Russian designer Natalia Ponomareva has developed an origami bird tea bag concept, designed to expand as the tea steeps. While not yet in production, Ponomareva has expressed interest in making the concept available for commercial use.

World Kitchen with the help of the Industrial Designers Society of America ran a concept competition earlier this year to find new ideas in kettle design. The winners showed how simplicity and technology could combine to enhance function.
The One Teakettle by Vessel Design pictured above has decorative graphic patterns that have been applied with thermochromic inks. When the kettle is boiled the design becomes visible. The design for the Spin below offers safer way to pour liquid that causes less strain. Based on the idea of keeping a stable center of gravity the user pours, not by tipping the kettle, [...]

Last Friday, the Seattle based corporation opened their first ’stealth store’ called 15th Avenue E Coffee and Tea – a cafe “inspired by Starbucks”. Our PSFK spy got herself down to the store opening and snapped some of these photos.

Students at the Shenkar Academy of Design in Tel Aviv were directed to scrutinize and reexamine the ways in which coffee and tea drinkers interact with their beverage, in terms of materials, taste, and ritual. The results are visually arresting and for the most part functional, and without a doubt a thoughtful, refreshing step beyond the mug and teaspoon. Below are some of our favorites from the project.

The ‘Audrey’ espresso cup comes with an extension to store a companion spoon that can also function as a finger grip for a diminutive shot.

The ‘Cubis’  mug’s angled shape allows a set of [...]

Les Gourmandises de Lolita Lempicka, a France-based food purveyor, takes tea time to a new, ultra-lux extreme. Their website, with over-the-top adorable animations and mouth watering food photography, is worth a visit (even if it’s not enough to convince you to part with 30 € for a box of tea).