Photo courtesy of the Fondation Le Corbusier, Paris / Phaidon Press

If it hadn’t been for a certain dapper Swiss genius named Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris—Le Corbusier to you—the likes of Richard Meier and would still be playing with Legos. Perhaps the very first starchitect—and way cooler than Frank Lloyd Wright—the dapper fellow in the bowtie and black specs masterminded the Modern movement and laid the foundation, literally and figuratively, for all avant-garde design to come.

The Phaidon Press has just come out with a $200, 20-lb., 2,000-image tribute to this towering talent, entitled Le Courbusier: Le Grand. In it you can see how came up with groundbreaking designs for everything from chairs to skyscrapers, dressed to the nines all the way.

People tend not to talk about it outside of design school, but there’s a symmetry between the way things look and the way we use them. Some chairs want you to relax, but others want you to pay attention. Some tables look like they want coffee cups but others want laptops.

This one, on the other hand, looks like it’s ready to design a skyscraper for you. We haven’t been much impressed by Muji, but after this, we’re coming around.

Our inexplicable love of credenzas is well documented, but apparently we’re not the only ones.

Red Hook modernists Standard41 whipped up six different models—including this one, aptly named “Big Boy”—to assuage their own 60s nostalgia. One of the other types includes a wine rack, but we’re happy just to have a few drawers, some sliding panels, and an alternative to buying something that was actually made in 1961.

Ladies and gentleman, your arduous credenza search is over.

The saying goes, “If you build a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to your door.” But there should probably be something in there about lightbulbs too.

This one comes from global design firm Frog Design, and after five minutes we’re already converts. It’s light-bulb shaped (always a plus), more energy efficient than the average fluorescent unpleasantness, and its lifespan is measured in decades. They even drop a scattered leaf pattern on top to spread the light around. (These are dyed-in-the-wool design kids, after all.)

Of course, these days beating a path is as easy as putting up a blog post.

If you’re still flirting with tobacco, a pipe can add a Hefner-esque touch to your homecoming routine. And while you probably weren’t hurting for a place to stash them, it’s always nice to have a bit of niche furniture.

This pipe cabinet from Palo Samko has two distinct advantages over setting aside a spot in your desk. First, the whole thing looks like a barely-finished log, meaning it’ll add a touch of mountain-man style to even the most urbane space. And second, those circular drawers won’t get old any time soon.

Well played, Palo. Well played.

The Threadless culture has inspired a lot of innovation, but there’s also been a wash of half-baked and out-and-out lazy designs letting a square inch of embroidery substitute for an actual idea. The most recent offender? Attus Prep.

We Are the Market big-upped these polos, but they’re just standard issue catalog-wear with an “edgy” symbol—a mohawked punk, a 40 oz bottle, a stripper on a pole—stitched where the usual polo player or seagull would go.

There’s a press packet, a few choice anti-establishment quotes, and logos to spare. If they just had some clothes, they might have something.

At Uniqlo, the T-Shirt Chooses You: The Japanese retailer finally goes completely off the rails. Mimes are involved. [The Shophound]

A Wing and a Prayer: A Continuous Lean visits the Red Wing factory and gets to smell the leather up close. [Vimeo]

The Rise of the Machines: Rudimentary computer art peacefully invades a Swedish gallery. [Cool Hunting]

Democracy in Action: Voting is open on the top five designers of all time. Our money’s on the Finns. [MakeFive]

Classic novels have had a rough shake lately, but the problem may be with the shabby covers you’re used to seeing at Barnes & Noble. After all, a hardcover is still a hardcover.

This series from Penguin Classics may help things out a bit. Designer Coralie Bickford-Smith came up with these, and they’re just about perfect, from the aristocratic chandeliers of Great Expectations to the vulgar geometry of Crime & Punishment.

Sadly, it’s only available in the UK through Waterstones…but we’re sure there’s a trick or two that can get it to your door.

There are a lot of reasons to troll used-book stores, but whether you find the title you’re after or not, there’s always a few interesting covers.

This gallery of old Pelican covers should be a reminder: they don’t design them like they used to. (Although Chip Kidd might have something to say about that.) And judging a book by its cover isn’t as bad as it’s cracked up to be.

In the worst case, it sits prettily on your end table while you turn to more interesting pursuits. After all, it’s an object too.

See a few more covers»

Rabbit, Run: Surreal photography continues to scare the crap out of us. [NotCot]

Winter Sports: A friendly face introduces us to the terrifying world of snow polo. [Luxist]

Going Minimal: Does good design flourish during a depression? It depends how you feel about the barrel-top. [Unbeige]

Going Gray: The enduring appeal of the gray flannel suit. [A Suitable Wardrobe]

The brewery tour is a long-standing highlight of masculine tourism, but the days of wooden kegs and sketchy tour guides may be coming to a close.

This pic is from is an experimental marketing plan for Heineken that would put visitors through a veritable Haunted Mansion of Heineken, including a psychedelic screening room, interactive tasting desks, and a star-shaped bar area that looks like it came straight from the notebook of an interior design class.

Sadly, none of it’s real yet, but we’re more than a little bit jealous. How long do we have to wait before ridiculous things like this start actually happening again?

Take the tour»

Now that we’ve got digital displays everywhere we look, the old mantle of clock is going to have to go a few steps beyond analog if it’s going to stay relevant. In other words, the pendulum is ripe for a resurgence.

Yasuki Takamori’s 269 Clock is a pretty good example of what it looks like when it’s done right. The walnut plywood keeps things minimal and organic, but the real highlight is the pendulum swinging behind the bottom window. It’s amazing what a little movement does to put you in tune with the daily passage of time—especially when it’s not on a digital display.