The Shisha, A High-end Hookah From Porsche Design Is Smokin'.

This high-end hookah or luxury bong (depending upon what one plans to smoke out of it) has been designed and created by the Porsche Design studio. A modern version of the popular Middle Eastern hookah pipes, the Shisha (which will retail for £2,000) combines aluminum, stainless steel and glass with the timeless and unique design approach of the luxury brand.

Already under criticism from health organizations in the UK, the Shisha was designed as part of the Porsche Design World Collection which will be available at Porsche Design stores worldwide at the end of July and exclusively at the newly opened Porsche Design shop-in-shop at the world famous Harrods department store in London, Knightsbridge.

Porsche today said that the Porsche Design Shisha was an object of 'cultural value'.

'Our brand has very strong roots in the Middle Eastern market,' said a spokesman.

'Our brand is very much international and in doing our World Collection (which also includes tea cups and chopsticks) we decided need to include cultural goods from and for the Middle Eastern market as well.

The firm said it was part of their plan for 'global thinking and unifying cultural backgrounds.'

Harrods, where the Porsche pipes are sold, was acquired last year by the Qatari royal family, who also own 10 per cent of Porsche.

Made in Germany, the Shisha stands 55 centimeters tall and shows discreet branding on the aluminium (aluminum) top:


The long flexible tube is made out of TecFlex material, which is also used for the classic Porsche Design TecFlex writing tools:


This is not the first smoking paraphernalia that Porsche studio has designed. Their P' 3613 , a tobacco pipe made from forty-year-old Bruyère wood has cooling ribs cut into the material along the lines of the famous air-cooled Porsche boxer engines create a thermal effect that cools the pipe bowl to a pleasant temperature:


They have designed other versions of pipes, lighters, cigar cutters and holders which you can see here.

The Porsche Design World Collection is dedicated to a united global community and consists of a number of exclusively designed products. Besides the Shisha the assortment contains chopsticks, a tea and soup set as well as a few fashion items such as a jacket, polo shirt and a silk scarf.
The lately opened 55 square-metre shop-in-shop at the world-famous department store Harrods in London offers the full range of Porsche Design products. It is situated in the opulent surroundings of the Knightsbridge store’s vision and sound department at the 3rd Floor’s Millionaires Gallery.

Porsche Design Store at
Harrods Ltd.
87-135 Brompton Road
Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7XL
Great Britain

About Porsche Design:
Porsche Design is a luxury brand with a particular focus on technically inspired products. The Porsche Design brand was established in 1972 by Professor Ferdinand Alexander Porsche. The products stand for functional, timeless and purist design, characterised by their technical innovation. The product portfolio includes watches, sunglasses, luggage, electronic products, a men’s fragrance line as well as sports apparel and a fashion collection for men and women. All the products under the brand are designed at the Porsche Design Studio in Zell am See (Austria) and are available worldwide in the company’s own stores, franchise stores, shops-in-shops, high end department stores and exclusive specialist retailers.

Information courtesy of Porsche Design and The Daily Mail

Exactly What 420 Means And Some Hip Ways To Celebrate.

It's April 20th. Or 4/20/2009. The twentieth day of the fourth month. And to those savvy in cannibas culture, it's commonly referred to as "420"(pronounced four twenty); a slang word whose origin truly comes from my own high school, San Rafael High.



"According to Steven Hager, editor of High Times, the term 420 originated at San Rafael High School, in 1971, among a group of about a dozen pot-smoking wiseacres who called themselves the Waldos. The term 420 was shorthand for the time of day the group would meet, at the campus statue of Louis Pasteur, to smoke pot. " source


above: the Louis Pasteur statue at San Rafael High, birthplace of 420

No, it's not the chemical make up of THC (according to High Times, there are 315 chemical compounds in Marijuana), or the CA penal code section for marijuana use, or the date on which Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison or Jimmi Hendrix died. And although it actually is the date on which Hitler was born, that has nothing to do with the term either.

Don't believe me? See it for yourself here on snopes.

And today's Huffington Post interviewed the original "Waldos".

Okay, now that you know what 420 really means and where it came from, what to do about it? Why not pay homage with some of the beautifully designed apparatuses you see here. I'm not suggesting anyone break the law. Those with legal medical marijuana cards may indulge and those without can use these pipes, hookahs and bongs to smoke legal herbs.

Last year I wrote a post in honor of 420 and shared with you some nicely designed water pipes, hookahs and more. There have since been some additions from these designers and some new ones on the market.

The Carbon Fibre Bong is modern, stylish and streamlined. Fits in perfectly with the Purisme collection!:

Buy it here.


A new model and limited edition design by Meduse Designs:

details:


learn more here.
Or see last year's post with many more meduse designs hookahs here


By now most design blog readers have all seen these stunning hookahs by Airdiem:


But there are recent addition to the stunning Narghile Etian (original in polished chrome and available in a gold finish as shown above) designed by Nedda El-Asmar.

Like the new Narghile Coral design (in gold):



And the Narghile Coral in red:




Also, new options for the Narghile include fur covered tubing and more:



as well as the Narghile White by Tribu Design for Airdiem:



above: Natural Acrylic stone, stainless steel, leather. Dimensions: 15.7'' (40 cm) long, 4.3'' (11 cm) width, 1.9'' (5 cm) high

The Atelier SZ has a plexiglass base, is new as of Spring 2009 and comes in black or red:


above: Altuglas, silvered metal, burner made of hi-tech ceramic. Dimensions: high 21.2'' (54 cm), width 12.6'' (32 cm)

Airdiem - 26 avenue du Château d'Este - 64140 Billère - France Tél. +33 (0)9 51 72 48 52



Roor has long been known for quality (and costly) glass water pipes. They have some rare custom models fit for royalty as well. And yes, the bong Olympic Gold Medalist Swimmer Michael Phelps was caught smoking was a Roor.

