Dedicated to inspiring designers, inventors & the creative spirit in all of us.

Bodum, known for its innovative product design around the kitchen, has ventured outdoors. Onto the patio to be exact. This new line of FRYKAT picnic grills are as simple as can be, and they come in a variety of vibrant colors. 

These double walled ice buckets are an example of timeless product design, with a splash of color and a see-through design.

Tea For One, this all-in-one glass and strainer has just enough color to show off the product while displaying the tea inside.

Food-on-the-go doesn’t have to come in a wrapper. Take a look at this lidded container with nesting knife and fork set.  Seems to be a pretty unique way to take your meal with you on the go.

With spring only days away after a record snowfall this February, I think cabin fever has set in for many children and adults. As a kid, building a place to play was a seasonal event – forts in the summer, chopped wood cabins in the fall and snow igloos in the winter. Now that warm weather is right around the corner, here are my top 10 cabins I’d rather be in (if I could fit) when spring has sprung. 

None of them actually work! I don’t know if this study is believable or not. Placebo buttons have been used on devices such as office thermostats, pedestrian crosswalks and elevators to allude to a control that users don’t actually possess. 

The crosswalk button you press to trigger the ‘cross now’ indicator; most likely not working due to computer controlled traffic signals if you are pushing it in a big city.

The thermostat that is twisted with the utmost precision by office employees who enjoy a personal comfort level; most likely a dummy switch, accented with an accompanying white noise device to fool you.

Waiting for the elevator door to close takes too long, so pressing the button with the arrows pointing at each other takes care of that, huh; well, actually it doesn’t. Once again, a placebo button used to instill a sense of control for those who need power at their fingertips. Wow, it appears that some user interfaces have an ugly side.

Growing up as a fan of Transformers and Mask, this Toyota concept car really hits home. The colors and features stir my imagination. Slide-out seating, large screen monitors, bike rack, energy drink dispenser; everything screams overkill.

Small spaces can engender the best of designs. So many designs have been centered around tight quarters, but not like this. A company called Spiral Cellars has found a niche market servicing the wealthy wine aficionado. 

Using a cut-out hole in the floor beneath common areas in the home, these guys create spiral staircases that lead to small depths; so small in fact, that you can do no more than grab a bottle of wine. A cool factor, indeed, to have such a cool hidden cellar, but at what cost? Plenty, I am sure.

Wow. These interactive portal shirts are really cool. Each shirt has a pinhole camera and a high resolution LCD TFT display screen with 2190mAh Lithium-Ion battery belt to power it. The pinhole camera sends the image wirelessly to the blue shirt for displaying and vice versa. Great for… well, I don’t know what. You can display these state of the art shirts yourself for a hefty $100 each. Removable parts make it washable and composite video inputs make it compatible with video games, too. I’m sure you could find a good use for one.

A perfect way to reuse a CD case.

Cashed in the clunker and need to rid the trunk of unused objects? Why not give your funnel a second life?

Wipe down mirrors, glass or electronic wires with a coffee filter. You can even divide stacked chinaware to avoid scratching.

Run an old toothbrush through the dishwasher then use it to clean the hair out of razor blades to extend the life of a razor.

Use baby wipe containers for markers, craft supplies, and sewing items.

See how to even transform a light bulb into a ship in a bottle. Anything can be  reused if you take the time to be creative!

This video is a little dated, but the content is well presented. For those of you who enjoy watching old-school style marker rendering, this should be of interest. It explains why industrial designers render, and the techniques they use to do so.

Apples are at their prime this time of year, and there are countless ways to enjoy this delicious, healthy fruit. But preparing apples for snacking and baking can be a chore if your tools and utensils are outdated. Here are a few gadgets and tools to make it easier to prepare, store and enjoy the year’s best apples, whether picked fresh at a local orchard, neighborhood farmer’s market or corner grocery store.

This apple slicer adjusts to a variety of widths to get the most wedges from each of your apples for snacking, or to cut a few thick ones for baking a recipe.

Coring your apples can be a big task when baking; you might as well do it in style with this stainless steel version. 

Thinly sliced, uniform twists make this spiral cutter unique for serving up fresh apples this Fall. 

Some picky eaters have to remove the skin before they eat, and this hand-cranked countertop contraption will do the job (it also cores the apple simultaneously). The design is very industrial, implying a perfect peel every time.

For those of you who like overkill and all-in-one machines, I think this may be the one for you. Formerly marketed as the Spirooli, this shredder, slicer, chopper claims to maim any vegetable or fruit you can stuff into it.

Why not have your apples and eat them too? The design of the dehydrator is simple, and it makes storing foods for later use so easy to do.

I will argue with anyone who disclaims the validity of culinary creations as art. Having said that, here is a great way to prepare your fresh apples after you have cored, skinned and sliced them to enjoy.