7 pairs of shorts, 1 basil jungle, and a spritz machine 🌞 #68

Buonasera from Františkovy Lázně!

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

Czech spa towns are like time machines.

Marble lobbies, velvet chairs, and waiters who look like they’ve been carrying trays since the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Perfect for a short trip.

(Just skip the mineral fountains in those gorgeous parks—the water tastes like boiled coins.)

Since we last spoke, a few things happened:

• I almost bought an old cinema (no joke). Didn’t pull the trigger — but I wrote down why here.

• The basil on our terrace turned into a jungle. Which forced me to learn two things fast: how to make a proper gin basil smash, and how to bake a basil cake that doesn’t taste like pesto. Mixed results (with the cake).

• This newsletter’s website got a glow-up and is becoming more and more the design library I want to build with it. In the archive you can now search for specific products. So if you vaguely remember “that one weird bean bag that looked like a chicken” from months ago, you’ll find it. (Try it, I didn’t make that one up.)

• I learned that there is a world championship for cannonballs in New Zealand. The Māori call it Manu. Unfortunately, I missed it while being in Auckland in February. But if you want to impress the lifeguards during these last Lido days: here’s the best technique for a perfect splash.

Now—on to this week’s products.

If you’re new around here: Every week, I share 5 of the coolest products from Europe I’ve discovered in the past 7 days.

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

With love 🌞
Jakob

P.S.: Missed the last edition? The Swiss iPh0n3 USB-C case was the most clicked product.

Catch me on Instagram between issues.

Know someone who’d love this? Share it with them in one click.

Living Divani Family Chair [🇮🇹]

This series of different shaped chairs feels like late summer bottled up. Designed by Junya Ishigami for Living Divani, it’s light, poetic, and slightly surreal. Imagine a few of these scattered in an orchard — pears on the ground, cicadas buzzing, you with your favorite book in hand. Simple happiness. (Not sure how comfortable, though).

Take a seat here

Oli Box [🇩🇰]

A butter dish, but make it architectural. Ferm Living’s Oli Box is crafted from recycled glass and catches light the same way old-school glass blocks do. Since glass blocks are making a comeback in architecture, why not bring that vibe to your kitchen counter?

Check it out here

Torsus Praetorian Liberra [🇩🇪]

I came across this thing on my way to Františkovy Lázně.
Meet the Torsus Praetorian Liberra — an RV that looks at paved roads and shrugs. Built in Zwickau, Germany by Dämmler Weltreisemobile, it’s designed for the detours: forest tracks, muddy paths, mountain switchbacks. Pile in your friends, throw the map in the glovebox, and just keep driving until the landscape feels like another planet. This isn’t camping. It’s adventure on wheels.

See it here

Formigal Clay Baby Cord Shorts [🇵🇹]

I don’t usually feature clothes here (otherwise this would quickly turn into a fashion newsletter). But these shorts from Portuguese label La Paz deserve a shoutout. Why? Because I own seven pairs. In seven colors. Zero regrets. They’re the ultimate “last days of summer” staple — two seconds to put on, then straight out the door.

Find them here

Sprizzer [🇮🇹]

This Italian invention turns three bottles into pure summer. Fill it with Prosecco, Aperol, and sparkling water, and Sprizzer pours the perfect 3:2:1 ratio every time. No measuring, no guesswork — just press the tap and out comes a flawless spritz. Aperitivo, automated.

Spritz it here