How it’s Made

A website called Quirky.com crowdsources the design of things.  The average viewer can submit input on how to make a product idea better. They can even commit to purchasing it if it gets enough votes to go into actual production.

What do you think?

Being a kitchen & modular designer, I notice things pertaining to both.  On Quirky,  this Click N Cook spatula set caught my eye.  I think  I like the handle & spatula heads themselves.

I would add 2 features:

• a second handle, so I could use two utensils at once, and
• a way to hang an easily cleanable component storage bar on a wall so it didn’t take up counter space.

What do you think? Like? Don’t like? Would you use it? Is $35 a reasonable price?

Quirky pros & cons

I like the concept. It takes advantage of many minds to look at the design from as many angles as possible. Especially the user angle. It’s common practice in Japan to start all new hires in the sales/helpdesk department. That way they get firsthand info from the user. Same thing here.

It’s also great that Quirky shares the product development process with videos of the actual teams thinking through the product.   It lends credibility to designers of all kinds by shedding light on how much work & thought is involved in making something.

The one thing I wish was stressed more on Quirky was closed loop production.  For all I know, it may be, but here are some thoughts:

• What happens to the product when its useful lifespan is over?
• Does the manufacturer take the spent product back?
• Does it get reintegrated into new products?
• Is the manufacturer resource conscious with both energy, water, and raw material?
• Also, does it source material that are considered another product’s waste stream?

More Eye Candy for the Kitchen

A couple of things caught my eye last week in the kitchen accessory world. First, Eva Solo has some wonderfully simple utensils. I especially like the magnetimer & fruit peeler. See thumbnails below.

My folks had some hurricane lamps for years on our mantle. They were rarely used. The ones Mom & Dad had were tall & slender, & had a wicker wrapped handle to carry from room to room without burning your hand. Though I wonder about moving these metal & glass guys once lit, they are still just beautiful, & hangable, no less.

Warm it up with wood

Natu has some elegant bowls for fruit & whatnot. I could totally see one of their Fructo-o bowls as a centerpiece on our reclaimed wood dining table.

Another nice Natu fruit bowl is Iradia, and some solid walnut serving bowls. See thumbnails below.

Modern Terrarium for a Modern Kitchen

One of these wonderful terrariums from Litill would look great in an unadorned spot.

Maybe not necessarily in the kitchen, but a balanced, quiet life form to hang out with the herb pots wouldn’t hurt.

I love the splash of subtle plant color against the stark white. The vessels are handblown glass, & they come with instructions for setup & plant care.

Simple + Functional IS Beautiful.

Always has been. We’ve featured DESU Design products before. Check out their spice racks. One piece of steel for each of these designs. I’m such a sucker for elegance & simplicity. Either of these would look fantastic on a mosaic tiled wall. On any wall, really.

If I had to choose, I’d go with the Aperture model. I’m hopelessly klutzy in the kitchen and I could see myself knocking everything off the the 1 Line. It would be easy to stack multiples of the Aperture model, too.

High Thorn: traditional African design + contemporary. via