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GENERAL NEWS www.kitchenwarenews.com ■ JULY 2014 ■ KITCHENWARE NEWS & HOUSEWARES REVIEW General News 3 BY AMBER GALLEGOS Nearly ever yone can relate to the frustrating experience of attempting to use a kitchen gadget and getting about halfway through the task before thinking: This would be so much easier if . . . If only the handle didn't slip. If only there was a way to keep everything organized. If only there weren't so many parts. If only it combined this step with the next one. If only . . . Well, Joseph Joseph has been there, done that for cooks all over the world. The U.K.- based brand makes kitchenware with the dual goal of functionality and aesthetically pleasing design. The design process starts out by taking everyday kitchen tools and looking at how they can be improved. Take the new Nest Storage compact container sets, for example. The bases nest inside each other neatly, and the color-coded lids snap together and stay together even when upside down. The largest container in the set of eight or 12 holds all the other smaller containers and lids in one space. Gone are the days of searching through an array of shapes, sizes and lids to find the single one you need. "For us the most important part of design criteria is functionality," said Damon Willmott, Senior Vice President of Sales for Joseph Joseph, who has been with the company since it began in 2003. "We look at products with a different set of eyes, trying to see how we can make them better and improve functionality. If there are ways we feel we can improve through better design, that's where Joseph Joseph comes into play." With experience in product design and business, and a background in the family glass manufacturing company, twin brothers Richard Joseph and Antony Joseph have developed an array of award winning kitchenware in just over 10 years, collecting dozens of design awards since then. Most recently, their new for 2014, Twin-Cut compact 2-in-1 scissors was selected as a Global Honoree for Best Product Design by the Global Innovation Awards during the Chicago International Home + Housewares Show in March. The item is a streamlined version of a pair of scissors which can close and lock so as to take up less drawer space. There is a serrated edge on the outside of the bottom blade that acts as a box cutting tool when the scissors are locked. Looking at a collection f rom Joseph Joseph, the concern for design is apparent. Most of their products come in the brand's Joseph Joseph Innovates beautifully core colors of white, black, red and Joseph Joseph's signature green. Fashion colors such as purple, yellow, pink and blue may also be added depending on what is trending in the European apparel market. All of the products have a sleek and stylized appearance that ties them together while at the same time allowing for home cooks to mix and match them into their existing kitchen arsenal. The company has a team of in-house designers headed by Antony Joseph who are constantly working on innovations for ever yday kitchenware. "Ever ything we do definitely comes f rom a design aspect," Willmott says. "A customer may pick out a Joseph Joseph product because of the way it looks, but once they have it in their hand they realize there are so many more benefits than just the way it looks." Other new additions for 2014 include the FoodStore and SpiceStore Carousels that offer compact storage solutions on a rotating base, the Edge Store sink set for organizing dish brushes and sponges, and magnetic Note Clips that double as bag clips and can be labeled with the included dry erase marker. ALESSI OCTAVE BY ABI ALICE Octave by Abi Alice explores the potential ability of the ellipse to create harmonic and proportionate forms. Created using the ratio 2:1 which corresponds to a musical octave, the inspiration behind the name and design of the project. Available in two sizes: the smaller version is an elegant container suitable for serving bread or bread sticks, and the larger item is an elegant center piece. Produced by cutting, bending and welding specific areas of an 18/10 stainless steel sheet and then hand welded to create its shape. Alessi 212.431.1310 www.alessi.com