Revisiting the Cooper-Hewitt Shop

Since we’ve moved from the east coast, our in-person trips to the Cooper-Hewitt shop have been rare but the Van Cleef & Arpels review by Val Castronovo  gave us a chance for a virtual  stroll  to the online shop. The Museum itself is undergoing renovation. Because the Museum itself is a paean to the art of design, it’s not surprising that the shop has some less-frequently-seen items:

The Tate Tote is perhaps one of the most fashionable-looking totes (as long as you don’t bog it down and inflate the profile) we’ve seen but then, I’m partial to pleats and the color blue. There’s a green version, too, and since it’s Earth Day territory, apt. The copper turtle grater will be a conversation point as will the parrot corkscrew; since we’re in wedding season, why not consider practical but striking kitchen implements? A propeller trivet always is useful for supporting hot or cold dishes and a Swiss Spice  Salt and Pepper couldn’t be more practical and economical as a house gift. The Gradient Journal starts with a pure white and graduates to a deeper and deeper red, page after page.

For children, the zoo playing cards which features a little boy visiting the zoo and the variety of animals he meets along the way, are not only a good game for plane trips, but are useful as flash learning cards. What could be simpler and more practical than animal rubber bands and the same could be said for History by the Meter with the past 2000 years of world history unfolding on the 2 meters ruler. Don’t overlook the Bruno Munari books while at the children’s section. One example is the The Green Conjuror,  the fifth book in the historic series created for children by Munari in 1945: Alfonso, the thoroughly likeable green magician, disappears and reappears in trunks and boxes. At the end he finally manages to play his violin in peace.

For the office, the Firenze Wall Clock again has that magic attribute, a vivid blue color.

Finally, there’s the spy coin made of silver and nickel, to transfer messages between borders, between lovers and between betweens: “Jan. 11, 2007: The US issues a spy coin warning after discovering tiny transmitters planted in Canadian coins. The government said the mysterious coins were found planted on US contractors with classified security clearances on at least three separate occasions between October, 2005 and January, 2006 as the contractors traveled through Canada.”