Welcome to the store at 826 Valencia. That and the quote “Definitely one of the top five pirate stores I’ve been to recently” (David Byrne) are the only clues you have as to what awaits. And what awaits are some of the smartest ideas and graphic design I’ve seen lately. Take a look…
With the holidays only a hop, skip and a jump away I’m doing some major penny pinching. Between flying home to Pennsylvania and buying and shipping gifts my bank account is on a major diet. Every penny counts and I’d love to have one of these Coin Storage banks to keep track of them all. It’s actually a bank/tray combo, so you can set your keys or cash right on top. And when it’s time to empty out, just pop off the bottom lid and you’re all set! {via Better Living Through Design}
New graduate Jack Bresnahan exhibited a series of biodegradable plastic lids that repurpose used tin cans into household containers in a New Designers show last June. A set of nine in all, which transform the cans into objects including a vase, soap dispenser, sugar caster, tea and coffee canisters, toothbrush holder, money box and desk tidy. Love these, very smart design at work.
Oh, wow. Super loving this Nature Planter. The artichoke-like shape allows you to plant a variety of herbs and plants in one pot.
Posted In grand design, grow itCecilia Felli had a brilliant vision one day and turned a few umbrellas into skirts! So much fun.
Posted In grand design, wear itI love having fresh herbs to cook with in my kitchen. Unfortunately I’m not growing any myself at the moment, but I do buy them at the grocery store with the roots still intact. The problem is that I never ever use them all at once and despite my best efforts to keep the little guys fresh and alive I always fail.
Enter the Herb Keeper. Iteep fresh herbs or asparagus crisp and green longer than refrigeration by immersing the stems in water. Large capacity keeper fits in most refrigerator doors.
As if their incredible aluminum bottles weren’t enough, SIGG now offers these too good to be true Snack Boxes. Made out of the same aluminum as the bottles, the rubber seal and snap locks on these sardine-like containers keep everything fresh and leak free. Personally, I’d like to put them to work in my studio for storing small odds and ends!
Australian-made Karpati nail polishes are free from toluene, formaldehyde and dibutyl phthalate which is great because they’re all unnecessary and potentially harmful chemicals.
But what I would buy this polish for is the bottle design alone. It’s super functional by slipping over two fingers, eliminating the need for a surface to set the bottle on. I’ve spilled more than my share of nail polish and ruined countless things in the process and this is such a simple, effective design solution. (Although it irks me that the image has dark red being painted onto orangey-red nails, which is odd and inconsistent… is that strange?)
Posted In beauty bag, grand design, packagingThe Folding Bird House by Jesper Moller Hansen and Dorthe Weis is easily one of the best looking I’ve ever seen. Your yard would be the hottest feeder in town! Maybe you could even charge for reservations.
UPDATE: They were designed by Alan Clarke as proposed posters for the games.
I saw these on ffffound, so there’s a very good chance they’re only someone’s vision of what the events posters should look like for the 2012 London Olympics. But man oh man, am I hoping that they’re the real deal! They would definitely help make up for the disgrace that is the logo.
