Leonhard Pfeifer awarded Design Guild Mark

Do you remember this fabulous desk that I wrote about last year? Designed by Brisbane industrial design alumni (QUT) and all-round fantastic guy Leonhard Pfeifer, it picked up an award at last year's Maison&Objet in Paris, and I'm proud to announce that The Farringdon Laptop Desk has just been awarded a Design Guild Mark (one of only 11 products for 2011) in the UK.

The Design Guild Marks were introduced by The Furniture Makers Company to recognise and award excellence in the British design of furniture in mass production. The Mark is awarded for excellence in design, use of materials, manufacture and function.

I'm so thrilled that our Aussie/NZ talent is being noticed by the big guys. Congratulations Leon!

Read more about Leonhard Pfeifer furniture designs here on Bondville.

Images: Leonhard Pfeifer

Leonhard Pfeifer Picks Up Maison&Objet Award

Australian/Kiwi furniture designer Leonhard Pfeifer is a long-time Bondville favourite. I've been following his career since the late 90's when I first met Leon (a QUT Industrial Design graduate) and his talented collaborator and wife Karla.

My personal connection made me extra-proud of Leon's win at Maison&Objet in Paris last week. Leon's Farringdon Laptop Desk won the "les Découvertes" award for Loft category for its sleek design and small footprint. “les Découvertes” or “the discoveries” is selected by a jury of home fashion experts to recognise the most impressive new products of the show.

Apart from looking pretty fabulous, the Farringdon Laptop Desk was designed for apartments and small living spaces, featuring an extendable work-top, solid Oak legs, an open shelf for papers and sliding worktop that integrates cable management. The desk accommodates laptops / flat screen monitors, external hard drives and phone chargers.

The Farringdon Laptop Desk (manufactured by European furniture masters Woodman) will be available across Europe from late 2010 for AUD$499 (£299 / €349). For more information, check out the Leonhard Pfeifer website.

Images: Leonhard Pfeifer

Hip Products: bbqcanvas Stylish BBQ Covers

The focus here at Bondville is on Australian design but I just couldn't resist sharing with you this GENIUS design from across the pond. Based in NZ, the guys at bbqcanvas® have created fantastic covers for your BBQ.

Stylish and practical, I know these beauties are going to sell like hotcakes (at a great price point). The covers come in four designs and three sizes (M, L, XL) and make the most of a tight weave, piped seams and velcro bindings to ward off the elements.

bbqcanvas® co-designer Arjan van Woensel sounds like a bit of a hoot too: “The bbqcanvas has already cornered a niche market in New Zealand, where it’s transforming boring covered barbeques into an attraction rather than some sort of outdoor style crime". And I love the tongue-in-cheek sheep design.

You can find bbqcanvas® covers on the Australian bbqcanvas® website.

Images: bbqcanvas®

The Hottest Bra for Nursing

It's something that the biggest fashion brands in the world have been unable to achieve - truly hot bras for nursing mothers. Hot Milk (great name!) is a brand from New Zealand that is dedicated to beautiful maternity lingerie and it truly lives up to its promise. There's a fun tongue-in-cheek section on the Website for men, and the promotional material is gorgeous too. You can find Hot Milk products in Australia, NZ, the UK, Europe and elsewhere globally in stores and online.

Image: Whisper Sweet Wickedness bra by Hot Milk

Great Packaging: Eco Store

I love Eco Store's natural products for both their ingredients, and their stylish packaging. Usually I hide away my dishwashing liquid when people come over, but with this packaging - it's right out on display. And on top of all that, a portion of the company's profits are channelled into environmental projects and community initiatives.

The company is based in New Zealand and you can find a list of stockists in Australia and NZ and the rest of the world on the Eco Store Website.

Image: Eco Store