Just when your eyes begin to glaze over from seeing so much me-too product at a trade show, just when you are certain that creativity has been forever lost, something wonderful shows up. My assistant, Laura Colón, and I had just that sort of experience in Las Vegas, where a few diamonds in the rough made our day.
Innovation deserves recognition. At the Las Vegas Convention Center, we saw some of the most innovative furniture for kids and teens in memory. It comes from a company called Color & Life, based in San Diego, CA.
It isn’t color that makes their product innovative, although they have plenty of good options (one of the top sellers with White: Lime Green). Nor is it the fact that this company uses environmentally friendly materials and non-toxic paint. Those features are really not apparent to the casual observer.
The showstopper innovation is how they have utilized space. For example, in one configuration, a bunk bed has a trundle under the bottom bunk, so three can sleep in the space of two. Access the top bunk—not with a ladder—but with steps that are also cubbies for storage (each has a door).
In another set-up, perfect for a dorm room (I can’t help but think about dorm rooms since our daughter, Biz, starts her freshman year of college in just a few weeks), the bed is hidden in a drawer that rests on the floor. It becomes a platform upon which a desk can be placed. Or a book shelf. Or a beanbag chair.
I hope these people are wildly successful. They certainly deserve to be.