Those of you who are based in Chicago might recognize the two fellas in the photo above—it's none other than longtime Core-tributors Craighton Berman (a.k.a. Fueled by Coffee) and Bruce Tharp of Materious. Say what you want about keeping it in the family, but when we say them sitting next to each other in the Design Debut section of the 2014 International Home + Housewares Show, we couldn't resist the opportunity to stage a conversation so that each of them could share what they're working on these days.

Berman, who delivered a presentation about his Kickstarter expertise in the Innovation Theater on Saturday afternoon, took the opportunity to launch his third project on the crowdfunding site, following the success of "Pinch" (the first-ever product on Kickstarter) and "Sharpener Jar." The Manual coffeemaker is not just a handsome terrarium-like chemex device but also the flagship product for Berman's new brand. There's still plenty of time to get in on the action on Kickstarter.

Meanwhile, Tharp fielded questions about the three products he brought to the show: the Cubby, Piggy and his latest product, "Cut Once," an elegant ruler that belies its deep backstory.