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Gustaf Westman, the homeware designer known for his delightfully chunky objects, just unveiled his latest project. Its a shelf inspired by classic puzzles. Gustaf Westman [Photo: courtesy Gustaf Westman] In a new video posted to his Instagram, Westman introduces the Puzzle Shelf, a modular unit that comes in the form of several components resembling giant puzzle pieces. Users can assemble the shelf however they see fit, as well as select their own piece colors, which include white, forest green, fire-engine red, pink, a range of blues, and even a metallic silver. Its currently available on a made-to-order basis, as each unique shelf is produced by a London-based 3D-print artist. Westmans irreverent take on design, which evokes memories of childhood play and imagination, is the reason that he’s managed to amass a cult following in just five years since opening his eponymous studio in 2020. The Puzzle Shelf expands on his existing niche of products that turn everyday objects and home decor into whimsical, colorful statements. [Photos: courtesy Gustaf Westman] Designing a puzzle shelf Westmans most beloved designs take ordinary itemslike a dinner plate or wine glassand reimagine them with a twist, often by inflating them to satisfyingly rounded proportions. More recently, hes also been delving into some more experimental designs, like a table specifically engineered to hold glass stems, a spiral bag made to carry a baguette, and a plate that perfectly cradles meatballs. In an interview with Fast Company back in August for his first collection with Ikea, Westman explained that his designs are often inspired by memories from his own childhood. For this new shelf, he says, Ive always loved toy aesthetics, and puzzles have such a simple, fun function. The idea of pieces connecting to create something new felt like a great starting point.” [Photo: courtesy Gustaf Westman] To test the design, Westman first sketched the shapes out on paper before rendering them digitally. Then, he created a 3D-printed miniature model of the structure, small enough to sit on a table. In the final design, each long shelf puzzle piece is supported by two smaller puzzle pieces, which stack together like Lincoln Logs. Westman told Vogue Scandinavia that the design can be styled as a coffee table, a bookshelf, a bar, a side table, and even a desk. A puzzle can take many forms, Westman said. I wasnt interested in copying the look of a flat puzzle pieceinstead, I focused on the function and the idea of pieces interlocking and creating something new when they come together. [Photo: courtesy Gustaf Westman]
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E-Commerce
Major dairy producer Prairie Farms has announced a recall of select gallons of its popular Fat Free Milk due to concerns that the beverage may be contaminated with food-grade cleaning agents, which could make consumers ill if ingested. Heres what you need to know. Prairie Farms recalls select Gallon Fat Free Milk Last week, Prairie Farms announced that it had initiated a voluntary recall of select Prairie Farms Gallon Fat Free Milk products produced at its Dubuque, Iowa, facility. The reason for the recall is that select gallons may have been contaminated with food-grade cleaning agents, according to the recall notice posted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The cleaning agents have the possibility of causing illness in individuals if consumed. What Prairie Farms milk is being recalled? Given the popularity and widespread availability of Prairie Farms milk, news of a recall may cause significant concern. However, the company says the recall is limited to one product and only a subset of the gallons produced. Specifically, Prairie Farms says that the impacted product is the following: Product Information: Prairie Farms Gallon FAT FREE Milk Code Date: DEC08 Plant Code: PLT19-145 Facility: Dubuque, Iowa Impacted Production Window (Timestamp): 17:5121:23 UPC: 7273023117 In the recall notice, Prairie Farms states that only a specific segment of the product run DEC08 was affected by the cleaning agent. The affected product was processed between 17:51 and 21:23, representing a portion of that days production, the notice explains. To ensure complete containment, Prairie Farms is recalling Gallon Fat Free Milk with the DEC08 code date, PLT19-145 plant code produced during the impacted timeframe of 17:51 to 21:23. The company says that approximately 320 gallons of the milk product were sold before the discovery of the possible cleaning agent contamination. Where was the recalled Prairie Farms milk sold? Prairie Farms says the recalled milk was distributed to Woodmans stores in Illinois and Wisconsin. The company says the remaining product distribution locations include: Illinois Bloomingdale Buffalo Grove Carpentersville Lakemoor North Aurora Rockford Wisconsin Appleton Beloit Green Bay Janesville Kenosha Madison Menomonee Falls Oak Creek Onalaska Racine Sun Prairie Waukesha What should I do if I have the recalled Prairie Farms milk? Prairie Farms says that if you have the recalled milk, you should not consume it. Instead, you should return it to its place of purchase or safely dispose of it. Full details of the recall can be found on the FDAs website here.
