Designer Sherwood Forlee came up with a straight walled jar with lids on both ends as a better alternative to conventional jars to "ensure that no peanut butter is ever left behind a nook or cranny." No wayward bit of peanut butter is safe! [via Tastespotting] Related Peanut Butter and Jelly: A Serious Eats Special Report Peanut Butter and Jelly Spreader In Gear: Hacking Mason Jars... More
Is your apartment missing something? Like...a kitchen? Then Denmark-based furniture design company Hansen Living has just the thing for you: the Instant Kitchen! It contains an oven, gas jets, electric power, refrigerator and water in one freestanding unit. You just need to hook it up to a water supply and electricity. And find a place to put it. [via uncrate and not martha]... More
Last month, we told you what coffee drinkers thought of the new Starbucks Pike Place Roast. Everything from "kinda watery" to "real strong." But who cares about the coffee; we should have asked about them about the mermaid's sassy new look. Er, old look, since the breast-baring image is a throwback to the original Seattle store's logo. Nicknamed the "Slutbucks" controversy, the redesign had one conservative group bickering and covering children's eyes. Well, they can simmer because Starbucks recently announced, "we will be returning to the standard green logo in a few weeks." Apparently, this was not in reaction to critics, but always part of the plan: roll out the "heritage logo" for an eight-week long Pike Place Roast launch,... More
Permits nearly in hand, contractors lined up, cabinets on schedule, appliances ordered—we are finally about a week or two away from beginning the actual construction on our new kitchen. With that in mind, this past weekend was a whirlwind of last-minute decision making and ordering and the realization of a potential snafu: tile. The Tile Design Though we had selected cabinetry and appliances with decidedly clean, modern designs, much of our initial design inspiration had come from the aesthetics of old apothecary shops and the pre-war details of our building. Thus, we had decided early on that we wanted to use small hexagonal tiles Though the majority of the floor was to be tiled in one color, we were... More
Save space, be complimented on your fabulously mod kitchen layout, and be green all at the same time with this horizontal eco dishwasher designed by Marie-Christine Lacasse and Claude Savard, students at the University of Quebec. All you'd need to do is stick the dirty dishes in the rack: The dishwasher will automatically fill up and do its thing. Check out this video to see it in action. [via Treehugger]... More
If only the aisles of my local Shop Rite could be filled with such simple and appealing food packaging. Check out more designs from Swiss food retailer Migros at package design blog, TheDieLine.com... More
Tea time could be changed forever with the self-stirring cup. A prototype for a teacup called Ceramic for Mix aims to obviate the need for teaspoons. The teacup, by the design firm Anna Gram, stirs the tea with a twirling motion of the wrist. When you take a sip, the ball is trapped in the base of the glass by gravity to prevent accidental ingestion. Says Anna Gram's website: "Function creates a new gestural and aesthetic appeal." [via Neatorama]... More
From The Boston Globe comes a photo of the last original Dunkin' Donuts sign, from 1957, being dismantled in Brighton, Massachusetts. It is "now in storage and facing an uncertain fate."... More
Update (1/5/2011) Starbucks dropped all words from its logo today. Here's what the latest version looks like (see below for the history up until now): Previous to 1/5/2011 A) Engraving of a twin-tailed siren (15th century); B) First Starbucks logo (1971 - 1987); C) Il Giornale logo; D) Merging of Starbucks and Il Giornale (1987 - 1992); E) Redesigned Starbucks logo (1992 - today); F) Current Starbucks logo, a revival of the original If you stopped by Starbucks the other day to try their new Pike Place Roast brewed coffee, you may have noticed the cup looked a little different, with the siren's tails displayed more prominently. Actually, this "new" design is a throwback to the original Starbucks logo, which... More
Adam Roberts (aka The Amateur Gourmet) just bought six quirky, idiosyncratic plates. What's so special about the plates? Not much, until you read his analysis of each one, from "The Dad Plate" (a plate covered in golfers, perfect for his dad) to "The Ugly Plate" (it's ugly, which makes it suitable for ugly people). I'm quite fond of "The I Don't Really Get It Plate," which is supposed to resemble some kind of deformed face. Now I want to get a new set of random plates for my kitchen. Previously: Paper Plates You Can Display On Your Wall Cutest Plates Ever Topography Soup Plate... More
