Gift Guide: Designs With A Story - a list by jbenz

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About this list:

These are products with an interesting story behind their deisgn (or their designers). If you know the story, then it becomes a conversation piece in your home. Or as I like to say: a functional work of art.

Qualifications:

Cool product with a cool story

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Viewing 1-10 of 12 Items

Roll-Top Bench

First to recommend

6 people recommended this item

Description

The designer, Simon Maidment had this to say about his totally sweet collection:

"The original roll-top chair was designed in response to a childhood memory. As a kid I never really understood the concept of tidying or clearing up. I thought that all my toys in one pile in one place was the solution, even if that was the middle of the room. The chair is a place for things to be stored as well as a seat. The nature of the storage and the way it is revealed affords it a secret quality, allowing kids a hiding place for their stuff."

Updated Dec 11, 2006

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Offi Zumi Stool

First to recommend

Description

Imagine you are a struggling young product designer living in Tokyo. You know you’re talented but you have not yet found an outlet. So to make ends meet you go to work in a retail store that sells exceptionally well-designed furniture, including an American brand called Offi. One day your boss asks what you do outside of work, and you show him one of your designs.

It is called the Zumi Stool and your name is Shuichiro Koizumi, and without quite knowing it yet, you’ve just made your first step towards huge success. Shuichiro’s boss took his design to the company he buys his furniture from and asks if they will make it for him. Of course Offi immediately recognizes the brilliance of the design and thinks it would be beautiful in plywood.

Not only do they manufacture it for the Tokyo store, but for fifty other independent design shops across the United States. But it was in Shuichiro’s hometown of Tokyo where it was the biggest hit. Now all of his friends can buy the three identical interlocking pieces, quickly assemble them, and take a seat. Pretty nifty. (via Follow Function)

Updated Nov 22, 2006

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Hug Salt And Pepper Shakers

52 people recommended this item

Description

The harmonious relationship between seasonings! These salt and pepper shakers are just too cute!

Updated Jun 6, 2008

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Mioculture: Bendant Lamp

5 people recommended this item

Description

Jaime Salm took a thin piece of steel and said to himself "How can I design a wicked-nice chandelier while wasting as little of this material as possible". What resulted was the Bendant Lamp, a product so inspiring you get to design it yourself.

With little wasted material and little wasted energy, Jaime has created something environmentally friendly that is made right here in the USA.

You can buy the hardwiring kit or you can just throw up a hook and let it hang from the ceiling by the cord (the on/off switch is 48 inches from the plug) (via Follow Function)

Updated Nov 13, 2006

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guardian nightlight

3 people recommended this item

Description

A modern (brilliantly simple) lantern. Simply removing the "lantern" from the "peg" turns it on, and serves as your nighttime guide. Especially useful for bathroom trips and blackouts. (via Follow Function)

Updated Nov 22, 2006

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Mikro Man Mars

First to recommend

Description

Chemically milled Stainless Steel, Mikro Men fold out from the size of a business card into intricate mini-environments.

In fact, it was Sam Buxton's desire to create a totally unique and totally kickass business card that inspired the original design: Mikro Man Work. Sam was a struggling product designer looking for work when the idea came to him. A prototype or two later, and it was installed in London's Design Museum. The rest, as they say, is pretty much history.

I know some folks who have the entire Mikro community hanging out on their desks including: the video game player, the guy on the bike, the guy in the hospital, the guy in the Autogiro, and the guy on 'Holiday' (going through security at the airport). Rad. (via Follow Function)

Updated Nov 13, 2006

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Kapsule Chair

First to recommend

Description

Karim Rashid. He has put some 2000 objects into production, all while earning an Honorary Doctorate from the Ontario College of Art and Design, a 2005 Pratt Legends Award, a 2002 ID Magazine Best of Category Award, and the 2003 Award for Best Retail Store in the USA. His work is in the permanent collection of 14 museums worldwide including MoMAs on both coasts.

Despite all this, American audiences may best know him as that incredibly tall judge who always wore white suits and giant pink glasses on the USA Network reality show “Made in the USA”. I cannot help but feel saddened by this.

Anyway, the Kapsule Chair is the perfect example of his brilliant understanding of colorful plastics and organic forms. As two pieces of injection molded polypropylene, the chair comes together to create a large storage area accessible though an opening in the back. (via Follow Function)

Updated Mar 29, 2007

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Automoblox A9 Compact Follow Function

First to recommend

Description

The coolest modular-wooden-toy-car ever, or just the coolest toy ever? Each automoblox can be disassembled individually and reassembled using parts and wheels from other automoblox vehicles. The interlocking parts can combine to form the super-stretch, mother-hybrid, SUV-limo you always dreamt about. And the little people are fun, too.

Patrick Calello is one courageous human. Automoblox started as a class project in design school and took many years to blossom into the success it is now. But the road was a bumpy one. VERY bumpy. You can read his incredible journey by following this link... (via Follow Function)

Updated Nov 9, 2006

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Apple iPod shuffle

90 people recommended this item

Description

I guess it is kinda silly to recommend an IPOD at this point, but there really is a great story behind this beast of a product. Check out the latest WIRED mag for a really cool story (how they recruited the genius / maverick / every-day-guy engineer). Was it the November 2006 issue?

WIRED rules. I should recommend it as well.

Updated Nov 15, 2006

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Mio Culture 3-D Wallpaper Tiles

10 people recommended this item

Description

The color shown is the natural recycled brown. However it also available in white, green, and orange. This product is another bit of genius from the guys over at Mio Culture. They manufacture everything locally in the tri-state area (they are located in Philly), and are very concerned with green design which they call "Responsible Desire".

The tiles can be treated / waterproofed and repainted in any fashion you would like. (via Follow Function)

Updated Nov 9, 2006

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Viewing 1-10 of 12 Items

jbenz

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brilliant product + story behind designer = modern work of art

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