Boobs for Shade, Poolside Chairs & Paper People 🌞 – #59

Buonasera from Merano!

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

It’s officially summer in Italy. School’s out for 12 (!) weeks.

Chaos and joy in equal measure: gelato for breakfast, lido time on loop, and kids testing the laws of bedtime physics.

But here’s the thing: I don’t feel like I’m in summer.

I feel like I’m in spring. Ideas are blooming. Projects are coming alive. It’s one of those rare seasons where things just click.

So this week, I wrote a short piece on what it means to live and work seasonally — and why it might be the sanest mindset shift you can make this year.

Read it here: Spring in June – Why Life Works Better in Seasons

And of course, I’ve got 5 very summery picks for you this week. Two of them from Marseille — one of my favorite cities for design and apéro.

Let’s dive in.

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 dive in!

With love 🌞
Jakob

P.S.: In case you missed last week’s edition: The notebook from Portugal was the most clicked product.

Le Seins Tropez Parasol [🇫🇷]

It’s a beach umbrella with boobs. That’s it. That’s the pitch.

Designed by Matthieu Vergote in Marseille — a guy who lives somewhere between adman, artist, and agent of beautiful chaos — Le Seins Tropez is equal parts sunshade and satire. Bold. Weird. Ridiculously French. Your neighbor will have opinions.

Throw some shade – provocatively

Grand Parad Armchair [🇫🇷]

Another hit from Marseille. Axel Chay’s Grand Parad is what happens when a pool chair gets a design degree. Loud. Sculptural. Unapologetically yellow. It doesn’t blend in — and that’s the whole point. I’d put it next to my (imaginery) pool.

Sit down in style

There are a few other versions on Axel Chay’s site too, each one a sculptural mic drop.

Paper Characters Wall Art [🇳🇱]

Flat-pack masks with big personality. Lex Pott turned paper into playful wall weirdness — like abstract emojis made by someone who once studied architecture, then got bored. No tools, no commitment. Just hang them up and vibe.

Put a face on your space

Mesia Lamp [🇪🇸]

Luis Gimeno’s Mesia lamp is what happens when a Bauhaus sculpture takes a deep breath and says “om.” Minimal form, maximum vibe. And it looks good when switched off — which, honestly, should be a design rule for everything (including TVs).

Light it up gently

Conservatory Chair [🇮🇹 | 🇿🇦]

Designed by Yaniv Chen (Turin and Cape Town-based), imagine this chair in a garden with olive and citrus trees. And you sit in the shade. A bentwood frame, perfect curves, and enough presence to stand alone — or pair two for a slow summer afternoon in conversation.

Lean back with flair

Shoutout to this week’s sponsor – Notion, the app I use to keep all these product picks organized.
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