Single Cup Special

Single Cup Special: "

Oh boy, this Plug Cup is going to make me lazybones. Ever since I’ve laid my eyes on it, I have wanted this concept to come to life. It’s perfect for this instant coffee and green tea glutton that I am. A simple 180° rotating 2-pin plug at the base of the cup hooks on to any power source; so imagine this hanging off the powerstrip where my computer plugs are hitched! A tight lid ensures no spills and a clamp lock keeps the cup upright at the base. The good thing is that the heating element detaches so that the cup can be cleaned easily. Coffee mix, tea, water bottle….all will sit right next to my printer!

Designers: Dong Hun Seo, Geun Hyuk Yoo, Ki Sang Yoon & Yune Jae Bang


Single Cup Special

Single Cup Special: "

Oh boy, this Plug Cup is going to make me lazybones. Ever since I’ve laid my eyes on it, I have wanted this concept to come to life. It’s perfect for this instant coffee and green tea glutton that I am. A simple 180° rotating 2-pin plug at the base of the cup hooks on to any power source; so imagine this hanging off the powerstrip where my computer plugs are hitched! A tight lid ensures no spills and a clamp lock keeps the cup upright at the base. The good thing is that the heating element detaches so that the cup can be cleaned easily. Coffee mix, tea, water bottle….all will sit right next to my printer!

Designers: Dong Hun Seo, Geun Hyuk Yoo, Ki Sang Yoon & Yune Jae Bang


A Rare Interview with the Master of Good Design, Dieter Rams

A Rare Interview with the Master of Good Design, Dieter Rams: "

I’m a big fan of Dieter Rams, so much so that I have even dedicated an entire article here at Design Sojourn to his design philosophy. Therefore, I was quite excited to watch this rare interview of everyone’s favorite Design Meister by Fast Co Design.

If you can’t see the video please click on this link.

Slice Cafe + Dining Chairs by Graypants

Slice Cafe + Dining Chairs by Graypants: "

In most of the photographic renditions of the Slice Café + Dining Chairs by Graypants, the designers have chosen to emphasize the products’ authenticity. These are full color photos with tight close-ups of the intricate bentwood and fine craftsmanship. But there’s one pic that seems straight out of a noir thriller.


Slice Cafe + Dining Chair. Designed by Graypants.


The Slice Chairs are Sustainable, FSC-Certified, and Low VOC


This last of the six scintillating images on the Graypants website shows the Slice Dining Chair in moody black and white, its long lines and sublime striations stretched out in a consuming shadow that falls on the floor behind. The eerie feel of this pic stands in stark contrast to the rest, which cumulatively show Slice for what it is—a handsome, useful, and efficiently made multi-use chair that’s a good shot in the arm of American ingenuity.


Slice Cafe Dining Chairs designed by Graypants


The key to Slice’s distinctive aesthetic and sustainable manufacture lies along the very lines of its tantalizing texture. Slice is constructed of FSC-Certified Eurostyle plywood (in maple or walnut) by designers Seth Grizzle and Jon Junker, whose facility with bentwood and a band saw suggests a modern-day Alvar Aalto. Grizzle and Junker have lain layer upon layer of plywood laminates side-by-side and top to bottom, with enough impromptu bends to give the piece pronounced textural appeal and superlative style.


But beyond its aesthetic allure and solid construction, Slice is also ultra green. As Graypants says, “This is one cool chair. why? because three whole chairs can be made from just one sheet of plywood… because the only waste created is sawdust… because it’s low-VOC finish is a byproduct of cheese!”


Slice Cafe Dining Chairs designed by Graypants


Cheese no less! One wonders if this means—once it’s time for Slice to retire—if one could simply boil it down into, perhaps, a nice Soufflé? Or maybe just scrape it into Parmesan shavings for a refreshing Caesar salad? Either way, Slice sports an impressive sustainable pedigree. It’s a beautiful and versatile chair (available in two sizes) that one can feel quite proud to own.


Slice Cafe Dining Chairs designed by Graypants


About the Manufacturer: Graypants is the creation of designers Jon Junker and Seth Grizzle, a pair of budding artisans and future entrepreneurs who first crossed paths in the wintry wasteland of Kent State U, where they “honed abilities to endure long winters and earned degrees in architecture + design.” Now with a decade of mutual inspiration and close collaboration behind them, they operate out of the rainy wasteland of Seattle, where they “strive to come up with designs and ideas that are thoughtful and have an impact, whether it be furniture, lighting, architecture or graphics.”

Dignified Toilet for the Chaos Station

Dignified Toilet for the Chaos Station: "

The recent spate of natural and man-made disasters has put a stress on relief work being carried out by rescue agencies. One of the most predominant issues is that of human-waste management in temporary shelters. It’s easier to set up tents on fields than accommodating makeshift toilets for displaced people. The D.R. Toilet System looks into this issue and solves it with a flatpack toilet that comes with an encompassing tent for privacy and a unique waste-disposal system.

