In-Flight Meals

On second thought, maybe it's best if this door remains closed. If fish and fruit begin to levitate once they're liberated from this Servel refrigerator...well, it'd be quite a party trick, but a messy one, too. I love the unabashed surrealism of this ad; for 1952, it's a pretty hip vision, especially considering the pedestrian nature of the merchandise on offer.

Have a weird weekend, dear readers.

Full Spectrum

Here's a rainbow kitchen to mark a long-overdue decision. Love comes in all colors.

Hot—Err, Make that Cold—Wheels

No, you have not mistakenly landed on the Car & Driver blog. What you see above is a refrigerator—albeit one with headlights and tires.

I know more than a few product designers in the kitchen and bath world who are veterans of the automotive industry, or who cite the field as a significant influence on their work. Indeed, there's an on-and-off history of corporate collaboration between the two businesses. This latest one, a partnership of appliance manufacturer Smeg and the Fiat motor company, capitalizes on the cultish affection for the iconic 500 model roadster. Under the hood, sliding glass panels seal off the cooling compartment. Appropriately, it's available in the tricolore of the Italian flag: red, white, and green. fiat500design.com

Design Secrets [or, Back in the USSR]

Inspired by the cloak-and-dagger drama surrounding [perhaps] temporary Moscow resident Edward Snowden, I offer this bathroom for today's post. In his Saint Petersburg apartment, antiques dealer Sergei Bobovnikov evokes the institutional ambience of a Soviet state-sponsored sports training facility, circa 1930s. Salvaged submarine valves resurface as handles on the shower enclosure; light fixtures from a decommissioned tugboat also find a new identity in the room.

Made for the Shade

A mere two days after the solstice, and true to form, we're headed for a streak of hot & humid weather. In keeping with my customary escapist ways, I'm retreating—in my mind—to this cool, grey kitchen to wait out the heat wave. Uncomplicated and spare, it appeals as a refuge. pietrorusso.com

Clean Thoughts

Here's what I want to know: What's the big deal? It seems that in 1920s, it was barbarous behavior for a lady to be knowledgeable of the linkage between hygiene and housekeeping insofar as the bathroom was concerned. This ad so tiptoes around the subject that the words 'toilet', 'commode', or even 'water closet' are never featured; instead, we blushingly read about 'the most important and least discussed fixture'. Thank goodness Standard engaged none other than Miss Anne Richards [who?] to pen a polite, tell-all booklet on the topic. I'm sure it was mailed out in a plain brown wrapper.

Lighting Striking

With the alfresco cooking and dining season upon us, some folks may be in the market for some new outdoor seating. Ditto exterior lighting. The Brecce collection of LED-illuminated stools—each piece a one-of-a-kind design, owing to its salvaged-wood construction—gives nature a little artistic twist while providing a place to perch. marcostefanelli.it