Spot Cool Stuff: Design

3 High Design Cereal Bowls For Kids

Spot Cool Stuff — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 15:46:00 +0000

Toddlers eating cereal is a messy, often wet, affair. Bowls get dropped. Milk gets spilt. Cereal goes flying.

Here are three bowls that won’t break, might help your kids contain the mess and will always look cool:

Spilt Milk Cereal Bowl

It’s like eating out of a high speed photograph of a milk splashing out of a bowl. The Spilt Milk Bowl has the look of the impending disaster you probably feel watching younguns feed on cereal. But this silicone bowl won’t break (in fact, it’s bendable) and after breakfast is top-rack dishwasher safe.

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Boon Catch Bowl

This bowl’s built in “food catcher” will only catch food if children drop it just-so. But the suction cup on the bowl’s bottom will bring up the odds of that happening—and keep this bowl firmly rooted in one spot. The Boon Catch Bowl is made of a soft material that’s free of harmful chemicals such as BPA, PVC and Phthalates; so your children will be as safe chewing on the bowl as they are on whatever is inside it.

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Loopa Gyroscope Bowl

It’s part kid-friendly bowl, part food carrier, part we-know-not-what-but-it’s-really-cool.

Loopa employs an automatically closing lid and an ingenious swivel-within-a-swivel design to create a bowl that can be rotated 360 degrees in any direction without the contents inside spilling out. Though the Gyroscope Bowl isn’t microwave safe it is virtually indestructible and dishwasher-able.

Check out the video below to see it in action.

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The World’s Largest Car Dealership

Spot Cool Stuff — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 19:58:00 +0000

Chances are that you have never visited an auto dealership purely for an afternoon of fun. That may change once construction is complete on a new car showroom megaplex.

Said new car showroom megaplex is not located in the United States, China or Germany, as you might expect. Instead, the Autopia Europia is being built in a suburb of Istanbul, Turkey. The massive building will be the world’s largest car dealership. Though we’d argue it will be much more than that.

The Autopia Europia will feature over 100 shops, 40 insurance agencies and 20 banks. There will be more than 50 restaurants and pubs (alcohol and automobiles being such a good combo). To support the expected 6 million yearly visitors the complex will have parking for 900 cars and a dozen on-site petrol stations. Segway scooters will be available for rent to speed visitors around the whole thing.

All told the Autopia Europia will have nearly 65,000 square meters of indoor space. How large is that? It’s over 700,000 square feet and more than 16 acres. It’s over 5 times the size of the car dealership that currently holds the record for the world’s largest (Longo Toyota in El Monte, California) and over 43 times the footprint of London’s Wembley Stadium.

And those square-footage figures don’t even count the coolest par of the Autopia Europia: the rooftop racetrack. That’s where drivers can try out their potential wheels-to-be. Because what better place to test the speed of a new car than on an oval road 25 meters (80 feet) above the ground?

So, come for the rooftop racetrack. Stay for the Disneyland-like spectacle. And—who knows?—you may even buy a car.

published: 13 Aug 2010

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NB. the Autopia Europia is actually larger than it appears in these photos. Each of the complex’s five stories are nearly three times the height of a typical building floor. And two of those stories are underground.

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Stay Outdoors, Indoors, at Joshua Tree

Spot Cool Stuff — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 19:57:43 +0000

Trying to categorize the lodgings offered by the Acido Dorado, located on the edge of California’s Joshua Tree National Park, is like trying to solve a Zen k?an.

Acido Dorado isn’t a house—it is too open to the elements for that. It isn’t a glamping (glamorous camping) experience and certainly isn’t a cabin—the setup is way too luxurious. The accommodations here aren’t indoors, though nor are they outdoors; rather, it is some ingenious melding of the two.

Read the rest of this unusual rental house review on our travel blog

10 Cool Sushi Products You Can’t Eat

Spot Cool Stuff — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 01:41:40 +0000

Any self-respecting sushi chef will tell you: Presentation is as important as taste to a superior sushi dish. That’s because sushi, in addition to being delicious, can also be artistic.

Here’s a look at some household items with a sushi design. None of these items are edible. But, if you are a fan of sushi, they will make you hungry:

Sushi Clock

It’s ten past yellowtail tuna on this cool sushi clock. The hands of the clock resemble chopsticks. And the exterior of the clock looks like a Bento bowl. US$300+

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Eyeglass Case

You may not believe your eyes when you look down at this handmade eyeglass case—in the right light it looks like a real plate of sushi. Each case is custom made, at least in terms of size. Getting extra wasabi may be more difficult. Sold through Etsy. $14

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Socks

These are officially classified as “novelty socks,” but who wouldn’t want to add a touch of seafood fashion to their everyday wardrobe. Especially since these socks are guaranteed not to make your feet smell fishy. Available in wasabi green, rice white and salmon pink. $8

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Sushi Soap Bento Box

For your future reference: It is better to take a bath with sushi than it is to eat soap. But better than both of those is to wash yourself with sushi soap.

