Creative Hunter ©

Park It, Mister

2009-12-29T14:02:00.000-08:00

Paving paradise for a place to sit. That’s what’s going on here. A project from Springtime that saves a seat for your own booty in a play on the culture-cemented idea of a parking space. Part of a design competition that aimed to give a parking space back to the public. “Person Parking” seems to be made for a low-traffic area in a strip mall district, don’t you think?

Text from Springtime:

Duepercinque is a design competition part of the Public Design Festival in Milan. The mission: develop a creative solution for a parking spot of 2×5 meter (due per cinque), returning it to the public domain in a positive way.

I wouldn’t be the guy sitting on the street side of this block, that’s for dang sure. I’d like to see a couch made with this same aesthetic. Maybe minus the cement part.

Designer: Springtime

20 Awesome Wallpapers by J3Concepts

2009-08-25T08:16:00.000-07:00

When I first saw this I was amazed by such good pieces transformed into awesome wallpapers, actually a wallpack of 20 wallpapers all created by the great Jared K. Nickerson (J3Concepts). Be ready to have a colorful desktop for at least a couple of months until you ran out of these. Enjoy!

more from Jared K. Nickerson visit http://www.jthreeconcepts.com and http://www.behance.net/j3concepts

20 Beautiful Cityscape Wallpapers

2009-08-25T08:12:00.000-07:00

Everybody loves changing their desktop wallpapers from time to time! But finding the right image can be really tricky, since there are virtually billions of images to choose... here, I've selected 20 beautiful cityscape wallpapers to ease your search.

I found some really awesome images, that will make your desktop look beautiful. Since I'm very fond of Chicago, I've selected it 5 wallpapers, and New York got 4, but they're awesome as well. One thing that I'd like to let you know, is that if you're trying to get one of the wallpapers from Interface Lift and didn't get it in your first try, try a second time, because sometimes it doesn't come right away. Ok? Hope you all enjoy these! Cheers. ;)

Chicago

New York

Misc.

Links: www.abduzeedo.com

You won't see things around you the same way..

2009-07-09T12:43:00.000-07:00

Lebanese Artist, Layal Chemaitelly creator of Sevent Carats, an haute crystallizing and accessorizing atelier housing delicate handmade accessories, luxury gifts and all things design. The crystals she uses are the highest caliber Swarovski Crystals. Through the years of being in business, she has the pleasure of serving satisfied customers who order regularly. To see more of her art work, please visit : http://www.sevencarats.blogspot.com/

bart hess at the 'dutch invertuals' exhibition

2009-04-20T09:08:00.000-07:00

'grow on you' by lucy and bart

work of dutch artist bart hess will be shown as a part of the 'dutch invertuals' exhibition
during the milan design week 09. in the exhibition, a group of independent designers
from eindhoven, united by their common vision in design, present their latest work.
the exhibition has been made possible in collaboration with the italian label verger.
the former design academy students explore familiar materials and show them out
of their usual context.
location: via varese 1, moscova subway station.

here is some of his previous work in collaboration with lucy mcrae.

http://www.lucyandbart.com
http://www.lucyandbart.blogspot.com

'grow on you' by lucy and bart

'neandathol' by lucy and bart

'dripping color' by lucy and bart

'germination day one' by lucy and bart

'germination day eight' by lucy and bart

'exploded view' by lucy and bart

'exploded view' by lucy and bart

bart hess is exploring several fields that straddle textile, fashion and animation, these fall
within the commercial and art world.

Source: designboom.com

peter marigold at 'craft punk' design miami/ performance

2009-04-20T09:06:00.000-07:00

british designer peter marigold's new tables will be on view at the 'craft punk' design miami/ performance.
made from waste leather from fendi production the tops use a geometric principle (a bisected
square) to generate the repeating elements.

leather patches

design miami/ is curating an event outside its own territories in a unique partnership with fendi.
taking place during the salone del mobile in milan, 'craft punk’ will expand on the design
performance programme that is a highlight of design miami/.

craft is an area of design production that designers often turn to in the early stages of their careers.
‘craft punk’ will transform the 750 square meter spazio fendi into an active environment for social
interaction, unruly intellectual inquiry and actionbased design processes by inviting emerging designers
to work within traditional, or hand-made, craft methods. the designers can use discarded materials
from the fendi production process, such as selleria leather, branded fabrics, plastic decorative elements,
and metal hardware. demonstrating the creation process live and onsite, they will reinvent the way
a process or material is typically employed.

the designers contributing to ‘craft punk’ include kwangho lee, massimiliano adami, nacho carbonell,
peter marigold, raw-edges, sarah becker, simon hasan, studio glithero, studio libertiny, and yuri
suzuki + household. a truly international mix of talents, they come from as far afield as japan, denmark,
italy, israel, slovakia, spain, the netherlands, south korea, germany and the UK.

Source: designboom.com

karim rashid: 'swell' collection for talenti

2009-04-20T09:05:00.000-07:00

'swell' collection by karim rashid

karim rashid has designed 'swell' collection for italian furniture company talenti.
it will be shown at the hall 15 / G34 during the milan design week 09.

prototype

Source : designboom.com

jun aoki

2009-04-20T09:01:00.002-07:00

jun aoki

was born in 1956 in yokohama, japan.
he graduated from tokyo university and worked at
arata isozaki & associates before establishing his own
tokyo based studio jun aoki & associates in 1991.
the practice's activities include structural studies,
interior and exterior architecture in various fields.
major works of jun aoki include early projects 'S house'
in katsuura (chiba pre.) and 'mamihara bridge' in soyo
(kumamoto pre.); the 'fukushima lagoon museum' in
toyosaka,(niigata pre.), which won the architectural institute
of japan annual award and the 'aomori museum of art',
in aomori, which won the grand award of the international
competition. recent projects include the 'sia aoyama building'
and the 'go-sees hiroo' photo studio, both in tokyo.
during his career jun aoki has designed numerous
showrooms and buildings for fashion house LV / louis vuitton.
in 2008 he was awarded the minister of education
'art encouragement prize', and the 'good design award
for his 'sia aoyama building' project.

http://www.aokijun.com/

Source : designboom.com

jun aoki
portrait © designboom

sia aoyama building, shibuya-ku, tokyo, japan, 2008
photo © daici ano
courtesy jun aoki & associates
see more images here

white chape', osaka, japan, 2006
image © daici ano
courtesy jun aoki & associates
see more images here

aomori museum of art, japan, 2006
image © daici ano
courtesy jun aoki & associates

aomori museum of art, 2006
image © daici ano
courtesy jun aoki & associates

aomori museum of art, 2006
image © daici ano
courtesy jun aoki & associates

louis vuitton ginza namiki, tokyo, japan, 2004
image © daici ano
courtesy jun aoki & associates

louis vuitton new york, usa, 2004
courtesy jun aoki & associates

louis vuitton omotesando, tokyo, japan, 2002
courtesy jun aoki & associates

louis vuitton omotesando, interior, tokyo, japan, 2002
image © daici ano
courtesy jun aoki & associates

louis vuitton omotesando, tokyo, japan, 2002
courtesy jun aoki & associates

louis vuitton nagoya, tokyo, japan, 1999
image © nakagawa nobuaki
courtesy jun aoki & associates

house k, taiwan, 2001
image © nakagawa nobuaki
courtesy jun aoki & associates

house k, taiwan, 2001
image © nakagawa nobuaki
courtesy jun aoki & associates

house k, taiwan, 2001
image © nakagawa nobuaki
courtesy jun aoki & associates

house c, japan, 2000
image © daici ano
courtesy jun aoki & associates

house b, japan, 1999
image © shinkenchiku - sha
courtesy jun aoki & associates

mamihara bridge, 1995
image © shinkenchiku - sha
courtesy jun aoki & associates

mamihara bridge, 1995
image © shinkenchiku - sha
courtesy jun aoki & associates

house h, japan, 1994
image © shinkenchiku - sha
courtesy jun aoki & associates

the 'graphic design heroes' t-shirt collection by paul nini

2009-04-20T09:01:00.001-07:00

a recent quip pointed us to these t-shirts by american designer paul nini. the 'graphic design heroes' collection
features 20 different designs - each focused on a famous graphic designer whose name is displayed in
their signature style.

for more graphic design t-shirts see the designboom shop.

Normal timepieces by Ross McBride

2009-04-12T14:25:00.001-07:00

Designer Ross McBride of Tokyo-based Normal presented a new collection of clocks and watches at 100% Design Tokyo last month.

The autumn range consists of a clock and a wristwatch, both available in various finishes.

Here’s some blurb from Normal:

–

Normal Timepieces are designed by Ross McBride, and produced by Normal Y.K.

The Normal Timepieces brand was launched in July of 2006, with a retrospective exhibition of Ross McBride’s work at Cïbone in Tokyo, Japan.

Two years in the making, it was the culmination of Ross’ love of timepieces, and strong desire to create a self-produced brand that fully embodied his own sensibilities.

The initial product range included three watches: “Extra Normal”, and two limited edition pieces, “Time Zone”, and “Time = Money”.

In Autumn of 2007, the range was limited to just the Extra Normal design, and expanded upon with a variety of new materials, and surface treatments. Additionally, a new Extra Normal wall clock was introduced.

–

Posted by Marcus Fairs

Source: dezeen.com

The light that thinks it’s a candle: Hono by Metaphys

2009-04-12T14:23:00.000-07:00

Tokyo Design Week: the Hono light by Japanese brand Metaphys is ignited by touching it with a magnetic match and extinguished by blowing on it. The LED light source even flickers like a real candle.

The cable-less lamp is powered by a rechargeable battery.

The product - which has been around for a while although we never saw it before - is on show at 100% Design Tokyo this week. More from Metaphys coming soon…

–
Posted by Marcus Fairs

Source : dezeen.com

Weekly design

2009-04-12T14:20:00.000-07:00

+ Arkitektur magazine award winner; Strata Arkitektur "modern forest superintendent cabin". Via The David Report. More houses here (click on the image).

+ Electrolux Design Lab 2007 Finalists. Via Nordic Design Blog.

+ Gitta Gschwendtner's Flame Lamps @ Dezeen, "a series of ten lamps that use low-energy candle-effect bulbs.".

