After yesterday’s bootleg underground product photo, I decided to show off some proper snaps of a Joseph Joseph product that’s actually way more useful than that fancy condiment grinder… it’s the Quicksnap Ice Block Tray! It’s a great solution that should be available soon - which is astonishing considering this market. Summed up best via Gizmodo: “we have access to the world’s knowledge with the touch of a button, but we still can’t pop out one ice cube at a time”.

For a good read, check out CNN’s gallery of ultra luxury watches including this Greubel Forsey Quadruple Tourbillon priced at $690,000!

You can see the entire slideshow with 20 watches [ HERE ]

My favorite kitchen gadget from the latest NYIGF was Joseph Joseph’s Y-Grinder, but it’s been totally MIA online. Well, not anymore - a big thanks to the Walker Art Center’s Off Center blog for this sneaky product shot from the shelves of the gift fair. It combines Salt + Pepper into a single Y-shaped grinder; maybe not the first product to do so, but I know the dual grinders and Y-shape would certainly have me endlessly seasoning every meal.

While you can find an interesting selection of contemporary watch designs from Projects Watches, they also feature some wristwatches designed by Daniel Will-Harris with some amazing “reveal” mechanisms for displaying time. The face of the Twilight Watch (pictured left) actually changes from light to dark every 20 seconds; other watches such as the Iridium or Reveal display only the necessary numerals. Hopefully these will be showing up on Pure Modern before too long....

Because everyone knows the fun in birdhousing comes from folding up your very own (??) and hanging it from a tree. With that in mind, Tweet Tweet Home has a fun array of 100% recyclable plastic designs that ship flat. A nice gift idea - surely you can interest a friend or relative in birding with a little DIY aviary construction.

We saw a great selection of magnets at the recent NYIGF from Greggo Magnets. Learn everything from brail to biology, brush up on some presidential spousage or just pick up a good old fashioned magnetic Santa Claus you can dress up!

Because you can never really see too many great wall decal designs, Blik features a myriad of designers and styles to select from. Usually a bold design choice, there’s really something for any setting there. From more “traditional” decal stickers like those from boodalee to the unique and whimsical collection of community-created designs from Threadless.



Also catching a few eyes is their collection of ultra-modern minimalist “headboards” (seen below). They’ve always been a fairly superfluous piece of furniture, so save the space and pick a headboard you can easily switch out when your mood changes.

The “W” Hotel & Residences now ready for occupants!

We’ve just learned that the fantastic “W” mixed use condo / hotel project is ready for buyers.  Reportedly selling for $2000/square foot - it’ll be interesting to see how fast they’re able to close out the building. 

Having been fortunate enough to have lived in a mixed use Hotel / Condo building for the past 5 years - I know how exciting the energy is to live in an ever changing environment and meeting all sorts of great people.  I can only imagine that this project will take that experience to an extreme.  I’m just SLIGHTLY jealous…

Check out their marketing site :  [ HERE ]

Here’s an incredible gift idea from Gift Republic - personalized classic novels! Could there really be anything less interesting than a story about some random people named Romeo & Juliet? Just who exactly are they supposed to be? Well now you can plug in your own name, along with your friends, relatives or even celebrities for a much more personal (and memorable) adventure. After all, who could forget the iconic Shakespeare line “Wherefore art thou *Ted*?”

Don’t think of it as throwing money away, you’re brightening up your trash can! Although Suck UK features a nice collection of fun and interesting gadgets, it’s hard to find a great use for the ”Christmas Pudding” and ”Pet Goldfish” bags. They seem to harken back to the days of the giant orange pumpkin face leaf bags you would see around Autumn.

We love to hear from our customers how they discover new trends, products, and ideas.  So we thought it may be interesting to have a few people participate in our blog “Perspective On Design”! 

Are you interested?

Read More Here!

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Lately it’s been hard not to notice all the media attention on Tea Parties and Tea Bags. Never one to miss out on an emerging market - albeit one that’s been around for thousands of years - we found some interesting recent teabag innovations: Tea Bags That Look Like Stuff! Pictured above, the ”Maum Tea Bags” from Wdaru, and seen below, the ”RoyalTea” teabags available at donkey products. Fulfill a lifelong dream and enjoy a cup of tea with Camilla Parker Bowles!

Catching a few eyes at NYIGF was Bedol’s selection of Water Powered Alarm Clocks (pictured below). Working on “100% natural power,” these ingenious devices require only water to operate - no batteries, chemicals, electricity or pollution. With this in the bag, next I’m expecting a complete line of fully functioning, water-based equipment for my home and office.



For your more dubious endeavors, Bedol also offers a “James Bond” style Super Sleuth Pen complete with Voice, Still Picture and Video Capture modes. It even has a motion sensor so you can stash it in a pen cup and collect evidence “Dwight Schrute” style! See their full collection of stuff here.

Another company who featured some interesting new products last week were Japan’s own Saikai. Established in 1946, they have been distributing their products in the US since 1991, and featured several innovative ideas for the classic porcelain teapot design. Sadly, it’s a little too soon to find those creations online, so pictured above you will see their 1961 Good Design Award Winning G-style Soy Sauce Pot, and pictured below, the Stone Mug designed by Yasuki Sakamoto.

When you’re packing away those pints later today, it’s important to remember to stay hydrated. Avoid the metallic taste of aluminum bottles, and the compounded chemical weirdness of those BPA laden bottles with Tkaro’s new pure and simple ”glass water bottle.” The stainless steel cover provides an airtight seal and travel durability, while the glass construction gives the highest possible water purity. Finally, a water bottle solution that accounts for form, function and the environment (and actually succeeds on all 3).