Simple Genius: The Lowly Egg Carton Gets A Rethink

Simple Genius: The Lowly Egg Carton Gets A Rethink

In thinking about objects in need of a redesign, the lowly egg carton falls pretty low on the list. That is, until we saw this clever concept from Éva Valicsek, a design student at the Institute of Applied Arts, in Hungary. Instead of the usual flapped carton of paper, plastic, or Styrofoam, Valicsek has devised a tray made from a single piece of cardboard, bent accordian-style and with oval cutouts for cradling the eggs. The top is open for easy access, but the contents are held in place by a rubber band at each end.

An Ultra-Simple Vacuum Kit, Designed For Easy Repairs

An Ultra-Simple Vacuum Kit, Designed For Easy Repairs

I adore my vacuum. It might seem strange to express affection for an unsophisticated piece of technology -- it's no Dyson after all -- but it's served me well for more than 10 years. Should it break down, however, I wouldn't hesitate to toss it, knowing that it would cost more to repair than replace. I?m not alone: Countless vacuums end up in landfills, even though fixing them would require just a few new parts.

Countless vacuums end up trashed, though they could be fixed.

Old Clothing Glued Together, To Form Mega-Stylish Chairs

Old Clothing Glued Together, To Form Mega-Stylish Chairs

Far too many people toss their outdated clothes or, worse, send them to Salvation Army assuming, wrongly, that someone else wants to snatch up a pair of 1987 Z. Cavariccis. Tobias Juretzek ain't one of them. He takes his old shirts, jeans, and other garments and turns them into something actually useful: furniture.

Juretzek, a German designer, throws together disused clothes to create stylish little chairs that could almost pass for something you'd find around the dining-room table, if not for the occasional exposed zipper (ouch!).