+ Ross Lovegrove's Solar Tree street lights at designboom.

+ Supper sound system designed by Creative Cluster for Taguchi @ DESIGNSPOTTER, "stylish table wares for cozy sound dining experiences.".

+ #Nils Holger Moormann's Insert Coin shelf system, "Trays are inserted into a wall panel in any order, so that each shelf system has its own unique look.". Via pan-dan.

+ Anglepoise Fifty lamps by Anthony Dickens, "the injection-moulded polycarbonate design is a transparent shade with a lamp fitting. The cable threads through the arm, playfully retracing the path travelled by its predecessors.". Via designboom.

+ The AQUAlife Oasi minipiscina (mini pool). Via waycasa.

+ icon, the architecture and design magazine, has a new very blog-like website at iconeye.com. Via Dezeen.

+ Interior Design Magazine visits Kanye West's LA home. Bet you didn't know West studied fine art at the American Academy of Art in Chicago and is an avid pop art collector. Via KanyeUniverseCity.

+ Paramodel: Graffiti-style Rail Track Art at PingMag, "Blue lines covering everything from the floor to the walls and all over the ceiling. If you look close enough at these gigantic blue roots, you realise that it’s all made of plastic rails, more precisely, of blue plastic toy rails we used to play with as kids!".

Source: mocoloco.com

Argentine (Eco) Design at the New York MoMA

2009-03-24T16:09:00.000-07:00

The New York Museum of Moder Art (MoMA) store is holding its first Argentinean Design exhibition, and we’re thrilled to see some green included. The presentation is called Destination: Buenos Aires, New Argentine Design, and is a selection for which the MoMA teemed up with the Buenos Aires Museum of Latin American Art, one of the coolest design stores that sells eco design in the city. It will last until April and includes bonded leather accessories by our featured Vacavaliente, an adorable natural clay salt and pepper set by Lola Goldstein, a collection of Patagonian porcelain recipients that resemble disposable plastic ones (great chance to switch to reusable) by Leo Battistelli, lovely fabric-monster-toys by Sopa de Principe (we believe these are from recycled fabrics, but even if they aren’t, this kind of toys are way better than plastic ones with hundreds of parts), and clever wood and non toxic lacquer toys by Laboratori. To see the complete designers list (including the non-green ones), visit the Malba website (in Spanish). To find the items, step by the Museum shop. ::MoMA Store ::Malba

Source: www.treehugger.com

The Wavy bed

2009-03-23T12:16:00.000-07:00

Brazilian designer Roberta Rimme introduced conceptual furniture, all-in-one set which can be used by teenagers and youth as computer workplace, shelves for books and CDs/DVDs, built-in TV system, etc.

For Teenager

For Girl or Kid

source: http://www.designboom.com/eng/

AL- A TABLE!!

2009-03-22T12:01:00.000-07:00

Al has created a coffee table that decorated with aluminum graphic artwork on top. The mosaic pattern has turned out a very good effect with the mixtures of silver color in mat and glossy finish and a highlighting color in gold.

Source: CITY FURNITURE

Origami Solarcell Lamp is just stunning

2009-03-14T14:31:00.001-07:00

Origami is a fascinating art. The intricate shapes that can be created with simple folds of a paper never cease to amaze me. So just imagine my excitement on viewing the “Origami Solar Lamp” (no less). This hybrid solar lamp was created way back in 2007 by Joonsoo Kim. Apparently the designer wanted to use a solar panel to create something that saved light. He resorted to Origami when he realized that the panel was not conducive to other forging ways. Using Kyosemi Company Sphelar, Kim planned a design that used Origami. The initial design was rather simple but the designer realized that more intricate the design – obviously usage of more panel – meant more light. The final result of two months of work is the star-like Origami Solarcell Lamp: a truly marvelous effort. I’m not too sure so do use Google and see if it is commercially available. Hit more for a couple of more images.

Cardboard bookshelves to enhance the decor of your living space

2009-03-14T14:30:00.001-07:00

Cardboard furniture in the past few years has emerged as a developing area for designers, as it not just offers various interesting ways of modifying it, but (using sustainable material) also adds meaning to the designing. The latest bookshelves, produced under Eric Guiomar’s cardboard creation program, seems to be an interesting work of art that if came into production will definitely attract many a buyer. Featuring a circular shape, the furniture designs look more like sculptures than storage systems, enhancing the décor of your living as well as working spaces, while the cardboard finish makes the designer bookshelves affordable for the common masses.

Via: Freshome

Go camping with the 'Spring' extreme places tent

2009-03-14T14:29:00.005-07:00

Pictured above is not a storage box, but a tent for adventure junkies. For someone who wants to go camping to take a break from his orher tech obsession, the “Spring” extreme places tent by Alberto Caputo looks to be a great option. It doesn’t seem to feature any power outlets or mood lighting, but the design alone is inviting enough to camp in the wilds. The Spring tent can be towed away with any vehicle as the image suggests, but I don’t understand why they have used those ski-like things instead of wheels. Anyway, the tent looks like a trailer when closed and I assume it has space inside for your adventure gear. It opens like a folding bed to reveal a spacious tent. We don’t have detailed info on the materials used in the making, but we do expect the Spring tent to be really strong and durable. This is one of the roomiest tents I’ve ever seen. Hit the jump to see how this box transforms into a full-size tent.

Spectrus USB Hub minimizes wire clutter

2009-03-14T14:29:00.003-07:00

Inspired by prism light, Russian design studio Art Lebedev has popped up with an innovative USB hub that will connect all required peripherals while working on your system. Hailed as the Spectrus USB Hub, the USB port can connect seven USB inputs simultaneously, keeping all the wires organized around your system. Apart from its functional usage, the USB hub features a glossy design resembling a rainbow. Everything about the prism USB hub seems perfect, apart from the fact that it’s just a concept at the moment, and you will have to wait for some time to get one.

Hypnosis: Chair that transforms into a lounge

2009-03-14T14:29:00.001-07:00

Don’t have enough space to place a chair and a lounger simultaneously in your apartment? Then you should have a look at “Hypnosis,” which is an innovative chair that transforms into a chair lounge according to the availability of space and the need of the users. Containing two parts, back and leg holder, the multifunctional furniture by Dzmitry Samal comes with a slider that glides the leg holder along the arc to conceal it under the back. And the user can do this alignment, supported by a peculiar mechanism, with a mere push of a button. The practical chair-cum-lounge, featuring a metal base and vibrant colors, can be an ideal option for outdoors as well.

I-Sopod: Pure and serene retreat to relax your senses

2009-03-14T14:28:00.003-07:00

After a hectic day at work, we just need a fresh and calm atmosphere to shed the work anxiety and relax our senses. A team of professional designers and engineers at Floatworks has designed a floating tank that promises to settle down your nerves with an astounding floating experience. Called “I-Sopod,” the floating pod featuring revolutionary filtration system (operating at 1 micron) presents a pure and relaxed atmosphere to calm your mental strain. The pod makes use of refined marine grade stainless steel in the pipe work, while the fiber construction is reinforced by double-skinned glass. The I-Sopod not just provides an ideal atmosphere for relaxation but its unique design gives it an artistic look. Moreover, the pod comes with a remote control with digital LCD screen, enabling users to organize their floating sessions with minimum fuss.

Origo: Is it a coffee table or origami sculpture?

2009-03-14T14:28:00.001-07:00

Over the period we have marked a drastic change in the stuff and designing of home and office furniture that shedding its customary looks have now turned into an essential décor for modern apartments. Developed by Javier Palomares for Dellarobbia USA, the Origo Coffee Table is yet another diversion form the stereotype, displaying a rather unusual design for a table. The new coffee table derives inspiration from origami folds, with each face divided into three-dimensional triangular shapes that pick a different grade of light according to its angle. This results in an interesting composition of light and dark shades. The coffee table is finished with high gloss graphite and white polyurethane on CNC MDF frame, while the 10 mm tempered silkscreen black and white glass enhances its beauty. The Origo Coffee Table measuring about 42″w x 42″d x 13″h is simply a work of art by the designer.

Portable lamps illustrate the detective novel

2009-03-14T14:27:00.003-07:00

Inspired by the course of events and the atmosphere in Karin Robling’s detective novel, the “People” is an innovative collection of portable lamps that allow a great flexibility to the users while playing with their ideas. Users may put down the lamp on the floor, apart from pulling it up to a standing position through a cord inside the support bar that is divided into different parts. For an upright position, all you have to do is fasten and lock the string at the foot of the lamp. The portable lamp is truly a unique blending of thoughts, like the door closed, footsteps on the stairs etc., materialized by means of a lighting design.

Via: MocoLoco

MonPot tell you when a plant needs water

2009-03-14T14:27:00.001-07:00

Some plants need very special care, while others, like cactus, buddleia, red-hot poker etc., don’t even require water on a regular basis. But if you are not an expert, it becomes difficult to categorize and cure (or water) your plants at the right time. However, designer Julien Bergignat has designed an innovative potholder, called the “MonPot,” with a built-in rotating timer that alerts users to do the watering (of a particular plant) in time. Inspired by an oven, the potholder is required to be rotated to a particular setting, so it turns off when plant requires water.

Dancing Apartment with green credentials

2009-03-14T14:26:00.003-07:00

Designed by Unsangdong Architects, the Dancing Apartment is a radical structure that promises to create life associations by mixing different units or putting differences between units. Located in South Korea, the modern structure is capable of fulfilling the needs and liking of different groups within the apartment. Featuring different community spaces, including parks, leisure facilities, event space, a library, media space and performance space, the apartments are constructed using oblique lines with each unit boasting a terrace. The facade of the building is woven with stepped levels, punctuated with greenery, which gives a green terrace to all the units. Moreover, residents can raise the ceiling of a few of their living spaces, while others can create two stories inside their home. The Dancing Apartment offering three-dimensional indoor spaces is simply an architectural marvel by the Korean firm.

Coffee shop on wheels!

