PBT Consulting

FOR FINICKY KIDS AND RICH PARENTS: SMARTPLAYHOUSE'S SUPER CHIC AND MODERN PLAYHOUSE'S, CAN COST UP TO $12,000

Because you're never too young for the finer things in life.

When architect David Lamolla Kristiansen's first daughter was born, he vowed to dedicate his time to creating a special place "just for her" where "she could discover and develop without the direct intervention of her parents."  The result, SmartPlayhouse, is a clutch of tres chic, modernist playhouses that are great for kids alright -- and even better for their design-obsessed parents.

Let's clarify: their rich design-obsessed parents. The playhouses shown here -- one's inspired by the famed Mikimoto building in Tokyo, by Toyo Ito, the other's a Mies van der Rohe-esque homage to mid-century modernism -- cost $3,400 and $12,000 respectively... starting! Extras like curtains, lighting, foundations, and even a door lock and key can tack on another $1,800. For that kind of money, you could buy your kid an entire neighborhood in Detroit.

COMMENTARY:   SmartPlayhouse produces both indoor and outdoor playhouses.  Some can be used both ways.  All of them are made-to-order.  These are tres chic playhouses, and are plenty expensive.  Most of the models come in three different sizes: Mini, Junior and Maxi.  These playhouses look like a lot of fun once outfitted with furniture, curtains, lights and fittings.  I can see why young kids would go bonkers over thse playhouses.  I have a feeling that after the Fast Company article and my blog post, SmartPlayhouse is gong to get a lot of website traffic and new orders.  I can remember the days when you could actually buy a small house for about $12,000.      

Courtesy of an article dated March 23, 2011 appearing in Fast Company Design

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DUTCH DESIGNERS INTRODUCE THE P-TREE, OUT-IN-THE-OPEN PUBLIC URINALS ATTACHED TO TREES, JUST IN CASE GUYS NEED TO PEE

Saving trees from full bladders everywhere.

It’s an unfortunate fact of outdoor concerts: The number of toilets is always in inverse proportion to the number of drunk asses who need to pee. So people -- and by people, we mean shameless dudes -- make a urinal out of the local flora.

Here to rescue Mother Nature from full bladders everywhere is AANDEBOOM, a Dutch design studio that has invented either the world’s cleverest or the world’s grossest makeshift restroom. P-Tree is a rotation molded recycled plastic receptacle that straps onto a tree trunk, transforming your resident oak into the backdrop for a public (very public) urinal.

P-Tree AANDEBOOM from AANDEBOOM on Vimeo.

Once you get past the ick factor -- and really, is it any grosser than a porta potty? -- it’s actually pretty smart. Guys pee on trees. P-Tree acknowledges the inevitable and adds a layer of protection so that said trees don’t take a direct hit. (Or a slightly less direct hit. Because let’s be honest: Aim has never been the drunk man’s strong suit). The best part: P-Tree hooks up to a central sewerage system or a tank, which means it actually flushes. P-Tree 1, porta potty, 0. The only downside we can see -- and the reason this one's an "Almost Genius" -- is that there's no shielding on either side of the urinal. Hence the significant number of members visible in the other images we received of the design. (At first we thought these were the fingers of guys unzipping. We were wrong.)

The Roskilde festival in Denmark, a sort of Coachella of the North Sea, installed 50 neon orange P-Trees this year. The festival’s “problem with public peeing was significantly reduced,” designers Rogier Martens and Sam van Veluw say. Which makes us wonder if P-Tree could actually catch on and become as much a staple of outdoor concerts as ganja balls and Wavy Gravy. We reckon so, at least in Europe, where using a urinal strapped to a tree does not, apparently, constitute “public peeing.” But in Puritanical America? Concert producers would never allow it. Sorry, guys. Find a bush.

COMMENTARY:  European's have a completely different orientation when it comes to things like sex, smoking pot, and now taking a pee right out in the open.  What a great idea.   I bet the parks and recreation department will like them too. What a great idea. The Dutch lead the way. Let's thank those dudes at AANDEBOOM.   Now sau AANDEBOOM!! five times in a row as fast as you can.

Courtesy of an article dated July 8, 2011 appearing in Fast Company Design

 

THE ELEMENT BY FUEGO PORTABLE GAS-POWERED GRILL THAT CAN GO ANYWHERE

The Element By Fuego is aimed at tailgaters, campers, beach bums, and balcony grill masters.

Spring is coming, and we've got barbecuing on the brain. And one tool we're lacking is a decent portable grill. I mean, let's say you're playing whiffle ball in the park or lazing on the beach. Do you really want to eat a clammy chicken salad? Obviously not, but you just might settle if the alternative is lugging around a bulbous Weber "portable" grill.

Luckily, Fuego, the California startup better known for its chic home grills, has introduced a portable, gas-powered model called Element.

Designed by Martin Ruegg, the grill is reasonably powerful, at 8,000-BTU's. When not in use, an oversized red rubber band holds the top in place and the legs swing up to become handles. All told, it weighs less than 15 pounds -- light enough to be comfortable carried on your shoulder, with a clip-on strap.

The Element is available for pre-order now at $150, and ships March 28th.

COMMENTARY:   The Fuego Element portable grill is a great looking sturdy portable gas-powered grill, and at only 15 pounds, can be easily transported like a backpack.   Nice design. Looks like it can do the job, but the $150 price tag is a bit pricey.   

Fuego also seels a portable upright grill called the Fuego Element which comes in several different colors and is equipped with castor wheels so that the grill can be easily moved around.

The SRP for the Fuego Element upright grill is $599.00.

Fuego products can be purchased online through: 

• AJ Madison.com
• Amazon.com
• Costco.com
• Hayneedle.com
• HomeDepot.com
• Grillsdirect.com

Courtesy of an article dated March 10, 2011 appearing in Fast Company Design

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