4 Main Components to the Design

Tent – Flat pack system to create awareness of the toilet and privacy. Privacy is an issue a lot of existing toilet solutions do not meet. The back of the tent has an opening where the user can pull the cart out to drop off the waste.

The static toilet – The toilet is a quick to put together and is 18″ high. It can be put together with no instructions and any one in country can easily assemble it. As well the toilet can also accommodate individuals squatting if they wish to stand up on the toilet.

The Cart – The cart is designed for the user to easily relocate the biodegradable bag of waste and simple discard it in a pit. The cart is designed to be put together by using 10 slot head screws that can also be put together using a butter knife or a coin.

The Biodegradable Bag – A Bag for the waste collection that can be buried.

Use Cycle

  • The flat pack toilet system is shipped with other care/aid supplies following a natural disaster
  • Once on site the package will be opened.
  • The tent is first put together
  • The static toilet is quickly put together
  • The wheels are added to the cart and put together.
  • Place a biodegradable bag onto the cart
  • Individuals can start using the toilet

User Cycle

  • The user opens the tent
  • Uses the toilet
  • Once the biodegradable bag is relatively full, from the back of the tent the user must open the back of the tent
  • Pull out the cart
  • Pull the drawstring and release the bag to sit on the bottom of the cart
  • Push the cart to a designated location to drop the biodegradable bag of waste into a pit
  • Bury the pit with the waste
  • Bring the cart back to the toilet
  • And repeat

Designer: Rahim Bhimani


The Triplette Chair of Paul Menand (In Action)

The Triplette Chair of Paul Menand (In Action): "
The Triplette Chair of Paul Menand (In Action)
The Triplette Chair of Paul Menand (In Action)

French designer Paul Menand takes an entirely innovative approach to the stackable chair concept! Do you recall when you had to stack each chair on top of each other? Well, forget about that! Triplette chair lucratively conceals that core characteristic!

Hedra Armchair by nolen niu

Hedra Armchair by nolen niu: "

Like many vices of youth, my habit of smoking quality cigars once or twice a month endured full dissipation and disappearance by the onset of my fourth decade, but that doesn’t mean I don’t get the occasional yen. Nor does it mean I can’t fully appreciate the dashing Hedra Cigar Armchair by designer nolen niu.


Hedra. Designed by Nolen Niu.


Hedra Updates the Classic Cigar Chair


Back in the day, my typical cigar ritual involved a plastic deck chair and a cool summer breeze, but had I the means, I definitely would have partaken of Hedra’s upscale ambiance and timeless appearance. The chair, with its soft-seated interior and handsome wooden laminate shell, is apropos of a certain mature yet still eminently hip aesthetic—when I envision Hedra’s ideal user, my mind wanders to a frosty Dos Equis and the grainy mise en scene of “the most interesting man in the world.”


New Hedra Armchair by Nolen Niu


No doubt that particular icon of millennial manhood would appreciate Hedra’s skillful synthesis of ergonomics and high style, its deft evocation of the past in the context of the present, its ultra-fine craftsmanship and easy adaptability to a variety of interior décor.


New Hedra Armchair by Nolen Niu


The Hedra Armchair takes its name from its distinctive six-sided silhouette. The term, dating from the ancient Greek, translates as “face of a geometrical solid.” nolen niu offers several fabulous finishes for Hedra’s particular geometry, including Macassar, Mahogany, Maple, Walnut, Wenge, and White Oak. The soft seat is finished in your choice of standard contract fabric, Maharam Hallingdal wool, or ELMOsoft leather.


New Hedra Armchair by Nolen Niu


New Hedra Armchair by Nolen Niu


About the Manufacturer: After putting in some time as a custom designer and fabricator for both commercial and residential venues, designer Nolen Niu decided to take things to the next level. This means the designer’s (and the company’s) exciting line of quality upholstered goods is available throughout the U.S. Based in L.A., nolen niu’s collection is designed and manufactured exclusively in Southern California. This local ethos is a fitting complement to Niu’s reputation for quality work: “an astute attention to detail such as straight seam lines, sharp stitching, and taut surfaces are all characteristics of every Nolen Niu piece.”

Sly Lamp

Sly Lamp: "

This pendant luminaire, designed by Ding 3000 for online design retailer SKITSCH, is the latest member of the mega-successful family of 2D LED lamps. Like the original table and floor lamps, the shape mocks traditional lamp forms. The structure is deceivingly bare and even looks unfunctional, but recessed into its framework are inconspicuous strips of bright LED lights. A clever design that’s sure to make a great conversation piece.

