Innovation, Design, Beauty and More From the International Home + Housewares Show

I went to the Home + Housewares Show today. I love this show – the new ideas, the color, the food and cooking, it’s a veritable smorgasbord of design. Because of an impending snowstorm I was only able to attend today and as a result, there is one hall that I did not fully check out. Below are pictures of approaches to products that are beautiful, or sometimes, just different enough to make one say, hmmm… Without further ado, and in no particular order (actually they are in the order I took the pics):

Made from hemp, I really dug the Twist. (It got a great review here) Even the writing on the back was fun: “Some raviolis are filled with meat. Others with cheese. Ours are full of clean. If you want to get technical, they’re actually a pastry of hemp burlap, stuffed full of biodegradable sponge. And they’re shaped like a jumbo ravioli. Perfect for baked-on food like, well, ravioli. Sorry. We couldn’t resist the perfect symmetry of this design story.”

Silicone Glasses and cups were actually all over. The use of silicone keeps becoming more ubiquitous (if that’s possible!) every year. I like the fact that this particular cup went the extra step of providing decoration, something many others didn’t bother to do (most likely because it’s not easy to put stuff on silicone.)

Love the vibe from this bamboo kitchen scale.. Couple this with these awesome Cypress cutting boards and all is good in the kitchen.

The Coasterica is another silicone gem of an idea. It gets attached to the bottom of wine glasses (and other glassware) and prevents spills and slipping, and it catches drips.

This fun utensil from Koziol is a combo of products. Nicely done.

The Click and Grow is a really cool, self-contained mini-plant grower. Just add water and a couple of batteries (and a light if it’s in the winter and/or too dark inside) and a microcontroller automatically controls the release of water, aeration, and fertilizer. The only thing that bugged me a little was that the AA batteries, while they are necessary, seemed out of place somehow. Still, if you want a no-nonsense, no muss, no fuss way to grow herbs and plants around the house. This is it.

The Deco Spoon is a way for everyday folks to create flair and decoration in their baking and cooking. It works like a giant fountain pen. Dip and draw/paint.

These cups were simply beautiful. A wonderful change from silicone molded products, these were each hand carved and enameled.

The Kebo is actually a new take on an older product – a nicely made, single-handed bottle opener. These folks also had a fun eating utensil for kids called “Chomp Stix.”

Sometimes innovation is about innovating business models, changing with the times. Kikuichi is a perfect example. Once upon a time they made Samurai swords, now, magnificently beautiful cutlery.

Tired of dipping cookies in milk and having them fall apart? Try ‘The Dipr.‘ Who wouldda thunk? Use it and dunk!

This is an awesome example of innovations based around sustainability. Had a great time chatting with Jasmine, the Community Happiness Guru. Check out the story of Back to the Roots, grow yourself some mushrooms and start an aquaponic garden that is a self-sustaining ecosystem built on an aquarium.

WHIMSY!! You need to have fun and not take yourself seriously. Joie does this wonderfully with the Piggy Wiggy Whisk.

Just the other day I was poaching an egg and thinking about how to create a neater, cleaner poaching experience. Well today I found it. Poachies. A thin paper container, biodegradable, creates a great poached egg. I really like this and have some to try.

More fun and utility as well! The Measuryoshka is a Russian nesting doll (Matryoshka) where each part is its own measuring cup. Artistic and cultural vibe. I like it!

Folding occurs all over nature, in flowers, and molecules for example. I’ve always been fascinated by how things fold and that’s probably why these beautiful greeting cards from Tegami caught my eye.

I will leave you with one final thought about the power of cooking, which in some ways, is the power of innovation. We are all throwing things together and making something new to the world. I’m looking forward to your new creations!