Last week, I featured Andrea Ruggiero Design's UFO (Unidentified Feeding Object), a BBQ-perfect platter made from birdseed. The UFO was designed for last month’s InDisposed Exhibition, a NY Design Week event aiming to highlight “the twin dichotomies that define contemporary design today: sustainability versus wastefulness, and preciousness versus mass production.”

 

InDisposed generated a lot of thought-provoking work and the UFO was definitely a standout (other designers included Tobias Wong and MIO), but in all reality would I actually buy it for my own home? Big pause. I see the appeal, but decidedly it’s not for me.

An item making its debut at InDisposed that I can’t wait to buy is the Candlestrip from Brooklyn’s Design Glut. I’ve dedicated a post before to DG (AKA Kegan Fisher and Liz Kinnmark) before where I praised the Cubic Switchplate, a visual gag that may (at least this blogger hopes) draw attention to household energy inefficiencies. The Candlestrip — four three-pronged wax taper candles in the shape of power cords that “plug” into a glass base in the shape of a power strip — similarly plays with the idea of energy and wastefulness. InDisposed sums up the Candlestrip best: “Rather than powering energy-burning devices, these cords simply burn. Literally.”

 

The CandleStrip is due out in the mid-summer so hang tight for a while. In the meantime, check out DG’s Slow Food Tray, the Dow Jones Hanky, and an always insightful blog that focuses on young, creative entrepreneurs. 

 

I'm obviously a fan of playfully ironic accessories for the home (a la SUCK UK) especially when there is a deeper, environmental "message" behind the design. What's your take on something like the Candlestrip? A must-have or just plain silly?