Category:
E-Commerce
Deals promoted as some of the best of the holiday season are expected to keep people across the United States glued to their computers and smartphones as the post-Thanksgiving shopping marathon wraps up on Cyber Monday.It’s no secret that buying things online is now a staple of many people’s everyday routines. And year after year, those purchases mount during the gift-giving holiday rush. Experts expect consumers to drive record Cyber Monday spending this year, even amid wider economic uncertainty.Adobe Analytics has estimated that U.S. shoppers will spend $14.2 billion online Monday, or 6.3% more than in 2024. They already spent $11.8 billion online for Black Friday and another $6.4 billion on Thanksgiving Day, exceeding Adobe’s forecasts.Consumer spending for Cyber Week the five major shopping days between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday provides a strong indication of how much shoppers are willing to spend for the holidays.“Cyber Week is off to a strong start,” Vivek Pandya, lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights, said. “Discounts are set to remain elevated through Cyber Monday, which we expect will remain the biggest online shopping day of the season and year.”Deals on electronics and apparel are poised to peak Monday at 30% and 26% off average listed prices, per Adobe’s latest estimates.While the amount of money going into online shopping carts is expected to reach new heights as consumers try to get the biggest bangs for their bucks while they can, rising retail prices also may contribute to any record sales figures that materialize.Businesses and households have watched anxiously for financial impacts from U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on foreign imports. Workers in both the public and private sectors are also struggling with anxieties over job security amid both corporate layoffs and the after-effects of the 43-day government shutdown.For the November-December holiday season overall, the National Retail Federation estimates that U.S. shoppers will spend more than $1 trillion for the first time this year. But the rate of growth is slowing with an anticipated increase of 3.7% to 4.2% year over year, compared to 4.3% during last year’s holiday season.At the same time, credit card debt and delinquencies on other short-term loans have been rising. More and more shoppers are turning to “buy now, pay later” plans, which allow them to delay payments on holiday decor, gifts and other items.Buy now, pay later loans are expected to drive $20.2 billion in online spending this holiday season, according to Adobe, up 11% from last year. The firm predicted that buy now, pay later loans would pass a new $1 billion milestone on Cyber Monday, the vast majority involving purchases made on mobile devices.Overall, mobile devices have become the dominant shopping platform consumers are turning to for the holidays. Adobe expects smartphones, wearable tech and other handheld electronics to account for 56.1% of online spending this season, worth a total of $142.7 billion.Five years ago, a majority of online purchases were made on desktops.Shopping services powered by artificial intelligence are also expected to play a role in what consumers choose to buy. Software company Salesforce estimated that AI asssitants and digital agents contributed to $14.2 billion of the total $79 billion it said was spent online worldwide on Black Friday.Cyber Monday’s “hot sellers” will include gaming consoles such as the Nintendo Switch 2 and toys-turned-fashion statements like Labubu Dolls, Adobe said. The analystics firm anticipates the newest editions of popular consumer electronics including the iPhone 17, Google Pixel 10 and Samsung Galaxy S25 will also see high demand.To many, Cyber Monday is billed as the “last call” to take advantage of the deepest discounts in the days following Thanksgiving. But its reach has grown over the years.Cyber Monday is two decades old now, dating back to when the National Retail Federation first coined the term in 2005. Today, sales continue to bubble up throughout the week riding on the hype that the industry has built to fuel consumer spending. Wyatte Grantham-Philips, AP Business Writer
Category:
E-Commerce
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