Shaquille O’Neill’s “cooking” contest earned a contribution to the Boys and Girls Clubs
One-Stop Chopping
Just to prove how easy it is, basketball great Shaquille O’Neill joined Boys and Girls Club students for some cooking. They microwave-steamed fish and mixed up smoothies and guacamole in Tupperware’s simple-to-use devices. Drop the ingredients into the Chop ‘N Prep Chef and the Smooth Chopper then with a few pulls of the cord you wind up with instant delicious and nutritious snacks. In lettuce leaf and margarita shades of bright green, the kitchen implements are also catchy to look at and easy to clean. www.tupperware.com
B&O’s freestanding BeoPlay A9 active speaker
Stylish Speaker
It’s a bird, it’s a flying saucer, it’s a—speaker!!! Design a speaker “free of visual noise” and empowered with “truly amazing sound.” That’s the aim of Bang & Olufsen’s BeoPlay A9. Just plug it in, connect it wirelessly to an iPhone, iPad or Android device and begin streaming via AirPlay or DLNA, a sound big enough to fill a room. Stroke across it and the volume adjusts up or down, rest your hand on its surface to mute it. Staunchly standing on solid wood legs, it comes in a range of fabric covers to match your room from silver, white, and black to red, green and brown. www.bang-olufsen.com
left to right: Maya Romanoff’s wood weave Ajiro Marquetry pattern; The shimmery surface of Maya Romanoff’s “Metals Basketweave”
Striking Surfaces
Woven, luminous, textured, swirled — challenging adjectives to do them justice — the “extraordinary surfacing materials” of Maya Romanoff embellish and enhance walls and ceilings. Working with a cadre of artisans in their Chicago studio, creative director Romanoff and his wife Joyce have transformed modern design by combining ancient artistic techniques with the latest production technology to create “the art of the everyday.” Crafted in silk, parchment, mother of pearl and hand painted vinyl the wall coverings offer one-dimensional but textured options for designers creating luxe statements. www.mayaromanoff.com
left to right: “The British are coming” items from ZaraHome; A bedding selection from the ZaraHome “White Collection.”
Home Fashions
Just a day after we were admiring a fashionable lace and feather dress in Zara’s window, we discovered the clothing firm sells stylish home accessories as well. Up to now shoppers had to visit one of the 32 countries from China to Cyprus where Zara has free-standing home accessories shops. But this month the company has introduced a website offering the stylish wares in the United States.
Attractive bedspreads and tablecloths with metallic accents, filmy cotton nightgowns, ruffled lettuce ceramic pitchers, spangled Britannia flag pillows, rosy floral teacups are among the wares in collections themed White, Contemporary, Ethnic, Country — along with comic book quilts and plaid mary janes in a special collection for kids. www.zarahome.com
