First we had kids drawings, then magnetic poetry... Now you can conduct your next brainstorming session right on your own fridge.

The trend spotters at Springwise recently discovered two refrigerator manufacturers - GE and Whirlpool - promoting a line of refrigerators in Brazil, with a whiteboard-type surface allowing the entire appliance to be drawn on.

Here's what I would do with one of these sketchable fridges...

This makes the perfect gift for the brainstormer on your list who has everything!

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categorized as CREATIVITY > creative spaces

At Idea Sandbox we talk about conducive space and planned space. I took up an interest in planned spaces as a kid... Not just spaces (like a room), or places (like a brainstorming center) but planned communities... I love the notion "if you're going to build something, build it right." Since I was a kid and learned about Walt Disney's designs for his Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT), I've been fascinated by planned communities.

In fact, I built a website about Walt's original plans for EPCOT, called Waltopia. It isn't about the Epcot that exists today - but the true living city Walt had in mind. When I started the Waltopia site more than ten years ago, there wasn't much information readily available about his original plans. Now you can find all sorts of books and videos, etc.

While researching other planned cities I discovered the The Palm Island communities located off the coast of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. They are building planned communities - three of the largest man-mad islands in the world. The developers are declaring these the "Eighth Wonder of the World."

Each of the islands (Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali, and Palm Deira) are being built in the shape of a date palm tree and consist of a trunk, a crown with fronds, and are surrounded by a crescent island that acts as a breakwater. The islands will support luxury hotels, freehold residential villas, unique water homes, shoreline apartments, marinas, water theme parks, restaurants, shopping malls, sports facilities, health spas, cinemas and various diving sites.

As if that project wasn't ambitious enough, a larger project called the World Island is also in the works. Basically, they're re-creating the map of the earth through the construction of small (and not so small) man-made islands.

The World Islands are a collection of man-made islands shaped into the continents of the world, located off the coast of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. It will consist of 300 small private artificial islands divided into four categories - private homes, estate homes, dream resorts, and community islands. Each island will range from 250,000 to 900,000 square feet (23,226 to 83,613 square meters) in size, with 50 to 100 metres (164 to 328 feet) of water between each island. It will cover a total area of 9 kilometers (5.4 miles) in length and 6 kilometers (3.6 miles) in width, surrounded by an oval shaped breakwater. The only means of transportation between the islands will be by marine or air transport.

Wow.

Image Sources:

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categorized as CREATIVITY > creative spaces

My original plans for Idea Sandbox included a place in Seattle for people to come to brainstorm... A Disneyland for creative thinking... a three-roomed brainstorming theme park.

You could book themed rooms... a mad inventor's lab (complete with bubbling chemistry set), a Tiki themed room, and a more formal library featuring portraits and photos of great inventors like Peter Hodgson and Richard James. I modified my plans (and here) when a large brainstorming space opened locally last spring.

My muscle for creative-space planning hasn't gone un-flexed, though... I'm proud to share with you, [insert drum roll here] the CreatvityLab.

Located in Starbucks Coffee Company's headquarters (Seattle Support Center) in Seattle, this once drab conference room, filled with corporate-stock chairs and boardroom style table, is now a 336 square foot haven for brainstorming, problem solving and thinking. The room can hold up to 15 people comfortably - and all the ideas anyone can think of.

My theory is that you need the right people, places and things to problem solve. Space to brainstorm is part of the 'places.' You need a conducive space. I argue... the more creative and imaginative the space... the more creative and imaginative the ideas...

I'll give you a guided tour of the room.

As you board, lower your head and watch your step. Please slide all the way over, filling in all the space and making room for others... as we have a full house today.

Welcome aboard! My name is Paul and I'll be your host as we journey through the CreativityLab!

For the courtesy of those around you, I please ask that their be no eating, drinking, smoking or the use of flash photography during this tour. Thank you. Finally for your safety, please keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times.

And now, Idea Sandbox proudly presents... The Creatvity Lab...

These pictures and arranged as if you were standing in the center turning clockwise... this is what you'd see... The description is below each picture.

