Which came first, design or function?

I just love thinking about everyday objects and their designs.  A beautifully carved wooden spoon that has withstood the test of time, my red Cuisinart coffee maker, my mom's circa 1960's mint green handheld mixer, the interesting shape of my antique collander...so many designs, so little time.  Then, of course, that makes me think of the other end of the spectrum and the designs I use but don't like.  Typically, if we don't like something in the kitchen it's because it doesn't work to its full potential or has some annoying flaw that makes it really annoying to use.  We don't always think about the design and its impact on the product itself.  Take my cheap toaster, for example. I could care less that it has a special setting just for "Pop-Tarts" but really just wish it did not have razor-sharp edges and that it worked without me having to beat it to death every time.  Design can surely make or break a product.

Sometimes products are designed to be aesthetically pleasing, sometimes they are designed solely for function, and other times they are a perfect mixture of both extremes.  We all have our kitchen favorites and some brands do a better job of creating the tools we love to use.  One of my favorite kitchen brands is Bodum.  I love every single Bodum item I've ever purchased—my teapot, my french coffee press, my frothing pitcher and a few other miscellaneous pieces.  I recently checked out their web site for some design inspiration and came across a little bit of toasty love....their incredibly cool Bistro Toaster in a color that would match my kitchen just perfectly.  And, somehow, I just feel the confidence that this item would make my lowly toaster wilt with envy.  Add this to the list of wants for 2010!  And if you really love kitchen goodies, here is a list of some amazing locales for culinary fans like myself: http://www.dwell.com/maps/shopping-list.html (Thanks Dwell Magazine!)