Out walking in beautiful Brooklyn with my friend Shannon the other day, we stumbled upon the cutest modern boutique called Module R. It’s chock full of really cool modern stuff but I focused most of my attention on the vast number of options available for carrying lunch to work. I’ve been on the hunt for a new lunch system. I call it system, because somehow lunchbox sounds to adolscent for a grown woman. I’ve narrowed it down to four but I’m having a a hard time choosing, so maybe you can help me out. Vote for your favorite below!

Pulp Coffee Table with Stools

Cardboard Bed with Drawers 

Swirly Cardboard Bookshelf 

Coffee Table with Recycled Cardboard Base

Cardboard Cactus by David Stark

Bloxes Build Your Own Furniture  

Cardboard Lounger

Don’t Spill Your Dinner Table 

 Cardboard Writing Desk and Stool

Cardboard Animal Trophies

When I first saw this pillow on Yanko Design I thought, why would someone want this? However, after a bite of lunch (I think better on a full stomach) and a poll around the office, the brilliance of this invention fully came to light (pun intended). I call it a pillow but it’s actually a pillowcase with integrated LED lights.  I love that the light comes from behind you, if you’re reading while lying on your back, as opposed to in front of you, which can be distracting. What makes this truly neato is you can program it with your smartphone to wake you up with a gentle electronic sunrise.  Dang, what CAN’T you control with your smartphone these days? I would use this for reading.One question I didn’t find an answer to, how do you launder it?

I would argue that there is nothing creepier than a rug that looks like your neighbor took a face plant from the Empire State Building. Even though it’s so very obvious the rug is not real, it looks like a cousin of the blow-up doll, with it’s creepy slack jawed stare, it’s still a little unsettling. I rather like the windblown look of the hair, as I imagine that’s exactly how mine would look had a just taken a colossal nose dive.

Human BookShelf

I’m sorry I’m just not one of those people who is comfortable with the naked human body, so for me this has to be the creepiest and most disturbing of any of these pieces! Not to mention my obsessive/compulsive love of symmetry is set off balance by its many dips and crevices.  Also, you’d want to pay particular attention when grabbing a book. The title, Moby Dick, could prove to be just that.

Dismembered Baby Doll Coat Rack

Our first creepy item comes in the form of a little DIY project. Looking for a way to recycle all of those broken baby doll parts you have hanging around the house? Screw the appendages into a wooden board and voila! You’ve put those tiny hands (and legs) to work.

 A Bench with Arms Holding a Large Tumor

What can one say about the Surrealism chair by David Pompa? I’m sure we could have a lengthy conversation about the designer’s intent and how it makes us feel, but less just cut to the chase, it’s fucking creepy! I mean I’m not sure what repulses me the most; the arms belonging to uh, no one, jutting from the side of the chair or said arms fondness of, what looks to me like a large tumor. I can only assume this chair belongs to descendants of your favorite appendage and mine , Thing from the Adams Family.

Duck Lamp by Sebastian E

 Big-Ass Nose Soap Dispenser

Coffin Couch

 Human Furniture Collection by Dzmitry Samal 

The new Scion iQ on a test drive in Los Angeles, California.

I’ve been car free for years. Having lived most of my adult life in large cities with excellent public transportation, I’ve never seen the need for one. And once I became an avid bike rider, I felt a certain pride in the ability to commute to and from work without harming the environment with nasty carbon emissions. However, this last year I’ve noticed a shift in my anti-car stance. I have found myself renting a lot of vehicles for travel and I’ve been making the most of my Zipcar membership.  While the convenience of an instant car has been awesome, the expense has put a dent in my transportation budget. Having recently moved to a new apartment with a parking garage, quite  a luxury in the city, the prospect of getting a car has become more and more appealing. So it must have been synchronicity that brought Scion calling, asking me to come to California to participate in a test drive of their new Scion iQ.

