Apparently, painted movie ads were the norm in 80s Thailand and I suspect in other parts of Asia too. We think the aesthetic is collectable if you can find any original posters but otherwise check these out for inspiration and perhaps look for reprints when next visiting Thailand. Recognise any of these films?

Via io9

Technorati Tags: design, horror posters, movie posters, painted posters, Thailand

CHOP STICK is a wardrobe by swiss Andreas Saxer, inspired by traditional Japanese wood joinery methods and chop sticks. Four wooden sticks are loosely connected with an aluminum profile. The loose system becomes very stable by the weight of the clothes.

We love this for many reasons, one being how elegant it is to look at and use. Another is because we now have something to use with this supersize Chinese New Year hot pot in Chengdu.

Via Swiss Miss

Technorati Tags: Chopstick Wardrobe, chopsticks, Andreas Saxer

For a look at some of the Chinese New Year lanterns up in Hong Kong at the moment, check out these cartoon themed ones at Shatin Central Park in the New Territories.

More on Chinese New Year Cartoon Lanterns in Hong Kong

Technorati Tags: cartoon lanterns, Chinese lanterns, Chinese New Year, Chinese New Year lanterns, Hong Kong, New Territories, Year of the Tiger

Retro Kanban is a fascinating web site dedicated to old Kanban which means “shop sign“. This site carries a collection of enamel signboards, which were familiar from the 1930s to the 1970s and is a fantastic resource for designers, who just pure eye-candy who love the era.

Retro Kanban

Via Retro Thing

Technorati Tags: design, enamel signboards, Japan, Japanese shop signs, retro, Retro Kanban

Chordata, a project by Singaporean Joanne Lin consists of a design made up of four square polypropylene sheets and two customized clips. You wouldn’t think it looking at the gorgeous result which shields a lightbulb to create a lamp.

Read more on CulturePush

Technorati Tags: Chordata, design, pendant lamp, Joanne Lin, Singapore

Korean designers Maezm created the Table-Dish-Cover, a silicon table cloth with integrated dishes. Looks like the sizes are perfect for kimchi with your main meal!

The flexible, injection-moulded silicon product is spread over a table at meal times and then removed and washed afterwards as a complete unit.

Read more on Dezeen

Technorati Tags: cuisine, design, injection-moulded silicon, Korean, Maezm, silicon table cloth, Table-Dish-Cover

Pop Wuping posts the following image of a Chinese pawn ticket. Apparently, in the 1950s, most small Hong Kong shopkeepers still used an abacus for calculations, and a brush rather than a pen for their accounts and receipts. Bits of ephemera like these seem to be rare in current times, but I still look out for them when traveling.

Via PopWuping

Technorati Tags: Chinese calligraphy, Chinese pawn ticket, Hong Kong, pawn ticket

We spent a day at the Design Festa in Tokyo last May. It’s an amazing arts event full of lots of independent artists!

We covered alot of the Design Festa over 5 posts on our other blog MangoVine.net, which you can check out via the links below. The event happens every May and November and its worth timing a trip to Tokyo especially for it, if you’re interested in creativity!

Design Festa at Tokyo Big Sight – Personal Creativity at its Finest!

Design Festa at Tokyo Big Sight – Linh’s Big Hair

Design Festa at Tokyo Big Sight – Amazing Variety of Artist Work

Design Festa at Tokyo Big Sight – Performers and Entertainment

Design Festa at Tokyo Big Sight – Amazing Cardboard City Model

Technorati Tags: arts, crafts, creative, design, Design Festa, ideas, illustration, Japan, Tokyo, Tokyo Big Sight

Free Vectors website Vecteezy has a vector file featuring a Japanese Geisha character. It looks pretty good on a tshirt as they show, but as a free download, you can place it where you like.

Get the Japanese Geisha Vector file at Vecteezy

Technorati Tags: culture, design, geisha, illustration, Japan, Japanese Geisha character, vector file

Fans of The Godfather films and designer toys will love this new figure by coveted Hong Kong figure artist Michael Lau. The Godfather figure is the first product from MINDstyle’s Godfather licensing deal with Paramount.

This figure will be released at the “Family Tradition” art exhibition on Sunday, July 19th @ De La Barracuda in Hollywood.

Read more on Vinyl Pulse

Technorati Tags: design, designer toys, Hong Kong, Michael Lau, toys