You Snooze, You Lose (and Other Design Philosophy)

Plenty of personal experience has made me a firm believer in this pseudo-mantra. A recent example: I saw one of these

at Lowe's, on the clearance table, for $25 - YES - TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS!! It wasn't as way cool as the truly industrial models I've seen in mags over the past few years, but it was close - and unbelievably cheap! We were about to move to Brazil, and I didn't know of anyone who could use it for sure in their home, so I passed on it - I've been haunted since...


There are two theories of thought on design finds - only buy when you know exactly where you'll use it (takes discipline, but also keeps you more streamlined), and there's the theory I subscribe to: if you love it (and can reasonably afford it) GET IT! The key being - do you really love it, or is it merely something it would be "cool to have?" Does it strike you in such a way as to make your heart beat a little faster? Does it somehow speak to you on a deeper level - meaning, will it bring you joy via your surroundings?

I don't mean to trivialize life values by suggesting that real happiness can be obtained through the acquisition, and accumulation of things....but, for those who speak in design tongue, there is no character flaw in admiring beautiful objects - so long as the drive to have doesn't define you.

That being said, sometimes you can't explain your fancies, and maybe you shouldn't....

If I find these, I'm grabbin' 'em!