Baja bbq firepack

Check this sweet little bbq kit from my friends Mike and Maaike! This would be the perfect compliment to a night chilling on the beach in a Maku Lounge Chair...

eco-friendly instant charcoal packaging designed by Mike and Maaike for Design Annex/ Lazzari

The Baja BBQ Firepack is charcoal packaging that lights instantly and burns away in the grille, making the barbeque experience simple, clean and chemical free. Made from 100% recycled biodegradable paper pulp, the package contains 2 lbs of natural lump charcoal and features an integrated chimney that creates perfect hot coals in 15-20 minutes without the aid of chemicals or lighter fluid. Available at gourmet supermarkets. Manufactured by Lazzari/ Design Annex - patent pending

to see how it works, visit mikeandmaaike.com

Maku on Design Crack

Greetings from the Maku PR department, which has been very tardy in letting everyone know about the great love we've been getting from the blog world and traditional media.

I'm going to get more proactive about making posts showing who out there loves Maku and here is the first.

I like the Design Crack (www.designcrack.com/v2/) blog for a bunch of reasons. Brandon (who runs the site) is an architect in SF and has some solid ideas on design. What I really like about his site (besides the name of his daily newsletter - "Design Crack Dealer" - I know, I'm lowbrow) is that he covers things most others wouldn't (like today's recent entry on some sort of leg springs for jumping). He also has a nice little project going on about graffiti, more specifically really bad graffiti, which I think is a great idea.

Enough about David, more about Maku! Right around ICFF, I turned David onto the limited edition chair Maku is producing and he was very much into it. Maybe because one of our designers hails from the Bay Area, maybe because it just looks great, maybe because he has a teak fetish. Regardless, we appreciated him giving us the attention.

If you're interested in checking out the full post, just click here
Blogger is having some photo posting issues right now and doesn't want to let me put up a screen grab.

ICFF Day 3 and 4

Well our first ICFF show has come and gone. We had a terrific response to all of our products from so many different people - Interior Designers, Retail, Hospitality, every sector of the home furnishing business what really excited with our debut collection. Look for lots of media coverage in the coming days and weeks. Be sure to check out the LA Time Home section on Thursday for a story on Left Edge and the brands / designers involved.

I could not have done this show with out the help of some incredible people. First and foremost are Marc and Emmanuel from EM collection. Not only are these guys 2 of the most generous people I have met but they are extremely talented designers and architects. E&M are responsible for putting the entire Left Edge Pavilion together for the show and without a doubt we had the most bangin and happening section in the show!! Thanks for all the efforts guys!!

My booth mate for the show was artist Beth Weintraub. She's super cool, energetic, and I could not think of a better person to hang out with during the show. Oh yeah, her artwork is really cool too!!!! Thanks Beth, good chilling with ya!

Anyway, look for a full wrap up on the show in the coming days, I've got lots of pics from some of the coolest designers California has to offer as well a few personal favorites from the show.

ICFF day 1

WOW, what an amazing day! The aisles were full of design enthusiast, retailers, architects, and designers from all walks of life across the world. The energy and vibe that this show exudes is like non other I have attended before. Even better is the feedback and response to our debut collection! Everybody that previewed our pieces conveyed that we have something exciting and special here. Open, easy going, Non Assuming, Fun, Contemporary, Lifestyle, approachable, Beautiful, Sustainable - were just some the words used to describe the new collection.

Here are a few photos from my cell phone (sorry see the post below...) ICFF sponsored a party at MOMA this evening and most of the museum was open to us for perusing. Lots of great stuff from Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, and many other of the most influential fathers of moderism. It was pretty cool to see this collection all under one roof!

By the way, the subway is still the fastest and cheapest way to get around NYC...

ICFF set up

I arrived in NYC on early Thursday morning after a wonderful red eye, no sleep and ready to go! After 14 hours of setup and over 36 with no sleep I decided to get to the hotel and get some rest before finishing set up today (Friday) Took lots of pics but of course like a knucklehead I forgot my usb cord to the camera so I could download them for daily updates. So I resorted to the dreaded cell phone pics. Not the best but the booth is starting to look great and the entire Left Edge group is a very talented and amazing group of people and brands! More to come in the next few days as we launch the brand to the world! By the way, check out the amazing artwork from Beth Weintraub.

ICFF Limited Edition Chair Preview

If you're at ICFF this weekend, you'll be among the first to see the new limited edition Maku lounge chair in person.

These chairs feature unique frangipani carvings under the arms and are part of a very limited run (250 in total). Like all Maku seating and dining elements, these chairs are created from sustainable plantation grown teak.

Details on the piece can be found on the Maku site, but I attached some pics if anyone wants to pull them down.

If you're heading to ICFF this year, definitely stop at the Left Edge pavilion to see Maku and the other great California based companies.

Maku in HFN Magazine

This is long overdue, but I wanted to show everyone Maku's debut in HFN (Home Furnishings News).





This was actually the first print/trade piece to run about Maku (in April) and I remember being very excited when it came out (and when a retailer called Johnny asking if we'll be at ICFF.

BTW - Just to confirm what was blogged about earlier, Maku will be at ICFF this month. We'll be located at booth #2338 as part of the Left Edge pavilion.

More info on Maku @ ICFF and media hits to come soon!