Little Scion iQs all in a row

How could I say no to two wonderful days in L.A. and an opportunity to test drive the Smart Car’s new competition? Scion flew photographer, Nick McGlynn from Random Night Out and I out to Los Angeles for the test drive, along with other bloggers and members of the press to learn more about the Scion iQ. In addition they also wanted to enlighten us to the various lifestyle initiatives Scion supports, such as; short films, art installations and Scion enthusiast’s events. Needless to say, it must be a lot of fun working for Scion’s marketing department! While we had a great time learning about the hip culture Scion cultivates, we were really looking forward to getting out on the road to see how the car performed.

When, I first saw the car all I could think was, ‘Wow, it’s so little!’ but one look inside and I realized it was actually quite roomy. Scion calls the iQ’s seating arrangement ’3 +1′  meaning you can comfortably seat 3 people and have a little extra room for cargo. If you really had too, you could squeeze 2 people in the back, but only if the driver is short. This is way better than the Smart Car, which only seats 2 with no storage whatsoever. So far, the Scion iQ looked pretty good. But how did it drive?

After attending a thorough briefing on the capabilities of the Scion iQ, it was time a test drive. Climbing inside I noticed the interior was nice, exactly what you’d expect from a new car but what surprised us even more was, we didn’t feel like we were sitting in a small car. In fact, the Scion iQ was a bit too roomy, if that’s possible! The only thing I wasn’t so keen on was the ’manta ray’ design of the navigation device. It was a little over done for my taste. I would have liked to have seen a simpler design. What we really wanted to check out was the turn radius, which Scion claims is 12.9 ft. My living room is 13 feet wide, could this car really turn a full circle in my apartment? You betcha! If I hadn’t seen it I wouldn’t have believed it, but sure enough, Nick did a u-turn in a narrow Venice beach alleyway with no problems whatsoever. Awesome.

One of the questions that kept coming up again and again was, how did the Scion iQ stack up against the Smart Car?  As we were taking our test drive we drove right past a Smart Car and couldn’t resist putting them side by side. As I mentioned before, the seating in a Smart Car is super limited. The lack of passenger and cargo room in the Smart Car was blatantly obvious once you got them close together.

The Scion iQ was an awesome ride. And we had a great time getting to know the people at Scion, a really fun bunch. They really have passion for their jobs and I can’t blame them, it seems like Scion is really committed to creating not only a fun car to drive, but an eclectic sub-culture amongst Scion drivers. So what about the iQ, would I buy it? I’d definitely consider it. It has everything I’ve been looking for in a car: plenty of room for me and a couple pals, great gas mileage(it gets nearly 40 mpg) and easy  to park, it’s so tiny it fits in half a parking spot. The sticker price is reasonable as well, at almost $16,000, it’s less expensive than other cars its size. Overall the Scion iQ performed really well, it was fast, easy to maneuver and would  make a great car for any urban dweller. Much thanks to the Scion crew for inviting us!

Hard to believe but the little house you see above wasn’t meant for adults, it’s for children. These miniature homes are from Smart Playhouses and were inspired by Danish design. They definitely remind me of my days in Copenhagen. Scandinavians know how to enjoy their leisure time, in fact, I often received lectures from Danes on how Americans needed to work less and enjoy life more. Not only are these little playhouses indicative of Danish design; modern, functional, simple, but they look an awful lot like the summer homes so many Scandinavians own. Unlike Americas obscene McMansions, Scandinavian families normally have a smaller second home they can escape to on weekends or long summer holidays. They homes are usually very modest dwellings with minimal amenities. Anything obnoxiously elaborate, especially for a second home, is considered by Scandinavians, to be in poor taste.  Oh how I miss Denmark!

These little houses make me want to be a kid again. Or just a very small person! :->I so wanted a playhouse when I was a kid. I remember one family down the street from me had a pretty elaborate tree house, I was so jealous of those kids!

I imagine the price tag for theses lovely minis is pretty hefty, since I couldn’t seem to locate the actual cost on their website. But if you can afford one, go for it. You’re child will relish his playhouse memories and talk about what a great parent you were for years to come!

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