Designer: Ding 3000


T-Shirt Folding Machines, From DIY to Industrial

T-Shirt Folding Machines, From DIY to Industrial: "

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We've all seen 'The Japanese Way of Folding T-Shirts,' or at least, according to YouTube, 2.8 million of you have. A lesser 1.2 million of you have watched 'How an Engineer Folds a T-Shirt,' which I won't embed here because it was apparently edited by an engineer (it's over one minute in length for a ten-second payoff). Instead here's an abbreviated version:





This guy upgraded the cardboard with K'NEX robotics:

(more...)

"

Verner Panton System 1-2-3 chairs get new life at Verpan

Verner Panton System 1-2-3 chairs get new life at Verpan: "

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The art of seating has never been as sweeping and striking as it is with the latest Verner Panton System 1-2-3 chairs. Verpan, the Danish manufacturer specialized in lighting fixtures until recently, proudly introduces its new line of System 1-2-3 chairs. Initially designed by Verner Panton in 1973 and now recreated by sketches from Panton’s archive, 1-2-3 chairs collection is basically a remake of Panton classic chairs that uses newest materials. Branded as 'pantonovskie' shape and offered in even and tight Capitone decorative stitching for increased sitting comfort, 1-2-3 chairs feature an organically curved back that flows into the leg and seat. With a natural and simple design committed to Verner’s own defined effort to create furniture that “grows up out of the floor”, these chairs can easily fit into any living layout as highly functional elements. Verpan.


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"

"Vizio" Hybrid Candle / Ashtray (not to be confused with the LCD TV Company)

"Vizio" Hybrid Candle / Ashtray (not to be confused with the LCD TV Company): "

Flussocreativo-Vizio-1.jpg



Italian design company Flussocreativo are pleased to present a new 'candela posacenere' design that they call 'Vizio.' By shifting the wick to the perimeter of a slight depression in the center of a puck-like paraffin disk, the candle doubles as an ashtray, such that the melted wax forms a pool to hold ashes and contain their odor.



Flussocreativo-Vizio-2.jpg

(more...)"

paul menand: triplette chair

paul menand: triplette chair: "

the 3-in-1 design allows you to nestle each of the seats into one another in a seamless way, forming one chair when multiple seats are not necessary.


read more"

malagana: equilibrium bookcase

malagana: equilibrium bookcase: "

the playfully stacked bookcase compartments eliminate the need for bookends, while supporting over 120 pounds of weight.

Coca-Cola's "Give it Back" Green Initiative

Coca-Cola's "Give it Back" Green Initiative: "

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Coca-Cola has launched a new green initiative called the Give it Back rack, a POP display made from recycled Coke packaging. The idea behind the cardboard shelving unit is that retailers are asked to return them to Coca-Cola at the end of their useful life, at which point they're recycled.



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If we look past the marketing spin—all POP displays made from cardboard packaging are recycleable, so that's not new—what we do see and like is that Coke has chosen to design the units with areas of exposed cardboard, including unfinished edges, drawing attention to the humble material itself. We applaud this decision because it is somewhat risky; it can either be perceived as cheap and shoddy or, we hope, will lead the viewer to conclude that if corrugated cardboard is good enough for a corporate giant like Coke, it has perfect validity as a structural material.

(more...)"

Yo! Core77 board alert >> Define Designer.

Yo! Core77 board alert >> Define Designer.: "

Designer_b_DiTullo.jpg

We've seen a rapid expansion of the title of designer in recent years, from interaction designers to social designers and beyond. A nice little conversation has popped up in the discussion boards around the modern definition of the term designer and what a baseline skill set that goes across our profession might be; including industrial/product, graphic, interior, landscape designers and even architects. Liking Venn diagrams as I do, I decided to make my answer a visual one.



Check out the full discussion and weigh in with your view point HERE

For those of you with less of a palette for diagrams and more of a taste for nostalgic 80's cartoons, I've formatted a version for you as well below.



designer2b_DiTullo.jpg

MacBook in 2020

MacBook in 2020: "

Put aside your critical ego for a moment and enjoy designer Tommaso Gecchelin’s vision of an Apple MacBook circa 2020. Keyboards, mice and 2-dimensional screens are passe. Hit the jump for the future.

Envisage a computer nearly paper thin, able to shape shift from metal to plastic. Thanks to molecular manufacturing, a micro-lattice nano material enables you to shrink the dimensions to fit into your pocket. Nano technology miniaturizes familiar technologies into thin sheets of composites, each serving a separate function. One layer is photo voltaic for infinite battery life. One layer projects ultrasound waves for tactile feedback. Another layer works like a pelican cam to capture the real world in 3D while a separate layer works like a holographic emitter. And of course, everything is wireless. No ports, no cables. I only have one question.

Will it blend?

Designer: Tommaso Gecchelin