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As someone who has fixated on objects my whole life, I found it very difficult to choose just five out of the sea of things surrounding me. I guess I should have chosen a famous chair or something … but in the end my objects are personal and specific to what I see and experience in my life, rather than grand visions of what “design” should be.
Z45 cherry picker
Genie
If I had a car, this would be it. I think it’s the closest you can get to a mid-point between driving and flying. I’ve always loved the elegance of these vehicles, and the way they seem to operate in a godlike position to the world below. It’s like watching birds in the sky.
G-tec C4 pen
Pilot
This is the only pen I use now. It’s the only one that feels like an extension of my mind. Whenever I travel, I usually have three or four of these in my luggage, just in case one is lost. If I don’t have one, I feel like my brain is leaking. My writing is very, very small, as is my drawing, and this is the only pen I’ve found that can work at that scale. Curiously, on a recent trip to Japan I bought a whole box of these, only to discover that, despite being a Japanese product, they are of inferior quality over there!
Boa Constrictor strap wrench
Boa
I could have chosen a lot of different tools as a favourite, but this is one that, time and again, I have found incredibly handy. I use it only a few times a year, but no other tool does the same job. It is perfect for undoing plumbing components at home, but I also use it in the workshop for taking machines apart, gripping irregularly shaped objects, holding moulds together, and so on. It’s one of those tools you forget about until the moment you need it … and then you get that Eureka moment.
Super Taper hair clippers
Wahl
After the slow loris marsupial, I am officially the mammal with the densest hair on the planet. I bought some industrial Wahl hair clippers for 20 quid when I was 14 and am still using them today (I’m 36). The basic but robust design works as well as it always did and, based on getting a £5 basic head shave every two weeks, it has saved me about £2,860 over the years.
A dragon fruit
I first found these in Vietnam and now consider them the ultimate fruit. The amazingly decorative skin peels off easily and completely from the flesh, which is white with tiny black edible seeds. There is no central hard area to avoid and it tastes a bit like a subtle giant kiwi. As opposed to most fruits, which require some kind of effort or thought to eat, this seems like it has been designed to be eaten.
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Image
A dragon fruit
Words
Peter Marigold
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