tgif eye candy: new products from the moma design store’s “destination: japan” collection. the new series will highlight lifestyle products found only in japan and produced by both established and emerging japanese designers. click here to check out and shop the new collection…

design season is right around the corner and i am loving it. for the first time in four years of attending the shows i feel prepared, excited and ready to tackle all three shows and off-site events with my camera. i can just feel the energy building in new york and we prepare to kick things off with brooklyn designs next weekend. so, starting today and continuing for the next two weeks, i’ll be sharing what i think are some of the most promising products and designers that will be showing at brooklyn designs, icff, the national stationery show and surtex (where i’ll be speaking on may 18th). today i’m starting off with this fantastic new glass drinking set by designer ted muehling for lobmeyr glassworks of vienna.

muehling’s first collaboration with lobmeyr will draw upon “centuries of historical trends to create a distinctly modern collection that blends utility, beauty and wit”. he explains, “i tried to go back in time, to pre-stemware when glasses were both sensible and poetic. they celebrated the contents within.” for me, the real beauty of these pieces lies in the elegant engraved monograms swirling across each vessel. each graceful line is meant to resemble the flight path of an insect- some even ending in images of a fly or moth. the collection will be on my list of “must-see-in-person” pieces so i’ll be sure to share more images from the show in a few weeks. until then click here for more information on ted muehling and here for information on lobmeyr.

if you’re as big of a fan of heath ceramics as i am, you’ll want to hop on the nearest train, bus or plane to catch their incredible open studio and vintage auction/sale may 2nd-4th. in addition to touring the facility and learning how to glaze a tile, there will be an auction of tiles, buttons and necklaces produced by artist and founder edith heath and her staff from the ’60s through the ’80s. the necklace above would be my auction pick but i’m sure there will be a fantastic collection of designs for everyone. if you’re interested in attending the details are: heath sample sale (may 2-4th, 10am-6pm), heath open studio (may 3-4th, 10am-6pm) 400 gate five road, sausalito CA 94965 (open to the public, no advance booking necessary, admission is free).

just a quick deviation from normal content to say, how fabulous is this necklace from nervous system at etsy? i have a tragically short neck so i could never pull this off but for those of you who are blessed with more neck real estate than i am, this is almost too lovely to resist. you can pick up nervous system’s silicone rubber radiolaria necklace right here for $60.

i know i promised more before & after content but my jet lag is attacking with serious force right now so i think i’m going to need a quick crash-nap and then a return to the emails i missed while away. i’ll be back tomorrow with regular posting but until then i wanted to share these gorgeous milk bottle carafes from three potato four. i’m digging milk bottles these days so i hope you’ll enjoy these as much as i did. click here for a sneak peek into the home of three potato four shop owners, janet and stu.

because today is ‘in the kitchen with‘ day (today’s food photography is a must, must-see), i couldn’t resist sharing some gorgeous vintage cook and tableware from white elephant vintage at etsy. i was out of town for their “pyrex spectacular” this weekend but they’ve still got some great (well photographed) pyrex sets kicking around at their etsy shop. now that ac and i are thinking about registries and things like that i find myself wishing i could just register with vintage cookware and baking dishes. maybe one day i’ll wake up and find my dream website where someone had rounded up a registry of my favorite vintage american cookware and some great scandinavian bowls with which i can cook. ah, to dream. in the meantime, you can pick up some great pyrex bowls and vintage tableware right here at white elephant vintage for around $35-$65 a set. [for more pyrex love click here]

[also: today is the final day to fill out the 2008 d*s reader survey and be eligible to win one of four beautiful eco-prints from alena hennessey. click here to fill out the survey- the survey will closet at 1:45 and winners will be announced today at 2pm]

this morning i’m finally starting to feel mostly recovered from my bout with the flu earlier this week. but i’m still in that “comfy” mode where i want to stay in soft pajamas and work from the bed. thankfully i was able to drag myself out long enough to catch up on work, book my hotel and get ready to fly out to LA for next week’s biz ladies meetup. but since i’m still home for a few more days, i’m relishing all things comfortable and worn in- like this beautiful bench from barb at knack studios. she also rehab-ed this beautiful dresser and gave it a gorgeous coat of bright blue paint. it makes me want to find a comfy pair of overalls and repaint some of my old flea market finds out in the hallway. click here for more information on knack studios.