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Dish Bunny Drying Rack

Published by designy things

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

Published by designy things

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? I partnered up with Medline, one of the largest medical manufacturing companies, and they allowed me to “re-dress” any of their wheelchairs, so we started with two products. The matte gray wheelchair was inspired by the colorways of Italian Vespa Scooters and modern-day office chairs. The pearl white transport chair grew out of our customers going to weddings and formal events and wanting to sit in a nice chair. We also sell to museums and restaurants, and that’s where we are looking for a modern twist on the wheelchair .

DT: What materials are they made of?

BF: They are constructed of lightweight aluminum. The pearl white 800W Design Collection Transport Chair weighs only 14.5 pounds, which makes it easy to travel with and lift into a car. The matte gray 800W Design Collection Wheelchair is 37 lbs. and is self-propelled. On both models we used a breathable, mesh-like upholstery [detail shown above] that’s never been used on wheelchairs before.

DT: Where are they made?

BF: The chairs are manufactured in China.

DT: How much do they cost?

BF: The 800W Design Collection Transport Chair costs $199.00, and the 800W Design Collection Wheelchair costs $250.00. Shipping is free.

WakaWaka Blackout Emergency Kit

Published by designy things

While I really could have used this little device after Hurricane Sandy, when my family and I were without power for 10 days, it is the potential it offers for those with homes that are always off the grid that is even greater. The WakaWaka Power (you have to try to get past the image of Fozzie the Bear from the Muppet Show, if you can) is a solar-powered LED lamp and mobile charger in one. This is a product with a huge demand at the moment — the Dutch company Off Grid Solutions launched it in December on Kickstarter and within a week became one of the most funded projects on the site (the campaign ends on January 12th and to date has raised almost $275,000 U.S.). The iPhone-sized kit weighs seven ounces, delivers up to 60 lumens of bright, safe reading light for more than 40 hours on an eight hour solar charge, and can charge mobile phones from all brands. The battery will stay fresh for more than a year — users should make sure to recharge it before a big storm event occurs. I predict having a solar-powered battery charger will become a regular storm-prep item in years to come. It’s just so practical and useful, even if you just keep one in your car in case you break down somewhere remote.

For each WakaWaka Power sold during the crowdfunding campaign, one WakaWaka Light will be delivered to the UN Refugee Agency to be distributed to a Haitian family that is still living in darkness three years after the 2010 earthquake. Units will ship in May. To learn more, check out their Kickstarter site.

The Alarm Dock for the iPhone 5

Published by designy things

Designed by New York City-based industrial designer Jonas Damon for Areaware, the Alarm Dock is made of sustainably harvested, new growth beech wood to mimic the classic bedside alarm clock. Simply download the flip clock app, insert the phone into the dock (the connector can be pulled through so the phone, or iPod, can be charged while in use). Note that this is a simple holder for your phone, and does not come with built-in electronics or speakers.

Here is a video of how it works.

The Alarm Dock, designed for the thinner profile of the iPhone 5, measures 6.75 x 3.5 x 2.5. It is available in a rainbow of colors for $40 from Areaware.

Light Bulb Magnets

Published by designy things

A new line of magnets featuring different light bulb styles by New York-based Tillett Lighting.

Along with the Museum of the City of New York’s new textile exhibition “The World of D.D. and Leslie Tillett,” (on display through February 3rd) the museum shop is offering a set of 18 light bulb magnets designed by D.D. and Leslie’s daughter Linnaea Tillett, owner of Brooklyn-based Tillett Lighting. Linnaea, who once served as a juror in a product design competition I run for my day job, has a doctorate in environmental psychology, and is celebrated for her firm’s lighting of public and private interiors, including, most recently, the lighting for FDR Four Freedoms Park on New York City’s Roosevelt Island.

Linnaea worked with Tillett in-house designer/illustrator Charlie Brokate, whose black and white drawings appear on the front of each magnet. LEDs, CFLs, and other sources of illumination are joined by the ever-present cell phone, which often doubles as a light in a dark theater.

The set of 18 magnets are available for $22 from the shop of the Museum of the City of New York, www.mcny.org