IHA speaks with Oded Friedland, founder of Monkey Business, based in Tel Aviv, Israel, known for clever kitchen and home accessories. Monkey Business and their stylish companies will appear at the 2017 International Home + Housewares Show in Discover Design.

Monkey Business has been “adding the extra to the ordinary” since 1994, providing fresh perspectives on the little things that make up your day, whether at home, at the office or outdoors. Monkey Business is a family-run product design studio founded by industrial designer Oded Friedland, then a graduate and today a teacher at the Bezalel Art & Design Academy in Jerusalem. The company offers a broad line of playful items, such saving banks and memo clips in animal motifs and playful kitchen tools that bring smiles of delight for their touch-in-cheek references. Since 2005, in addition to designing original products in-house, the studio has been collaborating with a selection of talented local designers – promising youngsters and experienced professionals alike.

Hello, Oded, tell us about Monkey Business.  Your products sure look like you have fun creating them.
Yes, we hope you enjoy our items as much as we enjoy creating them! We believe in affordable design that combines an original idea with looks and functionality. We aim to create practical, useful, durable products that meet every day needs and that provide original alternatives for great gifts.

Where do you find inspiration when designing new products?
Many of our products are original solutions for everyday problems, so a lot of inspiration comes from our daily lives – the time we spend in the kitchen, at work, with our children or with our friends

Are there any specific designers, places or eras that influence you?
All our designing takes place in our hometown of Tel-Aviv, Israel. We collaborate with many of Israel’s established product designers alongside younger up and coming stars of the future. The older, more experienced designers have an undoubted influence on the younger ones. The youngsters, however, bring a freshness and energy that are just as important to our overall collection.

How do you choose which idea to take to the next step — to product development?
Twice a year we present our long-term customers with items that we are considering for the future. We ask them to give us their feedback regarding these ideas – if suitable for them/ their customer base, what price would work, specific comments for an idea. After they provide their input we summarize and decide what is worth developing further.

Is there an approach or look that joins the functionality, form or emotional appeal of your product line?
Our collection has a basic quirkiness to it that runs through most of the products. The name of our company ‘Monkey Business’ implies a combination of fun and seriousness and we try to convey that in the products. A funny idea or design combined with a well-made functional tool.

How do new technologies influence your product design?  Do you use 3-D printing, Kickstarter or other platforms to develop or launch products?  How do you use social media?
We collaborate with numerous local designers and some are more influenced by current technologies than others. Some of the ‘old school’ designers prefer to model using classic techniques and materials while others tend to be more hi-tech with 3D printing and simulations.

How do you see design’s importance in our industry as it moves forward?
Design will no doubt remain important in our industry however we face significant challenges in today’s world. Sales on the internet are growing rapidly and sadly, this brings with it a flood of illegal copies – these copies cause grievous harm to the originators.

Can you give us a preview of what you will be showing in your booth in Discover Design?
Absolutely –We have many new products for the kitchen and home in general, some highlights:

• Chill Bill – a penguin-shaped container for absorbing fridge odors
• Spicebarrow – a mini wheelbarrow for salt, pepper or other spices
• Biskviti – a biscuit-shaped tea infuser
• Elli – a baby elephant coin bank, whose snout channels a coin for deposit

Tell us about your previous experience with Discover Design.
We exhibited at the Show for the first time in 2016. As this was our first trade show appearance in North America, we had high hopes but no experience to base them on. From the start we were made to feel at home by the organizers and the Show exceeded our expectations and opened up a whole new world of potential customers. The Discover Design section was a revelation, and suits our collection perfectly!

Thank you, Oded, for that ringing endorsement! We look forward to seeing your fun and functional range of products in your booth N8335 in a few weeks!

Bring a smile to your day and learn more about Monkey Business at www.mnkbusiness.com.

Discover Design is the premier destination at the International Home + Housewares Show for trend spotters who make design their priority. Retailers looking for the unique will find early 200 design leaders at Discover Design located at the front of the North Building.

Anchored by renowned brands such as Alessi, Blomus and Charles Viancin, Discover Design welcomes new exhibitors, such as notNeutral, Luckies of London, and S’well Bottle, and introduces 10 emerging companies at the Design Debut incubator. Additional fresh offerings from veteran design-focused exhibitors such as Kikkerland, Zoku and Magisso will also inspire your choices for the coming year. Find more information on Discover Design exhibitors online.