2009-03-14T14:26:00.001-07:00

Designed by Daniel Milchtein, this Mobile Coffee Shop is as cool as a wine bar on wheels. The whole coffee shop is fitted inside the truck. It carries coffee machines that hopefully make cappuccino, latte, macchiato or ristretto at the touch of a button. The bar stools can be taken out anywhere you want to set up your coffee shop. Forget the features; this mobile coffee shop is all about the neat and inviting design. If this thing gets real, I would love to stop by for a cup of hot coffee. More shots of the stunning coffee truck after the jump...

Modular storage unit allows interaction with user and environment

2009-03-14T14:25:00.005-07:00

Presenting an unusual combination of electronic appliances’ aesthetics and the simplicity of Meccano assemblies, designer María Lecanda has come up with a playful storage unit that not just provides a good storage area, but also allows interaction with the user and the environment. Called “Toc Toc,” the modular storage unit can be shaped or arranged in various patterns, from three different modular storage units, according to the need and availability of space. Users can let their imagination run wild and play with ideas. The storage unit is made of lacquered MDF with polyester finish, while aluminum bolts lock the inner modules into position, providing further versatility and adaptation to its user. Each module, creating aesthetic patterns, measures 540 x 540 x 310.

PL-Y: Modular lighting for modern apartments

2009-03-14T14:25:00.003-07:00

The PL-Y modular lighting system is yet another unique product from the house of Unleaded. Featuring inter-changeable modules, the modular lighting system lets users design their own lighting patterns according to their taste or liking. The three-dimensional units come in the shape of the English alphabet “Y,” which you can use either individually or collectively, creating an altogether new lighting structure. The PL-Y presenting a crisp radiant glow can be fixed on both the wall as well as the ceiling, which offers endless possibilities to decorate your living place. Not too bad an option for bars and restaurants either.

The Sofa’: Where past meets the future

2009-03-14T14:25:00.001-07:00

Imagine a form composed of a simple object of everyday use. Imagine it to have passed through the process of artistic conceptualization. Now hail “The Sofa” by Ivan Venkov. The Sofa is a concept which links the past with the future. It is a weird, nonetheless imaginative and attractive design for a couch. The past gets represented in form of “symbolic tusks” and a fur that’s tossed over. The future, one would guess, gets represented in the imaginative design itself, along with the metallic finish. Symbolically, Ivan says, The Sofa has been tagged as such because the various forms are joined much as people. The object symbolically stands for “relations and their constructions.” As far as the utility is concerned, The Sofa looks to be lacking. It is safer in the realms of artistic symbolism and futuristic conceptualization.

A chair that rolls like a carpet!

2009-03-14T14:24:00.003-07:00

Now, this is something we can call an ingenious design. The MIESROLO, designed by Uros Vitas, is a rollable chair made of wood rests connected via synthetic bands. This Dinamic Cantilever Chair grabbed the first place at Wood Agency Design Contest Belgrade 2008. Roll the chair and take it anywhere with you. When you need to set it up, simply open it to make a chair-like structure, as shown in the image above. I doubt the ergonomics, but the designer definitely derserves a pat on his back for coming up with the nifty idea.

10 best cardboard designs, green and beautiful

2009-03-14T14:24:00.001-07:00

Cardboard designs are all the rage these days, as they not only give various interesting ways of approaching them to the designers but also help the users go green. In recent times, we have seen some of the most stunning cardboard creations that will change your perception about recyclable designs. Check them out…

Pacific Cycles’ folding bike grabs international design award

2009-03-14T14:23:00.003-07:00

If you haven’t yet considered folding bikes to be a great commuting option, you need to take a look at the Pacific Cycles’ iF Mode folding bike that grabbed a gold award at CeBIT, the world’s largest trade fair in Hanover, Germany. Designed by Mark Sanders, the stunning bike avoids oily chains, complex tubes with hidden dirt traps and the mess of traditional bicycle features. The iF Mode boasts the company’s iF (Integrated Folding) technology that offers a single-action, automatic fold, with no need for tools or removal of parts. The bike is able to perform like any other full-size bike on the streets. The iF Product Design Award is held annually by International Forum (iF) Design in Hanover. Check out more images and video after the jump.

Link Scooter System - Rent, ride and return!

2009-03-14T14:23:00.001-07:00

Why buy an electronic scooter when you can rent it? This is the novel idea behind the Link scooter system, designed by Anton Grimes of University of New South Wales. It’s basically a modular transport solution, which allows users to hire a small, lightweight electronic scooter from a hub. When the user has reached his destination, he can return the scooter at another hub for recharging. The existing light poles will take care of the charging process, which reduces the overall cost of the unit. The scooters come with a pull release mechanism that makes the scooter folding process really easy. Both the scooter and hub are made from strong and durable aluminum castings. The brushed aluminum finish for the unit complements the existing street furniture. The hiring process is quite simple as the user just needs to follow the instructions on the soft interface. The top speed of the scooter is pre-set at 16km/h and the user is issued with a must-wear helmet when they register to use the system. The device was specially conceptualized to suit the Sydney 2030 plan to reduce cars in the CBD and make the city more pedestrian oriented.

Pull more for more light!

2009-03-14T14:22:00.005-07:00

There are times when you wish you could just do something unusual and interesting with a product that has remained the same for years. The “store” by Marc Venot is a rollable lighting system that would look really artistic inside your living room. All you need to do is to hold the fabric from the both ends and then pull it out from the tube to increase the luminosity. Well, we couldn’t find detailed info on the “store” rollable lighting fixture, but the whole idea of rollable light looks interesting and inviting to me.

First ceramic tile with built-in photoelectric cell and lighting module

2009-03-14T14:22:00.003-07:00

In the past few years, solar power has emerged as a vital source of energy for contemporary designers to power their gadgets or products, allowing users to adopt a sustainable lifestyle even without compromising with the luxuries of modern life. Harnessing the solar power, designers Giulio and Valerio Vinaccia (Integral Studio Vinaccia) has come up with first ceramic tile that features a built-in photoelectric cell and lighting module to enlighten your living place with sustainable energy. Called the “Solar Module,” the ceramic tiles boasts a symmetrical and interchangeable front and back, which can be installed or customized according to the requirement of the users. Apart from decorating the interior, the furnishing panel protects your place from direct sunlight, and converts it into sustainable energy, during daytime to light up your evenings. The Solar Module measuring 15cm x 15cm with maximum thickness of 3.5cm also features a glossy design that is ideal for both commercial as well as residential apartments.

Via: Dezona

The re-GROWTH pod: Permanent and built to expand upon!

2009-03-14T14:22:00.001-07:00

Prefab homes are getting all the attention these days. The re-GROWTH pod is a cost-effective, pre-fabricated housing unit designed to help rebuild the fire-devastated regions of Australia. It’s a completely self-contained concrete service pod. The aim of the project is to offer a fully prefabricated, quickly erectable and safe central service pod. Initially, the house pod is meant to be used as a temporary bathroom and kitchen for those who are in the early stages of rebuilding their homes, but the true purpose is to have the permanent home. Rather than a temporary solution, the pod is the first building block in re-establishing a home. The housing units can be delivered and connected to services quickly, so that the people can start the re-building, without the worry of being getting displaced from their communities. The re-GROWTH pod is fireproof, waterproof, pest proof, earthquake resistant, recyclable and extremely durable. Check out the video for the re-Growth pod assembly animation after the jump.

Pillow Chair: Rest your bottom, anywhere, anytime

2009-03-14T14:21:00.005-07:00

Mobility and ease are the basic motifs in any product that you look at these days. Smaller electronic items and modular furniture are glaring examples of this trend. Demonstrating this, quite ably if I may add, is the “Pillow Chair.” Wilm Fuchs and Kai Funk are a designer team based in Berlin. Their Pillow Chair is a seat that folds up into a formation that’s no larger than a briefcase; and I’d imagine it would weigh just as much. The padding seems comfortable enough and the Pillow Chair offers another advantage in that one could just squat on it and use it as a seating pad on the floor. Seems just perfect for a relaxing day out in the park.

Think Outside: Out of the box keyboard for portable devices

2009-03-14T14:21:00.003-07:00

Portable systems, like notebooks or netbooks, and accessories may prove useful during journeys, but you cannot work on your handy gadgets with equal efficiency as you do it on your standard size gadgets. However, the “Think Outside” folding keyboard is an out of the box accessory that gets along with your portable systems without marring the performance. Presenting a unique four-part construction, which slides apart, folds together and collapses upon itself, the Think Outside is the first full-size folding keyboard of its kind. No matter you are in or outside your home, the foldable keyboard promises to make your portable devices highly practical.

Shair Chair doubles as a workstation

2009-03-14T14:21:00.001-07:00

Inspired by sea waves, the Shair by designer Brian Moy is a multifunctional seat for two that doubles as a small workstation where you may place your portable devices. The two sitting spots of the chair are of different heights, allowing people of different lengths to sit on it. Finished with corrugated cardboard sheets, three horizontal and 36 vertical, the low cardboard seat locks together, using a system of slots without any glue or tape, while the I-beam inspired geometry (despite the curves and arches) makes it extremely strong. Regardless of its solid form, the chair is not just comfortable to sit on but also highly portable, as it can be disassembled and packed flat with minimum fuss. The seating systems is very compact in size and measures just 1 foot (height), 32 inches (depth) and 3 ft (wide).

MIR: Radio Alarm Clock to make your morning melodious

2009-03-14T14:20:00.003-07:00

Looking like a space satellite at first glance, the MIR by designer Klaus Rosburg is a radio alarm clock for green geeks interested in the latest NASA discoveries every morning. The solar-powered clock, taking inspiration from orbiting satellites in space, comes with two rotating solar wings that harness solar energy to wake you up in the morning. Featuring a golden finish, the sustainable clock also includes a speaker and a LCD display to watch the time. Moreover, the MIR boasts an FM radio that will make your morning melodious. Everything about the radio alarm clock seems perfect, apart from the fact that it’s just a concept at the moment, and you’ll have to wait for some time to lay your hands on it.