From across a room, the sushi in this Bento box set looks delicious. Get closer, though, and you’ll get the sense that something smells fishy. The tamago roll, salmon sushi and other Japanese delicacies are bath soaps. $6

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Sushi Pillows

These sushi pillows are raw genius. The plush 8-inch-high (20cm) shrimp and tuna nigiri renderings are the coolest looking of the selection; these white rice and fish pillows may seem precariously tied together but in fact they won’t come apart—even when dipped in too much soy sauce. We aren’t as fond of the edamame pillow—on its own it resembles a large green slug. However, all four pillow together (see pic below) can create the fun illusion of being in an over-sized Japanese restaurant. $17

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Sushi Vinyl Shower Curtain

It’s the perfect companion piece to the sushi soap (above). This sushi-themed shower curtain is 70-inches high—that translates to 5.8 feet, 177.8 centimeters or 181.3 slices of sashimi. $19

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Tote Bag

The cool online store Cafe Press has several items printed with sushi designs. Our two favorites: a coffee mug (see below) and this tote bag. From a distance one can only make out the polka dots; up close artistic sushi drawings come into view. $17

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Sushi Mug

A decaf skinny squid nigiri, please.. This sushi mug is another great Cafe Press item. $15

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Sushi Slippers

Instead of sushi on a bed of rice, how about sushi on your feet? These wonderful slippers surround your feet in soft fleece. And because footwear as cool as this shouldn’t be confined to the indoors, they also sport a grippy weather-resistant underside. We also love how they come wrapped in deli-style paper with a label detailing “nutritional facts.” $28

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Sushi Pajamas

If you are a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Will & Grace or the Gilmore Girls you may already be familiar with seafood-themed sleepwear. In each of those shows, a main character strutted around in a pair of these cool sushi pajamas. Every pair of PJs are 100% cotton and very comfortable. While wearing them, you’ll surely fall into a zen-like sleep, dreaming of sake and wasabi, though your sleeping partner might wake up next to you and think he or she is staring at a Japanese restaurant menu. $86

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The Semiramis Hotel: Art Deco Design in Athens

Spot Cool Stuff — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 01:32:12 +0000

Is it the ancient European city of Athens, Greece? Or is it South Beach in Miami? While staying at the Semiramis Hotel your GPS would tell you the former. But your senses would conclude the latter. The day-glo colored lobby filled with beautiful people. The ubiquitous pop art. The pastel swimming pool area filled with the scent of suntan lotion.

Yes, everything about the Semiramis is undeniably cool. But it is as certain that this boutique hotel not for everyone. Its in-your-face design, its vibe and its location are the best reasons to stay here—and the best reasons not to.

Read the rest of our review of the Semiramis Hotel on our travel blog

A Better, Portable Beach Umbrella

Spot Cool Stuff — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 00:36:59 +0000

The old fashion beach umbrella. It’s ubiquitous at beach resorts—and in fruity drinks—world wide. But it is difficult to transport. And your typical beach umbrella becomes sub-optimal at the start and end of a beach-going day when the sun isn’t shining directly down.

Now from sporting good manufacturer SKLZ comes a better—and much more portable—version of the beach umbrella: the Sport-Brella.

The Sport-Brella weighs around 15 pounds (7kg) and, folded up, is approximately 4.5 feet (1.37m) long and 4 inches (10cm) in diameter at its thickest point. That’s too large for backpacking but certainly compact enough to stow in a car and carry short distances. It also means that the Sport-Brella is allowed as a carry-on by most airlines.

Once transported to wherever you’d like a personal bit of shade, the Sport-Brella is easy to set up. There are two basic options: stand the Sport-Brella straight up (above photo) or lay it tilted on the ground at an angle (below photos). In either case the set up takes a matter of seconds. The Sport-Bella opens much like a typical rain umbrella and comes with everything you’ll need, including bungee cords and round and “hook” ground stakes.

The Sport-Brella offers UPF 50+ sun protection and keeps out 99.9% of both UV-A and UV-B rays. We also like the fold down “windows” and the little pockets for storing valuables. Add an umbrella hook for even more storage options.

Our largest complaint? While the Sport-Brella’s material is waterproof the slots at its top are not. Those slots are important for keeping the Sport-Brella from blowing away, and in a light rain the design will keep occupants dry. But expect to get wet in a downpour.

