Dapper Scout – A lifestyle web magazine for men

If you’ve ever wondered how your dog spends the day when you’re busy at work (or just feel like checking to make sure you turned off the stove before you left the house), the Avaak Vue (available at Avaak starting from $200) is the personal video network that lets you to access up to 5o wireless video cameras from any web browser of flash-enabled mobile device.  Each battery operated camera is easily set up anywhere you like (using peel and stick camera mounts) and transmits wireless video to a gateway device that’s connected to your internet router.  You can view, record and share video and still shots from your secure video network which includes a personal account with 2GB of storage space (which should be more than enough to stockpile plenty of snapshots of the shenanigans that take place while you’re away).

Computer Accessories, Gear, Loft, Webcams

The next time a document requires your John Hancock, uncap the Kaweco Sport Ice Fountain Pen (available at JetPens for $15) and sign away with authority and a little flash.  Kaweco (established in Heidelberg, Germany) may not be as household of a name as Montblanc, but it’s worth noting that they’ve been producing fine writing instruments since 1883.  And there’s just something about the small hint of urbanity that comes with using a fountain pen that we appreciate, further accented by the brightness of delivery that Kaweco manages with complete mastery.

Loft, Office

Summer is officially here and that means there’s a solid three months worth of sun, cold beverages and our favorite summer pastime of outdoor grilling to look forward to enjoying.  And whether you’re tailgating, camping, or illegally grilling on your outdoor balcony, the FYRKAT Picnic Charcoal Grill by Bodum (available at BODUM for $50) is the ideal charcoal grill, especially if you happen to value portability as much as style.  Constructed out of enamel-coated steel with chrome-plated steel legs and available in six bright colors (editor’s choice: orange), the FYRKAT comes with a heat-resistant silicone handle (because you know you won’t wear oven mitts) and silicone lid clips to ensure the whole thing stays together en route to your next grill location.

BBQ, Grilling, Loft, Outdoors

Let’s be realistic here.  The way most of us (men) keep our bathrooms clean, it’s often highly questionable whether taking a bath actually achieves a greater level of cleanliness (we’ve seen some bathtubs riddled with something that transcends common soap scum).  The KÄSCH OVERFLOW Collection actually inspires taking a bath with a design concept that creates the illusion of a personal hot spring that just happens to be located in your very own home.  With a whirlpool design where the water in the bath naturally overflows, the experience is both tactile, visual and auditory.  If the following two bathtubs don’t spark the desire to unwind in the serenity that only a bath can provide, then there actually may be something wrong with you. 

Item A.

KÄSCH LAKE (available at KÄSCH starting from $12,200): the combination of stone, cement, glass and aluminum result in a minimalist sense of bliss.  We’re ready to get clean (and linger for a bit while we decompress).

Item B.

KÄSCH ORIENTAL (available at KÄSCH starting from $14,000): organic simplicity with the calming elements of stone and wood make this a personal oasis for one (or two for that matter).

Bathroom, Loft

For whatever reason and however loose the connection, when we consider how the Sony Dash (available at Sony for $200) seamlessly integrates the best parts of the internet via a slick 7″ LCD touch screen, the editors at DS are inexplicably reminded of a certain Homer J. Simpson, who once questioned how pork, bacon and ham could all come from the same wonderful, magical animal (and by no means are we suggesting the Dash is porcine in any way shape or form).  The Dash is what Sony calls a Personal Internet Viewer, one that wirelessly delivers music, video, TV, and movies as well as news, games and social networking through your choice of 1,000+ free apps (e.g. Netflix, YouTube, Slacker).  The Sony Dash also happens to have alarm clock functionality, making it a highly intelligent and informative means of starting your day off on the right foot with access to what we’d consider fairly relevant information (e.g. news, weather, traffic and time).  However you view the Dash and whatever you use it for, there’s little question that it’s just as singular an amalgam (of the internet) as the magical pig (of all its disparate and delicious parts) is to Homer.

