From Europe with Love #42 – 5 finds you’ll love (one is MoMA-approved) 👀 February 16, 2025

Buonasera from Auckland!

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

For the past two weeks, we’ve been in Auckland, doing the family nomad thing.

Since the kids are temporarily in school here (otherwise, the Italian school would’ve sent us a strongly worded email in ALL CAPS 🤷‍♂️), we got to witness something pretty special on their first day:

Right after summer break, all the elementary kids performed a haka to welcome the newcomers.

Picture this: a couple hundred kids, barefoot on the wooden floor of the school assembly hall. Eyes locked in. Voices booming. Stomps so in sync you feel them in your chest. The whole room buzzing. Pure energy. Pure goosebumps.

And it got me thinking — when was the last time you picked up something and felt that same kind of care and intention?

After years of people pretending not to care, effort is making a comeback. Nathan Zed nails this in a great video.

Trying hard is cool again. And you can tell.

Same goes for the products in this week’s lineup.

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

Ceramic Party Rain Frog [🇬🇧]

Handmade, small-batch, and gone before you know it. Brighton-based artist Helen Burgess drops ceramics the way streetwear brands drop sneakers—blink and you’ll miss them. Her studio, Nosey Mungo, is known for wobbly, colorful creations that look like they belong in an art gallery (but are made to be used). A fresh release is coming in the next few days, so if you want in, keep your eyes peeled. Check them out here.

La Bonne Brosse Hairbrushes [🇫🇷]

La Bonne Brosse believes brushing your hair is a ritual, a self-care act, maybe even an art form. Their brushes are handmade in France, designed to be heirloom-level good, and come with more R&D behind them than some tech startups. I’m not really in the market of hairbrush shopping (unless it’s a gift). But do I respect the commitment? Absolutely. See the brush enlightenment here.

Lexon x Pantone Tykho 3 Speaker [🇫🇷]

A design classic gets a Pantone makeover. The Tykho radio by Marc Berthier for Lexon has been around since the late ‘90s — originally a rubber-clad radio (and part of MoMA’s permanent collection). Now, it’s a Bluetooth speaker, still wrapped in soft silicone, and comes in Pantone’s signature color palettes. A perfect mix of retro-futurism and practical design. Bonus: it’s splash-proof, so your questionable shower playlists are safe. Check it out here.

Maro Model 1 Espresso Machine [🇩🇪]

This one’s for the real coffee nerds. The Maro Model 1 isn’t just another pour-over machine — it’s precision engineering disguised as a coffee maker. Designed in Germany, it gives you total control over every variable, all through a 7-inch touchscreen that looks like it belongs in a lab. Dial in your brew with exact temps, flow rates, and timings — because sometimes close enough just isn’t good enough. Spotted via Stefan, who has an eye for cool gear. Brew with precision here.

Voadora Teapot [🇵🇹]

A teapot good enough for MoMA. The Voadora, designed by Mardouro, is a minimalist masterpiece — sleek, elegant, and very much the opposite of the floral porcelain set your grandma used to own (and also a lot more affordable than you’d expect). It’s part of a collection celebrating Portuguese craftsmanship, proving that even everyday objects can be museum-worthy if done right. Steep yourself in good design here.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE FIND THIS WEEK? HIT REPLY WITH #1, #2, #3, #4 OR #5 – I’D LOVE TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS!