You've got the right idea, but Design Hole has moved to a new location. Check out Design Hole's report from the 2008 show at www.designholeonline.com
Thanks for visiting.

Design Hole is blogging furiously from the International Salone de Mobile in Milan - but we've moved to a new location: Here's where to read up on all that's happening: www.designholeonline.com

Thanks for visiting, and please bookmark Design Hole's new location.

The All-New and Improved Design Hole has moved to Designholeonline.com Please stop by an take a look, and if you have a bookmark or link, please update it. Many thanks.

This is quite the appropriate chair of the day. Design Hole is moving. I'll be on my Scooterdesk, from Utilia, and moving through the Internets to a new address. Actually, if I owned one of these I'd probably forget where I was going and fall down the stairs. Also, just looking at this photo is making me feel like someone gave me a wedgie.

Who thinks up these things? I don't understand why people think we need to type and roll (or exercise) at the same time. Plus, there's no cup holder, so this item is out.
via: geekology

Completing my extremely brief tour of the Far East, here's a fantastic find for the brave and persistent. Chinese Furniture sell just that - furniture from China. Some are antiques, others are reproductions.

The prices are remarkable. This cabinet, for example, is priced at $289.00. However, I said this was for the brave because the shipping gets complicated. You have to figure the container price, which they help you do and they have an email address for questions. As they say:

We can arrange delivery to a main port or city, and also to a private address. If you haven't imported, You may find Custom House Broker from Yellow Page with any other shipping needs you may have.Once goods are sent, we will send the official shipping documents to shipping address given by buyer. The paperwork and shipping is quite simple once you've done it.

And this is where the dollars can add up. There's the shipping charge, the local shipping charge and a $145 charge for processing and fumigation. But still, the price is unbeatable and these are antiques. I'm keeping it in my design arsenal.

Would you buy something this way? Too scary? Or, is anything worth the bargain?

I found a cute fabric company, Nuno, which makes kid's fabrics and trims. The company hails from Japan, but ships all over the world.

Their fabrics are cotton and linen. They're sold by the square (50cm x 55cm) or (19.5" x 21.5"). Some are also available in traditional widths and are sold by the meter. Their designs are quite unique, with a Japanese twist that has become very popular.

These would be perfect for quilters and other home-dec projects. They also don't have to be limited to children's things. Tea towels, placemats, and other things with a funky twist to them would be great. Nuno's prices are good, too. The Little Matryoshka print sells for about $5.00 per square.

The Well Appointed House is a New York based company founded in 2001 by Melissa Hawks. She wanted to bring unique decorative accessories readily available to the design trade to a broader audience and hence, her company was born.

These pillows are a nice way to bring Spring and Summer into the house. They're handmade needlepoint and embroidered. Melissa's selection runs the gamut from the super-traditional to the more contemporary.

I like the selection I've created. They're bright and cheerful and not the usual thing you find - especially in the needlepoint department.

I used to needlepoint and embroider things. But I found it hard to find patterns that were lively. I also ran out of nieces and nephews who needed Christmas stockings. Now I'm just too busy.

The prices for these pillows shown here run from $58 to $145. - a nice price point.

Furniture designer, Richard Lampert, will be introducing his prototype In-Out chair in Milan next week. Here's a sneak peek.

Lampert thought about finding a simple easy chair for indoor and outdoor use. He came up with a basic and light powder-coated structure with a changeable padded wool or leather cover. Take it outside, bring a book and enjoy the sunshine.