Modular furniture unit adds ‘more’ space to your living area

2009-03-14T14:20:00.001-07:00

Scheduled to be launched at the Milan Design Week 09 next month, the More is an innovative furniture unit that allows the users to play with their ideas while being functional. Designed by Giorgio Caporaso, the modular furniture unit can be modified into a bookshelf, a table, a chair or a separating unit, and it does not require any specific tool for this. Users can increase or reduce the size of the furniture according to their likings and availability of space in the living room. The More, allowing more flexibility to the users, would be an ideal furniture unit for compact residential as well as commercial apartments.

Nothing agency is a cardboard wonder house

2009-03-14T14:19:00.004-07:00

Head to Amsterdam and witness a construction that’s quite a phenomenon. There, a commercial creative agency going by the name of “Nothing” has just taken shape. Started by Michael Jansen and Bas Korsten, the Nothing office is a rare construction in that it is constructed entirely out of cardboard. Designers Alrik Koudenburg and Joost van Bleiswijk are behind this unusual creation. Everything in the office – walls, beams, tables, shelving and even stairs – is made of cardboard. The Nothing team was terribly fascinated with the idea of creating something out of nothing; an idea that’s behind the company’s name as well. The pictures attached to this bit prove just how much thought has been put into constructing the Nothing office. Spacious, classy and original, the Nothing office is marvelous, and in all probability, cheap as well. And don’t read too much into those neat walls. The cardboard is intended to double up as an impromptu canvas for the visitors. A facility already been used by illustrator Fiodor Sumkin. Check out more pics after jump.

See-through Chanel Perspex Briefcase

2009-03-14T14:19:00.003-07:00

I am not sure if anyone would like to carry such a briefcase down the road, but this unusual briefcase design definitely deserves a mention. Fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld showcased his black take on power suiting for Chanel this week in Paris and one of the highlights was the Chanel Perspex Briefcase designed for working women. The transparent briefcase comes with slots to hold a purse, lipstick, sunglasses, iPod and other ladies’ stuff. We are not assuming it to be just a catwalk prop, so we might see the thing for real. Any buyers?

Corvette-inspired LH4 biodiesel hybrid opens like a clamshell phone

2009-03-14T14:19:00.001-07:00

Competitors from all around the world participated for the Progressive Automotive X Prize with their stunning creations. One of the major highlights of the event was the Corvette-inspired biodiesel hybrid by Lightning Hybrids. The carbon fiber LH4 is claimed to sprint from 0 to 60 in 5.9 seconds and can manage 100 mpg. The concept car relies on a 90-horsepower Volkswagen diesel engine, which is mated to a 150 horsepower Rexroth hydraulic hybrid system. The company CEO, Dan Johnson, cited that no other firm is using this technology for smaller cars. Till date, the Rexroth hydraulic hybrid system has been used in delivery trucks only. Coming to the form factor, the LH4 opens like a clamshell phone. The stunning shape of the LH4 was inspired by the 1963 Corvette restored and owned by Johnson. The clamshell design allows for better aerodynamics and the carbon fiber body keeps the car’s weight to just 1,750 pounds.

Bus shelters that remind you of your extra fat!

2009-03-14T14:18:00.004-07:00

You better not sit on this if you are hiding your extra flab. Netherlands-based health club operator Fitness First has planned to set up weight meters at some of the bus shelters in the city of Amsterdam. While the person sits on the nearby bench, the machine tells the actual weight. The back of the bench has a chart that shows if the person is above the ideal weight. The idea of bus shelters with weight meters is not new to us, but the installation concept by Fitness First looks quite trendy. These weight meters would be a great way for the lasses to flatter their figure.

Coco display system - Try taking your eyes off!

2009-03-14T14:18:00.003-07:00

Great for corner and window displays, the Coco is a new take on the design of merchandise display stands. At first glance, the Coco looks to be a plant full of buds that open upwards in an aesthetic way. The name alone, which stands for “coconut” in many Latin-derived languages, gives us a feeling of something round, fresh and lively. The Coco is basically composed of an aluminum supporting stem and a shell-like compartment, which is meant for displaying any kind of stuff. The space inside is fitted with LED spotlights and a double rotation system, which makes it an ideal product for creating stores within stores, window displays and presentations. The transparent door of the Coco comes complete with hinges and deadlock. Once you look at the Coco, chances are rare that you will take your eyes off without noticing what’s inside. Unusual and interesting design, innovative industrial techniques and the state-of-the-art materials used make Coco stand apart from all the other display units. The Coco, which is available in a range of models and color schemes, is sure to enhance the value of any kind of product placed inside it.

Hammokum to create an intimate space in Dutch homes

2009-03-14T14:18:00.001-07:00

Especially designed for the residents of Amsterdam, the Hammokum from IN.DESIGN is an innovative hammock, which will make up for the unavailability of a balcony in the houses located in the Dutch capital. Easy to install, the hammock makes an intimate space (outside the window) for the users where they can relax, sleep, work, read or just enjoy the sun and the space around them. The Hammokum not just creates a comfortable place, but it also ensures the security measures as it comes with a safety belt and ropes to keep you safe and intact. Moreover, the users can remove the hammock and close the structure, after each use, with minimum fuss.

Philips Xenium X530 allows nonstop chat for eight hours

2009-03-14T14:17:00.003-07:00

Reviving the flip phone format, Philips has come up with a cool looking phone that promises non-stop chat for about eight hours (or up to 850 hours of stand-by time) before juicing it up again. Dubbed the “Xenium X530,” the clamshell phone concept is conceptualized by a Chinese company and boasts Tri-band GSM/EDGE connectivity (900/1800/1900 MHz), 2.2″ wide display screen with 240×320 pixels and 262K colors. The Xenium X530, complementing its elegant flip cover, also includes 1″ OLED external display, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP connectivity, music player support, an integrated FM radio with RDS and 2-megapixel camera. Though there is no word on pricing and availability at the moment, the Xenium X530 will be available in Asia and Europe soon.

Røys storage unit doubles as sound absorbing room divider

2009-03-14T14:17:00.001-07:00

With big luxury homes turning into small apartments in modern urban environments, storage space becomes an important part of your home enhancement, for it can just make or break the décor of your living space. The “Røys” by Permafrost and Katharina Styren, is an innovative furniture unit that complements the interior of modern apartments, apart from offering ample space for storing books and other objects. The shelving unit, resting on a slight angle, displays books on a standing position that creates an appealing effect. Above all, the storage space also works as a sound absorbing room divider, which clearly stands it apart from the rest. Now, with a multifunctional unit you’ll be able to enjoy your favorite program or music aloud without disturbing your roommate.

Hermitage Plaza to create a sustainable community in Paris

2009-03-14T14:16:00.002-07:00

Slated to be completed in 2014, the Hermitage Plaza by Norman Foster + Partners presenting twin faceted skyscrapers will create a 24-hour sustainable community on the outskirts of the capital of art and design, Paris. Standing tall at 323 meters, the skyscrapers will become the tallest mixed-use towers in Western Europe, only if some other ambitious project wouldn’t come out of the blue in between. Featuring a high-performance glazed facade ripped into faceted panels for shading and exterior vents for natural ventilation, the Paris twin towers would house a hotel, spa, panoramic apartments, offices and serviced apartments. Flanking the Seine River, the sustainable towers would also accommodate a shopping complex at the base. The Hermitage Plaza, due to break ground next year, would infuse an artistic spirit to the commercial area of the city.

The Tank Chair for lazy bums' easy mobility

2009-03-14T14:16:00.001-07:00

For all those who believe furniture need not be strictly utilitarian, designer J-Michael has come up with an outside the box piece of furniture that will just attract the attention of the guests visiting your place. Hailed as the “Tank Chair,” the funky rolling chair will possibly allow users to move effortlessly around the room or garden without leaving the seat. Very unlikely, the cool looking chair isn’t inspired by the treads of an army tank, rather the designer drew inspiration while working at an equipment rental store. The Tank Chair might not look comfortable to sit on, but it’ll definitely turn out to be an interesting seat for your kids, who’ll simply enjoy rolling on it.

Lotto Turm stacks shipping containers for high and green architecture

2009-03-14T14:15:00.000-07:00

We have already witnessed few of the most unique shipping container structures in the past, but the “Lotto Turm” by designer Lars Behrendt is an ambitious project that will revitalize the “Oesterreichischer Platz,” presently a parking spot in Stuttgart, Germany. Sliced in two parts, the temporary structure will be erected using 55 shipping containers piled one top of each other. Featuring different zones, terraces and stairways, the new structure will include a traffic and noise free courtyard and a high-rise tower that will be surrounded by an artificial path. The Lotto Turm will not just boast a unique design but also help the residents in adopting and supporting a sustainable lifestyle.

Great Green Design: The Heineken Bottle That Doubles as a Building Material

2009-03-04T16:31:00.001-08:00

Here’s another wickedly smart green design idea- manufacture beer bottles so they can be reused as a building material.

Heineken manufactured these purely awesome bottles back in 1963 because one of their brewers saw the lack of cheap building materials and the glut of beachside bottle litter while on vacation in the Caribbean. Functional, green, economical, and gorgeous to boot. We need more of this.

Link [Frostfirezoo]

UNLESS: GREEN ‘TIO’ CHAIR by Conscious Design

2009-03-04T16:29:00.000-08:00

Inhabitat

The Tio Chair from New Zealand-based Conscious Design is green in more ways that one. Designed by Nathan Goldsworthy, Stu Barr and James Whitta, Tio’s wood frame is environmentally-friendly, built from selectively-logged pine from managed forests, and put together with water base adhesives free of any dangerous toxins. For added versatility, put several Tios next to one another to create a love seat or a three seater. Those lucky enough to be near the Unless‘ showroom come March 10th will get to view the Tio Chair first hand. We’re definitely jealous.

(Inter)Face the Green Future

2009-03-04T16:27:00.002-08:00

Today we are looking at a truly inspiring story of sustainability in business. In August 1994, Interface's Chairman and CEO, Ray Anderson, received The Ecology of Commerce by Paul Hawken. This book instigated Anderson's mission to transform the whole corporate culture of Interface to become infused with sustainability, so much so that it leads the industry today.

Today's Featured Radio Guests:

Steve Arbaugh - Vice President of Retail & Strategic Alliances for InterfaceFlor and
Jeff Roman - Vice President of Information Services and Business Development for InterfaceFlor a huge modular carpet company with with a super committment to sustainability.

