I’m not so keen on the Pull & Pushi’s design but the idea that a chair can be pulled out of smaller chair to give you a wider chair and side table is intriguing. It’s a great space saving idea and continues to explore compact furniture with multiple functions and dare I say, personalities?
Designer: Flavio Scalzo
We really like when we can see the character and past of a piece of furniture. It’s one reason why we flock to vintage and antique pieces so much–sensing a piece’s story is almost as rewarding as enjoying its aesthetic value. That’s one of the unfortunate things missing to many modern furniture designs–the piece is so new you must adopt it in order to give it a story (which can be kind of fun, too). Brothers and Sons has combined the past and the future with their Squash Court Tables, made from–you guessed it–reclaimed squash court floor.
The piece it its current iteration might be new, but that squash court wood, well that’s just full of stories. Business partners hashing out a corporate deal while sweating. Two almost-lovers getting to know each other some physical exercise. A solo single stressed out woman wondering where her life is going while slamming a squash ball over and over again across that wood. Magical. See more squash tables and their other designs here.
SketchChair marks the first Kickstarter project by Diatom, a design studio based in London and Lisbon. The project consists of an open-source software design tool that allows anyone, tech-savvy or otherwise, to design—and, if the project is Kickstarted, build—his or her own bespoke furniture.
Principals Greg Saul and Tiago Rorke met while studying industrial design at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Diatom represents their interest in 'the possibilities of interaction, digital fabrication and computational design.'
The SketchChair, then, represents a step towards making advances in digital fabrication available to the general public. Saul and Rorke acknowledge their debt to IKEA even as they hope to move beyond the mass-market business model:
Junktion was founded in Tel Aviv in 2008, in order to give a second chance for what the city had already classified as junk. Junktion people take everyday objects out of context, sometimes attaching them to others, unrelated, and at other times just turning them upside down for an alternate function. They believe that there is enough stuff
You can mistake Éva as a modern decorative piece for restaurants, but it’s a trendy, hi-tech composter. It blends in beautifully with any interior and does a magnificent job of recycling wasted organic matter. A part of the waste is used for cultivating and maintaining a green patch and the rest is used to produce methane. I love the way it integrates and becomes a self-contained biosphere!
Designer: François Hurtaud
It would be a woodworker's dream if trees came like this:
Alas, it's not real; it's not even real wood. It's a polystyrene and resin piece by Switzerland-based artist Vincent Kohler, shot by Geoffrey Cottenceau. I guess receiving trees in that form would be cheating for a true craftsman, but I can't help thinking of all the sawdust I wouldn't have to vacuum up.
Scientist Dr. David Nocera has finally perfected a low-cost, artificial leaf-like device, that like a real leaf, mimics the process of photosynthesis. Nocera announced the creation of a miniature solar cell at the 241st National Meeting of the American Chemical Society last week. Nocera hopes to use his “leaf” to help make individual homes capable of becoming their own self-sufficient power stations.
Read the rest of MIT Scientists Create Artificial Solar Leaf That Can Power Homes"
This is so simple. Continuance is a set of batteries with a USB interface on the side. The batteries are rechargeable plus dole out some juice to stranded gadgets that are starved of power. Handy, compact and a totally do-able concept! Kudos!
Continuance is an iF concept design entry for 2011
Designers: Haimo Bao, Hailong Piao, Yuancheng Liu & Xiameng Hu
I know you’ve heard of or maybe even met the white stork, but have you heard of the black stork? It’s the inspiration behind designer Rainer Bachschmid’s “Ciconia” light. Two symmetrical segments bear a reflective stainless steel strip opposite it’s thirty LEDs seamlessly and are encased within an aluminum powder-coated body that very much resembles a beak. This minimalist light sculpture will grace any space with luminous elegance.
Designer: Rainer Bachschmid for Topdeq
We came across these custom organic staircase designs by Eestairs, and thought they were worth a closer look! The artistic, sculptural creation is an instant impact piece in the home. Imagine coming home to this in your grand front foyer. This striking, sweeping staircase features natural-finish wood steps and no rise, resulting in a see-through look that’s light and airy, yet substantial enough to make a statement – great in open-concept spaces! The pattern of multi-sized white rings has a wonderful, whimsical flair. 'Step up' your home decor. For more info visit Eestairs.
via Stylepark
