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Better Living Through Design

Chances are you’ve seen this very smart looking thermostat by now, and if I hadn’t been on vacation last week, this post would have been filled with an obscene amount of exclamation points. It’s a learning thermostat. Not just a programmable thermostat, as most of us currently have in our homes, but a learning one. In around a week, it’ll have created a personalized schedule based on your...

Better Living Through Design

Your photos are meant to be shared and displayed, not stuck on your computer. If you’re having trouble deciding on how to print and frame your photos, Fracture has you covered by combining both processes. A ‘Fracture‘ is a digitally photograph printed directly to glass, providing an archival quality print as well creating a display frame. Upload your photo via the Fracture website and in 48...

Better Living Through Design

Despite the trend of emailing/social networking/texting a ‘happy birthday’ or ‘get well’, nothing really beats an actual handwritten card. When did you last handwrite a note on a card? If it’s been sometime in the past 3 months, well done. If not, time to remedy the situation with a box of cards to fit every event. If you’ve got several cards on hand, you can quickly whip out the right one...

Better Living Through Design

I’m currently writing this with a hole in the crotch of my pants. I have three other pairs of pants suffering from the same condition, all from the result of riding my bicycle. Levi’s thinks they could help me with this. Recently launched is their Commuter series, a line of jeans with specific features for urban bicycle riders. Based on the 511 skinny fit jeans, they feature enhancements such a...

Better Living Through Design

It’s fair to say that there aren’t many clocks made of concrete. Though this particular hand made wall clock is striking in its choice of materials, I wonder just how heavy it is and what would be the means of securing it to the wall. The play of light and shadow would be interesting as it changes with time, for sure.

“Concept of linking time and space is visualized with the form of a spiral s...

Design Corner

DIY solutions for people with disabilities
This week I came across this fascinating mini-documentary about one-armed banjo builder Bill Rickets. Bill has invented all kinds of machines that make it possible for him to fabricate every single part of his banjos, right down to the nuts and bolts. His goal of making instruments that will be treasured 100 years from now is really inspiring.

It got...

Design Corner

While it's the Jobs biography I'm waiting on, a recent announcement has me curious: Discovery and NBC have apparently put together a one-hour documentary called "iGenius: How Steve Jobs Changed the World," hosted by Mythbusters Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman.

"Someone once said that to follow the path that others have laid before you is a very reasonable course of action, therefore all progress i...

Better Living Through Design

Brendan Ravenhill has incorporated a dustpan into the lid of a trashcan, making most trashcan manufacturers look like idiots for not thinking of the idea before. The steel can and lid is powder coated for durability and the included beech wood brush attaches to the side of the bin with embedded rare earth magnets. It’s not often that one can express admiration over a waste container, but in...

Design Milk

Arunas Sukarevicius, part of Etc. Etc., who brought us My Reading Desk, has created My Reading Chair, an armchair composed of two parts: a frame and its slipcover.

The slipcover has pockets that can be used for keeping anything from a remote control or book to smaller more personal items. You can even stick your hands in there to keep them warm. Different fabrics could be used for the...

Design Corner

Recycled 747 JumbosOld 747 Jumbos recycled to offer a sustainable retreat

The old 747 Jumbo aircrafts are a valuable source of aluminum metal as far as re-cycling of the airplane parts is concerned. Nowadays, the rate of recycling airplanes has gone up, but the process is highly damaging to the environment. Almost 200 planes per year will be scrapped, but there is another way ...

Better Living Through Design

The whole bench/valet idea has seen a few iterations in the last few years, but this version is perhaps the most affordable. A solid ash frame and white lacquer gives a light look while the vertical post provides a spot for hats, bags, jackets or clothes. Might be perfect for an entryway perhaps?

Designer: Jannis Ellenberger
Solid ash wood frame; wood composite seat with white lacquer finish

Better Living Through Design

At times it might seem as if there’s a slight disposition on this site to feature the more expensive items available in the marketplace, however, know that this tape dispenser by Makoto Koizumi is one of today’s picks primarily for its design and weight. Cast iron would ensure a one handed operation (one can assume) and the design is naturally minimal. Also, if you’re interested, Makoto...

Better Living Through Design

While this newspaper/magazine rack costs quite a few pretty pennies, it does seem satisfyingly hefty and no-nonsense. And, should you need other items similar in style, there’s quite a few other Helit Foster desk accessories, just be prepared for similar prices. See the rest over at Fitzsu.

Designed by Norman Foster.
Dimension: 16. 5 in. W x 9.25 in. H x 6 in. D

Better Living Through Design

If you are looking for a smart and functional bag/backpack, IGNOBLE is a good place to start. We’ve featured their Cora Rucksack and the Lenore Backpack before, and now that they’ve just released two new bags it’s only right to shine some light on them as well. The Stilwin Seedpod Backpack is a sleek and compact daypack while the Wonderly Canister Rucksack covers your travel needs as it holds a...

Better Living Through Design

If you’re old enough to remember 8-bit computer games from the 80s, then you’re allowed to give the whole ‘when I was your age’ speech at any time you want. Any time. Permission granted. However, if you were born after that decade, then you may only sit and listen to your elders with respect, and awe, if they deserve it. Space Invaders playing cards available from Art. Lebedev Studio.

-54 card ...

Better Living Through Design

It’s not a bad idea to have steel shot cups. You could throw them at the wall, as Wintercheck suggests, or keep them pristine knowing they’ll last a lifetime. Each set comes with four cups and is dishwasher safe. Choose between Polished Nickel-Plated, Industrial Satin Nickel-Plated, and Slate Gray Teflon.

-Stamped, curled, engraved and then crimped for stacking.
-Made in Brooklyn, NY; Coated...

Better Living Through Design

Designer Henry Wilson takes the classic and ubiquitous anglepoise lamp and updates it with both technology and handcrafted elements. First the lamp itself is rewired for a cooler and more efficient LED bulb, then, either a ceramic or glass shade replaces the original. This is an extremely limited edition of 20, and will sell for $940. However, for $670 you can also supply your own anglepoise...

Better Living Through Design

Have you ever seen a nicer looking Swiss Army Knife? This version features a sustainably harvested walnut from Switzerland that would otherwise be discarded. And what else, you ask? The knife includes a large blade, serrated-edge scissors, screwdriver for small cross head screws, flat screwdriver with safety lock system, wood saw, cap lifter, wire bender, can opener, nail file, corkscrew...

Better Living Through Design

The more gadgets we depend on, unfortunately, also means an endless amount of cables and adapters, with never enough power outlets to plug them all in. The FlipIt USB Charger is a device that solves the issue in a very unique way, by “leeching” off an existing plug and drawing enough current to power charge USB devices. Pretty sneaky! While useful at home, I see it particularly being handy...