We remember humidifiers from our childhood as those bulky, loud, ugly things over in the corner. There was perhaps no household appliance more in need of a design makeover. And there is perhaps no designer more up to the task than Naoto Fukasawa, a designer with over 40 awards whose work is widely credited with inspiring the best of Apple’s designs. So now your children can have as their humidifier a piece of elegant artwork on a self or bedside table. The Fukasawa Humidifier runs extremely quietly and has the option of adding aromas to the water vapor. It is sold almost exclusively in Japan, but thanks to the folks at the Japan Trend Shop it is available in Europe and North America too. US$319

BUY |

Continue →

Spot Cool Stuff loves to find well-designed versions of products that typically aren’t. Our latest find has a first name: Henry. This air purifier from Swiss designer Matti Walker caught our eye for it’s bold elongated teardrop look. Happily there’s exquisite function to match the form—the Henry purifies air through a highly effective five-stage process that includes a plasma generator, UV light treatment and a blast of cleansing negative ions. There’s also a fragrance holder.

The Henry can purifies air for a room that’s up to 250 square feet. And add style to a room that’s much larger than that.

BUY: BLACK | WHITE