Your Tuesday Green Wrap Up

2009-03-04T16:27:00.001-08:00

Today's show sums up great green choices available for consumers. We highlight green innovation in the news, and finally wrap with an overview of the issues surrounding locally grown food and organic farming.

Great Green Choices:

For stylish, eco-friendly furniture see Modern Bamboo, Rhubarb Decor, RC Green, and Knu Furniture.

For information about building your own eco-friendly kitchen, check out the book The Lazy Environmentalist: Your guest to Easy Stylish Green Living.

Other Topics Covered On Today's Show:
Science Barge

Body Glove Eco Wetsuit

Art for Art's Sake; Art for Earth's Sake.

2009-03-04T16:26:00.001-08:00

L'art pour l'art? Not today. Our guests share with us how to use art to help solve the serious climate challenge we face as a planet.

Today's Featured Radio Guests:

Donna Wingate - Co-founder and executive director of the Precipice Alliance increasing awareness of the global effects of climate change y funding high-profile, innovative public artworks that address this urgent matter.

Mary Ellen Carroll - Conceptual artist who created "Indestructible Language", a large scale piece in Jersey City, NJ consisting of 8-foot high illuminated characters, spelling out the phrase: IT IS GREEN THINKS NATURE EVEN IN THE DARK.

Reclaim Your Style With Reclaimed Materials

2009-03-04T16:25:00.004-08:00

Is your house in need of renovation, remodeling, and rebirth? Today's show is all about how reclaimed materials can help your home reach it's ultimate style potential. Our guests show us how already used wood, metal, and tile can be reused to be more sleek the second time around.

FEATURED RADIO GUESTS:
Sattie Clark - Co-founder and Principle of Eleek, maker of sustainable hardware, countertops, sinks, tiles, and lighting.

Andrew Dickson - Co-founder, CEO, and Principle Designer for Acronym Designs, maker of modern, sustainable furniture.

Website of the Day:
Goodsearch.com - Yahoo powered search engine which channels money to the charity organization of your choice with the mere click of the mouse.

-- Margaret

Green and Fab: The Power of Prefab

2009-03-04T16:25:00.003-08:00

Green affordable design driven homes are here with these great prefab options. Going green for your entire home can be as easy as one purchase with these stylish and exceptional prefab homes.

Today's Featured Radio Guests:

Rocio Romero - Founder and CEO of Rocio Romero LLC a multidisciplinary firm that designs, manufactures, builds, ships, and sells green kit homes.

Quincy Vale and John Rossi - President and Design Principal of Power POD, a prefab company ideal for industrial, business and personal applications.

Companies, Projects and Products Mentioned on Today's Show:

Website of the Day:

Engadget.com - Coolest and most cutting edge green technology on the market is displayed and discussed on this heavily trafficked website (over 60,000 hits a day).

Product of the Day:

Hybrio - Power your gadgets with these long-lasting rechargeable batteries that eliminate the need to continually purchase and dispose of standard alkaline batteries.

HauteGREEN - An exhibition of the best in sustainable design for the contemporary home, showcasing furniture, lighting, and accessories that are both aesthetically pleasing and eco-friendly.

Green Building: Big Pimpin'

2009-03-04T16:25:00.001-08:00

The buzz is all about green building these days and with good reason. Recognition of the impact buildings have on the environment and on our health is proceeding apace with advances in green technologies, materials, expertise, and accessibility to push the green building industry forward. The absolutely easiest and most convenient way to “go green” is to move in to a home or work space that’s already green because the heavy eco lifting is already done for us. This is our future and the future is now.

Bart Bettencourt – Founder & CEO of Bettencourt Green Building Supplies, Executive Producer of Haute Green, Founder & Principle of Bettencourt Woodworking, and Co-Founder of Scrapile.

Lauren Gropper – Sustainable Design Consultant and TV Host of Green Force –

Teaching Sustainable Design: Get Your Green Learn On

2009-03-04T16:24:00.001-08:00

It's back to school today on the Lazy E. Not all the way back Billy Madison, but back to college where students are learning cutting edge green-design techniques to help gear up for a better future.

Today's Featured Guest:

Scott Boylston - SCAD professor of graphic design and author/designer of books like "Creative Solutions for Unusual Projects" and others.

Verena Paepcke - SCAD professor of industrial design

Topics Discussed on Today's Show:

Pangea Organics - This awesome skin care uses great sustainable packaging.

Beyond Grey Pinstripes -
spotlights innovative full-time MBA programs that are integrating issues of social and environmental stewardship into curricula and research.

MCAD - Minneapolis College of Art Design has a new program called Sustainable Design Online

Green Buildings From the Outside In

2009-03-04T16:22:00.000-08:00

Today's show is about green buildings, both residential and professional. Our guests are from different parts of the country but unified as they LEED the way in green building.

John Krause - Principal Architect at DNA/Day Night After, A Strategic Design and Development company.

Jay Swoboda - Founder of Eco Urban Homes, a St Louis based LEED certified PLATINUM building company.

Global Gaming Expo - There was a big green push at this recent Las Vegas convention, and our guest John Krause spoke at this conference

Studio X - Xavier Llongueras

2009-03-04T08:20:00.000-08:00

Mosaic artistry finds the inherent pattern in collective form, creating harmony and balance in the process.

Studio X's design philosophy is founded upon this concept, fusing elements of art and ecology to create an aesthetically beautiful design experience that minimizes its impact on the natural world. Their work embodies this belief through the creation of enduring structures that are at once stylish, comfortable, and livable. At the same time, the Studio places a high emphasis on ecologically-sensitive building design.

Working in Los Angeles since 1989, the studio's founder, Xavier Llongueras, has designed residential and commercial interiors and landscapes for a wide variety of clients. Llongueras and partners draw upon extensive fine arts and design experience which they use to create truly unique and timeless environments.

At all times Studio X takes a holistic design approach, one that works directly alongside clients during the design process.

strata - new eco furniture by ryan frank

2009-03-04T08:19:00.000-08:00

Used and exhausted office furniture is given a new lease on life with Ryan Frank’s latest design, an elegant eco-furniture range built from the waste wood of old, battered and abused office desks.

‘Strata’, consisting of a chair, stool, coffee table and dining table, has been commissioned by leading Portuguese furniture developer, IMADETrading, who will be distributing it across the UK and the rest of Europe.

The pieces will make their debut at TentLondon, the design event being staged by the duo of Jimmy Macdonald and Ian Rudge being held at the Truman Brewery and also 100% Design at Earl’s Court during the London Design Week in September.

The Strata range is comprised of a mix of different woods layered together. Salvaged materials make up approximately 60-70 per cent of each product’s composition; the remaining material is FSC plywood, required to provide the structural strength. GreenWorks, a charity and social enterprise, which reclaims timber from redundant office furniture collected around the UK, will supply the material and assist in the production process.

ryanfrank.net

Mimosa coffee table - style and simplicity

2009-02-27T15:14:00.000-08:00

We’re used to see tables as a relatively conventional furniture - a board and legs. The Mimosa coffee table from designer Matt Carr is a fresh diversion form that stereotype, displaying a rather unusual design for a table. It seems like Mimosa is made of an endless plank, kinked on several points to form a board, supported by a W-like shaped detail. The lower W-shaped volume can store lots of magazines, books or newspapers, so the main merit of a coffee table is preserved. With its simple yet elegant lines, Mimosa fits well into any space. Umbra store.

Eco Cars: Rinspeed to debut shape-shifting iChange car at Geneva Auto Show

2009-02-25T16:08:00.000-08:00

Eco Factor: Car powered by solar energy.

Out-of-the-box thinking brought Rinspeed into the limelight during last year’s Geneva Auto Show, when the car designer launched the diving car sQuba. Having a similar aim this year too, Rinspeed has unveiled a new car which will be showcased at this year’s Geneva Auto Show. Dubbed the iChange, the car will carry solar panels that will be able to charge its batteries on the go.

Beautiful and tranquil eco lights made out of green bamboo

2009-02-25T16:07:00.001-08:00

The modern caption is not just ‘Let there be light’, but also ‘Let there be light in a green and clean way’. That is exactly the reason why modern lighting industry is now way passed the CLF technology and is fast moving forward towards a future filled with LEDs and plenty of other green innovations that promise to reduce the usage of power and also maximize lighting. But then, there is till nothing like amalgamating the new technology with old design to give it both style and substance.

These beautiful light fixtures with modern design and environmentally friendly materials from Propeller Design studio, Vancouver. Here is an another element to make your house more eco friendly with fixture made of Teragren bamboo which is one of the materials that is LEED approved and 100 percent pure walnut oil finish, and a canopy of up cycle-able aluminum, finished with natural linseed oil and beeswax. Hang it on your ceiling to get perfect illumination. This really allows you to give you both the green feel and the classical design.

These lamps give you both a green feel and that fine oriental touch to your home. Apart from the fact that they light up the space in the most beautiful possible manner, they also add a lot to your home even when not spreading the light. In other words, they are the perfect lamps for both the day and the night.

Solar Lampion

2009-02-25T16:04:00.000-08:00

Damian O’Sullivan has created a solar lampion you use inside (or out). “Most solar lamps today are of the type that you ‘plant’ in your garden and then leave unattended. They store energy during the day and release it in the form of light at night, which is nice. But what if we could bring this light with us, into the home? The Solar Lampion is such a lamp. It is composed of an array of 36 ’standard size’ solar cells (held together by an open spaced frame), each of which is connected to an LED bulb, which is fed by one rechargeable battery. The solar cells store the sun’s energy during the day and release it at nightfall wherever you need it.”. Thanks Damian!

Click thumbnails to enlarge pictures:

50 Ways to Green Your Business

2009-02-25T16:02:00.000-08:00

“Imagine asking today how the Internet affects business. It’s an absurd question, like asking how electricity changed business. Asking the same about sustainability, it turns out, is equally absurd. Like the Internet, sustainability spurs innovation in everything, from how you see your business model to whether you see your employees (why not let them work at home more?). Here are our favorite ways companies today are greening up–and saving money and making better widgets in the process.”