Clocks, Electronics, Gear, Loft

As televisions have gotten progressively slimmer, it shouldn’t be surprising that of all things, aquariums would quickly follow suit.  The AquaVista Panoramic Aquarium (available at AquaVista starting from $995) is a widescreen wall aquarium that provides a low maintenance, yet upscale means for appreciating fresh water tropical fish from the comfortable vantage point of your living room couch (or wherever you want).  This self-contained aquarium comes equipped with with an automatic feeder as well as a heating/lighting/filtration system that keeps maintenance to a minimum while a carbon dioxide generator promotes the growth of live underwater plants.  A touchscreen panel gives you a customizable level of environmental control and with everything pre-assembled, simply find the space on your wall where the AquaVista belongs, hang it and fill it up with water and your choice of tropical fish.  Available in black or silver and with up to a 10′ width (with just a 6″ depth), the AquaVista Panoramic will have your walls nicely (not to mention aquatically) covered.

Related Item:
Fishcondo by Teddy Luong

Loft

There are those individuals willing to put in the time and effort to build that perfect media center, meticulously researching the ideal configuration of receiver, speakers, and cabinetry at just the right price points.  Now, for those who are simply willing and able to spend the money for white glove service (and believe in one-stop shopping), there’s the Geneva Home Theater (available at Design Within Reach for $4,000).  It’s a striking synthesis of furniture and audio that comes in a hand-lacquered wood frame that’s well equipped with seven speakers, a 12″ subwoofer, an iPod universal dock, a CD player and an AM/FM radio.  Digital surround sound pours out of the Geneva Home Theater and while an LED light lets you know what’s on tap, the frame also includes room for your other media components.  Available in a piano-lacquered black or white, the Geneva Home Theater is the ideal all-in-one media and home theater center when you’re willing to put in zero effort, but demand maximum audio output.

Electronics, Loft, Music System

After a long day (or week) at the office, sometimes all you need is to crack open a cold beer or sip on something neat (and single malt) to unwind.  Still, there are times when your whole body and mind require something a little more holistic than a simple beverage to undo the damage that only your day to day grind can inflict with such utter relentlessness and lack of mercy.  The editors at DS recommend doing something outside the normal scope of your daily ablutions by immersing yourself in the cradle of aqueous comfort that only the AVEO Bathtub by Villeroy & Boch (available at Ira Wood & Sons for $7,056) can provide.  This freestanding tub is exceptionally designed from both a visual as well as tactile point of view (as it’s meant to conform to your body as opposed to say, a rectangular block of wood) and we can’t imagine a better way to decompress than in the warm embrace of the AVEO Bathtub.

Bathroom, Loft

O Canada, you’ve given us so much: poutine, the development of the modern sport of ice hockey, and Evangeline Lilly (a hat-trick indeed).  The Chateau Laguiole Mammoth Ivory Corkscrew (available at Custom Curling for $490) also takes what the icy Canadian ground has given up (i.e. 10,000 year old mammoth ivory and provided it with new life (in the form of a corkscrew handle.  The brushed stainless steel body on this Chateau Laguiole corkscrew is well complemented by the smooth tan and brown of the mammoth ivory, which is then further accented by its black stainless steel components.  Whether an avid collector or just a highly selective oenophile, the Chateau Laguiole Mammoth Ivory Corkscrew is a unique addition to your barware set and ample reason to invest in a corkscrew if you don’t have one already.

Related Item:
Chateau Laguiole Galuchat Corkscrew

Accessories, Bar, Loft

Sometimes bigger is simply better.  The Isis by Big Ass Fans (available at Big Ass Fans starting from $2,800) is unquestionably a large ceiling fan, but its size is about function (and not bragging rights).  Made of aircraft grade aluminum and laser cut steel, the Isis has a modern design based on the aerodynamic principles of a commercial jet aircraft’s wing.  Its patented airfoil and winglets increase the efficiency of airflow by reducing drag and maximizing the downward thrust of air, thereby moving more air than your traditional ceiling fan.  And with an arresting design presence that’s fully customizable in your choice of color, the Isis is a formidable way to keep things cool as the weather starts to warm up.

Loft