Nirvana by Bathroom Tomorrow

If you’ve been around here for a while, you already know I have a thing for bathtubs. But I just stumbled upon this one and immediately got giddy. It’s made by Bathroom Tomorrow, a design company in Bangkok – I swear, design out of Southeast Asia and Japan continually amazes me. It’s so fun, romantic, silly, gorgeous! Someday, I really must own a home with many bathrooms so I can remodel the hell out of them and have a different style bathtub in each one.

For now, I’ll just ponder on the best bottle of wine, grooviest tunes and most appropriate book to accompany this particular tub… definitely champagne of some sort… Mazzy Star from the speakers… and maybe a picture book of Van Gogh’s Starry Night, do you suppose?

Image by wickednox

A moment of silence can seem nearly impossible to find. Surrounded, as we are, by the sounds of grinding traffic and talking heads, barking dogs and insistent alarm clocks, blaring radios and pinging computers, silence has been lost. When was the last time you sat – for two minutes, even – without music or neighborly chatter or chirping birds as a white noise backdrop? Try it. It can seem utterly terrifying at first. Your thoughts may start to scream. Shush them. And, to quote the wisdom of Simon & Garfunkel, listen instead to the sound of silence.

Price: Free. Available anywhere you seek it.

The powers that be are scratching their collective heads, trying to figure out how to stop the current economic free-fall without pissing off the fat cats too much or letting the boys in the hood get too hungry. While the new Obama administration in Washington attempts to gain the trust of Wall Street and retain the trust of Main Street, those out in the street are simply stressed out. So I propose a quick-fix stress relief. Get yourself a coin bank! Here’s a way to keep cash close to home and bring back that childhood pleasure of dropping pennies into a slot, shaking your bank, hearing the clink of money and feeling the weight of your wealth in your hands. Now, I don’t encourage transferring your entire retirement portfolio into any of these coin banks, but I guarantee that at least one or two of them will bring a smile to your face.

Most Sleek Coin Bank: When not being mistaken for a drawer handle, it serves as a simply, sexy coin receptacle. Also works as a murder weapon, I imagine.

Sansone Coin Bank by Danetti

Most Baby Shower-Ready Coin Bank: Perfect for both boys and girls, this gift will gain you points with the freaked-out parents-to-be who just realized exactly how much college tuition will cost in 2027.

Duck Coin Bank by Reed & Barton

Most Mod Coin Bank: Minimalist and hot. Pairs well with the Most Bond-esque Bathtub. Must be broken to retrieve money.

Money Box by Kensaku Oshiro

Most Hipster-ific Coin Bank: Both cute and terrifying, it can easily pass as simple sculpture made by your slightly-disturbed next door neighbor.

Untidy Work Robo Bank by idstudio/Etsy.com

Most Labor-Intensive Coin Bank: It’s a fair-trade item, but whoever made it likely makes less in a month than we take home in a day, so just appreciate it, okay?

Beaded Pink Piggybank at wow-imports.com

Most Blinged-Out Coin Bank: For anyone who just refuses to see the Bedazzled Era die.

Crystal Piggy Bank by Team Sugar

Most Trauma-Inducing Coin Bank: Fugly is cool, right? And everyone likes secret hiding places. No one would ever guess this zombie doll holds your fortune.

Zombie Doll by Fuzzyfreaks/Etsy.com

Most Geek-Friendly Coin Bank: Does not require that you be a regular at Giant Robot or the equivalent, but this bank does eat your money, which makes it very hard for even the most jaded to not geek out just a little.

Gobbleit Bank at Firebox.com

Most Artsy-Fartsy Coin Bank: Pottery-making, hemp-clothed, bare-footed gypsies will befriend this whale, and quickly forget it also holds the cash to fund their next peyote trip.

Whale Bank by Moneybanks.co.uk

Most Kitschy Coin Bank: A kukaburo! In a gum tree! Equally at home in a Philippe Stark-decorated loft or your granny’s boudoir.

Kukaburo Money Box by Maxim Velcovsky

Most Emotive Coin Bank: Hey, you can’t blame the piggy for being as shocked as the rest of us at the state of things.

Pig Bank by Wildmud/Etsy.com

See. Wasn’t that more pleasurable than watching the Dow do its daily dance?

Most Psychedelic Bathtub: No, this is not just a very large pipe.

By Tetsuya Makamura

Most Mod Bathtub: Perfect for one’s exhibitionist tendencies.

By Wasauna

Most Bachelor-Friendly Bathtub: Has remote-activation capabilities, and definitely not kid-friendly.

By Sorgente

Most Romantic Bathtub: It’s all about those curlycues, and it’s called “Moonlight.”

By Maax

Most Multi-Purpose Bathtub: The ultimate loft accessory.

By Malin Lundmark

Most Bond-esque Bathtub: Just add your favorite Bond Girl in silhouette.

By Mastella

Most Hemingway-esque Bathtub: The Old Man would have sunk in this stone boat for sure.

By Antonio Lupi

Most Cleverly Reused Bathtub: Reuse.  Recycle.  Save the Planet.

By Reestore.com Designers

Most Outrageous Bathtub: Conceptual only, as far as I can tell, but with a $47K tag and 2 HDTVs, I don’t know whether to be horrified or titillated.

By Water Games Technologies

Just look at what we who own basic white bathtubs are missing!  Or, perhaps not?