Small Space Milk: Not Just For Squares

I remember a few years back reading about how the Japanese grow watermelons inside acrylic cubes in order to produce square watermelons. These square watermelons then fit nicely into fridge compartments. This new square case-less milk container reminds me of that.

Apparently Sam’s Club is stocking these new milk containers that more efficiently use space both in your fridge and in the truck on the way to the store. It is really an innovative idea. It seems to me that the milk crate really should be extinct by now — they are a tremendous waste of plastic. I don’t know how they have survived the endless poaching by college students in search of cheep bookshelves, but they have.

The new container design will translate to a savings of 10 to 20 cents vs. the old school jug. The savings are a result of being able to fit 384 more gallons into a standard truckload. With gasoline prices soaring, the cost of transporting goods has a significant impact on a products bottom-line price.

I love innovation the saves space, money and the environment — cheers Sam’s Club.

Small Space Library: Amazon’s Kindle

Kindle: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device

I know what you’re thinking, e-books are dead — I though that too.

The Kindle was released in November 2007. It has been in the hands of consumers for a few months now, and the consensus is that it rocks. In fact it rocks so much, Amazon at the time of this post, is sold out.

The Kindle is a truly innovative electronic reader. Amazon packed in many of the features that prevented the success of its predecessors. An electronic reader can’t succeed if it’s hard to read and the Kindle’s electronic paper-paper display has covered. The screen really does look and read just like a paper book. There is no backlight, but books don’t have backlights either. The kindle can be read as easily in bright sunlight as it can by your bead-side lamp.

The selection of books alone available to the Kindle is staggering. At this time there are more than 100,000 books available, including 90 of 112 current New York Times Best Sellers. Also many of the nations top newspapers and top magazines are available for download.

Also more than 250 top blogs are updated daily. It’s important to note, at this point that Amazon has, obviously in error, neglected to add Small Space Living to this list. I’m sure this situation will be remedied as soon as Amazon comes to its senses.

The Kindle can hold 200 books and with the SD card slot that number can increase to infinity.

The battery needs to be charged every other day with average use.

It was a surprise to me to learn that the Kindle does not require a computer at all. All of the downloads and blog browsing is preformed through its free wireless connection. That’s right the wireless connection is free or included in the purchase price. You can also browse the Internet with the Kindle.

The Kindle also has a search engine/service called Kindle NowNow, it is powered by real humans. They research your question and get you answers in about 5 minutes.

All in all The Kindle packs a serious punch in its 10.3 oz package. I am excited to see how it continues to develop. I am also astounded at the possibility of having an entire library in one small paperback sized device. The Kindle really is an amazing small space book lover’s companion.

Designer Posters

Check out these marvelous Mid-Century designer posters. The full post is on the Mid-Century Modern Roundup Page.

Small Space Rugs

Photo Credits The Rug Company
There are many ways to add color and style to you small space life — classic furniture, interesting objects or fancy electronics. Whatever you decide to bring into your home should be the best you can afford. You don’t always have to spend loads of money, but buying classic items always pays off in the end. When you live in a small space, choosing items for you home is even more important. If you have to see something every day, you should love it.

I love these rugs. The Rug Company has some of the most beautiful enduring rug designs I have ever seen. They have classic woven rugs like those you could find in any high-end rug retailer. It is their contemporary and designer collections that really shine. These rugs are available in a wondrous array of patterns and colors. Styles change, home furnishings come and go, but well made rugs last generations.

The Rug Company does not mass-produce machine made rugs. Each of their amazing rugs are hand knotted in the traditional method using hand spun wool. These rugs will stand the test of time and remain stylish while doing so.

Sonrisa Furniture

Photo Credit Sonrisa Furniture

Sonrisa Furniture is a unique company that specializes in retro and industrial pieces. I stumbled on their site some time ago.

I first fell in love with their vintage steel office furniture — classic Mid-Century Modern pieces refinished beautifully. They have a great selection of vintage office desks, credenzas and chairs.

There is a great selection of industrial objects as well. I have always liked basket lockers as a functional all-purpose storage and organizing solution. I also very much appreciate the idea of restoring and reusing vintage pieces — it’s like recycling furniture.