See the 50 advices HERE

New project :: eosméxico

2009-02-25T14:27:00.002-08:00

Approaching the wind energy Mauricio and Sebastian Lara, has design this amazing moving sculpture called VELETARIO. Was specially design for the CARLSBERG introduction campaning in Mexico.
The beer label, select just 8 designers for create the CARLSBERG collective.

Designers :: Mauricio and Sebastian Lara

website

Designboost introducing Boost Cast

2009-02-25T14:27:00.001-08:00

The vision of Designboost is `sharing design knowledge´. To make this vision come true we have created a platform of integrated formats were people can meet and interact. Now we are proudly introducing a new format to the platform which we call Boost Cast; a film format that from now on will allow us to share design knowledge online as well. During 2009 we will produce a series of Miniboosts in different cities around the world were the design community meet up for prestigious event occasions; Milan Design Week, London Design Festival and so on.

The first Miniboost for this year took place at the Stockholm Furniture Fair/Stockholm Design Week. We met up with twelve acknowledged personalities from the design industry; Alfredo Häberli, Ineke Hans, Inga Sempe, Michael Young, Monica Förster, Claesson Koivisto Rune (Mårten Claesson, Eero Koivisto and Ola Rune), Michael Sodeau, Ilkka Suppanen and Apocalypse (Petra Lilja and Jenny Nordberg). We asked them the same ten questions which originate from Designboost 2008 "Long Live the City" in Malmö around the theme of sustainable cities.
The questions are written by different boosters like Jennifer Leonard, Sante Poromaa and Kristina Dryza and this series of Miniboost Boost Casts can be seen as a relay race with questions as batons passed on to new boosters.

The Boost Cast from the Miniboost at Stockholm Furniture Fair/Stockholm Design Week 2009 is now online at http://designboost.se/miniboost

Sediagraf :: Raffaele Petruzzelli

2009-02-25T14:25:00.002-08:00

A clip becomes a chair. A chair that has the simple form and usefull function of a clip.

Designer :: Raffaele Petruzzelli

Contact :: petruzzellidesign (at) yahoo.it

www.casaidea.com

James Dyson Award

2009-02-25T14:25:00.001-08:00

...The James Dyson Award is an international design award that celebrates, encourages and inspires the next generation of design engineers. It’s run by the James Dyson Foundation, James Dyson’s charitable trust, as part of its mission to inspire young people about design engineering...

Closing date for entries 6/15/2009

Registration

Birdtreehut :: Maandag meubels

2009-02-25T14:24:00.001-08:00

A real birds paradise, this birdtreehut made by Maandag meubels. A comfortable home for breading, a feeding place and branches for food. Not only fun for birds, also enjoyable for people. Who doesn’t like birds in garden, balcony or terrace? This birdtreehut attracts them all year round! The house will be used in spring. When you put a bowl with water on the shelves, birds will bathe in summertime. During fall and winter birds will eat from the feeding place and food you can hang in the branches. The birdtreehut is made of corten steel and can be left outside whole year round. The birdhouse is already assembled; the tree is easily put together without the use of tools. Let the birds come!

website

Eco-Seat Series design by Hakan Gürsu :: Designnobis

2009-02-25T14:23:00.001-08:00

A new environmental friendly chair design set consisting of plywood and rope, assembled without nails or adhesives. The wooden parts are plugged and fixed by rope maintaining a comfortable seat with a simple and sculptural geometry. You can download do it yourself kits in Designnobis’ website and easily make, repair, disassemble and recycle these playful chairs.

Designer :: Hakan Gürsu Dr. Ind.

website

Studio Bossa

2009-02-25T14:22:00.000-08:00

We are the Studio Bossa , a laboratory of conceptual and ecological design from Brazil, we use recycled and natural materials.

Currently we were selected to represent the Brazilian design production in the Diseño con Acento Fair (Córdoba - Argentina), and Designmart Tokyo (100% Design Tokyo).
To transpose for objects the Brazilian creativity is the profile of our work. We are promote our first collection of lamps.

bardot re use of light bulbs, with leds. pack light reuse of old tins.

Marina Perelló and Thiago Souza

website

Unexpected Spatial Experiences

2009-02-25T05:56:00.000-08:00

Hua Museum by URBANUS Architecture is located in Shenzhen, China. The architects explain: “The site has had a rather unremarkable history. Originally made for a laundry facility for Shenzhen Bay Hotel in the early 80’s, it is situated along the main road, between a Spanish-style OCT Hotel and the Hexiangning Gallery. Over many years, the warehouse itself remained unaltered while the city around it rapidly transformed.▪

Considering the significance of its location, the owner decides to remodel the warehouse in a meaningful way. For Urbanus, the remodelling of the site poses difficult questions of how to address the existing urban condition, and how new interventions would relate to it. The main architectural gesture is to wrap the entire warehouse with a hexagonal glass curtain wall. The pattern is created from 4 different sizes of hexagons. As a result, the new wall becomes a lively theatrical screen. The geometric pattern is more than just surface deep. It is actually a three-dimensional matrix of intersecting elements that project into the gallery spaces, structuring the building’s interior design. The result is the creation of delightful and unexpected spatial experiences.”

Project: Hua Museum

Location: Shenzhen, China

Client: Shenzhen OCT Real Estate Co., Ltd

Architects: URBANUS Architecture & Design. Inc.

Project: 2006-2008

Construction: 2008
Size: 2,620 sq m

Images: URBANUS Architecture

Design Apparat at Temporary Museum for New Design 2009

2009-02-25T05:48:00.000-08:00

In a preview at the Temporary Museum for New Design 2009, Design Apparat presents its first collection of furniture for the home inspired by a renewed look at Bulgarian design in the second half of the twentieth century. The stylistic traits of Bulgarian interiors of the 20th century provide the starting point for the design approach initiated by a new brand in the furniture sector, Design Apparat. The objective is to elaborate new forms and designated uses, starting from this scenario, in line with the expectations and tastes of the 21^st century

Design Apparat is a brand created by Nido –the leading importer of Italian furniture in Bulgaria- and by Valiyan – a manufacturer of both mass-produced and custom furniture for the local market. The collection is designed by Mirko Tattarini, designer and professor at ISIA Florence. The strategic design activities are handled by the Lagos Design Studios, an Italian design consultant that has followed all the phases of the creation of Design Apparat: from the initial concept to the definition of the brand, all the way to the creation of the coordinated images and the design of prototypes, contributing consolidated design methodologies taken from the tradition of “Made in Italy” design.

The Design Apparat products are born of combining elements of local charm with a working method as close as possible to the tradition of Italian design, in what amounts to a local rationalism crossed with a series of later, updated traits of identity. The combination of factors influencing the design is unique, bringing together the privileged situation of local availability (limitation of costs and consumption of the sector) and a painstaking selection of materials – whose points of origin and manufacture are found in the furniture districts of Bulgaria- with technological execution that meets the highest standards worldwide, so as to satisfy the highest expectations of the best possible duration over time, in such as way as to lengthen the lifecycle of the entire project.

Bansko-Boo Collection

Bansko-Boo – Arm Chair & Ottoman

Plywood, chrome steel legs, and polyurethane foam. Available in natural flax, grey corduroy velvet, grey with eco-leather stripes, orange with eco-leather stripes.

Bansko-Boo – Chair

Plywood and tubular steel.

Secret – A Multifunctional Wall Panel

Plywood panel covered with polished, button-padded eco-leather, with special buttons provided with LED internal lighting. A series of accessories get additional features such as clothes hanger, umbrella stand and wall pocket.
Available in white, cream and grey.

Bansko-Boo – Arm Chair & Ottoman

Bansko-Boo – Chair

Images: Fabio Luciani Comunicazione D’impresa

Modern Porch Swing

2009-02-23T16:09:00.000-08:00

This one will stop you in your tracks. The artist-designers certainly deliver to the tag line "modern furniture that hasn't forgotten where it's come from. " The founders of Woodia La Piccolo, Jermey Sisto, Eric Michael Cole and Bruno Acalinas share a love of functional art and a dedication to fine craftsmanship and eco-friendly materials. This modern porch swing is constructed using Forest Stewardship Certifed reclaimed teak and stainless steel components. Stay tuned for an entire line of unique home, office and commerical space furniture.

Clever Cardboard

2009-02-23T16:06:00.000-08:00

Some of us need a little help keeping our homes in order. Especially when some of us live with messy musical types who manage to cover any available surface with a combination of spare change, crumpled receipts, cords, keyboards and the occasional guitar.

Whilst I'm not too sure how to handle the stray musical instruments that plague my apartment, I suspect the other usual suspects could be taken care of with a few pieces of cardboard and a very clever design.

Wallpockets are the creation of Shea Springer and Tim Karoleff, both industrial design students who are already making a name for themselves as Ampersand. Inspired by clusters of barnacles and simple geometric shapes, their die-cut cardboard Wallpockets are part wall art, part ingenious storage solution.

With the ability to be manufactured in any combination of colours, these little guys are also designed with a flat pack adhesive-free assembly. What's not to love?

"Garden and Sea"

2009-02-23T16:04:00.000-08:00

Architecture by Takao Shiotsuka

The home was built on an angle to make the most of water views. Very minimalist and modern.

Source: Shio-atl.com

JUXTAPOSED:Religion

2009-02-18T07:51:00.000-08:00

5,084,000,000 people 5,360 pages 3,700 years 243 countries 7 books 1 shelf. San Francisco designers Mike
and Maaike have created JUXTAPOSED:Religion the first in a series of Juxtaposed curated bookshelves for
blankblank. The shelves hold the world’s most influential religious texts.
Mike and Maaike Website

Free plans for eco homes

2009-02-16T09:44:00.000-08:00

Incorporating green design principles into new or existing homes is increasingly de rigueur among the growing masses of eco-minded consumers, but figuring out the logistics isn't always straightforward. Working on the belief that green design should be available to all, FreeGreen is a new site that offers free, downloadable green house plans.

