When a talented designer is involved, the most basic household items can become ultra-stylish. That’s what happened when designer P.Waiwiriya got creative with everyday clothes pins. (You know — the kind that never get used for laundry but always hold your bag of tortilla chips closed?)
This week, we’re giving you the chance to win two sets of these whimsical clips available through the Museum of Modern Art’s MoMA Store – 32 clips total. The sparrows come in four bright colors and are just too cute to stash away in your laundry room. For a chance to win, answer this week’s question before 12/11c, Monday, May 3. Be sure to provide a valid email address so we can contact you if you win.
This week we want to know, what everyday item needs a style makeover? Toilet bowl brushes? Laundry baskets? Gardening tools? You have until 12/11c Monday to answer. Click for official rules.
Has to be the bathroom cleaning supplies. They never look good but we can't do without them.
A good looking air tight canister to keep cereal or dry goods fresh and bug free.
So even if it's on the top of your fridge it looks nice.
laundry baskets I have 7 and they are sooo boring
Items to help organize my pantry, dry goods, potatoes and what not. I never seem to find anything that can make it look put together – i'm always trying to use baskets or bins that are meant for other areas in the home and they still don't improve the look.
I have little kids and you know what would be really fun for them? A sandwich maker that cuts them into fun shapes…. circles, squares, stars, dinos…. they make the cutters you can buy at Walmart and such, but why not have the sandwich machine do it and have swappable plates?
Brooms and toilet brushes for sure. Not fun to do but would be better in style!!
Shower caddys/ toothbrush holders that don't collect mold in the shower.
Or
Shoe rack/storage unit.
Window cranks need some style! There just there and blah.
Excellent idea! I've seen this on dishwashers, and some other appliances, so why not a microwave?
Toilet paper & paper towel holders….not the fancy, free-standing ones, but the ones attached to the sink or under the counter…usually just cheap, practical plastic….zero eye appeal.
WATER DISPENSERS — To reduce plastics in landfills, I buy water in bulk from Whole Foods and carry it home in my 3 gal. and/or 2.5 gal. water containers. The 2.5 gal plastic container also has a spout on it for use as a dispenser. It is the standard pale, clear blue plastic container and sits on my limited-space kitchen counter. The slightly nicer water dispensers I've seen are made of stoneware or ceramic and have a definite country feel to them. I wish that trying to drink healthy also LOOKED good!
All of these are good! I think that Laundry Hampers could be a lot more stylish and interesting. They are pretty big and in some peoples spaces very hard to hide.
Light switches….and their faceplates.
I like my products to serve at least a dual purpose…how about a glasses case that is also a wallet?
I'd like to see mops made over, sponge yellow is gross. And more ergonomic. In recent years efforts have been made, but they have a long way to go!
I think dustpans could really use a makeover. I'd like to have one that actually works! They could also look a bit more stylish too.
I vote for the toilet scrubber!! It is so unsightly sitting in back of the toilet! .
I think the Toilet Bowl Brush needs a makeover. You use it a couple of times & it starts getting rusty because the bristles are made with metal…at least ours are. They're ugly too…need some way to hide them in plain sight. " )
Sponge! They're so cute, in decorative colors and designs, for the first day or so, but a week later, I'm using it for a soap rest. Maybe they could make ergonomic, animal-shaped "sponge holders", where a replaceable sponge pops into the bottom of the holder, so that when you put it on the back of your kitchen sink, your eyes are drawn to the cute little kitty, doggy or bunny, etc. Actually, a turtle would be pretty ergonomic. Hehe. Have a great day, everyone!
I think broom & broom pan could be more stylish…they are so board and have been the same forever!
Bathroom toiletries need a style makeover. They always look so cluttered in the shower and the bathroom vanity!
can openers. i can never find funky ones.
I agree with the bathroom cleaning tools needing some style….but how about this one?…….hot and cold food storage containers that are not only efficient but also more pleasing to look at. I know they are out there but make them with safer materials and somehow still keep the cost reasonable.
Pots & Pans that are marked what type of stove would be best to be used on. I a great electric flat top and it keeps getting marked up. I have the proper cleaners for the stove top, but can't come up with what type of pans would be best for that type of stove.
