I am in the midst of making last-minute preparations for THE annual event of world furniture design, the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, or otherwise known as the Milan Furniture Fair. The fair will be held this year from April 16-21 at the Milan Fairgrounds in Rho.

Like any year, many of the well-known furniture houses such as Molteni & C. and Zanotta will be showcasing the best of design at the show. I will be reporting live from the show floor as well as from after-hours events and from the Fuori Salone — the non-official design showcase all over Milan.

I’ve already got my walking shoes ready.

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I haven’t had a “real” post in a while, and since it’s a rainy day (and we don’t get much of those here in Northern California) I thought I would sit down and update the site a bit with fresh content. The intent of the site is to give readers a good overview of what’s hot in urban living, design and travel through text and photos. Suggestions are always welcome on how I can improve this site. Without readers, metrosnapshot would just be yet another page in the cyberspace (do we still use this term?) oblivion.

Let’s talk about design.

Samira Boon.

I met her at ICFF a few months back in New York City, where she had a little table with these colorful Furoshiki Shiki holders. From the outside the product may not look like anything special, yet there is something about it when you open it up. These holders are made of semi-transparent vinyl film that are naturally adhesive, so opening and closing the holder is quite simple. No zippers, no buttons. So naturally I bought one to store my metrosnapshot cards for US$10.

Since then, her products have made it into two large department stores, the de Bijenkorf in the Netherlands and Le Bon Marche (my personal favorite). I am sure you will see more of her in the near future. Scroll to the end of this post for a link to her site.

Romolo Stanco for Nonesiste @ London.

This LaDinDon Quindicimillimetri (it’s just 15mm written out — but just sounds great in Italian, doesn’t it?) is just a simple yet fun rocking chair. This particular edition is limited to 666 pieces only. There are other editions available. Designed by architect/designer Romolo Stanco. More is coming on this one. If you are out in London tomorrow, do go out and check it out, as tomorrow is the last day.

Truman Brewery, London
DesignSpotter Area D21 ConTent

Coverage of London Design Festival.

If you will miss the London Design Festival (like myself), Wallpaper* does have great coverage, including interviews with Tom Dixon and Giorgio Armani. Check it out.

I attended the International Stationery & Office Products Fair and the Design Accents Expo at Tokyo Big Sight exhibition center today. The shows were quite different from what I had expected, as the products exhibited were mostly geared toward the Japanese market. There was also less focus on greeting cards (with exception to Japanese new year’s postcards) and more focus on writing instruments and accessories. Nevertheless, I found quite a few things that caught my eye — and here they are:

Hello Kitty Fortunes.

The Japanese love fortune-telling, so why not present them with one of Japan’s most beloved characters? Select a Hello Kitty that matches your Chinese zodiac sign and your fortune is hidden on the underside of this cute ceramic piece. 500 Yen (US$4.20) each.

Instant Noodle Timer.

This instant noodle timer will light up and sound when your Cup O’Noodles are ready. Simply fill your noodle cup with hot water and place it on top of the cooker and wait. After three or four minutes, you will see lights and hear kettle sounds to alert you that your noodles are ready to be consumed. A popular graduation gift here in Japan. 2500 Yen (US$25).

Some-Q Instant Dyes.

This is probably one of the most interesting products at the show. This set of instant dyes are simply spray paints that can change the color of almost any product in seconds — and the color won’t come off! It’s quite amazing how the ‘new’ color does not smear just seconds after applying the spray. You can even be creative and use stencils to spray on your favorite pattern. 780 to 980 Yen (US$6.50 to $8.20) each.

Paris Metro Notebooks.

If you are a subway lover like myself, these are some great notebooks to have. These are official licensed products from the Paris Metro (RATP) and come in designs of each of the major metro lines of Paris. In two sizes, priced between 380 and 580 Yen (US$3.20 and $5).

There’s more to come here in Tokyo — watch out for more design discoveries, including Tokyo’s Shiodome district and Tokyo Midtown.