The umbrella: one of the most useful inventions ever, but also one of the most notoriously inconvenient when you don't need it. What other object that you carry around demands its own bucket when you put it down? The Stand Umbrella is much more humble: Thanks to a mini tripod on the tip, it can stand up on its own, airing itself out while not soaking your floor. It would be even cooler if the tripod folded out and retracted at the touch of a button, but that appears not to be the case. Guess we'll have to get our Penguin jollies elsewhere.

Designed by Hironao Tsuboi, the Stand Umbrella is available in black or white for $60. At that price, you may want to add a gadget that ensures you don't leave it behind anywhere. — Peter Pachal

Charles & Marie, via Better Living Through Design