Cool Hunting

Alessi Spring/Summer 2008
Alessi's upcoming Spring/Summer 2008 product line builds on their reputation for smartly-designed kitchenware. This season, the Italian company employed the talents of a handful of celebrated designers to create some interesting twists on standard fare. One example is the sleekly egg-shaped “Pop-Up” bottle cap opener, which is work of Milanese designer Giovanni Alessi Anghini. The pressure-operated mechanism removes the bottle cap in one downward...

Celebrity Weighing Scales
The number of pounds you weigh is pretty much arbitrary unless you are a pro boxer, but the folks at Angry understand that "nobody wants to weigh a plain old number these days." The Celebrity Weighing Scale helps you see how you compare to your fave celebs, historical figures, and made-up characters. Settings that range from Baby Jesus to King Kong, and include Chuck...

Matchstick Garden
Making gardening (or at least the planting part) easier than lighting a match, Matchstick Garden is a matchbook that holds 10 cardboard matches loaded with seeds ready for planting. Available in wildflower (Cornflower, Shasta Daisy, Corn Marigold, and Field Poppy) or herb (Basil, Chives, Parsley, and Thyme), simply insert a seeded matchstick into soil, add water and sunlight, and watch your garden grow. The...

Breath Palette
The glut of minty toothpaste flavors leave refined palettes with little option when it comes time to brush. Breath Palette, a new line of flavored toothpastes and mouthwashes, are a welcome alternative for mouths bored with generic brands. Developed in Japan, the toothpaste is meant to address the problem of "taste disorders" and allergies in the mouth and is available in 32 varieties that...

360-degree plug outlets
These outlets have already made the rounds, but such an ingenious solution to a common annoyance deserves note here. The story goes like this: Some bright chaps in Salt Lake City invented a solution to the low functionality of most electrical outlets by creating a socket that can rotate a full 360-degrees, allowing us to use our electrical devices from 18 different angles. Standard...

Luxury Lab Linens Rebus Throw Pillows
by Sheena SoodLuxury Lab Linens, a purveyor of hand-printed bedding and unique designs, has just come out with a series of new throw pillows featuring rebuses. Designer Caressa Allen was inspired by pictorial riddles from old beer bottle caps and decided why not bring that fun into the home? Each pillow is 16" X 16", comes with a feather and down pillow insert, and...