Cool Stuff: Mokusei Light

I oohed and aahed over this pendant light when I saw it at Berkeley's Vessel recently.

(Though the proprietor looked at me like I was some kinda craaazay when I mentioned that it sort of reminded me of IKEA's Knappa Klover pendant, above -- only, you know, way more beautiful. I'm not crazy, though, am I?)

The Mokusei (Japanese for "Jupiter," presumably because of its celestial appearance) comes in a flat-pack (hey -- kind of like the IKEA pendant!) of 20 triangular pieces of cherry veneer, which you fit together like a 3D puzzle. Use all 20 pieces to form the spherical shape shown above, or 10 pieces each to make two of the smaller configurations pictured below.

Available for $225 from Tortoise. (The cord and light socket themselves are not included, but you can pick them up at any good hardware store.)

Cool Stuff: Wooden Postcards

I spotted these pretty postcards (including Gourd Nest, above) at Vessel in Berkeley the other day, and just could not get over how cool they were.

Each card is made of thinly sliced, sustainably harvested wood and imprinted with a sweet illustration.

Swiss Flower

Modern Folksy Blue Bird

Terrarium Butterfly

Fashionably Folksy Owl

The 4-by-6-inch cards can be mailed with a regular, 26-cent postcard stamp -- but I think they're even more suitable for framing.

The cards are $5.50 each from Birmingham, Alabama's Night Owl Paper Goods.