ˈmä-dərn

coffee.press

mrrivera — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 04:14:24 +0000

If you’re trying to kick the Starbucks habit because you recently realized why you never have any money (I write this post while at Starbucks), the Stelton Dot Press Coffee Maker by Paul Smith is a perfect solution, unless you only drink espresso drinks… like me. Found on the Stelton website and available for $70 in black, brown, and purple, the press holds 64 ounces and comes with two matching cups. Stelton’s penchant for minimalist design seems at odds with Paul Smith’s notorious stripes of color but collaboration is a clear success.

box.bag

mrrivera — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 01:32:06 +0000

I don’t recognize fast food joints as harbingers of wonderful and new ideas but trendy New American restaurants are perfect candidates for this waste-reducing and innovative concept by Casey Ng. The BoxBag was found on Yanko Design and eliminates a layer of packaging to provide box and bag in one simple piece. Convenience and simplicity collide to create an environmentally-friendly design that would have, presumably, a virtually limitless market.

luxury.rehab

mrrivera — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:04:03 +0000

Right after crashing your supercar or finding that your secretly recorded rant has gone viral, going to rehab rounds the top three on the celebrity bucket list. If Promises in Malibu or the Betty Ford Clinic are options (i.e. net worth > 8 digits), then your rehabilitation will probably be better than my best vacation. Morey Talmor created concept packaging for midway drugs and cessation products that give clients “a luxurious, exclusive and discreet experience”. Created for Habit and found on The Fancy, ask for the black bottles next time you treat your withdrawals with Methadone.

breeze.rack

mrrivera — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 07:25:07 +0000

Concept designs are always bittersweet: the future of form + function looks exciting but waiting for it is hardly satisfying. Designed by Jo Jae Young, the Breeze Rack was featured on Yanko Design and a recipient of a 2011 red dot award. In additional to holding towels, the rack doubles as a bathroom ventilator and triples as sterilizer. As if a triple threat wasn’t enough, the end piece disconnects to become a hairdryer. Who doesn’t appreciate a little well-designed efficiency?

puma.table

mrrivera — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 07:14:40 +0000

Perhaps the first ping pong table from Puma was so popular a second was necessary but I’m admittedly surprise they didn’t design, say, a foosball or pool table to compliment their previous piece. The Puma Blackout Ping Pong Table follows on the heels of the Puma Chalk Ping Pong Table and is available made-to-order for $1,900. Doubling its “cool factor” through a steel mesh net, the table was found on Uncrate and makes a great addition to the modern game room.

black.globe

mrrivera — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 04:36:09 +0000

It’s all around the world. Just la la la la la.
But what is around the world? Learn more about the planet (preferably while listening to ATC) through the Black Table Globe found on Design Within Reach’s website. The globe is currently on sale for $150 from $200 and makes a great desktop sculpture.

wood.placemat

mrrivera — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 04:34:45 +0000

I found the Sumi Lacquer Placemat while searching for a duvet cover on Calvin Klein’s website. Currently on sale for $24 from $60 with an additional 25% in savings, the wooden placemat is offered at an incredible bargain. Place it on a modern glass table to make all your meals look amazing (yes, even sloppy joes).

new.year

mrrivera — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 22:09:55 +0000

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope everyone’s celebrations last night were incredible. I’m definitely stoked for 2012 and the reasons seem infinite: I start a new job later this month; I move back to California from Washington State; I’ll be a first-time renter with a first-time (real) job; I’ll meet a bunch of new and, hopefully, amazing people in San Francisco; and, of course, I’ll regret taking out student loans I didn’t need… so it’s not all perfect but it’s pretty close. The last 22 years can be divided between school and life before school. Starting with 2012, I’m living post-school and I’m anxious to start. WordPress celebrated the start of the New Year by providing me with a recap of 2011 and I made the information publicly available. Some notables:

7,100 viewings (about 20 per day)
151 new posts with 399 pictures
Busiest day: August 16 with 270 views
Most visitors came from the US, Canada, and UK

Follow the link below to see the complete 2011 annual report. I look forward to another year of blogging and appreciate all viewers. Make sure to subscribe to stay up-to-date with the latest postings and please make requests or suggestions for improvement.

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 7,100 times in 2011. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 6 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

empty.memory

mrrivera — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 20:08:25 +0000

Memory sticks are destined to become nostalgic memories in the same way that floppy disks are products of the past. Cloud storage is becoming storage of choice for individuals and businesses but good design in the cloud is limited to user interface whereas memory sticks give physical aesthetics, assuming you don’t rely on the free drives available at career fairs.

Empty Memory, found on Yanko Design, is a series of 4GB USB drives designed by Yoo-Kyung Shin and Hanhsi Chen for Logical Art. Even though free drives are readily available, the £48-60 price tag hardly acts as a deterrent; in fact, every single design is sold out on the Logical Art website. Get in the digital line now by pre-ordering for delivery in early 2012.

apple.slicer

mrrivera — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 19:18:37 +0000

The Apple Slicer is a minimalist piece found on MoMA’s online storefront. Currently on sale for $30, the compact tool was designed by Jessica Battram and Christina Schafer in 2004 and can conveniently fit in drawers where space is a premium.