For professional shoppers, the New York International Gift Fair (NYIGF), which ran last week, is one of the most amazing places to visit. It hosts nearly 3,000 exhibitors from across the globe, with thousands of products that are vetted for quality and style. While the sheer volume of objects may seem formidable, it is organized into categories that make cruising the aisles a delight even for eye shoppers. It's great for spotting new products that respond to hot trends, like sustainable materials and manufacturing practices. It even has a special section displaying student designs. Several blogs I visited picked their favorites, as follows:

Apartment Therapy and Parenting magazine both loved the simplicity and beauty of felt products from Parkhaus Berlin. Elaborate felt curtains, a wide range of felt baskets and bins, bags, cushions, and even an ingenious door stopper came to the fair. This gave me a wonderful feeling of deja vu, as I had admired the pendant lamp by Parkhaus that was included in the last Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial.

The New York Times featured a no-glue, no-stitch, stretchy shopping bag by L.A. based Artechnica. Made from recycled advertising billboards, it goes from flat to 3-D with the shake of the wrist, and can hold up to 33 pounds of stuff. So far, sounds like a winner. But the spoiler is this: According to the manufacturer, it's also available in leather.

The Sky Planter, designed by Patrick Morris for Boskke, a a new ceramics company in New Zealand. Left: Herb garden in small size planter.Far right: Large size, with fern.

But my hands down favorite is the Sky Planter from Boskke, a new ceramics manufacturer founded by Patrick and Jake Morris of Auckland, New Zealand. Designed by Patrick, who graduated from London's Saint Martins College of Art and Design in 2006, the planter holds all kinds of plants, from herbs to orchids, upside down, so they can be hung from the ceiling. Not only do they look wonderful in an unexpected way, they also help to minimize clutter.

Jake sent a bunch of jpegs yesterday, showing different uses of the smaller pieces, including a kitchen herb garden. It's so much more convenient than the window box I have at home. I have to walk all the way from the kitchen to the front room just to grab a handful of herbs for dinner. The Sky Planter, Jake says, releases water gradually so it uses much less - and it only needs to be refilled once or twice a month. It comes in three sizes, priced from $25 to $75. Boskke has a U.S. distributor, Kip Kotzen, who is now taking orders. The online shop, Jake added, will be up and running by the end of October.

For product design mavens, the next NYIGF will open in January 2010. But Design for a Living World continues at the Cooper Hewitt Museum until January 4, 2010, It features designs for sustainably grown and harvested materials by ten leading designers including Yves Behar, Maya Lin, Isaac Mizrahi, Ted Muehling, and Kate Spade, among others.

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