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Design Ideas

Springfield, ILBrand · Home goods

We’d like to tell you that we work very hard to make a living at our little company called Design Ideas®. But the truth is, we don’t. We play very hard to make our company a success. We spend much of our time and energy searching for new ways, new forms, new methods, and new materials - to express timeless sentiments, to celebrate time-honored seasons, and to organize an office or home. Our designers take cues from everyday items. They shop at the same stores you shop at, listen to the same popular music, eat at the same restaurants, go to the same art museums, and read the same magazines. Then they sit down with their crayons and paper to draw up innovative home and office accessories that they think people would enjoy. We’ve used this same formula for more than 25 years. A brother-sister team, Design Ideas was formed in 1983 when our founders, Andy and Alice, were both in college. They had a million-dollar idea: a wire basket for toting toiletries from the bedroom to the bathroom in college dorms. The only alternative product at the time was a plastic paint bucket that didn't drain and eventually grew a rather vile "third life form" from a mixture of old toothpaste, shampoo and soap. Adopting the slogan, “No more mucky slop!” they soon had a considerable customer base that they serviced out of the trunk of their blue Maverick. After early success in the college bookstore market, we branched out of the bathroom and into the lives of millions of consumers across the U.S. Our passion for exploring ideas and inspired designs has led to the development of a full range of functional, fashion-forward, and moderately priced home and office accessories that appeal to a broad range of design-conscious consumers. We hope you love our products.