8 Winning Tech, Home, and Gadget Finds in Local Design
Image: Joey Roth
Workshop
To infuse the function of a speaker system with the aesthetics of modern furniture, local designer Joey Roth used a blend of birch, aluminum, cork, and porcelain for his sleek ceramic speakers. The only thing cleaner than the
system’s look is the quality of its sound. From $495, joeyroth.com
Image: Schoolhouse Electric
High Design
Schoolhouse Electric’s new line of lights includes its first LED fixture—the Penny Pendant—in a sophisticated copper high-polish finish. $250, schoolhouseelectric.com
Image: Ratio
Kitchen
The coffee aficionado’s dilemma: how to make a large batch of coffee that emulates the quality of a manual pour-over. Enter the Ratio Eight, a hyperelegant, one-button coffeemaker tested by serious java snobs. “There’s an awareness here that coffee tastes better if you brew it right,” says Ratio founder Mark Hellweg. “Pour-over coffee is great. But sometimes you need more of it.” $580, ratiocoffee.com
Image: Coolest Cooler
Update
It’s been over a year since the Portland-designed Coolest Cooler shattered Kickstarter’s funding records, raising $13.3 million in about 30 days. Designer Ryan Grepper began shipping the finished product this summer with more bells and whistles than a Pimp My Ride marathon: built-in cutting board, battery-powered margarita blender, Bluetooth speakers, USB chargers. Place your order now and you’ll have one in time for beach season next year. $485, coolest.com
Image: Goodwell
Bathroom
When industrial designer Patrick Triato came across pictures of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, he was moved. The Goodwell Toothbrush is his small contribution to solving our global waste problem, with compostable bamboo heads and a handle, constructed from aluminum, that can outlast most owners. “It’s a robust piece of hardware,” says Triato. “It can sustain a lifetime of use.” $30, thegoodwellcompany.com
Image: 1964 Ears
Music
North Portland’s 1964 Ears handcrafts noise-cancelling monitors that fit snugly within your ear, allowing musicians to discern each individual sound from recordings and performances. The exceptionally clear, slightly bass-heavy sound of the V8 will put any iPhone earplugs to shame. No wonder Rihanna’s backing band uses them. From $899, 1964ears.com
Image: Hi Phile
Furniture
When musician Tamar Berk decided to get rid of all her bland Ikea furniture, she couldn’t find a replacement for the famously LP-friendly Expedit shelf—so she designed her own solution. The Hi Phile Record Cabinet goes together without hardware or tools, and holds up to 600 records, including boxed sets and 45s. From $525, hi-phile.com
Import
In 2009, Nyla Jano was visiting Cambodia and met a woman making colorful products out of old bags for fish feed and cement. Now, Jano sends her designs to that woman and other displaced farmers and people affected by landmines and polio in Cambodia, who assemble them into stylish totes and purses. The result: her company Torrain’s Angkor Line, made from upcycled farm feed bags and brewery malt bags. “I always wanted to do something more meaningful than fashion design, and I’ve wanted to do something around sustainability,” Jano says. “And this is awesome because it has both.” From $15, torrain.org
Image: Torrain
