24 gondolas, a Soho paper townhouse and the most modular candle holder ever 🌞 #80

Welcome to this week’s installment of what’s hot in brands and products.

Back from New York… kind of.

I’ve been home in Merano for 48 hours, but my luggage is apparently still on vacation somewhere between JFK and Italy. To be fair, my brain’s not fully back either – NYC was pure leisure: walking until the feet complained, too many coffees, stationery stores and bars.

Outside: mountains, cold air, first Christmas lights.

Inside: still Manhattan. Shop windows, restaurants, bookstores, people – all on replay.

It’ll take a while to digest everything, and while I’m slowly shifting from city buzz to winter mode, I’m also remembering that I don’t actually like winter that much (minor flaw for someone living in the Alps).

This week’s 5 picks sit right between those worlds: a gondola Advent calendar, a swing with Italian DNA, an open-source speaker, a modular candle sculpture and that Soho townhouse made of paper.

If you’re new: every week I share 5 of the coolest products from Europe I’ve found in the last 7 days.

I scout, you explore. Let’s get to it!

With love 🌞
Jakob

P.S.: Missed the last edition? Most-clicked piece: The z shelf S from Berlin studio kolor.

Roadtyping designed thesse 24 tiny paper gondolas you fold, fill and hang like a ski lift through your living room. No glue, sturdy enough to reuse for years, designed in the Allgäu and made in Bavaria together with a workshop for people with disabilities.

String your own mini ski lift for December

Portable speaker from Teufel with Berlin hacker vibes: 50% recycled plastic, repairable, files open-sourced so you can mod the shell instead of binning it. Waterproof, dustproof, battery for days.

See (and hear) more

A minimal swing with Italian soul: designed by Frale Design (Alessandra Balsotti & Francesca Rosignoli) for Spanish brand Diabla Outdoor. White seat, crossed ropes, soft motion – it works in a living room, garden, office or kids’ room without screaming “playground”.

Give your room a swing

The STOFF Nagel cult candle holder from the 60s that basically works like Lego. Stack, twist, build a weird little skyline – then light your sculpture.

Start a tiny candle city

The only New York townhouse I could afford. Made of 2,000 loose sheets. Scale 1:250, fire escape, storefronts — designed by Oliver Seltmann and Stefan Küstner for Seltmann Publishers.

Park a Soho townhouse on your desk

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