I Heart German Design

Surely you are all aware that Germany prides itself in creating beautiful design. One look at a Porsche, Audi, Mercedes, or BMW should tell you that. The really great thing, for me, is that this design is not just limited to big companies and industrial applications. No, this design overflows into the public sector, infusing kitchen gadgets, office supplies, and home furnishings with fun features and cool colors. Furnishing a home in Germany (or really anywhere in Europe) is fulfilling a childhood dream of surrounding yourself with "gadgets".

I thought I would show you some of my recent purchases, to inspire you in your quest for fun things. A lot of these items were found at local shops or online at design3000.de, my new favorite site for internet browsing. I'm not sure if they ship to the US, but for those of you that know me well, I can always be persuaded to "import" something for you on my next visit home. :)

The Clarktoberfest Gallery of Fun Design, Volume 1

"Lucky" Monitor Cleaner by Koziol

I gave this monitor cleaner, aptly called "Lucky", to my cousin for Christmas. Isn't it so fun? First of all, monitor cleaners are useful because your monitor always gets dusty, and no one ever cleans them because it's boring to do, right? Well, this little guy lovingly licks your monitor clean with his microfiber tongue. Plus, his tongue is shaped such that it can "hook" onto the top of a flap panel or laptop monitor. Genius.

"Emma" Orange Peeler by Koziol

This is another Koziol product that is adorable (I really like Koziol stuff). It's an orange peeler shaped like a snail. You loop your finger through its "shell", use the little triangular piece to pierce the rind of the orange, and then glide it across the fruit until you've got it ready for easy peelin'. In addition to the advantage of avoiding turning your fingernails yellow, you get the added bonus of feeling like a kid when using it.

Bandit Letter Opener by Indigo Design Group

This was also a Christmas gift to one of my cousins. Sure to amuse your clients and brighten up your work space. Everyone should have a lawless rebel slashing open their bank statements. The world would be a better place.

Kitchen Scale by Tchibo

Maybe not everyone will appreciate this, because the US uses mostly volume for measurements in cooking, but here in Deutschland everything is by weight. Having a kitchen scale is very important. And if it's not cute, is it really worth buying? This one I love, because it's cute and red, and because of the well-designed bowl...right-side-up it's a bowl, upside-down it fits over the scale to minimize space. Looooove it.

And finally, our most recent and prized purchase, the "Ray!" nutcracker (as in HooRay!):

Ray! Nutcracker by Troika

How great is this? You place a nut inside, pull it back inside the balloon, let go...the nut flies into a steel plate with such impact that it explodes the shell (with a satisfying bang!, I might add) and leaves you with a ready-to-eat nut. When has eating nuts ever been this much fun?