Learning from Others

Traveling has been on the forefront of our minds lately. Both in the excitement of picking a new place to explore and learn from, and reminiscing on the places we have already been before. It’s no surprise that other countries and cultures do things differently and have solved the same questions with different solutions. It’s one of the reasons why traveling is so much fun and interesting. Which brings us to today’s topic and just like souvenirs here’s 3 things we’ve used in other countries that we would love to “bring back”. 

Dish Drying Closets (Astiankuivauskaappi) – Finland

Finnish designer, Maiju Gebhard, designed a drying rack in the 1940s that would make dish drying easier and more efficient. It looks like a normal kitchen cabinet on the outside, but on the inside shelves are made of plastic or metal dish slots and the bottom of the cupboard is left open. The cupboard is hung above the sink so that the excess water from the wet dishes can drip into the sink. Obviously it can also be used as dish storage.

Kill Switch – All over Europe & Japan

Who hasn’t been almost out of the house when you remember the lights to the kitchen or maybe the bathroom are still on.  Shoes on; bags in hand. Well in other parts of the world the kill switch for lights is extremely useful as it will turn off all of the lighting in the home with the push of a button. We think all light switches should be push switches as per our blog about prolonged independence.  Taking it a bit further and having a switch that makes it extremely convenient for anyone who forgets to shut the lights before they leave the house, or doesn’t want to go into each room to turn off all of the lights one by one. No need to take off your shoes to turn off a light when you can hit the kill switch and turn them all off in one swell swoop

Floor Seating – Anywhere in Asia

We know it’s a stretch but sometimes that’s what is needed.  Pun intended. Sometimes we just want to lay down in the living and flatten our spines after a long day of sitting or being stressed out.  While traveling around and finding out that having different options to sit in in the same space was great; high stools, chairs, loungers, and floor seating.  Having many different sitting positions is great for our health. Probably our mental state as well by bringing us back to our childhood where the floor could be anything, used to build majestic castles and forts, to the all power lava. Conversations on the floor seem to always dive deeper too, as if being on the floor grounds us and gives everyone a safe space, an even playing field. Lets still stay comfy and get things designed for this type of seating especially if you want to be there for a while, from cushions, bean bags, pillows, and whole sofas designed to be low.

The countries listed are from where we have used them. Where have you used them and what design solutions have you used or seen during your travels?