Design

Comments of the Week

October 7, 2011

Each week we add a bundle of prospective new goods to our community voting app. We love sharing these uncommon designs, and we’re glad our community loves telling us what they think! We’re excited to share a few of the star statements from this week.

We’ll start this week’s comment roundup with some very enthusiastic feedback from Christine.

Thanks for the feedback! We know Christine truly loves the Crawlings Knee Pads. That many exclamation points can’t lie.

Our next commenter skipped the excited punctuation.

Although the Boyfriend and Girlfriend in a Bottle are just the right size to take with on the go, they do not symbolize unhappy relationships. As a matter-of-fact, they can be used as cute little reminders of actual, human boyfriends and girlfriends while they’re away.

Lynn and Sareen both see the humor in these plastic partners.

We think this item could make a great gag gift, too!

Speaking of great gifts, we think the Baby Voodoo Doll would be a great gift for an expecting parent, but Christy isn’t so sure.

If you have suggestions to help Christy think of people that might love this precious pincushion, visit our voting app and send your suggestions her way! We think it could make a great baby shower game.

We can’t wait to hear how you would gift these uncommon items. So, don’t forget to leave some comments of your own. And, yes, it is fair to say you would gift them to yourself!

The Uncommon Life

Fall Giveaway!

October 7, 2011

ETA October 10, 2011: Congratulations to our Fall Giveaway winner, Joanna Z!

Joanna said, “I love the smell of ripe apples on the trees, the crisp, cool mornings, and pumpkins showing up at every grocery store, every produce stand, and on just about every front porch.”

Thanks to all who entered for your fabulous fall stories!

Colorful leaves, warm beverages, new fashion, and Halloween. What’s not to love about fall? To celebrate our admiration for autumn, we’re giving away some of our favorite fall goods! Read on to find out how you can win.

Vawn and Mike Gray aren’t novices when it comes to creating kiln-formed glass art. In fact, they developed their own process to turn old glass bottles into fused-glass masterpieces using an energy efficient, computer-controlled oven.

We love Vawn and Mike’s recycled glass nightlights. Their Recycled Pelican Nightlight and Recycled Sandpiper Night Light are so popular, we added another bird to the lineup, just in time for fall!
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Design

Fresh, Clean Style

October 5, 2011

Artist Bo Jia developed an admiration for smooth lines and understated beauty by taking in traditional Chinese architecture and landscapes while spending time in the Chinese countryside as a youth. While living in China, he studied fine arts, learning both traditional Chinese decorative arts and Western painting techniques. These influences are clear in his latest designs, Porcelain Dish and Laundry Detergent Vases

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These designs are a collaboration with his wife, Alison, who studied Chinese culture extensively. The couple aims to create designs that emphasis the beautiful craftsmanship involved in creating traditional Chinese ceramics, while bringing the art form to a new generation through modern design.

These striking vases are the perfect example of this modern execution of a traditional craft. The bold, colorful pieces are cast from actual detergent bottles. Although the vases are unique porcelain sculptures and have a coarse, unrefined texture–quite opposite of the texture of a plastic bottle–they embody well-known shapes.

Handmade in the Washington, D.C. area, Porcelain Dish and Laundry Detergent vases are now up for voting in our community voting app. If you love Bo and Alison’s ceramic bottles vote now.

Design

Quiz: What’s Your Design Style?

October 4, 2011

Sure, over the years you’ve developed your unique fashion sense.

But do you know what your interior design style is? These six images represent the work of some of our favorite pottery and ceramics designers. Pick the one that best matches your aesthetic, and see if you can match each picture with the designers and their signature styles, listed below!

Match each image with the corresponding description. Need a hint? Click on each artist to see more of their work.

1. Sleek and modern (Elan McPherson)
2. Organic and sculptural (Daina Platais)
3. Layered and mysterious (Whitney Smith)
4. Quirky and natural (Michael Terra)
5. Textural and timeless (Alice Goldsmith)
6. Subtle and clever (Jono Pandolfi)

So what’s your design style?

Design

Comments of the Week

September 30, 2011

Last week’s favorites, Modern Cat Scratch Frames and Fortune Teller Napkins are still going strong in our community voting app, but we’ve also added a few new items for your voting pleasure this week!

Our community is speaking up to share their feedback on a cozy hoodie that keeps your phone comfy, extra padding for your baby’s little knees, and more potential uncommon goods.

We fully support your efforts to make your cat a lover of the arts. Thanks for the comment, Judy!

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Maker Stories

Udon Noodles and Buddha Bowls

September 30, 2011

Our first ever Uncommon Ceramics Design Challenge is underway! You can enter your unique creations by Oct. 31 for a chance to win $500 and a vendor contract with UncommonGoods.

Since we’re so excited to see all of your entries, we couldn’t wait to start talking ceramics! Copywriter Nina Mozes got the conversation going with Élan McPherson to learn more about how the designer develops her sleek, functional pieces.

It’s immediately apparent to anyone who encounters Élan McPherson that she is an inspired artist who looks at lemons and sees lemonade. And if you’ve ever held one of her bowls and felt how perfectly it fits in your hands, you know that Élan’s artistic goal is to take ordinary objects and bring out the beauty and utility in them.

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Maker Stories

This Just In: Cuddly Cold Weather Gear

September 30, 2011

It’s still warm here in Brooklyn, but it is almost October. We’re going to have to face the fact that it’s fall, and winter’s right around the corner.

With the frosty season on the way, parents out there are likely dreading having to bundle up their little ones in over-sized hats, itchy scarves, and probably-going-to-get-lost-anyway mittens. Fortunately, we have some great new winter wear for kids that’s comfy, cute, and so fun your little munchkins won’t want to leave it behind!

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