“All creative people want to do the unexpected.” — Hedy Lamarr

This helpful slideshow from the New York Times gives some great tips on how to make the most of your carry-on luggage. Spoiler alert: it involves a lot of rolling.

For toiletries we recommend the following:

-Stay within the 3-1-1 guidelines of the TSA. This means all liquids and gels must be in containers no larger than 3 oz. placed in a 1 qt ziploc bag, and 1 bag per traveler. Hint: some airlines allow you to bring your own airplane-sized bottles of booze in your carry-on, thus saving you some cash having to buy it from them during the flight. Check with your airline first though.

-You don’t have to rely solely on the trial sized selection at the drug store for soaps, shampoos, and other products. Go buy your own 3 oz. bottles and fill them with your own favorite products.

-Keep your toiletry kit ready to go all the time. Unless you require products with expiration dates, keep all your necessary accoutrements packed in their plastic bag in your suitcase. Leave a note reminding you to grab any other products  you might need with everything else. This will keep you from stressing out trying to remind yourself that you got everything.

We’ve been lied to. As children we were told to ‘grow up.’ Our teachers begged us to ‘act our age,’ all with the implied promise that life as an adult was better than that of a child. Well guess what? We grew up and found out that this is not the case. Being a kid was great! The only thing close to a job was school, and that let out in the afternoon. You may not have had any money, but you didn’t really need any to fit your lifestyle. But best of all you were allowed, nay, expected, to play.

We’re not advocating the regression of the masses to a state of pre-pubescent awkwardness or infantile tantrums, but the loss of our ability to play is disconcerting. We mourn not only its loss, but the fact that now, as adults we can actually realize all those playful dreams we had as kids. Did you ever design your dream house when you were a kid? Well, now we can actually build it. Why settle for electronic ‘toys’ like big screen TVs when you could put a slide in your living room! You know you’re allowed to do that now, right?

That’s why we love The Rainbow House designed by Ab Rogers Design, it’s the perfect embodiment of all the playfulness we had as kids! In a house!  Often times the world of design and architecture becomes rigid, stodgy, and dare we say, boring. So take a minute today, and sketch one playful idea for your dream house. It’s not as hard as it sounds. You’ve done it before.

 

“Some would call working on things for the toilet the lowest common denominator, but in my view all products are equal.” — Josh Owen

An inspiring quote from Josh Owen on reevaluating the design process of the Kontextür WC Line. Read more about it at The New York Times.

The Nest thermostat is a the perfect example of a rising shift in how we think about our homes. As you set it throughout the first week, it learns what temperatures you like when, then automatically begins adjusting the temperature all by itself. It’s the Tivo of thermostats! It even helps cutdown on your energy bill.

So much about the experience of home life is handed down from generation to generation that we often take things for granted. Think about it. You grew up in your parents’ house. You learned all sorts of things about kitchen appliances, television operation, and bathroom habits. These things we tend to carry with us as we get older, into our dorm rooms, apartments, and eventually our own homes. Even something as simple as setting the thermostat can easily be taken for granted, that it works fine just the way it is. Although lately everything in the home is being rethought, and the thermostat can now be a helpful, piece of technology, that not only adds convenience to your life, but can save you energy and money, and be eco-friendly. Twenty years ago that would have been unthinkable to ask of the humble thermostat. The tide is shifting, and there’s ample opportunity today to make the home experience much more convenient, helpful, and fun, than it was yesterday.

Can a bath set be cool? We think so. Sleek, modern, with a twist of old-school practicality, the WC Line from Josh Owen for Kontextür, continues the urban industrial silhouette he introduced in his iconic Tissue Box Cover to a new suite of knockout bath essentials. Made from ultra durable silicone in a range of super saturated colors and naturally stylish and sturdy wood, this space conscious and highly functional bath trio means you no longer have to hide your Plunger, Toilet Brush and Waste Bin but proudly display for all to see… and covet.

The WC Line will be available soon, in five luscious colors, at www.kontetxur.com.

Read an interview with designer Josh Owen, from the Kontextür Design Blog archives.

Blossom Shower Curtain shown in Blue

To touch the floor,
Or to not touch the floor?
That is the question.

Apartment Therapy debates the merits of long and short shower curtains. So far the consensus seems to be that people like them an inch or two above the floor. Although a curtain that goes all the way to the floor hides the ugliness of a lackluster bathtub or grout job.

What do you think? Feel free to comment.

It’s happened to a lot of us. You’re in a public restroom and someone starts talking to you. It’s already an uncomfortable situation. They’re asking what you’re up to, and then telling you what they did over the weekend before you’ve had a chance to decide how to respond to their uncomfortable request for information. Then you realize: they’re talking on their cell phone! Then you get to thinking; how many facebook updates, tweets, text messages are sent from the bathroom. I’ll pause here so you can go wash your hands.

The bath is one of the last remaining places in the home with any expectation of privacy (unless you live with small children). Sure, there’s the sanctity of the bedroom, and the sanctuary of the workshop, but it’s the bathroom where interruptions seem to be the most egregious. With that being so, why is it that some people feel the need to call, text, facebook, and tweet from the bathroom?

If social media were meant for the bathroom, we’d already have telephones in there. Hell, we’d all have T1 connections next to the tub. Can we all resolve to uphold the seemingly antiquated 20th century notion of personal space in the bathroom? What the small children of today do for the rest of this century is up to them, but if they want to talk to me, they’ll have to wait until I get OUT of the bathroom.

With the imminent approach of 2012, many folks are beginning to put together their New Year’s resolution list. And if the statistics are any indication; don’t. Statistically 80% of all New Year’s resolutions are broken in the first few months. The most common ones to hit the dirt are those involving health, fitness, and weight-loss. While it’s admirable to attempt to quit smoking or lose a few extra pounds, it can be a daunting task that only generates stress without producing results. In fact some experts are now advising that we not even make resolutions involving dieting and weight-loss at all because they so frequently end in failure and psychological trauma. We’re no experts but we couldn’t agree more. Screw your diet! You’re probably just feeling guilty because you ate a total of 3 and a half pies in the past two weeks of the holiday season. Screw it. Don’t make an emotionally binding contract between yourself and the bathroom scale just as the result of the stress of travel and family. Besides, if the Mayans are right, and the Cosmos does implode in 2012, it will doom everyone’s New Year’s resolutions faster than we could doom them ourselves.