apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

i'm get totally frustrated when i see something i LOVE on the slinks and the link brings me to a site where, when i call about the product, i am told it's only available to the trade...like that clotheshorse up there which i'd like to purchase for a friend...maybe there could be two categories...stuff to drool over and stuff you can actually purchase??? this happened with an air purifier recently...was told that it's not available now or maybe not ever.

Hi abby. I completely understand your frustration, as I myself often face the very same quandary of finding something that rocks my socks, but isn't yet out to the public (there's a slew of european land line phones I'm dying to get my hands on, and I'm trying with tooth and nail to have the recently posted Escargot vacuum shipped from Japan, such is my affinity for it).

I do try to post products that are readily available, but sometimes I think newly announced or prototype designs are worth mentioning in hopes public interest/inquiries will bring these products to availability. Enough people inquire, the more likely you'll see evocative designs like the air tree come to fruition. Chicken or the egg issue.

Usually if the product is already available for purchase, we'll include a price. But perhaps we should consider designating links with a "to buy" mark to avoid confusion, since SLinks is meant just as a link reference.

gregory, thanks for your response. i totally appreciate it -- also the great products you highlight -- drool drool -- so i totally get the chicken & egg thing! some type of "to buy" or "available" icon would be great -- might avoid the five hour wild goose chases!

You guys linked Chaircouture last year.

Rachel: Guess we liked it so much, we had to post about them again.

All kidding aside, Alec did such a great job covering the whole spectrum of design related topics, the new team is bound to accidentally overlap some of his past posts in subject or product. C'est la vie.