Hair dryers and kitty litter pans are the dullest things to look at! Let's get some style in them!
I think the toilet roll hanger needs a makeover. It's just too boring!
Clothes pin bags…Yes, I hang clothes out to dry on a clothes line! There is nothing like sleeping in freshly washed sheets that have been drying outside in the fresh air!
toliet bowl brush.
I would say trash cans need a makeover- bathroom, kitchen, whereever! They just aren't very attractive and sometimes have to hold some pretty stinky stuff that needs to be concealed or disguised.
Air conditioners in the wall. I rent and it comes standard and it is sooo ugly!! Having a stylish looking one would somewhat make this place a little bit chic.
The Trash Can!! I don't have under counter space to put a 13 gallon trash can, mine is practical and yet so very ugly.
Ironing boards and irons. Ironing boards are so ugly and clumsy to set up. If they could design them to look nicer (like maybe stored in furniture), you wouldn't mind leaving them out. Also, I don't think the shape or look of irons have ever changed. The need to be a more innovative shape and some color would be nice!
My (glass) shower daily cleaning things need a make-over. If I hide their unsightliness, the hubs "forgets" to spray/squeegee. If I leave them out, well, my spa doesn't look quite a peaceful…
I think it is laundry baskets. They are usually too wide for the doorways and too heavy when full. Talk about a thankless job that is a pain in the back.
Blenders could use a style makeover.
dry dish racks. Sooo few and sooo limited.
Small fans. I use one to sleep every night and it looks so ugly sitting on top of my nightstand! I need a stylish fan! lol
I think we need some new design for toilet plungers. We need them handy in case of an emergency, but they are so unattractive we don't want them in plain sight in the bathroom. Something jazzy, yet not too over the top.
they are hard to come by i gave my grandpa one that shaped like a key. He loved even in pink
definitely toilet brushes
Three cheers for better sponges!
I agree that we need to redesign toilet brushes or plungers. Not attractive and they take up too much room.
remote control organizer…all of them are too boring to own…therefore our remotes are always lost.
Toothbush holders need a makeover. If you have the cup holder, the insides gets that mildew/ old toothpaste stuck at the bottom, and you can't clean it. if you have a wall mount, some toothbrushes don't fit and the others leave water/toothpast grime at the grip. If you lay it on your sink, thats just nasty! There needs to be an effective way to store my toothbush that doesn't seem to be creating a bed of bacteria.
The candlestick is something that everyone has in their home; that can be fashionable, yet not; that can date itself; and has lasted past its usefulness. Make THAT over!
Sponges, the kind you use to scrub your dishes with or your bath tub. They all look generally the same with horrid clashing colors. They don't retain their color(s) or original physical form after using them a few times. I would want a sponge that would be stylish to leave in plain sight, no matter how many times I've used it.
A new toilet brush design would be nice. I wouldn't keep my tooth brush out in the open if it looked like the toilet brush does. Something other than bristles would be nice, they tend to bend all over the place and get worn out like the brush is going bald. Sometimes the bristles spray back bowl water [yuck]. Maybe short scrublets that come out through tiny pores on a flexible non wire brush head ,with a sturdy handle, so it can bend around the bowl and get those nasty spots under the rim. Almost like a spatula design but with scrubbers.
Linda
I think that clothes baskets could probably use an overhaul. They are awkward, large, cumbersome and downright hard to handle. Colors have come and gone, but none are really that attractive.
A practical way to store leftovers or frozen food items. Plastic containers take up so much space and are a mess to keep track of. The sealers, at least the affordable ones, do not always protect frozen food from freezer burn. Let's face it, wraps such as foil and plastic wraps don't work either. Maybe the idea is that we shouldn't fix so much food when we cook. That would take care of the leftover problem, I would suppose.
I think vaccuums could use a makeover. I think they should be more stylish to fit the colors or patterns as the rooms you will be using them in. It'll make them fit in more, especially for homes like mine where there's limited storage so the vaccuum sits in the corner of my living room. It definitely stands out too much.