favorite mug. And there really isn’t more to say, because this is such a great idea and so self-explanatory…
It’s a plain white bone china mug, like many of the white mugs you already have, but lift it up and – ha – surprise…
Oh, maybe one more thing: 2.75″ (7 cm) diameter and 3.1″ (8 cm) high…
Colors: Monkey, Tiger, Dog, Pig, Rabbit
Price: $23 / 16€

Technorati Tags: accessories, Charles & Marie, decoration, design, Modern Living, porcelain

Now don’t get us wrong, we firmly believe that there are too many weapons out there today and that little boys are not even using guns anymore but are opting for a semi automatic when it comes to boyish game play and that’s just plain wrong. But this is different!
It’s a piggy bank – though its outside appearance has as much to do with a piggy as, well, you know… But in any case, this little bomb is made out of porcelain, glazed with a matt black varnish and comes with a white marker to inscribe whatever it is you desire and when you are done collecting your pennies, well, it’s time to drop the bomb. Literally, because otherwise you won’t get to your saved treasure… Now that’s pretty funny, don’t you agree?
Price: $25 / 20€

Technorati Tags: accessories, Charles & Marie, design, gadget hip, piggy bank, Soupe du Jour, Tragically Hip

The creative guys over at Droog Design give all new meaning to the word sucker. This is one of the smartest contraptions for the home and we are amazed how few have actually heard of it. Its basically exactly what the name says: A silicone sucker.
Need more info? OK. Think of it this way, a hanger that you can put up on the wall, and if you don’t want it any more, take it off and stick it somewhere else. It is a soft silicone contraption and all you do is stick it on the wall and press the air out. The resulting vacuum holds the ‘Sucker’ to the wall - don’t need it any more? Lift up an edge, have the air flow back inside and voilà - no more ’sucker on the wall’. Smart eh? We love it in the kitchen and in the bathroom, but also to add additional hangers in a closet. Oh and kids - they adore those little suckers… Speaking of size, they are 4.72″ (12 cm) wide and 3.35″ (8,5 cm) high and come in 3 cool colors.
Colors: Aqua, Purple, White
Price: $16 / 11€

Technorati Tags: accessories, bath, Charles & Marie, decoration, design, Modern Living

So you’re on this conference call that takes forever. Boooooring… You have several options:
1) Play Bejeweled, and look like a complete you know what, when somebody walks in on you. Which btw is highly likely the way modern offices are set up…
2) Take a power nap. The results will be similar to the first option - if not worse…
3) Awaken your inner Artiste and create the most amazing sculptures right on your desk!
How you ask? Well, easy as pie.
Morph Pad. At first sight nothing but a tall (1000 sheets) stack of paper. But unleash your creativity and turn it into the most amazing sculpture you can think of by simply twisting and turning it any way you want to. Don’t like the result? No worries, twist and turn again. And voilá: A new sculpture… But beware, this is so addictive, that your coworkers will want to ruin your masterpiece just to create their own.
And if your boss walks in on you whilst you are playing with the Morph Pad and you have your conference call on speaker phone, it could always be considered cleaning up your desk. And which boss doesn’t like a clean desk? And on another thought, this makes a great present for those coworkers or the boss so they’ll stop ruining your masterpieces…
Color: Black Stripes, Orange & Brown Stripes, Purple & Dark Purple Stripes, Green & Dark Green Stripes
Size: 3″ x 5″ x 5″ (7,5 x 13 x 13 cm)
Price: $19 / 16€

Technorati Tags: accessories, Charles & Marie, decoration, design, Modern Living, Soupe du Jour, stationary

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. Our favorite toilet paper is now available in bright green. Wondering what we are talking about? It all started with Black toilet paper that 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, so we started bringing it to you a good 12 months ago. 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, now that the green is available, 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 don’t fret, we still have the black, and 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…
Price: $15 / 11€