I am glad they are on the other side of the country because I’m sure if I could actually go to their showroom it would wipe me out.

Mini Valentine Gift Guide

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner — seven short days left. I thought I would help you guy’s stay out of trouble by steering you in the right direction.I have picked several Etsy items that I’m sure your valentine will love.

Sweetheart Candy Box HatBy: Terry Graziano Hats
If your valentine is at all like mine, then she loves hats. This is a great hat. It can be worn in a multitude of ways so it’s like buying several hats in one. Terry Graziano Hats are very well made. The Sweetheart Candy Box Hat is constructed of lightweight wool and lined with silk. It even comes in it’s own hatbox!


Say Anything Note CardBy: Annie Cho
Valentine’s Day means Valentine Cards. This one by Annie Cho is perfect. I know my valentine and I enjoy 80’s movies and Say Anything is classic. I like the fact that this card has the simple Lloyd Dobler (john Cusack) image and nothing else. You are free to deliver any message you would like and Lloyd and his boom box are there to back you up.

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Faceted 50’s Vintage Glass Button RingBy: Mom O Matic’s AUTOMAT
You can never lose with jewelry on Valentine’s Day. This cherry red ring is made from a 50’s glass button. It’s adjustable so it will fit your valentine and it’s inexpensive so it will fit your budget.

IKEA Hacker

Spawned by my recent Multi-Function Furniture post I feel the time is right to wade into the IKEA discussion.

IKEA, the friendly Swedish furniture giant — love them or hate them — offers a dazzling array of modern home furnishings at reasonable prices. I love going to IKEA. It is packed with almost everything you could ever want to furnish your home. They have all these cute little rooms staged with their products. It looks amazing. But then there’s the Q word — Quality. Well there it is.

To be fair, I have IKEA furniture in my home now — a bookshelf. It has functioned well for quite some time. I have also had several bad experiences with IKEA products. I could go on, but let’s just leave it at let the buyer beware — try it before you buy it. There are some real gems at IKEA and some real headaches as well.

Which brings me to IKEA Hacker. IKEA Hacker is a great blog that can help make your IKEA experience much more enriching. They post an assortment of idea for use and modification of IKEA stuff. They also show ideas for improving IKEA products.

A great example is the image above. It is a bamboo plywood sofa table made with legs from an IKEA IMFORS table.

The Bento Club

What is a bento box? A bento box is a Japanese lunch box — well basically a lunch box. Bento boxes range from mass-produced disposable fast food boxes to high-end wood and lacquer boxes. You know, Molly Ringwald’s lunch box in “The Breakfast Club” — that was a bento.

Bento boxes are produced in such an amazing variety; some are plastic kids boxes some are metal thermos like jars. One such box is the Mr. Bento by Zojirush there is even a flicker group featuring only photos of Mr. Bento lunches.

There is a lot to like about bento lunches. It’s more than a meal. There is a real design element that goes into creating tasty lunches, which are also visually appealing. Check out bento boxes on flicker, you will be amazed at the sheer beauty of some of these lunches. So if you want to join The Bento Club pick one up there available everywhere online.

Starbucks Gift Card Coasters

Ok, so in addition to being a super eco-friendly product, this post is pure shameless self-promotion. I want to be honest right up front and say that I make these coasters and sell them on Etsy.com. My wife and I sell several handcrafted items that we produce in our home. Crafting can be a fun and rewarding experience.

These coasters are made by cutting spent gift cards and arranging them in mosaic patterns. They are then laminated to cork creating quite functional coasters. You can now protect your furniture and the environment at the same time. Most gift cards are not recyclable so finding alternative uses for them prevents them from ending up in landfills.

The World of Etsy

Etsy has been around for a couple of years but I’m still surprised buy how many people don’t know about it. Etsy is a site like EBay but it’s not an auction site. The sellers set the price and the best part is that nearly everything is handmade. There is a section for vintage items but the vast majority is handmade. One thing I have noticed is that most of the items are of exceptional quality and reasonably priced. I have found in my Etsy adventures that most sellers are honest craftsmen -- yes that’s right, people that actually care about the things they produce.

You could buy this whole room of handsome minimalist modern by Lunar Lounge Design furniture for less than a single piece from Design Within Reach.