Design Challenge:

In the tiny kitchen I must have TWO objects on the floor that I trip over:

1. Waste Basket (Because it's an apartment it's like those at the office, small and simple a bucket.)
2. step stool (because i am short)

It seems to me that this could be somehow made into one object. A garbage can I could stand on.

Yes I could turn it over but I think you can see how that is not ideal.

Any designers out there looking for their big break?

@futurebird

Seems like you could make the top step of a step stool something that could be lifted to reveal a modest sized trash bin.

Though that'd make it heavier to move the stool around.

Design Challenge:

In the tiny kitchen I must have TWO objects on the floor that I trip over:

1. Waste Basket (Because it's an apartment it's like those at the office, small and simple a bucket.)
2. step stool (because i am short)

It seems to me that this could be somehow made into one object. A garbage can I could stand on.

Yes I could turn it over but I think you can see how that is not ideal.

Any designers out there looking for their big break?

@futurebird
I can picture it in my mind. Solid, sturdy, steppy, and ofc the top part is a lid that you can also step on. The bottom step is also a hinged separate compartment and that’s where you keep a roll of trash bags (or snacks, if you’re nasty).

@KydiaMusic

Good design also accommodates the nasty ones I suppose.

Design Challenge:

In the tiny kitchen I must have TWO objects on the floor that I trip over:

1. Waste Basket (Because it's an apartment it's like those at the office, small and simple a bucket.)
2. step stool (because i am short)

It seems to me that this could be somehow made into one object. A garbage can I could stand on.

Yes I could turn it over but I think you can see how that is not ideal.

Any designers out there looking for their big break?

Design Challenge:

In the tiny kitchen I must have TWO objects on the floor that I trip over:

1. Waste Basket (Because it's an apartment it's like those at the office, small and simple a bucket.)
2. step stool (because i am short)

It seems to me that this could be somehow made into one object. A garbage can I could stand on.

Yes I could turn it over but I think you can see how that is not ideal.

Any designers out there looking for their big break?

@futurebird have you seen the modernist German kitchen designs from the 30s? Or maybe 20s... Anyway they were designed so that anything can be reached sitting down on a rolling stool

@futurebird

I found this, I'd add a step (figure), you could probably find a small plastic wastebin that would fit. Maybe the smaller step could be for trash and the bigger recycling.

(www.reddit.com)

@alter_kaker

I have not! though it sounds like the kind of suburban sized thing that will just make me annoyed.

@futurebird

Would need to find hinges that are sturdy enough for you to stand on the lid without deforming.

Maybe some handholds on the side.

I'd actually hinge it on the other side, so you don't accidentally open it with your foot while stepping onto it.

@futurebird

I'd also put some pressure lock casters under a false bottom so you can roll it easily.

@futurebird

Another option is that the back flips down, potentially sturdier than hinges at the top.

@MCDuncanLab @futurebird

This is close to really nice. What I would do is:
* The back panel and a false bottom are attached on a hinge (like L-shaped but reversed in this image)
* A small plastic bin sits on the false bottom
* When you tilt the back, the plastic bin tilts out with it so you can easily take it out.
* I think an empty Tidy Cat litter pail is about the right size to use as the plastic bin. Until they made disposable grocery bags illegal here, we used to use those in a pet litter pail for our garbage.

@MCDuncanLab @futurebird

This is close to really nice. What I would do is:
* The back panel and a false bottom are attached on a hinge (like L-shaped but reversed in this image)
* A small plastic bin sits on the false bottom
* When you tilt the back, the plastic bin tilts out with it so you can easily take it out.
* I think an empty Tidy Cat litter pail is about the right size to use as the plastic bin. Until they made disposable grocery bags illegal here, we used to use those in a pet litter pail for our garbage.

Design Challenge:

In the tiny kitchen I must have TWO objects on the floor that I trip over:

1. Waste Basket (Because it's an apartment it's like those at the office, small and simple a bucket.)
2. step stool (because i am short)

It seems to me that this could be somehow made into one object. A garbage can I could stand on.

Yes I could turn it over but I think you can see how that is not ideal.

Any designers out there looking for their big break?

@futurebird Where would you like these objects to be relative to other parts of the kitchen? That is, would you prefer a garbage can be close to the sink, or the stepstool nearest the cabinets or fridge?

What is the layout of the kitchen, if you don’t mind me asking, because I’d think a design that meshes with, say, an inbuilt island or table might reduce tripping more by dint of associated height than necessarily the merging of furniture.

Design Challenge:

In the tiny kitchen I must have TWO objects on the floor that I trip over:

1. Waste Basket (Because it's an apartment it's like those at the office, small and simple a bucket.)
2. step stool (because i am short)

It seems to me that this could be somehow made into one object. A garbage can I could stand on.

Yes I could turn it over but I think you can see how that is not ideal.

Any designers out there looking for their big break?

@futurebird I'm gonna argue that if you combine the items into one, you're no longer meeting the original spec which is TWO objects that you trip on? So I'd imagine you'd spend all this effort combining the items, and still end up finding a way around it to trip on something else, or perhaps your own foot?!