The majority of families in the United States have a dinner table in their home. It is a basic piece of furniture that remained mostly the same over time. Yes, they are made in different styles with different materials, in different sizes, in different colors or finishes. The general idea, however, has remained the same: a flat surface sitting atop four legs.
Artist/designer Sebastian Errazuriz created a dinner table in tribute to his grandmother who always made sure to have a bowl of fresh fruit out. Errazuriz's concept makes the fruit bowl an actual part of the table. A concave carving in the center of the plywood tabletop acts as the fruit bowl. The carving is deep enough to comfortably hold the contents of a medium-sized fruit bowl without fear of pieces rolling out and across the table. While the idea of a fruit bowl has never seemed particularly problematic, having one incorporated into the table seems a clever option. It is in an area of the table that is not used to eat from so it does not negatively impact the dining experience. In fact, the "bowl" can be used for placing a main course or even for decorative centerpieces.
The fruit bowl table offers a good alternative to the traditional table without being so out of the ordinary that it isolates people with more traditional design sensibilities. It might benefit from a sort of lid for the bowl indentation if an occasion arises when a fully even surface is necessary.
The Lucky Liquor Co. is a cocktail bar in Edinburgh, Scotland known for being a little different than the average bar. One of their standout quirks is this light bulb glass used to serve drinks. The light bulb is the size of a standard household bulb with screw-base and all. The bulb is then placed in a coiled wired that comes to a flat circular base for balance. The bulb rests screw side up and at roughly a 45-degree angle. A straw is inserted through the screw base opening for drinkability.
It is definitely a novel way of serving a drink! There is a certain sense of "otherness" that will appeal to a younger generation. An older drinker, more settled in his or her ways, is less likely to venture into a cocktail bar that steers away from tradition. Peculiarities such as this will draw in a certain type of crowd as well. Twenty-somethings with a firm eye on partying will not place much importance on nuances like these, but a more creative personality type will appreciate the thoughtfulness.
Often times we look to redesigns to improve on a concept but this take on a drink cup was made purely for aesthetic. There is little practicality to this design -- the size of the bulb is small so it can't hold as much as a standard glass could; pouring the drink is made more difficult due to the size of the cup's opening; and the glass, if made from the same glass as a regular household bulb, is more fragile than traditional drink cups. It is an interesting idea but ultimately not very effective for drinking.
LiquiGlide is a new design feature developed by MIT Professor Kripa Varanasi and former MIT student Dave Smith. It is a permanent-liquid coating that prevents sticking and aids in smooth evacuation or emptying. The above images shows two bottles of the same product -- one of the bottles is standard off-the-shelf while the interior of the one on the right is coated with LiquiGlide. The coating itself is a mixture of a solid texture and an extremely slippery liquid. These individual components are decided upon depending on the chemical makeup of the container. The texture helps bind the liquid to the bottle, making the product inside the container sit on a thin layer of liquid.
The original intention of the LiquiGlide was to prevent clogs in oil and pipelines but when companies around the world began to see its functionality, many reached out to inquire regarding its availability for more practical, everyday uses for the average person. The technology behind this creation is quite clearly innovative but the service it provides seems to deceivingly simplistic. We have all dealt with trying to get out the last of the ketchup in the bottle only to have it spit and sputter all over our plates and clothes. It's simple but it serves a very helpful purpose. Not only does it prevent that frustration but let's think of all the near-empty bottles of honey, cooking oils, shampoo, etc. that we throw out in a year because the alternative is sitting patiently with a bottle while it oh so slowly travels down and out the bottle opening. Who knows how much money that adds up to when we really stop to think about it!
In 1912, Nabisco, then known as The National Biscuit Company, first introduced the Oreo. The original packaging for the now-famous cookie was in the form of a tin box with a removable lid. The label on the tin was very ornamental and made the tin an interesting keepsake. The metal packaging surely helped preserve freshness as it made it easy to reseal. However, the tin was rather bulky. They could potentially be repurposed for other things, and of course simply throwing them out with the usual garbage was another obvious option, but when the cost of the packaging is a factor for a consumer it's difficult not to want a better option.
Over the years, Nabisco has changed the packaging for the Oreo, moving to a cardboard box and today to something entirely different to what the cookie debuted in. Today Oreos come in a grooved, thin plastic tray which sits inside a plastic wrap. The wrap contains an opening at the wide, flat top of the package. The opening is covered by a resealable adhesive flap that lifts to unveil access to the cookies. This new iteration of this plastic packaging is surprisingly effective at sealing in freshness compared to older versions that required the plastic tray to slide in and out of its encasing wrap without the ability to really close the package.
This type of packaging, while more complex in its design, is made of more cost-effective materials. This makes it easier to dispose of and makes the cookie overall more accessible to the consumer. Unfortunately part of the nature of our evermore disposal society is that sustainability is not always accounted for.
The lighting fixture featured here hangs from the ceiling of a restaurant and is composed of two frosted glass shades held together and in place by a metal bracket. The fixture hangs from a solitary metal pole which attaches to a double-ended light bulb socket. Each side has thin metal rods that act as something of a cage to the glass shades. At the base of the fixture is an oblong metal plate that is secured in place by the aforementioned rods. The metal base holds each shade in place, which is a terrific feature for a city prone to earthquakes. Without the plate, there is the possibility that the shades might swing and hit one another, potentially shattering the glass.
The glass shades serve to subdue the light outward while still allowing for illumination across a broader space than would a metal or plastic shade. The intensity of the light, however, is still focused downward where it is most needed, the dinner table. The doubling up of two sources of light in one fixture seems to make it so that its reach spans a greater area without the intensity of a bright white bulb. The dimmer lighting works well in this restaurant setting. The industrial feel of the fixture is also a good fit! If not for the grooves in the glass shade, the fixture might appear to be purely utilitarian -- this simple touch gives a subtle hint at caring about its visual appeal.