Free Green's team of engineers and designers works with industry-leading product manufacturers to create home designs that incorporate different combinations of products, materials and vendors. It also provides 3-D images, energy simulations and written descriptions to help consumers find the right fit for their lifestyle. Two models are currently available on the site, with more coming soon. The first, called the Healthy Family model, combines comfortable contemporary living with superior indoor air quality and low energy bills. With functional options such as mudrooms, homework nooks and home offices, Healthy Family homes are intended for young, three- to five-person families in cold to mixed climates. The modern Suburban Loft, on the other hand, features open floor plans and high ceiling loft spaces. Intended for first-time buyers or downsizing baby boomers, the Suburban Loft plan is designed to perform efficiently even in cold northern climates. Coming soon is the Smart Box, which FreeGreen aims to make a 1,200 to 1,400 sq. ft. home that can be built for less than USD 100 per square foot.

Consumers who download FreeGreen's plans get not just the very detailed plan set, but also an energy report specific to the town or city they select and a welcome packet with additional information, tools and resources. FreeGreen's team can also modify or customize any of its plans. Launched just a few weeks ago, FreeGreen relies on paid placement from product manufacturers, but it takes pains to be transparent about the products it displays, offering users ratings from established third-party green certification programs such as LEED and NAHB and research performance data through its own energy modelling reports.

With the clean, eco-friendly look of FreeGreen's designs, there's no doubt they'll fit nicely into what our sister site trendwatching.com would call the new, eco-iconic world of consumers eager to flaunt their greenness. Besides the obvious advertising opportunity for green product manufacturers, the next logical step is to focus on implementation. Builders around the globe: Who will be first to align with FreeGreen as your town's local green building expert...?

Website: www.freegreen.com
Contact: info@freegreen.com

Reuben Wood Salon - Manchester

2009-02-15T09:26:00.000-08:00

Peter Masters of Burned Toast Design is known for his elegant

bent-wood and curved-acrylic tables and chairs, but the Manchester,

UK-based furniture designer can be big, bold and public, if required.

A recent re-vamp of the funky Reuben Wood Hair Salon in Manchester’s

city centre shows that Masters has the talent to create an entire

environment that is eclectic, electric and elegant.

Using simple curved mirrors, he created the storage units necessary to

hide the day-to-day paraphernalia of a busy hair salon. The creation of

the large mirrored surfaces dictated that everything else needed to be

streamlined and toned-down so that the space would not appear too busy

or scattered when clients and staff would populate it.

The long blue table in the middle of the salon is an industrialized version

of Masters’ Horse design. The mirrors in this station are removable

which makes it easy to change the look of the space without destroying

the overall feel. Dashes of pink, green and blue play off the larger

surfaces of black and white, and create focal points in the mirrored environment.

When making and designing furniture, Masters plays with a large variety

of materials, methods and technologies. Laminating plywood, casting resins

and metals, fabricating plastics and upholstery are all familiar to Masters,

as are using a machine created for violin manufacture or hand-crafting

custom pieces from sustainable materials. - Tuija Seipell

Source: www.thecoolhunter.net

The New Heineken Experience - Amsterdam

2009-02-02T06:26:00.000-08:00

For years now we’ve been hitting the bars with our friends –

ordering glass upon glass of beer – and although many of us

have a preference for a local brew or a dark malt or an amber,

plenty of us have been quite happy ordering the old fallback,

a green-necked Heine – and almost everywhere we go, from

the smallest desert roadside watering holes to the chicest

cosmopolitan lounges and clubs, we can almost be certain

Heineken will be available.

So how does a brand, which is recognized worldwide, reengage

its consumers and reinvent its story? The US-based

BRC Imagination Arts, one of the world’s leaders in experiential

marketing, has developed the New Heineken Experience –

an interactive journey through the history of the brand and

the brewing process. The experience is housed in the former

Heineken Brewery in Amsterdam.

Visitors to the restored brewery push their senses to the extreme

as they see, smell, touch and taste everything that goes into the

production – brewing and bottling Heineken beer. A special effects

ride allows visitors to immerse themselves into the entire process

from conception to completion with interactive exhibits as well as

interpretive graphics. With the New Heineken Experience, the

company hopes to develop renewed, enduring and personal

connections with those of us who have always loved Heineken.

Is That Really A Car Park?

2009-02-02T05:26:00.000-08:00

Great, aesthetically pleasing design needn't be limited to

traditional architectural forms such as houses and public buildings.

Utilitarian spaces, such as car parks, present architects and

designers with a unique opportunity to bring beauty and

harmony to the everyday functional spaces that are normally

ignored by great design minds.

We're excited to report that the tide is changing, evidenced

by these good-looking car parks.

Modern design is all about "experience" and these car parks

pictured acknowledge that one's experience of a private or

public place begins the minute they pull up in their car.

Innovative developers and designers are recognising just

how crucial this is - it's almost too late by the time the

consumer arrives at the front door. The "experience"

of good design starts well before that.

These samples demonstrate how luminous exteriors, bold graphics

and neon bright lighting all work here to create a space that is

breathing, achieving the previously unachievable -

giving tonnes of drab, purely functional concrete a sense of life.

Seen any other interesting car parks we should know about

- send us tips

Images via TCH Platinum

MetroFarm DJ Decks

2009-01-27T06:54:00.000-08:00

From Berlin Germany, Metrofarm Studio has produced a number

of stunning, custom built DJ Desks. Having released a concrete DJ

table a couple of years back, the new desks, in folded stainless steel

and wood painted black and neon orange demand attention. But they're

not just for finely tuned vinyl slingers looking for the perfect ergonomic

ratios to heighten their musical flow. They're for anybody with a musical

mind and an eye for detail, looking to add spark to a lounge room, club

or gallery. It's art for the DJ's sake.

Classroom Of The Future

2009-01-27T05:39:00.001-08:00

To many of us it seems like advancements in technology are moving

at an extremely accelerated pace, but to those who are following in

our footsteps, the rate of change could not be fast enough. For some

school children in Camden outside of London, Gollifer Langston’s

prototype transportable Classrooms of the Future will deliver information

and communication technology (ICT) on a flatbed truck in the form

of an oblong gray pod capable of providing a sufficient ICT facility

that many schools are unable to install within their own environments.

The mobile classroom will move from school to school, and is designed

to hold 15 students at a time. Once the pod is delivered, a set of

hydraulics expands the unit wider, and creates an entrance as

well as a stage and a small-cinema-sized screen for presentations

and performances. The work space will provide mainly high school

students a place to explore music and filmmaking. The Classroom

of the Future will have capabilities of adapting for additional needs

as technology races beyond what even the next generation can predict.

Erika-Mann Elementary School II - Berlin

2009-01-27T05:16:00.000-08:00

Now, there is no reason why a kid wouldn't go to school in Berlin. The Erika-Mann Grundshule II school has everything children need to open their creativity in a young age. I wouldnt be surprised to discover that the designer was working with kids.

Designed by Baupiloten studio, a group of architecture students at the Technical University of Berlin led by architect Susanne Hoffmann who founded the studio in 2003.

A group of just under 10 architecture students worked on the Erika-Mann Grundschule II project. The kids who are using the space participated actively in the design process, giving the architecture students their views on how they will actually use the space, how it should function and what they’d love to see in their school.

The different spaces are called Snuffle Garden, Snuffling Room, Chill Room and Dragon’s Breath, each starting with a clean white background and offering freedom of expression in the form of flexible furnishings.

Mehdi Zerouali

Stephen Sprouse Louis Vuitton Party (NYC)

2009-01-26T05:17:00.000-08:00

Fashion launches are a bit like romantic comedies; pretty people in pretty clothes in pretty places - and they all start to look and feel the same after a while. Louis Vuitton broke the mould with its latest launch for its new Stephen Sprouse collection. The mega party was held over three venues in New York, starting with a cocktail party at the Louis Vuitton store, followed by an exhibition of Sprouse's artwork. The night ended with a packed after party at the Bowery Ballroom, where Debbie Harry took to the stage for a mini concert.

Louis Vuitton did the late designer proud, celebrating his unique Punk couture aesthetic by creating mini 'Sprouse worlds' - referencing his work at every turn, from the walls to the ceiling and the furniture, culminating in a spectacular 'hall" of graffiti, a 'tower' of vintage TV sets and custom neon signs. Even the food paid homage to Sprouse - neon coloured hors d'oeuvres and desserts spilled out in a kind of punk colored rainbow.

Sprouse, who was part of Andy Warhol's set, become famous in the 1980s for pioneering the uptown pop punk look; a wild and edgy mix of elements such as day-glo colours, high-tech fabrics, sequins, velcro, superb uptown tailoring and hand painted silks. The designer and artist, who died in 2004, also created elaborate costumes for the likes of Mick Jagger, Axl Rose, Trent Reznor, Courtney Love, David Bowie and Duran Duran.

And now, thanks to Louis Vuitton, a whole new generation will have the opportunity to discover his work.

Letter Box House, Melbourne

2009-01-26T05:12:00.000-08:00

At first, this house might looks like a wood boat coming out from a making of a war movie. From the street the house’s irregular form reveals nothing of what unfolds once within the property.

At a closer look, the façade consists solely of a mailbox. According to the design team at McBride Charles Ryan the openness of a holiday house in a beach community renders the front door arbitrary.

The house is certainly not an obstruction built within the community. Instead, it’s modest irregularity opens up into an impressive four-bedroom beach verandah. Bold blacks and whites sit on top of the stained hardwood floors, which run the length of the house.

A dramatic red support structure, the most striking interior feature, draws the divide between inside and out.

Turkey..Not the meat...

2009-01-25T19:12:00.000-08:00

Nobody ever heard anything related the design about Turkey, other than their mosques. Yep, it is so. In honor of this slightly bizarre thought, today I’m going to take you on a photo tour of deluxe hotels in (wait for it)… Turkey! Yum.

While it is true that I have put a moratorium on holiday travel, I think it will be just fine to take a virtual vacation to any of these fine resorts. Race you to the pool!

