At first glance I thought these were toys. Well, for some they are toys – adult gifts to keep tabs on each other. Originally designed for parents, bleepbleeps are also for seniors and special needs. Very smart and cute. Here’s what bleepbleeps say about Sammy Screamer: ‘This is Sammy Screamer, a movement sensor that connects to the bleepbleeps app. Place Sammy on an item that you want to monitor – could be a door, a bag or a stroller. Get a notification on your phone if the item moves – i.e. the door opens, the bag gets tampered with or the stroller gets moved. Use the bleepbleeps app to set Sammy’s sensitivity and choose how loud you want him to scream.’
sammy screamer
sammy screamer app
ultra stan | ultrasound pregnancy scanner, seriously
olivia p sticks | ovulation tester, obviously stan and olivia know each other
master bates | male fertility tester, omg!
lilly loco | gps device
bleepbleeps reached their goal for sammy screamer on [ kickstarter ] and the family has grown thanks to stan, olivia and mr. bates.
the bleepbleeps | very connected devices
[
bleep bleeps ]
about boo hill
above> misc. storage | finell
above>below What was not so noticeble at Ambiente 14 seemed everywhere at Home&Housewares 14: silicone. Washable/dishwasher safe, flexible, can be non-stick and easily takes colors, silicone has been around and first widely used for protection from heat and ironically, never has seemed to be taken seriously. In 2012 a new ingredient was added to silicone’s many assets and that was design. In 2013-14 silicone presents itself as ‘high-end’ through a new Austin, Texas, [ Finell ] founded by designer Rebecca Finell. The company designs, produces and distributes it’s own products and not exclusively silicone.
facets | finell
siliase | monbento
above>below [ Monbento ] is a three-year-old French company founded by designer and CEO Emilie Fabien. It’s new ‘silicase’ collection for oven baked items is really beautiful, with a high-gloss inside and high matte outside and both Monbento and Finell offers a refined color palette which dramatically separates them from the pack.
silicase | monbento
chopula | dreamfarm
above>below [ Dreamfarm ] creates a myriad of silicone solutions. Here’s Chopula (2012). The Australian company created in 2009 by Alex and Cate Gransbury also has a a USA base in San Francisco. The refined function of each product is not hidden by the playfulness of form.
chopula | dreamfarm
o bag | lexon
above>below Though technically not silicone the O bag feels like it but is a great deal less dense, less heavy, and may inspire designers to experiment with less heavy silicone solutions. The bags all come with removable mix-n-match handles as well as a zipper foam-like insert if you wish a little more security and are waterproof. O bag is designed by Italian designer Emanuele Magenta and made by Fullspot. O bag was seen in the [ Lexon ] booth, a French company conceived in 1991 by designer and president, René Adda.
o bag | lexon
All of these companies were found in [ Discover Design ] a design-centric area at #IHHS14 @HousewaresShow
about ron kovach
wrap #1 quite simply is a collection of products seen at ambiente and also at the international home+housewares show. the common denominator is all received design recognition at ambiente. we are expecting these products to also be recognized at Discover Design and the innovative products display. above > birillo | pierro lissoni | alessi //// winning but not pictured is cutlery set ‘mu’ | toyo ito | alessi below > super & popular | package design mario trimarchi //// a tribute to alessi’s most acclaimed small household objects many of which won design awards.
above & below > tea-jay on the rocks | flöz design | blomus //// offering possibly the most enjoyable tea-making you’ve experienced.
above > nest storage | joseph joseph //// solving the problem of storing the storage when not in use below > wash&drain //// video covers it.
above > michel bras mandoline //// offering form power and safety | kai below > gg flip & fold | oxo / smart design //// video covers it.
below > london designer sabastian bergne holding a red ‘rachet grinder //// winning but not pictured is rachet cheese grater both by kuhn rikon. the rachet concept is both innovative and functional.
[ alessi ] [ blomus ] [ joseph joseph ] [ kai ][ kuhn rikon ] [ oxo ] @ambiente #Ambiente13 @HousewaresShow #IHHS2014 #DiscoverDesign
Shades of Blue
saturday 15 march 1 > 3pm
bloomingdale’s home store | first floor | 600 n wabash avenue (near ohio street)
Bloomingdale’s and Alessi to host an event during the upcoming International Home + Housewares Show featuring the “Shades of Blue” line which includes the exclusive and limited edition in blue of ‘Mediterraneo’ basket designed by LPWK-Emma Silvestris. Matteo Alessi, International Sales and Development Director for Alessi will be present to greet guests and sign any Alessi products that are purchased that day. In addition, Alessi’s numerous vases will be displayed throughout the store filled with vibrant floral arrangements provided by renowned floral designer, Michael Gaffney.
Matteo Alessi joined the company in January 2005 as the managing director for Alessi UK and is now International Sales and Development Director for Alessi Europe and U.S.A. He believes passion, not succession, is the key to a successful family business.
[ alessi ] With a vast product line that includes everything from an iconic, whistling teakettle to a designer flyswatter, the Alessi company, founded in 1921 by Giovanni Alessi, has long been at the forefront of innovative and inspired product design. The company has created a dynasty out of not only offering products geared towards the mainstream – serving trays and everyday cutlery among them – but by also creating some of the most celebrated cult objects of our time. For more information, please visit and www.facebook.com/AlessiOfficialPage.