The standard size Sport-Brella offers eight feet of shade. Though for a slightly higher price, we think it is worthwhile upgrading to the nine feet of shade offered by the XL version of the Sport-Brella.

If you really want to complete your Sport-Brella experience SKLZ also sells a matching umbrella chair. Unfortunately, miniature Sport-Brellas to put in fruity drinks are not yet available.

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The 500 Colored Pencils of Felissimo

Spot Cool Stuff — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 02:57:32 +0000

You may have heard of the Beer of the Month Club, which sends its members a case of a different type of beer every month. There’s also a Cheese of the Month Club, a Flower of the Month Club, a Dinner & Movie of the Month Club, a Bowtie of the Month Club and many, many more.

Now, from the Japanese company Felissimo there’s something akin to a Colored Pencils of the Month Club. Though it is way cooler than that.

The colored pencils from Felissimo are intended not so much for creating art, but more for being art. Along with the pencils, Felissimo sends clear holders that can be combined to create an artistic design.

Felissimo customers can choose desktop holders or freestanding “color wave” holders (see photos, below). But Spot Cool Stuff is partial to the large modular wall display—from afar it looks like a riot of color, only close up can one recognize the component parts.

Purchase Felissimo’s standard package and you’ll receive 25 pencils a month for 20 months. The pencils in each mailing are of similar hues and include a new holder. We like the idea of having an art piece that grows over time but if you are an inpatient sort you can receive all 500 pencils and corresponding holders at once.

In addition to these pencils looking cool, you can, of course, use them to draw with. But be careful not to lose one. You’ll go crazy trying to replace it with just the right color.

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See more art and home decor ideas

6 Cool, Clear Bathtubs

Spot Cool Stuff — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 20:37:35 +0000

It requires a certain personality type to have a see-through bathtub at home. Even if you always take your baths in total privacy there’s something about a transparent tub that says I don’t mind people seeing every part of me from all angles.

Those who can pull off a clear tub will almost certainly get a cool bathroom as a result. Not only do clear tubs convey a distinctively modern look they also help make a bathroom look larger and more open.

Here are six of Spot Cool Stuff’s favorite see-through bathtubs:

Hoesch Water Lounge

Germany-based Hoesch has been making bathroom products for over 250 years. But despite being rooted in history the company’s design sensibilities are distinctively modern. Exhibit 1: The Hoesch Water Lounge. It’s appropriately named, being less of a bathtub and more of a deck lounge chair that happens to be in a glass cube that might or might not be full of water. Jets from underneath the tub’s wooden floor shoot upwards providing a full body massage.

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Wasauna Glass Bathtub

Stylistically the products from Wasauna, based in Arizona USA, seem to be all over the map. But their Glass Bathtub is definitely cool. While the tub’s sides are glass the based is stainless steel and spotted with anti-slip dimples. The headrest is padded and adjustable. And the faucet and hand-held shower spray is chrome. Normally US$6,400, this tub is currently “on sale” for $3,200. If that’s a little over your budget check out the company’s clear, though slightly less cool looking, Newport Hydromassaging Tub.

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Omvivo Le Cob Bathtub

It’s like an infinity pool expect, instead of overflowing all around the tub, all the excess water pours out of the rear of the tub. Underneath the overflow area is a field of pebbles; it is pretty wonderful hearing the stream of tub water falling down on the bed of stones. However, the tub itself holds very little water, making it more for relaxing than actually getting clean.

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MILO Spa@Home

There’s something creepy-voyeuristic about a see-through bathtub made for two. Yet WS Bath Collections has managed to pull off exact that in a sculpted, artistic way with their MILO tub, part of the company’s Spa@Home collection. The elegant Milo is easy to install—the freestanding base can simply be plopped on top of a shower drain. Choose from a base of brown leather or white, red or black wood.

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Novellini Cristalli

The Cristalli tub, from Italian design firm Novellini, is similar to the MILO (above). Except this tub, part of Novellini’s Elysium collection, is less comfortable. It is also arguably more modern-chic looking and so would better compliment a bathroom with a polished floor or one that’s heavy on stainless steel.

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Teuco Duralight Corner

All the above bathtubs have two transparent sides and so are designed to be placed in the middle of a room. Teuco makes a selection of clear tubs meant for more traditional against-a-wall placement. The one we’ve featured here is Teuco’s corner unit; they also make a rectangular model. The two coolest features of this tub? It has “invisible” nozzles that jet massaging water from the tub’s floor. And the tub’s two removable head-and-back rests are made of a comfortable gel and also double as the tub’s faucets!

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published: 8 June 2010