I know this is a long post, but it wouldn’t be as fun if it were just a few images. Incidentally, these are not my photos, they are the work of Leandro Lattes, an industrial designer and one of the founders of El Vivero, a design studio based in Madrid. He has authored two books that beautifully document many of the less homogeneous design details of Madrid — things that are heading towards obsolescence from the urban landscape such as bar stools, door knobs, signage, facades, store displays, and on and on. The on and on part is what I love!! These intercoms are some of my favorites. Please note that these pictures are but a small percentage of the total for this particular category. Do yourselves a favor and check out the rest of the books. Do it here.

I saw these prints on Swissmiss this morning and fell for them in an instant. I am a true sucker for the mundane and the obsolete appearing in numbers. And I love the texture and flatness of these images. Good job Tweed Tom (real name, Tom Rowe). And thanks Swissmiss for having such a keen eye. If you want to live with one of these, go here.

Simple, clean and the most durable solution I’ve seen to date for kitchen storage. These metal enameled canisters with ash wood lids, designed by the women behind the Viennese studio Dottings, are so nice and so practical! Keep in mind that while these are indeed opaque, you can easily write on the surface so that you know what’s inside. I came across these while I was wandering around vineet kaur’s tumblr blog. Photos by Christina Häusler.

The original Kevi desk chair was designed by Jorgen Rasmussen back in the fifties. Thanks to my mother, I was lucky enough to have one of these at my desk. It was bright yellow and I really liked it. I have no idea where my chair is now, but I wish I still owned it. I remember it being comfortable and I loved that it took up so little room. The good news is that this design is still in production. It’s manufactured by Engelbrechts. I have been looking around online to see where one could purchase a chair IF one wanted, but I am not finding anything offhand.

About the size of a small loaf of bread, and surprisingly heavy, this little beauty sits on the windowsill in Pamela Mayer’s shop. It wouldn’t mean much to someone who doesn’t sew, but to Pam, an amazingly gifted clothing designer, this pin cushion is something to be treasured (maybe even guarded) and used. Every day.