things that ought to exist
Both my wife and I are in the market for new cars; we'll probably go one at a time over the next 18 months.
Have been thinking about the tradeoffs and pros and cons of a lot of different types of vehicles- the utility of a pickup, something fun and vintage, and my unfortunate lack of garage. The FSD thing is also appealing, especially for more family road trips.
But in general, I am wildly underwhelmed by the looks of our options, save for a 30+ year old restored SUV ($$$ and no garage).
The bad aesthetics of cars today are almost entirely a byproduct of safety and efficiency regs, which as a father I don't begrudge; it's just an unfortunate state of affairs.
It's a road full of blobs out there. Don't feel bad - we currently drive blobs too.
At this very moment, Toyota still manufactures this short Land Cruiser in Gulf countries, but it does not meet current US regs, and Toyota does not desire to redesign it for the US market. But man, what could be, they should!
As much as I like to envision myself doing the rural farm compound thing, tending to my goats, making cheese, and gathering honey from my hives, I am just not there yet. My friend Carly recently told me she realized she was a "village person," and I think I strongly relate to that.
I like visiting huge metros but not living there full-time. Towns or neighborhood pockets are much more my thing.
So if the village is the answer, a village vehicle is probably not a tank, it's more like a golf cart. And given the regs, the aesthetics are more easily attainable in these types of vehicles.
The Amble is really compelling, designed by some ex-Apple employees and inspired by the Lunar Rover.
via Amble
The recently electrified Moke is pretty cool! A classic resort vehicle.
via Moke International
The Meyers Manx, the original dune buggy, now makes an electric version as well.
via Meyers Manx
A great exercise for creatives/design folks is simply to remember that the building you are inside of, the computer on your lap, the sofa you sit on, the stereo you listen to, were all designed by people. Imperfectly and over iteration.
You can just build things. It's not easy, but practically everything I touch and interact with every day was built by somebody.
Speaking of, my friend Evan of Huyck House teamed up with Dominator to create a better luxe version of a basketball hoop - The Opus. It's beautiful; I love the crank.
Or the Rocco beverage fridge, turning a drink fridge into a conversation piece. Rocco has allowed me to fully engage in my sparkling water addiction in style.
via Rocco
We have also been loving our pizza oven from Gozney. Genuinely such a fun social activity.
Their Tonester collab was a favorite of mine
Kind of the perfect way to make meals with friends. We did stromboli the other night - that was a home run.
Tom Gozney built a $100m pizza oven company from both understanding consumer psychology and obsessing over the design.
A friend of mine, Victor Netland, created Vito's New York last year. Northeast inspired, menswear not afraid of color, famous for their butter high 'n wide pants.
If something bothers you, you might consider building the better version or creating a thing that ought to exist. And perhaps teaming up with someone to complement your skillset.
Not sure there's ever been a better time.
