Poop is Serious Business, the Toilet Museum, a Place for Contemplation
At South Korea’s Toilet Museum – Mr. Toilet House, poop isn’t just a topic for schoolyard jokes – it’s serious business. Haewoojae (Mr. Toilet House) is a curious reminder of the different cultural norms around the world. Talking about poop in South Korea is far from taboo, in fact faeces is considered to be lucky. […]
The stunning furniture of the Herter Brothers: the leading interior designers of 19th-century America
The leading interior designers in America from the mid-19th century were the Herter Brothers. The two brothers from Germany settled in New York after the Civil War and started to make amazing pieces of furniture that immediately impressed the upper classes. For almost twenty years, Christian and Gustave Herter decorated entire houses and rooms for […]
The Tea Bag: They became popular purely by coincidence, thanks to an American tea trader
The origin of the first tea bag has been the subject to debates but there are two main versions, both from the United States. The first one involves Roberta C. Lawson and Mary Mclaren. Both women had filed for a patent for a “tea leaf holder“ in 1901. They stated that their invention should hold […]
Macramé: The 13th-century craft that made a huge comeback in the 1970s
Despite the fact that we mostly link macramé art with the 1970s, the decade when it enjoyed major popularity, it actually originated several centuries ago. There are different information about its origin but it is believed that macramé was started by Arab weavers in the 13th century. The term is derived from the Arabic word […]
Xanadu Houses: a peculiar architectural design for a “home of the future”
Strange-looking experimental homes called Xanadu Houses began to be built in the United States in 1979. They were an attempt at making energy-efficient and affordable dwellings and would also be an example for some of the earliest automation in the home. The Xanadu were constructed by Bob Masters who had previously designed inflatable balloons used […]
Moka pot: A renowned Italian coffee maker with a timeless design
One of the most familiar coffee brewing methods in history is the Moka pot, invented by Luigi di Ponti and produced by Alfonso Bialetti. The Moka pot was invented in 1933 and is revolutionary for more than one reason. First of all, it was one of the first kitchen items to be made from aluminum, […]
Kitchen design in the 1960s – how a period of pop and free love changed the kitchen into a place of fun and social gatherings
The role of the kitchen has reflected societal and cultural changes throughout history. This trend can easily be seen in kitchen design of one of the most creative periods of modern history. The era of the 1960s was a crazy, eclectic time. Many different styles, influences, and novelties emerged in art and architecture design. On […]
History of the electric fan: The earliest mass-produced home appliances
The electric fan was an invention of American engineer Schuyler Skaats Wheeler. However the earliest mechanical fan was invented thousands of years ago. Several of the great civilizations of the world have contributed the development and design of different varieties of fans. The Chinese were among the first to mechanize the fan. During the Han […]