All the Coolest Home and Design Releases We Found in August 2021

Ah August, the last full month of summer, and arguably the worst (depending on how you feel about heat and humidity. No matter how you feel about August — or summer in general — the releases in the home space were hot enough to carry over into the cooler months ahead. Like literally. Omsom, which makes some of our favorite pre-made Asian cooking sauces, released a Heat Lover’s pack that’ll have you sweating, and Fly By Jing, a company that makes a supremely delicious chili crunch, released its new hot pot base, which is making me sweat just reading about it. We also got some linen pajamas from Parachute, a $55 smart soap dispenser from Amazon and much, much more.

Magic Bullet Air Fryer

Nutribullet

The next time you grab your Magic Bullet, it might not be for a blender. Magic Bullet’s first entry into cooking appliances is the air fryer, which seems to be on everyone’s wishlist nowadays. The Magic Bullet Air Fryer goes for a wallet-friendly $60, and it’s meant to be more of a single-serve air fryer than one for large families. The 2.5-quart basket can hold up to a pound of French fries (the unit of measurement for any good air fryer, and it hits a temperature range between 180°F to 400°F for those days when it’s too hot to turn on your oven.

Price: $60

Omsom Heat Lover’s

Omsom

Omsom’s what to reach for when you don’t know what’s for dinner. The brand of pre-made Asian sauces continues to be one of the best pantry staples you can own, and its latest pack, dubbed Heat Lover’s, is for those who don’t want food that has a kick — they want their food to knock out their tastebuds. The set includes Thai Larb, Korean Spicy Bulgogi and Pepper Teigen’s Krapow, all three of which are bound to get your sweat glands working. And while you’re on the website, load up on Omsom’s other sauces, too.

Price: $50

Brooklinen Limited-Edition Linen Sheets

Brooklinen

Brooklinen makes some of our favorite bed sheets, especially its linen options. And if you don’t already own linen sheets (or you’re itching for some new ones), the brand is releasing its linen bedding in a handful of new prints for a limited time. Two colorways that sold out in the past are making a comeback — terracotta, caramel and ochre— as well as two new colorways — ink blue and ink blue gingham. They say the magic happens in the bedroom, and we’re pretty sure the magic is how damn good Brooklinen linen sheets feel while you sleep.

Price: $269+

Parachute Linen Pajamas

Parachute

Just like the women’s collection of linen loungewear, the men’s offerings – which include the Linen Top and Linen Pant – are the perfect combination of comfortable and elevated, made from 100% linen European Flax. The shirt is cozy enough for bed, but polished enough to pair with jeans for a casual day at the office. The pants are the sophisticated swap for sweats you’ve been looking for, but are also light and cool enough for a day at the beach. Both items will be sold separately at $74/each and will be offered in the season’s newest colorways, Fawn and Coal.

Price: $74

People’s Pottery Project Blue Dinnerware

West Elm

Now available at West Elm is a brand of pottery called People’s Pottery that formerly incarcerated women, trans and non-binary individuals. The ceramic stoneware dinnerware is available in plates and bowls of varying sizes, hand painted in shades of blue. Using People’s Pottery’s dinnerware is almost like eating off of art — Los Angeles County Museum of Art started selling the brand last summer, according to Apartment Therapy.

Price: $25+

Amazon Smart Soap Dispenser

Amazon

Amazon is trying to make everything “smart,” including your soap dispenser. This overpriced automatic soap dispenser makes sure you keep lathering soap in your hands for 20 seconds, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommended amount of time for hand washing, through a light-up timer. Because this is an Amazon product, it can pair with an Echo device to use your music, or other entertainment of choice, to help you get through your 20-second hand washing (the soap dispenser itself doesn’t have a speaker). And unlike some other automatic soap dispensers, you can control how much soap comes out depending on how close your hand is to the nozzle.

Price: $55

Fellow Shimmy Coffee Sieve

Fellow

No matter how good your coffee grinder is, you’re bound to get a little thing called microfines, which are basically super-tiny coffee grinds that can ruin your coffee’s flavor. While some may not notice how much those microfines are affecting their coffee, you can trust that your coffee would taste way better without them. The answer to removing these microfines is called a coffee sieve, and Fellow just released its own take on the device, called the Shimmy. All you do is place your ground coffee in the canister and give it a little shake to displace the microfines from the coffee grounds you’ll actually be using to brew. Give it a try with any coffee brewing method you use to make a better cup of joe.

