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(Credit:
MoMA store)
Maybe that's why I find this Bamboo Charcoal Deodorizer appealing. Created by Kiyoshi Nishio, its charcoal and clay mineral powder construction is designed to absorb odors instead of mask them. Because the surface area exposed to the air is critical to the amount of odor absorbed, the cube has a honeycomb design. The overall size of the cube is a manageable 2 inches, perfect for the bathroom, closet, car, or fridge. What's better is that, contrary to your standard box of baking powder, the cube is reusable. If it is placed under the sun for a few hours, it releases the odors it has soaked up and can be reused again and again for up to a year.
The cube costs $25 at the MoMA store, but I think it's a small price to pay for the sake of protecting your home from vanilla bean or lavender honeysuckle.
(Credit:
MoMA Store)
It wasn't until I began to peruse the MoMA Store's Web site last year that I learned a valuable lesson about hors d'oeuvre: presentation is everything!
I'm no stranger to creating pretty presentations. In fact, many of my friends for whom I've cooked a meal will tell you that I care almost as much about how a plate looks as how it tastes. What I don't do, however, is spend much time thinking about how to serve predinner snacks, and so most of these end up gracing the coffee table in the same bowls that I use for my Cheerios.
And so, as I sifted through the various dishes and kitchen gadgets that make up the MoMA's store collection, I began to find bowls for appetizers like this Babyboop five chamber hors d'oeuvre that are just as ready to serve as sculptural centerpieces as they are to serve olives and nuts. Even though they may only be associated with the foods that come as a precursor to the meal or outside of mealtimes entirely, they make a surprisingly beautiful first impression.
The Babyboop bowl was designed by Ron Arad as part of a series of "large, blow-molded aluminum furniture-as-sculpture pieces" for Alessi. It's made from mirror-polished stainless steel that curves into four bubble shapes. What you put in it is up to you, but one thing is for certain: your guests won't be forgetting your hors d'oeuvre course anytime soon.
(Credit:
MoMA Store)
Father's Day is right around the bend, so you can bet on seeing a lot of gift ideas in the coming days on store shelves, like fancy ties, coffee mugs, and classy bar-inspired dishes such as these Inside Out Martini Glasses.
When your dad pulls the glasses out of the box, he might give you the kind of eyebrow raise and forced, "Oooooh, nice," that accompanies the gifts that end up collecting dust in a storage shed, because they look like ordinary drinking glasses from the outside. But pick your favorite hard liquor to pour into them and they reveal the classic martini shape on the inside. They're also make of a blown glass that insulates the liquid, keeping it cooler longer.
Alissia Melka-Teichroew designed the Inside Out Martini Glasses and they are available at the MoMA Design Store as a set of two for $65.
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MoMA Store)
The flowers that come prearranged in vases are no better, often costing twice as much for half the flora. What's the solution? How about these spring-inspired bird and leaf vase-makers?
Not only do the festive gadgets eliminate the need for vases by transforming ordinary drinking glasses, but they also cut your costs when you visit the flower shop. Even a single bud held by the vase maker makes an attractive addition to the kitchen table.
The Bird and Leaf Vase Makers were created for the Destination: Brazil collection of the MoMA Design Store and are available on the store's Web site for $25.
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MoMA Store)
It's a bird, it's a plane, it's...a bowl?
No, this beautiful piece of artwork isn't meant to be used as a weapon to threaten your enemies--it's a bowl created for the MoMA Store's Destination: Brazil collection. The collection celebrates designs, culture, and lifestyle elements from Brazil, which explains the centipede design that inspired this bowl.
The bowl is constructed from 44 independently moving pieces that are each made from a composite of coconut fibers, sugar cane, and wood. Since each piece moves separately, you can rearrange the bowl in a huge variety of configurations. A rubber washer and magnetic end serve as the closure for the two ends of the bowl when it's closed.
But a design this unique comes with a heavy price tag: at $275, you can get it from the MoMA Design Store. Or, you could wait until you hit the lottery or add it to a bridal registry and hope one of your guests is feeling generous.
(Credit:
MoMA Store)
My friends would tell you that I'm an entertainer. And they'd be right: one of my favorite things to do is cook a nice meal and serve it to people, even if it's not a special occasion. Whether it's for a quiet dinner for me or a dinner party over the holidays, I like to make sure my food is presented nicely on my plate before I eat it. They do say "you eat with your eyes first," right?
Maybe that's why I like the MoMA Design Store and their pretty selection of dishes that are perfect for serving snacks and appetizers. The most recent addition to my list of "I-want-that" items is this awesome Super Star Bowl made by Alessi.
The Super Star is made of mirror-finished stainless steel, and it's bent to look like a star with a high center that slopes down to six curved vessels, perfect for olives, nuts, spices, grapes, and cheeses. I usually serve snacks like these in separate bowls (I save my presentation energy for the main courses), but this one is much more interesting, and even looks good when it's empty.
At $150, the Super Star Bowl might be best kept for special occasions. But the price tag might be worth it: it might make you famous.
(Credit:
MoMA Store)
Leave it up to the MoMA Design Store to bring beauty to even the simplest sort of dish. This beautiful wooden spice block makes a perfect serving dish for nuts, spices, candy, or even decorative marbles.
The spice block was designed in 2008 by Nick Foley and Diane Ruengsorn, and each one is hand carved in Brooklyn, N.Y., out of mahogany that's been repurposed from a window factory. The blocks are finished in beeswax and oil and are food-safe.
These unique wooden spice blocks are available at the MoMA Design Store for $50.00.
(Credit:
MoMA Store)
Whoever thinks that oil and water don't mix has another think coming: with this Double Cruet designed by Rudi Keller for the MoMA Design Store, you can store two different liquids right next to each other.
So maybe you won't choose to mix oil and water, but oil and balsamic vinegar would be a delicious combination for a salad, or you could pour oil into both sides and infuse them with different herbs and flavorings. Either way, having the option to double up your liquids in one vessel is both convenient and tasty.
The taste factor isn't the only upside to owning this gadget, though; it also has a no-drip spout. This is good news if you're anything like me, and you have a pantry full of slippery oil bottles.
For $16 on the MoMA Design Store Web site, you can double up your dressings by getting this cruet.
(Credit:
MoMA Store)
Straight from the destination: Japan collection at the MoMA Design Store, these plates are a fun addition to your dinner table.
Designed by Ikuko Nakazawa to look like chat bubbles in comic strips, the set includes three plates: one large serving platter and two smaller plates for appetizers or little snacks. The Destination: Japan collection was created to showcase "lifestyle products from Japan," and also includes fun gadgets like pencil chopsticks and the previously featured Folding Bread Board.
At the moment, the Chat Plates are on back order. You can reserve a set in the next arriving batch for $48 on the MoMA Design Store Web site.
Just because Valentine's Day is over doesn't mean that you can't share a glass of tasty spirits with your sweetheart: the MoMA Design Store provides you the opportunity with this quirky set of wobbling cognac glasses.
slightly off-putting. Maybe it's just me, but in general, I like to pour dark liquids into vessels that look stable enough to hold them without spilling them all over my carpet. I'm also not accustomed to seeing my food and drinks move around on the table between bites and sips.
But the wobbling glasses, in addition to embodying the fun and artistic spirit of most MoMA-inspired designs, serve a functional purpose too. Increasing the movement of the cognac in the glass mixes air with it, releasing the bouquet. Also, the movement allows you to check for the cognac's clarity, a must for brandy aficionados.
Designed by Rikke Hagen in Turkey, the glasses are available as a set of two at the MoMA Design Store for $50.