We are facing north. The shelves house a marketing and creativity library. The wall colors? They're Sponge Bob Squarepants colors! The left wall is Tiki Green; the blue is Bikini Bottom Blue; the right-hand wall is Spongy Yellow. (Lowe's carries these paints as part of their Nickelodeon collection).

Most of this room features IKEA furniture. I wanted furniture with clean lines and brighter colors, but didn't want to be too spendy.

The rug pieces are really cool... hard to see in the pictures, but each piece is about 24" x 36" and can be arranged in nearly any configuration and is designed so the lines meet and match...

This TV cabinet houses a CD/DVD/VHS player and 5-speaker surround sound system. Great for watching media clips, commercials and for popcorn and a movie! The room is also stocked with great CDs to use as background music. (Not rocket science, but all the necessary tools).

The room layout is designed to be very flexible and movable... (another benefit of IKEA is that their furniture is relatively lightweight). Right now the room is set with the two sofas facing each other. But the room can be arranged that the sofas are back-to-back and have teams each doing work at the opposite white boards.

The white cabinet in the back left is to hold clippings and articles about all sorts of topics including creativity, problem solving and strategy. Additionally, I've developed a Creativity Curriculum for the team to follow that starts with basic creative stretching tools and helps coax creative and problem solving abilities out of the team.

We're now facing south. You enter the room on the right.

The other two white boards are mobile and can be flipped over to write on the other side. This white board is mounted and can double as a projector screen for and LCD projector. This one is magnetic which allows artwork and items to be posted to it.

That's a small college fridge filled with... what else... creative juices... It's got bottled Frappuccino, fruit juices... I think RedBull and bottled water.

We're back where we started...

Below is my original floor plan/design... If you're curious, you can download the full PDF.

The room is constantly booked! I had them set up a schedule to have open hours from 8 am until 10 am every day... That way folks can grab a cup of coffee and hang out while they get their day planned. From 10 am on... it's booked specifically as space for creative and inspired meetings... It's not meant to just be another space for a typical meeting. We were looking at a much larger space, but it was decided to test a smaller location before build-out costs were incurred for a huge spot... So this space is a test... And it's been a great success!

If you're interested in designing a space within your offices as a creative retreat, drop me a note... I'll be happy to help you out.

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categorized as CREATIVITY > creative spaces

Walt built Disneyland with the hopes of creating a carnival/park where parents could enjoy themselves as much as kids.

While their ultimate goal may not to build an entertainment empire... Gina Hadley and Jeanna Peterson are onto something with their new concept here in Seattle.

In their words...

urban monkeys was born when gina hadley and jeanna peterson met and found they shared a vision – they imagined a place in seattle that would offer classes for children while making their parents feel cared for. after years of research and planning, gina and jeanna are thrilled to open urban monkeys this fall, and offer you and your kids a play-space you could only imagine until now.

• a place where both parent and child's interests are at stake.
• a place that offers the best children's classes and the best weekly reading material.
• a place that you can learn how exercise and movement will benefit your child's development and you can still send that final email of the day.
• a place where you children will develop friendships and you can connect with your friends about the newest restaurant in town.
• a place where your kids will stomp their feet and you can also leave with newly painted toes.
• a place where you both want to go.

Kids have an indoor playground, kid yoga and imagination based activities. If parents want to relax while their little one is in a class they can visit the Oasis.

at urban monkeys we are determined that every member of the family has a satisfying experience, so we offer amazing classes for kids and an oasis for grown ups.

• wireless access & computer bar
• flat screen tv
• luxurious lounge setting
• all the latest magazines and newspapers
• spa services: massage, manicure/pedicure, facials and waxing
• café umbria coffee, tea and light snacks

Find out more about their monkey business.

Thank you to my local public radio station KUOW and the show The Works for broadcasting a story about and the tour of urban monkey. Listen to the KUOW PodCast about the Urban Monkey (as well as a story "what's the big deal with the iPod"). The Urban Monkey story follows the iPod story... but the iPod story is very interesting as well!

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categorized as CREATIVITY > creative spaces