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Siemens Porsche TT911P2 toaster.

Oct 19, 2008

It’s a toaster from Siemens and Porsche and it means serious toasting business.
The TT911P2 2-Slice automatically adjusts itself to the thickness of the bread, has an LED display that counts down until the toast is ready, has 11 different degrees of browning, and it can remember which one was used last. The quartz heating element is one of the most efficient available, plus it has cool wall technology, variable browning, and of course a crumb tray. All that plus it’s styled like something out of a space ship.

Product: TT911P2
Producer: Porsche Siemens

Index 2008.

Oct 8, 2008

Index is home to a dazzling display of interior design, quality and style.
Featuring 1000’s of international brands, exclusive launches and an exciting mix of new ideas, if you’re fitting out an office, hotel, residential or public project or simply looking for eye-catching design, Index has everything you need, inside and out!

Utilo lemon squeezer.

Oct 8, 2008

Value item: Here is an innovative, quirkly little product that may make a big (lemon) splash. The UTILO, Lemon Squeezer designed by Nicole Schaffert. Just insert spout into your lemon and squeeze for quick and easy seed-free juice. Made of stainless steel.

Producer: Blomus was established in 2001 to innovatively manufacture stainless steel items utilizing modern design. Blomus offers a great selection of kitchen accessories, fireplace accessories, bathroom accessories, office accessories and waste bins. Inspired by premiere European designers and created by German craftsmen, each and every Blomus product, whether a contemporary stainless steel mirror, kitchen accessories, bathroom hardware, bar and wine tools or a modern styled set of candle holders, Blomus offers only the finest quality of stainless steel kitchen accessories today.

Seen at allmodern.com

Gamila teastick(s).

Oct 8, 2008

With cold weather just around the corner, tea anyone?

Gems Teastick

The Teastick GEMS bring new light to your cup of tea. Now with two brilliant colors so sparkling clear you can see the steeping tea bloom.
With classic “scoop it, slide it, steep it” functionality The Teastick GEMS are as useful as they are beautiful in your cup. With The Teastick GEMS, a fine stainless mesh enables the steeping of herbal teas that often have smaller particles than traditional teas—all while continuing to be convenient and easy for one-cup brewing. Constructed of the highest standard FDA-approved polycarbonate. Designed for use in a 10-14 oz cup.

The Original Teastick

The ultimate infuser for tea enthusiasts features intuitive “scoop-slide-steep” functionality while it reflects the aesthetic of traditional loose tea service.
Durable enough for industrial use, it has no breakable mechanisms and is constructed entirely of 304L stainless steel with holes small enough to infuse the finest of teas. The innovative design provides optimum flow for perfect steeping and incorporates a fill-line.

The Teastick fits nicely into glasses and mugs and is ideal for a 10-14 oz perfect cup of tea.

via Gamila Company

Coffee for One.

Oct 8, 2008

This cool coffee maker offers up a smart industrial design which cleanly integrates a ceramic mug in place of a carafe.

The WMF1 Coffee Pad takes a single portioned coffee filter and can brew up a fresh cup of Java in about 1 minute. The compact coffee maker features a clean white design, with a choice of four accent colors: kiwi (green), mango (yellow), berry (red) and stone (dark grey). And yes, it includes the perfectly-fitted ceramic mug. The brilliantly minimal design even won a 2007 red dot award for its creators.

At this point, the Coffee Pad is only available in a European 220-volt configuration, so you’ll need a power converter to use it here in the States.

Product: WMF 1
Producer: WMF
Designer:

via technabob

Dyno shower.

Oct 3, 2008

What is this? An electric toothbrush on a stand? Darn, the title gives this product away. It is the Dyno outdoor shower by MyYour.

The Dyno designer shower is totally waterproof and UV-ray resistant and will stay looking new for years. It’s made from self-colored polyethylene, which is strengthened inside, and Dyno is available in a rainbow of different colors. The water taps are in chromed brass with ABS parts to avoid overheating in the sun. The showerhead features silicone nozzles to avoid limestone buildup and the handles are chromed metal. Very playful. Very cool. Very hot!

Designer: Allesandro Morello
Producer: MyYour

Want a free Smart car?

Oct 1, 2008

Chicago developer hits design button to bolster condo sales. The contemporary condos are in not-yet-arrived Edgewater. Units range from 1200 to 1538 square feet priced at $350K to $452K.

Yes, this is a design blog but we have a national election coming up in a few days featuring an economy button. Let’s continue.

Recently, Donald Trump was in town to top off his 92-story Trump Tower. Here is an excerpt from the Chicago Tribune:

…Throughout the nine-county Chicago area, sales of existing homes plunged 30 percent in August from the same month a year ago. And home prices—a critical component of any housing sector recovery—continued to fall in August, down 5.7 percent from a year ago.

“There are no buyers and that’s the problem,” said Liz Sidorowicz, an agent at Re/Max Signature in Chicago. “Buyers are scared or they just can’t get the financing. [The bailout] does not change one thing. The banks may be a little better off, but on Main Street, how is that going to help my guy with a condo appraised at $240,000 that he cannot even sell for $200,000?”

Typically, the highest end of the market is the last affected in a slowdown and the first to recover, but recovery appears far off. In the second quarter, there were more than 5,800 condominium units for sale within Chicago priced at $800,000 or more, enough to satisfy demand for 70 months, according to research firm, Metrostudy.

Developers find themselves in the untenable situation of trying to woo enough buyers to get their projects financed, and then trying to find a lender willing to take a chance. The projects’ futures rest in the hands of consumers and lenders, and both are strapped right now.

Design button or wallet button? What’s it like out there in your city?

Speaking of design: the Smart car.

via smart car and chicago tribune

BTW: if an incentive is necessary we applaud this developer for thinking out of the box.

Mr. Impossible. The chair.

Sep 4, 2008

Phillipe Starck’s latest — a plastic chair — earned it’s name on the first sketch. Mr. Impossible. The designer said it couldn’t be made. The challenge being the weld. Using existing methods to weld the seat and the legs would create an unsightly seam. Kartell’s engineers had to go the blue water route. The key, a very big laser.

The Kartell store in New York recently exhibited Mr. Impossible, a series of chairs by Philippe Starck. While the design for Mr. Impossible was conceived years ago, the technology needed to weld two transparent shells together did not exist until recently. Also on display was Starck’s Misses Flower Power, a collection of large-scale prototype vases made from transparent polycarbonate. (more…)

Zeppelin. iPod. Art. HD radio.

Jun 23, 2008

Less about breaking news and more about affirmation: The Zeppelin iPod dock from Bowers and Wilkins not only looks good from across the room and CU, but the music is consistent with the manufacturer’s reputable sound.

First seen almost a year ago but did not mess with it until killing time in an Apple store last week. If you like modern, minimal, music, and have an iPod, this is worth a peek. It will set you back $600 USA but you get design, music, and art.
What’s HD radio? (more…)

Radio(s). Home. Survivor.

Apr 7, 2008

Eton makes serious radios. Sound 140 Concerto (top) is a loaded clock radio with amazing audio that was specially crafted for your iPod. Martha Stewart would say put one in each room, being cheaper than wiring the mansion for sound. FR1000-VoiceLink (bottom) belongs in your survivor kit. AM-FM, emergency-band, cell-phone charger, walkie-talkie, with a nearly infinite power source crank. They don’t call it VoiceLink for nothing. (more…)