Price: $49

Knoll Ollo with Knit Back

Knoll

Earlier this year, Herman Miller would acquire Knoll and be known as MillerKnoll. Now, Knoll has added a new iteration of one of its most popular office chairs, the Ollo. The new Ollo swaps out the original’s shell back for a knit back for springy support. The knit moves with you, and it’s also more breathable thanks to its open weave. The chair is customizable like you wouldn’t believe with 22 seat upholstery options and different colored knits.

Price: $870+

Rao’s Homemade Limited Edition Reserve

Rao’s

Rao’s is one of the most famous Italian restaurants in New York City, and it’s also notoriously hard to get a seat thanks to its fame — and small size. Luckily, Rao’s sells its famous tomato sauces nationwide at supermarkets, and the new Limited Edition Reserve takes it up a notch. With eight high-end products, comprising pantry staples like white truffle marinara to 30-year aged balsamic condiment — the exclusive line is sure to elevate whatever meal you try to make.

Price: $9+

Allawake Coffee Blend Variety Pack

AllAwake Coffee

Allawake is just one relatively new brand that’s rewriting what it means to be instant coffee. The brand makes single-use pour-over drippers that literally makes coffee in an instant. If you want to get a sample of all of Allawake’s offerings, the brand recently released its Blend Variety Pack so you can get a taste of its light, medium and dark roast coffees. You’re bound to have a favorite, and then you can stock up on all of that.

Price: $35

Made In Teku Beer Glass

Made In

You can drink beer out of anything: A red Solo cup, a mug, the can or bottle it comes in. But nearly all beer connoisseurs agree that the best beer-drinking vessel is the Teku. Made In just released its take on the popular beer glass, and it’s one you should buy if you have even the slightest interest in beer. The Teku glass’s claim to fame is its design, meant to maximize everything about your beer from the taste to the aroma and carbonation. The stemmed glass has an angled, tapered bowl with a flared, outward lip that aids in head retention and makes it feel like a beer waterfall is entering your mouth. The angled bowl also helps to capture the beer’s aroma, which is what contributes to maximizing its flavor. Drink from one yourself and you’ll get the hype.

Price: $59/4-pack

Cote Wine Club

Gary He

New York City’s Michelin-starred restaurant Cote is known for its Korean-style barbecue, but its impressive wine selection is also worth a visit. So much so that Cote’s wine program was nominated for a James Beard Award for outstanding wine program. If you can’t make it out to the restaurant, you can at least sign up for Cote’s new wine club. (For those looking for Cote meat, you can score it through Goldbelly.) The three-bottle monthly subscription box is curated by Cote’s director of beverage, Victoria James, and master sommelier, Mia Van de Water, through a partnership with Convive Wine Club club. The $165 membership also includes priority access to events and tastings, a 10-percent discount on bottles at Cote and Convive and monthly Zoom happy hours with James and Van de Water.

Price: $165

Old Pal Provisions x Igloo Ecocool “Cold Pal” Cooler

Old Pal Provisions

Old Pal, purveyor of weed and weed-adjacent gear for grown ups, partnered with Igloo for take on its insulated Ecocool cooler, which is made entirely from recycled resin that came from post-consumer plastic products. The 7-quart cooler, playfully called the Cold Pal, is adorned in Old Pal-style art that encourages inclusion and togetherness — plus, an overwhelming dose of good, happy vibes.

Price: $40

Staub Stackable Cookware

Williams Sonoma

The more cookware you have, the more kitchen space you better have. But with Staub’s new stackable cookware, available exclusively at Williams Sonoma, you can have multiple cooking tools and not have to buy extra storage space. Staub is known for its enameled cast iron, which rivals that of Le Creuset. The stackable sets come in a three-piece set, which includes a frying pan, Dutch oven and universal lid, and a four-piece set, which includes all of the previously mentioned pieces, plus a grill pan.

