I certainly got my 15 minutes in 2005. Plus a few more on the last day of the year, by way of the Ottawa Citizen which ran an article today titled "A year of living famously". Here's the intro; "Canadians, far from being boring, are being chosen by all sorts of pundits on this year's lists of what's good, what's bad and what's strange in 2005, writes Charles Mandel.". Thanks Charles!

+ ottawacitizen.com (subscription only)

My Top5 is all about the senses. Looking forward to another year of great MoCo design to interact with.

J. Prichard Wall Installations

+ Ceramic disk wallcovering. J.Prichard Wallcoverings ceramic disks that are created to cover walls in just about any formation remind me of corals or lichens. I want to meditate calmly by them, run my hands all over them, and in a fit of pique, have them set the scene for a violent break up.

Alikudi

+ Printed grass/fur acrylic chairs. Acrylic furniture with graphic prints by Samy Ait-Ali. The Grass armchair for cool drinks, the Cactus for time-outs, the Terrasse with the Sunday papers, Napo in so many colours - how to choose?

Rug#1

+ Black urethane rug. The black urethane rug by Patrik Fredrikson calls out for either my bare feet or my Manolos. Cheeky.

Breckenridge Perfect Cottage

+ Ultramodern single-wide trailer by architect Christopher Deam. The Breckenridge Perfect Cottage would be a totally zen way to start the New Year. Still looking under the tree.

San Jellocisco

+ Art, architecture and Jello collide in Elizabeth Hickok's San Jellocisco. Come on, a cityscape built of jello? How can I not LOVE it? (How would I not eat it?)

+ Landscape made of wool; BANFFscape contemporary textile design by Marianne Desmarais & Liz Sargent.

As they state on their site, "ubushina means a birthplace in old Japanese terminology," and with that in mind, Ubushina is also a network where today's Japanese designers can be put in contact with craftsmen working in traditional Japanese techniques (from lacquerware to metal work to paper lanterns) to create contemporary items inspired by Japan's past. Their results are gaining some deserved attention (they get a mention in the latest issue of WALLPAPER*), and it's already looking like we can expect some great things from this new form of creative partnership. JS

+ ubushina.com

Top5 by Gimena:

Caboche Light

+ Caboche Light designed by Patricia Urquiola and Eliana Gerotto. Patricia Urquiola can be considered the designer of the year. She has suceeded to reach the status of reference designer and she is the first woman in a long time to achieve such success.

Roses

+ Nani Marquina's new Roses rug. Nani Marquina is probably the best example of how handcrafted design is an important trend that will grow much bigger in the near future.

Form Follows f(x)unction

+ The invention of rapid prototyping has revolutionized.... Materialise.MGX’s stunning 2005 collection is an outstanding example of how technology expands the possibilities of design.

Magnito Salt & Pepper

+ Josh Owen's Magnito salt & pepper are thoughtful little objects for the kitchen. The kind of object that I love to consume: simple, functional and smart.

SystemX

+ Modular lighting system by Ross Lovegrove. I’m not a big fan of Ross Lovegrove but I loved his System X light. Beautiful, clever and extremely modern design.