Good Design Makes the World Go ‘Round (Or At Least Makes It More Fun).
July 2011
The common and everyday things in your life can make you smile. They don’t need to be boring or utilitarian. Good design makes thing function better, look better and enhance our lives in more ways than you have ever considered. This month we will look at some simple items taken to a higher level by great design. We hope you enjoy our choices. Please call us at 808-828-1822 to find out more information. Or even better, to see all of our favorites, come visit us at Kong Lung Trading.
Janet’s Pick:
MERI MERI’S BAKE ME A CAKE
What started with one kitchen table, a pair of scissors and some glitter 25 years ago has become a bit of a sensation. Meri Meri’s award-winning stationary and gifts, created in Cheltenham, one hour west of London, England, are now available in select design-savvy retailers around the world.
These super fun designs are a sure fire way to liven up any party! As if cupcakes weren’t fun and popular enough, enter Meri Meri’s Bake Me A Cake line of cupcake cases, toppers and matching napkins. As Janet confirms, “I would let you photograph my set of Patisserie Cupcake Cases, except I already used them! Ha ha!” From $5.95 to $16.
Patty’s Pick:
KOYOBUKI IMPORTS
Kotobuki has been importing high designed Japanese artistry since 1976. They provide a wide array of crafts from Japan including ceramics, kitchenware, ironware, lacquer/wood/bamboo, home decor/garden, origami, and more.
Featured this month are the Bento Boxes, Tea Canisters and Maneki Neko Piggy Banks.
The Japanese Bento (lunchbox) has been around since the Fifth Century and has gone through many changes in material, design, popularity and function. As recently as the 1980s, the Bento has made a big comeback. Kong Lung Trading has gorgeous new Bentos from Kotobuki starting at $45.
Japanese tea canisters are beautiful, decorative, and cost effective. Why wouldn’t one of these Kotobuki Tea Canisters make your tea drinking experience more pleasurable? They’re so cute! Kotobuki Tea Canisters from $35.
The Maneki Neko, literally “Beckoning Cat” or Lucky Cat, is believed to bring good luck to the owner. The sculpture is of a cat beckoning with an upright paw. In the design of the sculptures, a raised left paw supposedly attracts money, while a raised right paw protects it. These Lucky Cats by Kotobuki also ensure financial success because they are piggy banks! Or is that a kitty bank? Starting at $39.
Deborah’s Pick:
PEHR LINENS
Pehr re-thinks the way you buy home textiles. With an assortment of classically simple yet modern prints, Pehr allows you to mix and match (or pair) designs to create a look that suits you. With an edited assortment of prints and colors, the Pehr collection ensures a simply beautiful result every time.
These simple yet elegant textiles are machine washable in cold water on the gentle cycle with mild detergent and tumble dry low. From $12.50 to $50.
Book of the Month:
EAT LIKE A MAN
The Only Cookbook a Man Will Ever Need
by Ryan D’Agostino (Editor) , Marcus Nilsson (Photographer) , Tom Colicchio (Foreword by) , David Granger (Introduction)
Overview courtesy of Esquire:
“…So long, dude food. Most men who love food have a roasting pan and a decent spice rack, but they’re still looking for that one book that has all the real food they love to eat and wish they could cook. 
Esquire food editor Ryan D’Agostino is here to change that with his unapologetically male-centric Eat Like a Man a choice collection of 75 recipes and food writing for men who like to eat, cook, and read about great food. It’s the Esquire man’s repertoire of perfect recipes, essays on how food figures into the moments that define a man’s life, and all the useful kitchen points every man needs to know. Satisfying, sexy, definitive, and doable, these are recipes for slow Sunday mornings with family, end-of-the-week wind-down dinners with a lady, Saturday night show-off entertaining, poker night feeds, and game-day couch camping. Or, for when a man is just hungry.”