Do we demand good design?

I just returned from my latest European trip, and while staying with parents, I decided to enjoy the Crisp English evening by offering to mow their yard. "Mower's in the shed" my dad said - and upon entering, there it was. No, not a shiny new mower, but the very same Flymo hovering lawnmower I used to mow that very same yard when I was 12! Wow! I may not have appreciated it then, but now, as a designer, I was taken aback. If this mower were sold in the States as a new model, we would marvel at it's futuristic beauty - but this thing is 20-years old! It's sleek, bright orange, aerodynamic, and the thing has no wheels - it freakin' hovers!

But it doesn't end there, it's Dyson Vacuums and Bang and Olufsen Stereos. The Europeans are just simply further down the evolutionary design chain! Nowhere is this more clearly defined than in the automobile market. We are so content with our bland Japanese sedans, and in Europe, their cars are fashionable! Like Clothing! I took two examples - America's Beloved Camry, and a run-of-the-mill European family car (Citroen C4 pictured).



America, let's wake up and demand good design. It's un-American to be boring!!

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IKEA - Why I'm so Obsessed!

What is it about these big multi-storey blue boxes outside major urban areas that makes me so excited? Why do I drive 3 hours to my closest Ikea to buy laminate floor I could have purchased at my local Home Depot (just as cheap after factoring in fuel costs).

It's simply all about Design! (Most things are, you know!) The stores are things of beauty! The dramatic blue and yellow color scheme and sheer immensity of these buildings invigorate our souls in perhaps the same way as a cruise ship. Then we get to park our cars underneath as if docking with the mother-ship, while filled with excitement of the wonders we're about to behold. The first glimpse of the clean and stylish furniture as we ascend the escalator, and our blood starts pumping faster! We begin to anticipate how delicious our meatball and lingonberry juice lunch will taste after a morning spent 'ooh-oing' and 'aah-ing' over Sweden's latest ingenious creations! After the showroom, on to the marketplace - who else puts this much thought in to Light fixtures, towel racks and kitchen utensil holders? It's any designer's idea of heaven.

After a full day, I look forward to loading up the car, (time for all those years of playing Tetris on my Gameboy to pay off) putting on some great music, and make use of the three-hour drive to wind down from my sensory overload while reflecting on a perfect day!

[Minneapolis/St.Paul location pictured above]

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Very cool, or a Sellout?

I am a huge fan of both the original and BMW-flavor Mini and Mini Clubman. This new "Countryman" has a dorky name and I can't decide if it's awesome, or a dilution of the brand.
Sure, I've always wanted a Mini, and now I have two kids - this would enable me to have my cake and eat it to! Thing is, I think I may have lost my appetite.

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