[ bloomingdale’s ] is America’s only nationwide, full-line, upscale department store and a division of Macy’s, Inc. It was founded in 1872 and currently operates 37 Bloomingdale’s stores and 13 Bloomingdale’s, The Outlet Stores in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Illinois, Georgia, Florida, New Hampshire, California, and Texas. In addition, Bloomingdale’s has an international presence with a location in Dubai.
above> a smart design competition in a very smart venue | galeria 1 messe frankfurt
Companies from 29 countries entered Design Plus 2014. To be accepted the entries may not have been on the market for more than two years and must meet high expectations with regard to function, design and sustainability. The jury selected 30 products from 24 companies from ten countries. Three Design Plus winners were also showcased in ‘solutions‘, an exhibit about innovative functionality.
mu | toyo ito | alessi
tea-jay on the rocks | flöz industriedesign | blomus
fissler bionic | professor thomas gerlach via 4 design gmbh | fissler [ solutions winner ]
lucetta | emanuele pizzolorusso | palomar [ solutions winner ]
to go | niels kjeldsen | stelton
georg | christina liljenberg halstrøm | skagerak denmark
[ products 2014 ]
[ jury ]
Designer: Mark Braun, Berlin
Design trade: Volker Hohmann, Ikarus Design Handel GmbH, Gelnhausen, Germany
Design Management: Hugo Macdonald, Studioilse, London
Design Teaching: Hubert Kittel, Burg Giebichenstein
University of Art and Design Halle
Design press: Stefan Nilsson, Trendgruppen, Stockholm
Design manufacturer: Philipp Mainzer, E15, Frankfurt/Main
Sponsor: Andrej Kupetz, German Design Council, Frankfurt/Main
Sponsor: Julia Droege, German Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Frankfurt/Main
above> aluminum front of a london underground train at the entrance to the in the making exhibition
The Design Museum in London, presents “In the Making” an exhibition curated by Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby. An interesting theme is the capturing in various and unfinished states of the production process of 24 objects. The curators comment ‘We have always been fascinated by the making process as it is an integral part of our work. We have curated an exhibition that will provide a platform to capture and reveal a frozen moment in the manufacturing process and unveils an everyday object in its unfinished state. Often the object is as beautiful, if not more so, than the finished product!’
derwent pencils in the making |unfinished swarovski crystal / photography györgy kőrössy
coke can | charles sofa designed by antonio citerio for b&b italia / photography györgy kőrössy
Most of the pieces are everyday objects – we see forks, pencils, tennis balls and a Coke can. There are indeed B&O objects. The 2012 Olympic torch. My favorite is indeed a B&O creation for Italian furniture producer Vitra, the Tip Ton Chair. The chair is made of made of polypropylene and is manufactured from a single mould without the use of mechanical components. This makes it extremely durable and up to 100% recyclable and defines a whole new chair typology: the solid plastic chair with forward-tilt action. The chair still may need to prove that its ‘half-rock’ feature is both good for the back and blood circulation. Tip Ton is also a candidate for iconic object with its innovative and proprietary profile.
the 2012 olympic torch manufacturing process
tip ton
An important underlying idea in the installation is a glance at the ongoing dialogue between designers and manufacturing through the making process. ‘This perspective is distinctive to their practice: throughout their careers, Edward and Jay have had a curiosity about the way things are made.’ Though there are several videos of the manufacturing process the ‘in the making’ theme presented an opportunity to go a little deeper into the ‘dialogue’ idea, a unique difference maker with some of the more function-driven, innovation-driven and design-driven objects in this show and like-kind successful objects in general. After all, how do certain products fulfill a need the best or become become iconic in their form and sensitivity. If you indeed get into what’s going on here, prepare to be educated, entertained and maybe even inspired. And discover in London that many of the most advanced techniques for the production of furniture were born right in the Bel Paese.
The exhibition opened on the 22 January and goes until 4 May 2014.
edward barber, jay osgerby
[ barber & osgerby ] [ design museum ] @designmuseum #designmuseum
about ron kovach
click > enlarge
Google Glass was really introduced without much thought to its use. Probably because it doesn’t have to worry making money out of the gate. As a result there are more skeptics than believers. 2014 should convert many to the promise of ‘enhanced POV real-time visualization’ that’s now in the marketplace. Example, I just discovered [ Recon Snow2 ]: Many, me, ski for the thrill derived from falling a little out of control but these glasses conjur up a different motivation to hit the slopes. Note the emphasis on motivation as in what motivates one to use a product. That’s why Glass is perfectly tied to fitness because fitness for many, me, requires a great deal of motivation, passion, competition and fun.
snow2
DesignApplause is not a fitness destination but folks, this is the last week of the year and we know how almost empty the health clubs are this week and then packed in January and February. By March much of the motivation to ‘work’ has moved on. But just maybe Glass will be a life-changer. Stay fit, my friends. Happy New Year.
[ glass ] [ trevor trowell ] [ glassfit ] #resolution14
about ron kovach
sammy screamer
sammy screamer app
ultra stan | ultrasound pregnancy scanner, seriously
olivia p sticks | ovulation tester, obviously stan and olivia know each other
master bates | male fertility tester, omg!
lilly loco | gps device
the bleepbleeps | very connected devices
