Form Follows Function: Four Must-Have Items for the Home

UPPER SADDLE RIVER, N.J. - Who says you can't have it all? We have come a long way from the days of Henry Ford saying a customer could have any color car as long as it's black. With advances in technology and product design, everything from cars to couches offer more than just superficial style but are technologically advanced and attractive.

When it comes to home accessories, today it is easier than ever to have items that are well-designed - fusing form and function. Add these all-encompassing items to the home and celebrate the fact that what is stylish can also offer substance.

1. Hang: A Wall Wonder
Whether used as a media center or as a desk, Urbancase's Ledge is a modish wall-mounted unit offering serious substance with a complex containment system, making it an ideal addition for a sleek-looking space.

Available in either walnut wood or red lacquer, it offers a pullout shelf workstation, drawer with a soft-close mechanism, pencil tray, cord-power strip storage and mounting hardware. The unit is 42" long, 7" high and 18" deep. For more information, visit: www.urbancase.com.

2. Save: Hardworking Window Fashions

Save energy and resources while adding fashion and function to the home, by opening the curtain on stylish and highly advanced window treatments. Leading window fashions manufacturer Hunter Douglas offers Duette� Architella� honeycomb shades with a highly insulating cell-within-a-cell structure that traps more air and can significantly reduce heat transfer at the window to help save on utility costs.

Additionally, certain purchases of many Duette Architella shades may actually qualify for a federal tax credit being offered on select energy-efficient products. The tax credit covers 10 percent of the cost of most Duette Architella� shades, up to a maximum of $500 in total, when purchased and installed through December 31, 2011, provided the expense meets the tax guidelines. More information is available at www.hunterdouglas.com/taxcredit. Adding to their allure, Duette Architella shades are also available with advanced yet affordable battery-powered motorization for one-touch operation.

3. Toast: Sports Car in the Kitchen

A manufacturer well-known for beautiful designs and high-performance functioning has moved from the garage to the home by transforming one ordinary item, the toaster. Try the Bugatti Volo Toaster made with heavy chrome-plated steel and innovative features such as a motorized lift system, four functions including toasting with six different browning settings, reheating, defrosting and the ability to perfectly toast a bagel in a sleek design and pop colors ranging from the on-trend pink named by Pantone as color of the year, as well as orange, bright-green, yellow, chrome, black and more. Available at various online retailers.

4. Plant: An Accommodating Accessory

This planter by Treg Bradley and Karim Rashid, dubbed the Grobal, does more than add a punch of style with its glossy and colorful design. It does the work so you don't have to. Boasting an expertly designed reservoir that provides water and nutrients to what is planted, the piece self-waters a variety of plants from herbs to lavendar and orchids.

To easily monitor water levels, a clear window on the front of the planter shows how much water is left. When low, H2O can be added with a soft-touch opening flap. For the busy individual, vacationer or someone who simply wants to focus on other matters, this handy accesory is just the addition to bring nature into the home without the maintenance.

Available in two sizes, large at 7.1" wide by 7" high and small at 4.6" wide by 4.8" high, and in a variety of bright colors including green, blue, pink and orange and the classics: black or white. For more information, visit: www.aplusrstore.com.

With an array of new products complete with beauty and brains, with a little research and planning, you can easily add items to the home that can do it all so you don't have to.

Hunter Douglas, Inc., is a national sponsor of Habitat for Humanity, covering windows in every Habitat home built in the U.S. and Canada. Headquartered in Upper Saddle River, N.J., the company is the leading manufacturer of custom window fashions in North America. For more information, contact Hunter Douglas at 1-800-274-2985 or visit www.hunterdouglas.com.