The Adam & Eve Hotel, in Belek, Turkey

Looking for a little more Turkey in your Turkey? Try the Marmara Bodrum Hotel in, where else? Marmara

Well, If you’re going to fly all the way to Turkey, for crying out loud, you outta at least spend one night in Istanbul. I suggest you stay at the Witt Suites:

And finally, if you totally want your face rocked off, stay at the Hillside Su Hotel in Antalya:

Turkey :)

Berlin-Paris Gallery Swap

2009-01-14T11:30:00.000-08:00

If you're feeling shorter of pocket than usual this month, but still fancy a cultural jaunt to raise the spirits, head to either Berlin or Paris, where due to a large-scale gallery swap you get the chance to get a two-for-one experience of both cities' finest contemporary artists

The Berlin-Paris program is a traditional swap shop affair: 12 Parisian galleries have been twinned with a Berlin counterpart and are showing their work in the German capital until 18th January. Led by the French embassy in Germany, the exchange has a cultural precedent in the Centre Pompidou’s 1978 exhibition, ‘Paris-Berlin’, which explored the art scenes of France and Germany in the first half of the 20th Century. Aside from giving us an opportunity to take in a double whammy of contemporary art, the scheme’s idea is to provide the galleries with expanded viewing and networking potentials in anticipation of a more restricted climate in the coming years.

- From www.wallpaper.com

Interactive Sharpie e-cast Billboard

2009-01-13T20:37:00.000-08:00

Many of us have a fascination with graffiti art, and we sometimes even look over our shoulders to make sure no one’s watching when we scratch out our initials in a freshly laid slab of cement – or carve them into a wooden desk – or even scribble profanities across the stall door in a public restroom.

The creative minds working for Sharpie, the ultimate in permanent markers, have discovered a way to satiate our desires to deface public domain. Interactive e-cast billboards have been scattered around cities, which allow people to experience the rush of creating their own graffiti. Choose some colors, write a message and Sharpie makes it possible for anyone to leave his permanent mark on the side of the bus stop or the public phone or anywhere else billboard adverting may be experienced.

Pedro Gadanho Home

2009-01-13T20:36:00.000-08:00

Bold use of color has never frightened the 40-year-old, Lisbon-based architect Pedro Gadanho. The color extravagance of the recently completed single-family residence in Oporto, Portugal, follows Gadanho’s established modus operandi of using white and bright colors as key elements of a space. The petrol-blue kitchen and sanguine stairway draw the attention while at the same time punching up the power of snowy white.

Color played an important part also in the widely reviewed and admired Orange house he designed with Nuno Grande. The private residence was completed in 2005 in Carreço, Portugal.

Another example of Gadanho’s use of color is the high-profile Ellipse Foundation Art Centre in Estoril/Alcoitão, Portugal. He designed the 20,000 square-foot converted warehouse with Atelier de Santos. It was completed in 2006.

Gadanho’s thought-provoking architecture matches his overall attempt to provoke critical thinking about the relationship between architecture and current culture. He is known not only as an architect but also as a free-lance critic, curator and teacher. He’s taught architecture theory and history at Faculdade de Arquitectura da Universidade do Porto and curated the Portuguese presence at the 2004 Venice Biennale. And for those of us who like lovely names, his full name is Pedro César Clara do Carmo Gadanho.

Images/Fernando Guera

Reebok 09

2009-01-13T20:35:00.000-08:00

Pop culture's fervent embrace of the 80s aesthetic - from fashion to music - is not about to abate anytime soon. Which is why now is the perfect time for iconic 80s brands to wipe away the cobwebs (and any chips on their shoulders about being "has-beens") and re-invent themselves to a whole new generation (Y, that is) that did not have the pleasure of consuming them the first time around.

Iconic 80s sports shoe giant Reebok has heard the revival call and is responding beautifully with a mix of classic retro-ism and futurism. Everything about the brand is undergoing a renaissance, from the product right through to the marketing, such as their recent pop-up store in New York which was a feast for the illustrative senses. Good work, we say. Will the brand rise to the dizzy heights of its former glory when a pair of Reeboks was the only shoe any man, woman or child from Dusseldorf to Detroit wanted? Maybe not but we're predicting that the hipsters will give them an excellent run (pardon the pun) this time around. -

Wellness Sky

2009-01-13T20:34:00.000-08:00

Many of the brutalist forms of architecture constructed under the watchful eyes of the Soviet regime in the latter half of the twentieth century sit unused or abandoned throughout various eastern European cities. The ‘Danube Flower,’ a Belgrade landmark sited along the river’s foreshore was no exception. Originally opened as a restaurant in the 1970s, the triangular structure built 15 metres above the river sat empty for fifteen years after the fall of Communism and during the civil war in what was then Yugoslavia and now is Serbia.

The Belgrade design studio, 4of7 partnered with London-based Superfusionlab to adaptively reuse the space as a high-end gym and spa in city’s center. From the ground-level pedestrian esplanade, visitors enter the Wellness Sky through the central core, the sole support for the entire structure, which contains two elevator shafts and a double spiral staircase.

Once inside the facilities, its namesake genuinely takes meaning. Fitness gurus and gym junkies are immediately awash with sweeping city and river views from the uninterrupted ribbon window, which wraps entirely around the building. During the day, light glows through the widows onto the reflective resin floor. The faceted ceiling comprised of backlit semi translucent triangular panels allows visitors to feel as if they are exercising within a cloud. The openness and loftiness of the design of the Wellness Sky allows members to feel nearly weightless in the very environment where burning away the excess is the ultimate achievement. -

Benjamin Hubert - 100% Futures

2009-01-13T20:27:00.000-08:00

Benjamin Hubert sent over his new product lines, set to debut at 100% Futures in London in a few weeks. My favorite is his Labware lamp series which are inspired by laboratory beakers, and showcase the purity of glass blowing through the range of large, geometric glass lamps. Furthering the laboratory idea, each lamp comes with a Portuguese bark topped cork.

The Diamond Chair seems inspired by the Eames' fiberglass shell chairs, but has the surprising detail of an upholstered fabric seat.

Benjamin used thin walled concrete to make his Heavy Lights. I like the playful practicality of the ceramic Yumbrella bowl and banana tree.

Joost Greenhouse, Melbourne

2009-01-13T20:22:00.000-08:00

The Greenhouse, by Joost and others, is an opportunistic temporary insertion into a gap in Federation Square, Melbourne.

It’s built entirely from recycled and recyclable materials. The exterior is dis-assembled shipping containers and packing crates, filled with straw bale and covered with plants. When I was there, the walls were embedded with strawberry plants and potatoes were planted on top (and used in the potato salad served below), amongst other things.

The contents within comprise a carefully curated set of local and international sustainable products. For example, the toilets, with products by Aesop, let you wash your hands in the water that is then used to re-fill the cistern below. No need for a separate washbasin, and saves a fair amount of water. Very simple, very smart.

Galloway Design Collective have re-worked shipping crates into roughly-hewn but very pleasing chairs, which are also reusable as tables, stools, benches - a little like alt="Greenhouse_crate_chairs" src="http://www.cityofsound.com/photos/uncategorized/2009/01/11/greenhouse_crate_chairs.jpg" border="0" />

Metal chairs are recasts of old street signs, with seat covers made of recycled advertising and signage, creating accidental détournement as per Freitag bags. Great food (locally-sourced of course) is served up on a wooden board, salad in a tin, apple juice in a bottle. Pre-lunch, it was a touch too early for a cocktail but they looked good too. Music was played off vinyl, behind the counter (sounds are recycled from the late-1960s, though.)

It’s these details that make the Greenhouse successful: the original concept is fantastic, but the realisation is consistently strong throughout.

The form of the building is difficult to discern, and essentially consists of a wedge filling the gap made available by two shards of Fed Square. But you get a good juxtaposition of the greenery against the metal walls hugging it, in turn propped against the chaotic background of Flinders Street. The barn-like main interior space is bathed in light at one end, facing the street; up top, it'd be baking on a hot day but wonderful from dusk onwards. It's clear that Fed Square works superbly as a platform for these kind of interventions.

Visiting on a sunny morning in early November, there were only a few people kicking around, but by lunchtime it was pleasingly busy, with a great mix of people ensured by Federation Square (a space that really works for Melbourne now). The City’s Rob Adams also deserves credit for fast-tracking it through the approvals processes.

Particularly interesting to me - as a keen if limited urban gardener - is the building as platform and showcase for urban agriculture. A little more could be done to explain the system at work here - which plants make it into the food; how the waste is turned into compost etc. - and the opportunity for increasingly greening all urban spaces with productive planting. I'm trying to move a few projects forward in this area during 2009 ...

A simple newspaper-format publication explains in more detail, as does the website - which is a little bereft of many images. With that in mind, all my photos of the Greenhouse are collected in a set at Flickr.

The Greenhouse is installed at Federation Square until end-January 2009.

Incidentally, also to be seen at Fed Square this summer are these fantastic Dali-esque melted skateboards.

Lac Superieur Residence, Mont-Tremblant, Canada

2009-01-12T07:33:00.000-08:00

The boxy and containery appearance of residential buildings currently attracting accolades and attention is starting to get boring. However, simplicity, clarity and openness are qualities that continue to appeal.

While this is yet another house of stacked boxes, we cannot help but admire the vacation residence clinging dramatically to the sloping hill up in the trees of the Laurentian mountains of Quebec, Canada.

Locals, used to a more traditional ski chalet in this popular ski resort area, refer to the building as the cube, a name choice requiring no imagination. When the Montreal-based architectural firm Saucier & Perrotte won the Canadian Architect magazine’s Award of Excellence for this project in 2004, the magazine called the entry the Lac Superieur Residence in Lac Superieur, Mont-Tremblant.

Whatever the moniker, the house stuns with its elegant lines, stylish use of materials and lack of unnecessary distractions.

As it should be, the building’s real redeeming features reveal themselves inside. The views from the floor-to-ceiling windows provide all the visual stimulus you’ll need, and at the same time, demand a streamlined approach to everything else in the interior.

The boxy-cubey theme continues inside as do the color scheme and the lack of distracting materials. The residence is divided into three functional areas— sleeping quarters on the top floor, middle and entry floor for living and the lowest level for play.

Although the building looks like a disorganized corner of a stylish container-port it exudes a solitary, silent grace that allows the distinctive, four seasons of the mountain to provide the main attraction.

The building meets the criteria for a log cabin as described in the area’s design guidelines for recreational development yet, fortunately, fails to resemble a Tyrolean mini castle. -