I’m a sucker for clever designs, and finding an item based on a brilliant idea that also functions perfectly is very satisfying.

Many’s the time I’ve acquired some gadget that looked terribly clever in the shop but let me down badly at home. (I’m looking at you, glorious, streamlined, minimalist garlic press that’s hard to use and gives me much-too-big chunks of garlic)

…looks will only get you so far in life

So despite the occasional disappointment, finding perfect designs is worth the search and deserves an entry in the ‘101 Fun and Frivolous Activities in Retirement’ hall of fame:

#27 Find Clever Designs (that Really Work)

But while the garlic ‘press’ (garlic ‘thump’ more like) may have been a little disappointing, my Le Creuset® Butter Crock for keeping butter cool yet spreadable in summer has been a great hit:

Just pack the cup-shaped container with softened butter and invert it into the corresponding jar which stores a small amount of cool salted water in its base. Insect-proof, attractive enough for the table and the butter stays perfectly spreadable when stored on the bench. I give it five stars for design and function.

In an earlier blog – #3 Cook a New Recipe Weekly – I mentioned finding a cushion that unzipped to become a quilt (known as a quillow). Three years have passed since this discovery and my quillows are just as clever and useful as ever, so they deserve another plug:

           <—- from this, to this —->

In a similar vein, I have a small, flat very lightweight bag that I carry tucked away in my handbag

that unfurls into a generous-sized silk carry-bag when needed:

…and for the nerds among us, folding these two designs back into their original state is as good as doing a jigsaw puzzle

Ever had the frustration of finding that a necklace you want to wear is not quite the right length for the outfit? Well, take a look at this:

Necklace hangs low, or…

with a slight adjustment, necklace hangs high…

and all because of this devious little ball with firmly fitting cords that lets you adjust to any length. Very clever!

Wandering through the Reject Shop® recently I came across a set of 6 small wire squares that could be quickly linked together with vertical wire posts.  It looked too clever to be left in the store, although I wondered if this impulse buy would ultimately be a disappointment. Not a bit of it. I went back for two more sets.

Here’s what can be done with light, simple fencing around the garden:

…or…

…or…

And that’s just the beginning. With the eighteen panels I now have, it’s like my very own Meccano set!

Larger items that fold away discreetly are another design delight. I’m thinking of the fold up Robinhood Deluxe Ironing Board® a friend has just bought that disappears so effortlessly onto a wall:

 Or the Ulisse Fold Away bed I’m working on my sister to choose when she eventually does her renovations:

So much more subtle than a fold out-couch  

But the ultimate in a Clever Design that Really Works has to be my Moha Crack-it Egg Cracker, which, with a lift and sharp drop of its vertical bar gives the cleanest beheading of the shell of a soft-boiled egg you could imagine.

Let the pictures tell the story:

Frivolous?

Possibly, but you’ve got to marvel at the design!