The Diamond Accented, Gold Gilded Roor Custom:



From the description on Everyonedoesit.co.uk:
"This very, very special Roor is emblazoned with a genuine diamond-studded, solid gold Roor logo mounted regally on the 7mm thick borosilicate glass beneath a rare Bubbled Tube feature and an Opal Embedded Crown Mouthpiece.

Beneath the logo is a Dichro Embedded Marble, featuring a funky Roor logo within. Either side of the Dichro marble there are two Solid Silver Hemp Leaves, while the ice notches below are heavily gold gilded to match the logo and the bowl, which is also gold gilded. The diffuser logo is uniquely gold coloured as well."
buy it here.

The Roor Silver Ruby Custom:


With solid silver logos with real rubies x2, solid silver hemp leaf, platinum ice notches, roor millefiori bead, a glass section bowl, crown mouthpiece, bistabil joint and complete with matching ash catcher. buy it here.


Republic of Bongland (now seemingly renamed Smoke Hurricane) makes hand blown glass bongs from Germany that consist of beautifully etched and shaped glass water pipes like the following:


Hurricane Dragon and Scorpion:

Hurrican etched Dragon:

Hurricane etched Gecko:

Hurricane Gold :

Hurricane etched Medusa:

Hurricane Gold Artist series:


The Illadelph Glass Art Gallery on Melrose in Los Angeles carries custom and designer blown glass pipes and bongs, such as these:









Places to find some of the above and more luxury bongs and hookahs:
Airdiem
Meduse
Illadelph Glass Gallery
Luxury Bongs from Jupiter Grass
Roor
Hurricane
Wild Hand Blown Glass Bongs, pipes and more from It's All Goodz
Everyone Does It
For tons of intense artist hand blown glass bubblers, check out this site.


And there's water, too!

Above: Don't forget your 420 water! New Zealand's 420 Volcanic Spring Water

Wanna celebrate with a desktop wallpaper by Concept420?

For Mac or PC, download them here.

See last year's 420 post here which features more stunning designs from Medusepipes and Airdiem.

In Honor of 4/20: Luxury Hookahs, Waterpipes, Narghiles & Bongs

The Original Narghile:



Above: The "Narghile" Made of solid polished pewter, burner of hi-tech ceramic, pipe of aeronautical polyamide treated with teflon and comes with two mouthpieces made of synthetic mother-of-pearl, tongs and a beautiful carrying case. Designer Nedda El-Asmar for Airdiem.

The Limited edition 18k Gold Plated Narghile, The Pure:



Above: The "pure", completely plated in 18k yellow gold, burner of hi-tech ceramic, pipe of aeronautical polyamide treated with teflon and comes with two mouthpieces made of synthetic mother-of-pearl, tongs and a beautiful carrying case. Designed by Nedda El-Asmar.

"Narghile Wearing a Chechia (Fez)" has been added to the collection, designed by Hilton McConnico:



Above: The Fez Wearing Hookah, body made of metal and resin, comes with two mouthpieces of synthetic mother-of-pearl, tongs and carrying case.

Bejeweled Narghile:


Contact Airdiem


Meduse Design makes a craft collection of stunning hand blown Bohemian Crystal water pipes. The collection consists of the Brute, The Brute Grande, The Noble, The Mirage and the Mirage Grande, all shown below.

The Brute and the Brute Grande:


The Mirage and the Mirage Grande:



The Noble (available as mono, duo and trio):


Medusedesign

what is a water pipe?
Water pipes are made in many different sizes and design. On top of each pipe you'll find a bowl in which you can place your favourite smoking blend. When lit, the smoke is drawn through water before reaching your mouth and lungs. The water has an important filter effect. A large part of carcinogens like tar are filtered by the water. In addition, the water cools the hot smoke and the protecting mucous membrane of the lungs will be less harmed.

Water pipes find their origin in the Ottoman Empire: once a world power with a high level of civilisation. Water pipes where called `Narquile' then. Turkey is all that remained of this impressive empire. Water pipes are still very popular in the Middle East. Water pipes in these regions are used to smoke special kinds of tobacco, like honey and apple tobacco. Smoking and sharing a water pipe amongst friends can be seen as a sign of friendship and trust.

what is a bong?
A bong is a sealed chamber half-full with water. A pipe with a bowl on the end goes into the chamber under water level. Another pipe with a mouthpiece on the end enters the chamber and stays above water level. You put tobacco in the bowl, light it and suck on the mouthpiece. This will lower the air pressure in the chamber, causing air to travel from the bowl, through the water, into the chamber and into your lungs. As the smoke enters the chamber through the water the smoke cools down and a large part of carcinogens like tar are filtered by the water. When you remove your thumb from the hole, the smoke shoots straight up into your lungs, so beware!

It is thought that the bong is older then the original water pipe and is actually the predecessor of its Ottoman family member. The theory states that thousands of years ago Asian explorers took their smoking systems with them on their long travels and left their bongs at Ottoman trading places.

above text courtesy of grasscity.com

Also worth noting:


Above: Eric Doeringer's Elaborate Bongs (an art project).

The Silver Palm Leaf pipe in chrome or silver.
Flat as a credit card and graphic packaging and design:


Buy it here.

Now there's an updated post and new luxury hookahs, bongs and more to be found here