Technorati Tags: bath, Charles & Marie, decoration, Modern Living, 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’. After the runaway success of the Champagne and the Liqueur glasses we are now so excited to get ready for the third installment: The Martini Glass.
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. The Martini glass is particularly amazing because it is a lot shorter than the usual Martini glass, but it creates a wonderful presentation and is a lot better to hold than balancing an overly wide glass filled to the rim on a thin stem…
Besides the visual beauty, there is another extremely convincing argument: your drink simply doesn’t warm as fast as it would in a normal martini 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…
We are putting these into a presale, because we only have limited quantities that will be arriving in about 3 weeks time and we won’t be getting in any more until well into December, so if you want to secure some for the holidays, we highly recommend pre-ordering now. As always, the glasses are all hand made they hold about 4.5 ounces and a couple olives (120ml).
And because drinking a Martini all alone is a dull thing and shouldn’t be allowed, this comes in a set of two just like the the other two variations… Hello delicious!
Price: $55 / 45€

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

This was one of the highlights in our opinion at the Gift Fair in New York in January. And then again, in May, it was still a highlight for us at ICFF. But unfortunately, it was stuck in production. But not for much longer! It will be ready to ship in 4 weeks time, so if you want to get your hands onto the first pieces, be sure to pre-order or it might not make it to you in time for the holidays!
What is this thing we are raving about you ask? It is a light. In a book. A pop-up book. So basically a pop-up light… Presented in such a beautiful way: A big (we are talking something like 16″ x 12″ / 41 x 30 cm) beautiful linen bound book (either red or grey) and if you open it, a lamp pop’s up and starts to light up. Fantastic. You can choose between the traditional Lampshade or the Parisian Streetlamp, we’d take both…
Colors: Lampshade, Streetlamp
Price: $95 / 85€

Technorati Tags: books, Charles & Marie, design, lighting, Modern living, Soupe du Jour

During the cold war – and even today - the east was somewhat famous for their own brands of cars. You might remember the fall of the German Wall and the abundance of tiny 2 stroke Trabants crowding the street of Berlin, or alternatively the huge Wolgograd limousines on Moscow’s streets. In any case, we don’t want to bore you too much with cars here, our friends over at Qubus in Prague just released their brand new candleholder in Paris and it is adequately called ‘Spirit Of The East’. So, without further ado, you can now own an eastern car without any hassle from the DMV or other authorities. Without the weird color schemes or the nasty two stroke smell though. But we are sure you’ll appreciate that aspect.
Price: $60 / 50€

Technorati Tags: accessories, candle, Charles & Marie, decoration, design, hip home, Modern living, Soupe du Jour

Brilliant! Was our exclamation when we first saw this 5-piece plate set. From afar, it’s a very traditional Dutch plate set: the romantic blue illustrations, traditionally centered and somewhat different on every item. But once it is properly examined, the true nature becomes visible, and that has nothing to do with Delft tradition. Iconic images of New York are stylized in a way that they appear to be like the lovely windmills one would expect. The ubiquitous cab, the hot dog stand, the garbage truck and obviously: lots of graffiti. We think it’s pretty cool and spot on. The set consists of 5 pieces, cup and saucer, small plate, bowl and large plate.
Now invite your hipster friends and add some street cred to your dinner table.
Price: $90 / 75€

Technorati Tags: Charles & Marie, Epicurean delight, Modern Living, porcelain, Soupe du Jour, tableware, Tragically Hip

Let’s start the week off with a smile: An egg shaped moneybox made out of porcelain. Why smile about that? Well, it doesn’t have an opening to get to the money stored inside, so it will eventually end up like the eggs you have in your fridge, cracked.
Beautiful soft bisque porcelain, 8 x 12 cm (3.1″ x 4.7″) in size – that’s it, nothing more to say about it. A wonderfully simple idea by Kensaku Oshiro and made by the creative guys over at Vlaemsch.
Price: $50 / 40€

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