Because it's Cool

So it seems that the Toast Messenger by  Sasha Tseng was never produced - just a design concept, BUT I want it now!

I would write notes to my wife all the time as I made her breakfast on the weekend. A practical product but with a lot of fun built in. Imagine egg eyes and smiley face bacon with a note on warm toast that says, “You are the upper crust of all women.”

ginwithlime:

Eat your words! This toaster by Sasha Tseng incorporates a little message board where one can write quick notes. The message also gets “toasted” into the toast itself. Fun fun! See Sasha’s website of wonderful projects

Design inspiration can come from anywhere, so keep your eyes open and your ears perked. Something as seemingly unimportant as a stack of matchboxes, can turn into something breathtaking, inspiring and imaginative like the “Matchbox” business building in Amsterdam North imagined and being constructed by Allard Architecture.

Each floor feels like something new as every level is skewed from the one above and below. The offices are connected naturally by an atrium that is central to all and provides fresh air and natural light … and networking possibilities between businesses as the walk across bridges over the atrium.

This goes to show clean design can still be super creative and eye-catching.

It really does look like a Cobra. I love the imbalance. In this position you realize that all the weight is in the smaller base. But you can also swivel the top around, and in that position it looks like it is top-heavy, but balanced. Oh yeah, and it also gives you light; that’s probably important.

outrahorapenso:

elio martinelli, cobra. 1968

Absolutely stunning, especially for using the bare bones material. Probably a huge waste of energy, but let’s just hope they are using energy-efficient lamps. Nonetheless, I would love to see this beautiful chandelier in person. Only $3461.00 - chump change.

fuckyeaheyegasms:

Droog Design: 85 lamps chandelier by Rody Graumans.

(via kwikzilver)

Imagine wearing your music on your wrist. Not compelling enough? I’m not talking about strapping your MP3 player down with some velcro; I’m talking about a clear flexible band that you connect to your wrist like a watch.

Yes, it’s clear, but it’s digital, so you can change the color whenever and to whatever fits your mood or outfit for the day. Maybe you want to see a picture of you English Bulldog all day - you can program that in too.

Remember that perfect day you had with your wife in Central Park when you heard the Beatles instrumental “Cayenne” wafting from a nearby radio? Imagine if this wrist device had GPS and every time you walked through that area of Central Park, “Cayenne” started playing. It’s your own soundtrack to your life.

Now are you intrigued? I sure the hell am. This is one of the many AMAZING concepts from designer Mac Funamizu. See what else he has in mind for your new musical experience.

Plants grow, so why don’t pots? Designer JunBum Park came up with a brilliant solution to keeping your ever-growing plant in the same pot. No need to buy a bigger pot each time. Instead, he has designed a pot that is actually just a wrap that you can expand in the base as needed. Found this one at: http://www.yankodesign.com/2010/04/21/growing-pot/

I love cacti and succulents! Partly because all the different variety, and unique shapes and great colors - greens bleeding into reds, pops of orange. But also because they are drought resistant, and here in California we should all be mindful of that.

Luckliy for all of us, Matteo Cibic, out in Milan, is having fun with these unique plants … and turning them into little 10-inch aliens. Yes, aliens.

His Domsai Terrariums would look great in my office, and might even scare off intruders. In fact, right when I saw these guys, I knew I had to have one. But then I saw the price. Ha. I don’t need to invite aliens to invade my wallet. But hey, if you can afford it - please buy one and let me come over to visit.

VitraHaus outshines the collection it houses. Don’t get me wrong, Vitra furniture is modern, streamlined and fresh - my current office has Vitra chairs and not only are they aesthetically pleasing but they are functional and oddly comfortable. But the architectural masterpiece, VitraHaus, imagined and built by Herzog & de Meuron tingles my senses.

When I first saw it, I had one of those moments where I said to myself, “why didn’t I think of that.”  The building connects two themes that often appear in their work: the archetypal house and stacked volumes. The photo by the way was taken by Iwan Baan, http://www.iwan.com/iwan_index.php - a photographer definitely worth taking a look at.

Spice things up a bit.

Fresh herbs and spices are always nice, but they only last so long. Some I won’t substitute for the powder stuff, like ginger (fresh makes all the difference in this case). But it’s vital in our kitchen to have dried herbs on hand when we cook. We  love to cook so many different cuisines, and that means lots of spices. Cumin, red pepper flakes, cardamon, cayenne pepper, turmeric, and so on.

That all takes up a lot of space in the cupboard, so we decided to take it out of the cabinet and use it to our advantage … in a different way.

Yes, your spices can also be art. You’ll need some sheet metal, a frame (sans glass), magnetic containers, and well, something tasty to put inside those containers. If you want to brush the metal like I did, make sure you spray it afterwards to seal the metal, otherwise it will rust.

This little gem comes from the kids at Jellio. I loved Hot Wheels as a kid, and I’m sure my son will too. I remember building ramps and courses with our wood blocks. My older brother would paint them with customized racing stripes.

Here, Kevin Champeny, parked 4,400 Hot Wheels to recreate the Hot Wheels logo on a wall display. Reminds me of the late comedian Mitch Hedberg’s joke: I want to see a fork lift, life a crate of forks; it would be so literal.

Hot Wheels manages to keep it fresh over the years while probably keeping one thing in mind, only one thing: Boys and men alike think cars, especially fast ones, are cool as hell.