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Squeeze Play
You half expect L’Equip’s new juicer – which looks part robot, part penguin – to walk and talk. It doesn’t. But it does make orange, grapefruit, lemon, or lime juice in a flash and will pour two cups of said juice at the same time. Each arm has a spout – if both arms are down, juice will pour from both. Leave one arm up for a single cup, or a friendly wave ($130).
S. FELDMAN HOUSEWARES
1304 Madison Avenue, near 92nd Street/212-289-7367
Chrome Fixture
If only we could look this good at the age of 73. Corbusier’s LC9 bath stool has been in continuous production since 1928, yet it seems quite up-to-date in 2001. And, at $295, it’s a bargain compared with other pieces in Cassina’s Masters Collection. Each chrome stool is signed and numbered, and features a terrycloth seat.
CASSINA
155 East 56th Street/212-245-2121
Groove Things
There should be a warning label on these tiles: prolonged staring can cause motion sickness. The eight-inch-square glass tiles were first made in the seventies in Czechoslovakia, where they lay unused until recently. “You can use them for anything but the floor,” warns Matthew Austin at Las Venus, where the tiles are sold in six different designs ($10-$12).
LAS VENUS
163 Ludlow Street/212-982-0608
113 Stanton Street/212-358-8000
Ear Candy
John Hardy is obsessed with gadgets. If it’s new, cool, and techy, he’ll buy it. But the Bali-based designer couldn’t find an earphone chic enough to go with any of his cell phones; so he made his own. He calls them “candy for the ears” – sterling-silver cell-phone earphones, some with semiprecious stones. While they are guaranteed to draw attention for their design, improved cell-phone reception is unfortunately not part of the package ($195 for silver; $950-$1,100 with stones).
SAKS FIFTH AVENUE
611 Fifth Avenue/212-753-4000
Velvet Underground
Would you trust a designer inspired by velvet paintings? Or would blurry visions of Jimi Hendrix keep you away? Not to worry, Jennifer Boyd’s painted velvet handbags, which she sells under the name Mona Milkface, are a bit more elegant than your average velvet Elvis. “Tip Toe,” shown here, features custom-made Lucite handles (shaped like tulip petals) and the silkscreened image of a stem and leaves ($295).
BOND 07 BY SELIMA
7 Bond Street/212-677-8487
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