Take two young guys with college degrees in architecture and public policy. Mix in frequent moving from apartment to apartment, and you have design inspiration.
Such were the ingredients that led to the Floyd Leg, a surprisingly stylish metal clamp that solves a furnishing dilemma for urbanites and millennials around the world.
Kyle Hoff, 27, who has a master's degree in architecture from the University of Michigan, became professionally transient and he quickly realized that tables resist relocation. He began toying with creating table legs to-go.
Enter Detroit co-worker Alex O'Dell, 24, a Michigan native with a degree in public policy. Hoff and O'Dell launched a Kickstarter campaign in January 2014 to fund production and quickly learned their idea had legs, so to speak.
They met their goal within two days, then they had to figure out how to produce 2,000 sets and deliver them around the world. (Their legs and brackets arrive packed in a black nylon bag with, appropriately, a carrying strap.)
The resulting product, named for Hoff's father, grandfather and great-grandfather — all named Floyd and all steel-mill workers in his native Youngstown, Ohio — is gaining traction.
The legs, brackets and utility sets (the last includes ratchet straps to support larger pieces, such as the plywood Ping-Pong table in their office) are shipped worldwide. Prices range from $179 to $285 for sets of four.
Details: thefloydleg.com
Herbs for sale
The Western Pennsylvania Unit of the Herb Society of America will host an herb-plant sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 23 at Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve, 614 Dorseyville Road, Fox Chapel.
A variety of herb plants, books, handmade items and more will be available.
For information, visit westernpahsa.org, or send an email to westernpahsa@yahoo.com.
IKEA recalls safety gates
IKEA is recalling approximately 75,000 safety gates because the gates may fail to stay closed. Three children have been injured.
The company said that friction between the wall and the pressure-mounted gate is not sufficient to hold the gate in its intended position, posing a fall hazard. The lower metal bar can also be a tripping hazard.
IKEA said that there have been 18 incidents worldwide. This includes three incidents in which children have been injured as a result of falling down stairs. No injuries have been reported in the United States.
The recall includes about 58,000 gates in the United States and 17,000 in Canada.
The Patrull Klamma and Patrull Smidig safety gates are white, made of steel and plastic and measure about 29 inches high with an adjustable width from about 29 inches to 34 inches. The gate has a spring mechanism that fits between the two sides of the door frame to hold the gate in place. A permanent label attached to the metal bar at the bottom of the safety gate contains an article number.
Article numbers involved in the recall include: 302-265-21, 500-375-67, 501-919-50, 655-517-10, 700-989-65 and 901-136-01.
The gates were sold at IKEA stores across the country and at ikea-usa.com from August 1995 through February 2015. They were sold for about $35.
Detail: 888-966-4532 or ikea-usa.com
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