Price: $450+

Misen Kitchen Shears

Misen

Kitchen shears are just as important as kitchen knives — there, I said it. They make light work out of tedious kitchen task whether you’re trimming vegetables or cutting through a whole bird. Misen’s new kitchen shears are sharp and ready for duty right out of the box. Hell, this thing can cut through a penny if the picture is to be believed. The $15 workhorse is a steal for what it can do, and the shears are backed by the brand’s lifetime guarantee.

Price: $15

Minna Dog Bed

Minna

Your dog deserves a nice bed, and you deserve a dog bed that doesn’t ruin the vibe of your whole home. Minna’s new dog beds are exactly that. Made by hand in Guatemala, Minna’s new dog beds are inspired by Sol Lewitt’s Wall Drawings, adding a bright pop of color to the room with its patchwork construction.

Price: $195+

Shinola for Crate & Barrel Collection

Crate & Barrel

Shinola isn’t just a watch brand anymore, and its new collection with Crate and Barrel proves it. The two American brands collaborated on a 115-piece collection that exemplifies their dedication to craftsmanship through details like Japanese-style joinery and leather accents. The collection spans all rooms of the home from the bedroom to the home office, with focus paid towards utility and good looks. Some standouts to us include the Runwell sofa, the Michigan chair and the Utility floor lamp. I take that back — everything is a standout.

Price: $24+

Bokksu Moon Festival Snack Box

Bokksu

For those bored of the typical snacks you get at the grocery store, Bokksu should be on your radar. The subscription box gets you snacks from Japan every month, meant to “empower Japan’s traditional snackmakers by sharing their authentic food and stories with the world,” per the brand’s about page. The snacks you get aren’t some exclusive-to-Japan flavors from big corporate snack brands, rather they’re made by family-owned businesses, some of whom have been in the snack business for generations. Twice a year, Bokksu does a limited-edition collector’s box, with 2021’s first drop being in celebration of Japan’s Mid-Autumn Festival, during which celebrants offer food to the moon to celebrate the autumn equinox in Japan.

Price: $40+

Fly By Jing Fire Hot Pot Base

Fly By Jing

Fly By Jing made a name for itself for its top-of-the-line chili crisps. Its latest release is just as spicy, but it’s not a condiment like the rest of its lineup. The new Fire Hot Pot Base from Fly By Jing forms the, well, base of a hot pot broth. For those not in the know, hot pot is a cooking method in which diners cook their food in a boiling pot on their table. It’s a communal form of dining where most of the flavor of the food is derived from the boiling soup (and also custom-made sauces). Fly By Jing’s Fire Hot Pot Base is a mix of ginger, star anise, clove, and Sichuan peppercorns that’s as spicy as it is flavorful. And if you don’t have your hands on a hot pot pot, you could use the base as a stir-fry sauce.

Price: $20

Made In x Tecovas

Made In

Made In calls its collaboration with Tecovas a “match made in Texas.” The two Texas-based brands debuted the Grill Collection recently, comprising a carving knife, knife roll, and leather knife handle cover. The knife features a 9-inch blade with a Yew wood handle, and the knife roll is made of waxed till, harness leather and brass hardware, with enough space for nine knives and a zipper pocket for miscellaneous kitchen gear.

Price: $29+

Material ReBowl

Material

Every kitchen needs a good workhorse bowl whether it’s for food prep, serving or storage. Material’s new ReBowl is that bowl. But what’s with its name? The 1o-inch wide, 2.75-quart bowl is made from recycled plastic and sugarcane, without any virgin plastic. Its flared lip is perfect for pouring without spills, it nests into one another for easy storage and it comes in eye-popping colors for a bit of flair in the kitchen.

Price: $25

Lalo The Chair

Lalo

If the Eamses made a high chair, it would look like this. The Lalo high chair is arguably one of the sleekest high chairs you could buy for your baby, and it’s as much of a necessity for your kid as it is for your home’s aesthetic. The Chair is made from FSC-certified sustainable beechwood, and the whole thing is easy to clean because messes are a given. In mid-June, Lalo released The Chair in a limited-edition sage colorway, which sold out in two weeks. By popular demand, sage is now a permanent color offering thought you can’t go wrong with any of the colors.

Price: $215

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