Curtains Aren't Boring – They're Geeky!

February 9th, 2009 by admin

Embrace your inner Bill Gates with these curtains…

1) For the Internet Obsessed…

If the internet is like your second shadow, your Siamese twin, your Ying and your Yang.

And if you can’t live without your YouTube, Google or Flickr and the mere thought of going a day without logging onto your Facebook account gives you the absolute jitters…

…. then this one’s for you, you beautiful crazy geeky person, you.

Apparently, someone had 9 wooden window blinds designed for them with a range of those logos printed on them including one for Digg, Flickr, Google, Facebook and Firefox.

Now that’s dedication.

(img src: nets2go.co.uk)

2) This One Produces Electricity…

You definitely can’t blow your nose with this one (or rather, you can, but it might be the last time you do).

The brainchild of Sheila Kennedy, this (prototype) curtain has thin flexi solar panels built into it. The idea is that any energy the curtain derives from the sun is stored and funnelled through to other electrical equipment throughout the home.

Really good (and cool) idea.

However, on a health and safety tip: how safe would it be around children?

And on a style tip: Would a range of different textiles be available? Or would a choice have to be made by the consumer between style and being environmentally friendly?

(img src: inhabitat.com)

3) Aaaand This One’s ‘Wiimotely’ Controlled…

It’s highly debatable as to whether this gadget’s really needed …unless ones room is SO big, the curtains are a 100 miles away but…anyway…

The ‘Wiimote’ is a remote that opens and closes your curtains for you. Looking at the video, it does look like a lot of wrist action just to do that. Wouldn’t it take the same amount of energy (or slightly more) to just get up and do it manually?

Hmm.

4) This One’s Made Out of Computer Punch cards…

Yep, you heard. Someone fashioned a blind out of a humble needle and thread plus the piers de resistance itself… computer punch cards.

Looking at the photo, they don’t look like punch cards at all. It looks more like some sort of calligraphy or creative pattern.

What an amazing way to use waste considering much of that was probably initially destined for the dumpster.

(img src: flickr.com/photos/jeffreygarman)

5) And This One’s a Tree…(but not as you know it)…

Aaaah, nature. It’s so, erm, natural, isn’t it?

I mean, look at that tree outside – and the way the curtain brings out its sheer beauty. All it needs is a couple of birds and voila, Mother Nature at her best.

Except that…ahem…the tree is inside not outside. And, erm, it’s not a real tree actually, but rather a profile of a tree …intricately printed on fabric…using ASCII characters.

Cool or what?!

Eat your heart out, Ikea.

(img src: nsybrandy.nl)

6) Don’t Walk Past This One if You’re, Erm, a Magnet…

The designer of this magnetic curtain, Florian Krautli, who is now my bestest friend in the whole world (but doesn’t know it), created it by incorporating itty bitty magnets to the fabric so that it could be bent/shaped any which way the user chooses.

Where do these designers get their ideas from? Did the Tooth Fairy give them more than a gold coin when they were little?

Not only is this design idea overly-fab, it’s such a simple idea in a “why-didn’t-I-think-of-that” way that it’s a tad frustrating (in a good way, of course).

(img src: nets2go.co.uk)

7) A Shower Curtain that Could Teach You a Thing or Two…

I personally prefer to sing my little tonsils out in the shower, but these shower curtains are pretty cool though. With lots of useful information printed on them, you can kick your sleepy brain into gear in the morning while lathering up in the bathroom.

A range of ‘educational’ shower curtains are available for your grey matter’s absorbing delight including Maths, French and Spanish Vocabulary, Geography and The Periodic Table.

Bathroom showers will never be the same (unless you don’t buy this particular shower curtain, that is. Ahem.)

(img src: nets2go.co.uk)

8) Plastic, Liquid-Crystal Curtain, Anyone?

If a curtain can be fashioned from magnets and computer punch-cards, then why not from plastic and liquid crystal?

This curtain consists of 2 pieces of plastic that switch from clear to opaque when the user presses a button. It’s made possible through the liquid-crystal that’s positioned between both pieces. As energy passes through it, it imbues an interesting dream-like impression onto the plastic.