Month: January 2013

Yarok Hair Care Products

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As soon as I check into a hotel room, one of the first things I do is check out what hair- and body-care products are stocked in the bathroom. The good stuff, like Aveda, Bath & Body Works, and (Malin+Goetz), gets tucked into my suitcase with the hope that more will appear the next day (it doesn’t always – which can be disappointing and a bit embarrassing). Visitors of The Thief Hotel, which opened earlier this month in Oslo, will most likely be stashing the Yarok organic hair care products that are exclusive to the hotel. Founded by Israeli hair stylist Mordechai Alvow, Yarok produces formulas that are a blend of organic and all-natural botanicals that are consciously sourced and sustainably harvested. I like the slightly medicinal look to the packaging that conveys idea that these shampoos, conditioners, and treatments are good for your hair, like vitamins. The company donates 3% of its annual profits to the Pachamama Alliance, a non-profit that protects over 10 million acres of rainforest in the Amazon. That might help convince …

BirdProject Soap

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I love it when a quiet little object is able to convey an entire story— it’s like product poetry. This is the tale of BirdProject Soap: One day, as it’s foraging for food, a seabird is caught up in a terrible man-made disaster. When it tries to fly out of the sea again, it is coated with oil and is clinging to life. The next day it is found by rescue workers, who gently wash off the black oil and release it back into the wild. The concept for BirdProject began in 2010, when designer and entrepreneur Tippy Tippens moved from Brooklyn to New Orleans to help contribute to the relief efforts after the BP Oil Spill. Intended to be a powerful representation of all of the creatures affected by the disaster, BirdProject is a black, bird-shaped soap that contains a white ceramic bird keepsake—handmade from Louisiana Clay by New Orleans-based artist Brooke Cassady—that will slowly reveal itself over time as the soap washes away. The soaps are made by Emily Manger Davis of Sweet Olive Soaps—a …

Pluck Egg Separator

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Separating eggs takes a moderate amount of confidence, but once you have it mastered you don’t need any tools, just your hands and the eggshell. But for those who feel a bit less confident in that arena, a well-designed egg separator is a practical kitchen aid. Invented by Mark Fusco, Pluck is the latest release from the product development company Quirky. It features a clear end nozzle and a white silicone top with a visible seam that I wish could have been avoided in the manufacturing process; the two parts come apart for cleaning. Pluck is easy enough to master: Break an egg into a bowl, then squeeze the white silicone bulb to suck out the yolk from its dear friend albumen (the white) into a clear plastic chamber. When you release the squeeze, the yolk slips out intact and ready to use or discard as needed. I gave the Pluck a test-run this morning as I prepared some egg whites for breakfast. I rarely eat yolks anymore, and I usually separate eggs using just the …

Unnecessary Things: Cookie Spoons

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I love learning about new kitchen gadgets and tools, but more than a few times I’ve come across a product where my reaction is more “Why?” than “Wow!”. That’s the case with The Dipr, a hook-like device designed to cradle the center of a sandwich cookie so that you can dip it into milk more easily. At the surface, the Dipr is an innocuous new way to enjoy eating cookies. But do we really need a new tool to help kids (and adults) eat their cookies more efficiently? With the country’s skyrocketing obesity rates, I think we are probably managing just fine. Healthy eating issues aside, I always thought that it was part of the experience to get your fingers wet with milk when you dunk a cookie. And I know we aren’t dining at Downton Abbey, but must we walk around our homes sucking moist cookies off of plastic hooks?

Dish Bunny Drying Rack

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You had a bad day. The faster you needed to work, the slower the internet wanted to go. The dog destroyed another pillow and you came home to find her sitting in the middle of a pile of fluff. You turn on the kitchen light and realize you forgot your lunch leftovers in the work fridge. It was pasta bolognese, and it would have been amazing right about now. You are about to scream when you see something that makes everything a little better. It’s a dish rack. A white, wire dish rack that is in the form of a cute little bunny. Aww, that’s better now, isn’t it? Measuring 19.7” wide by 9” deep, the Dish Bunny was designed by Chris Koens. It is available for £27.95 via Pretty Dandy.

800W Design Wheelchairs

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Unless you or someone close to you needs one, wheelchair design isn’t one of those things that’s usually top of mind. But there are few other product design areas where a well-designed product can have such an important influence on someone’s life and health (check out my recent story on a line of sexy, modern canes). That’s why I got excited when I got a pitch from Brandon Fonville with 1800wheelchair.com, a company specializing in mobility aides. Last month the company launched 800W Design, a new brand that will take a fresh approach to the aesthetics of wheelchairs, including the addition of new colors and custom stitching. I asked Brandon a few questions about the new line, and how it stands out from the rest of the designs on the market. DT: What inspired your modern take on the wheelchair? Brandon Fonville: After 15 years of selling wheelchairs and mobility products from other manufactures, I was always bothered by the aesthetics of some of the products; especially wheelchairs, walkers, and canes. Most products we interact with on a daily basis have a certain aesthetic value that gets more designed over time. Why should wheelchairs be any different? …