Patrick Kennedy is a housing developer and a moving force behind the SmartSpaces development company. His vision is to built urban dwellings that would resemble his 78-square-foot Airstream travel trailer in efficiency and small space creativity. In this interview, shot by wonderful Kirsten Dirksen of Fair Companies, he shows a 160-square-foot test home (the smallest legal-sized apartment for California) inside a Berkeley wherehouse. In this prototipe, developers are testing space-saving ideas, trying to determine, which elements are mast-haves and which can be sacrificed. I was not particularly keen on the stainless steal base boards (or the remark about suntan), but everything else seemed to be right on. Do check it out, I wonder what you’ll think of this idea of a home.
Vic is a hip and attractive coffee table, created by Viña del Mar based design studio Elemento Diseño (Jaime Zuñiga and Emmanuel Gonzalez). The piece is made of lacquered in white plywood and consists of only 3 pieces. This makes an assembly process a breeze (see the promo video to observe Vic in action). ‘Environmental performance is the best definition of this coffee table. In manufacturing there are few losses so that all parts are utilised to build a harmonious whole.’ – designers state on their website. Light, unobtrusive, easy to put together and environmentally friendly, it might just have it all.
(Via Minimalissimo)
I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of slot-in pieces of furniture. I featured them before and always look forward to finding new ones. This particular item, called Smartsquare and created by Milan based designer Pietro Russomanno, is a beautiful multifunctional piece, allowing for many exciting configurations. Made of bent plywood, each square module can be easily connected through slots in its side, which makes the system a child’s play to assemble. Different hues are available, so you can play with color combinations, as well as shapes.
(via Yanko Design)
Some of you might remember My Writing Desk by Vilnius based design studio etc.etc, I featured some time ago. Here is another cool item they have come up with – My Reading Chair. It is an armchair, comprised of two parts: frame and slipcover. The slipcover has pockets for books, kindles, nooks, glasses, and other small items and personal things. Without the slipcover, the piece looks elegant and graceful too. But when you put it on, its function doubles as storage. And if you like to read while you eat (one of my vices) – you can even use it as a dining chair.
In the moment when the whole civilized world is thinking of the Oscars, faithfully yours is in the award rush of a different kind – The Homies. It’s that time of year, when Apartment Therapy, one of the greatest blogs about interior design, is surveying blogosphere to determine the crème de la crème of home blogging. So, if any of you, kind readers, wishes to share the love and vote for Shoebox Dwelling – you can go here, sign in, and make your voice heard. Thank you all (especially those folks who put my link up there, you’re all kinds of awesome)! xxx
This New York studio renovation is an extraordinary account of human ingenuity. A tiny 550 square feet Gramercy apartment with an awkward layout, typical for old prewar buildings, has been turned into a spacious multifunctional pad. The square footage hasn’t changed, but what a transformation! The place now includes a fully functional living room, bedroom, children’s room, home office, even a dining room (which can seat 7 people!). And, of course, storage. Lots of it.
This elegant, glue- and tool-free storage system made me look. Tokio born and Danmark based designer Yukari Hotta created these simple shelves, called Kile, that can be assembled without any tools or toxic adhesives. Just interlock the components and secure them with wooden wedges. Made from an eco labeled wood board material, the piece is sleek and minimalist. A variety of soft colors allows you to play with different combinations while customizing the unit. And because the furniture can be disassembled in seconds, it can be easily stored. All components are shipped flat, which adds to the eco-friendly pedigree of the product.
We, deprived of nature urban dwellers, love our house plants. But we also kill them. In our crazy heads it always feels that we have just watered them last night, when in fact it’s been weeks… If this sounds familiar – you will appreciate this clever concept by Belgian designer Kenneth Van Steenberge, conceived in collaboration with Brecht Van Kerrebroeck, Michèle Feys and Camille Houyet. Potz is a flowerpot with an internal water tank that visually shows when the plant needs water. It consists of two parts. The internal component floats inside the external component and a wick transports water from the reservoir to the plant. The contrasting color detail makes the hydration state of the plant even clearer (it also looks very refreshing). Another exciting concept I would love to see produced.
I can’t think of a tiny apartment that wouldn’t benefit from a folding dining table. And here is a light and elegant one, designed by Åke Axelson for Gärsnäs. The piece, called Ballerina, has been presented on this year’s Stockholm Furniture Fair. When folded, it is only 53 mm (about 2 inches) thick, which is a really good news for those with limited storage capacity. Several Ballerina tables can be linked together, – a beautiful detail, which makes for multiple useful configurations. The piece comes in two sizes – 1250 x 625mm or 1250 x500mm. The table top is available in lightweight laminate with a surface of birch veneer, laminate or linoleum.
Mobile is the name of the storage system, designed by Raumplus. This multifunctional product is based on a well-known sliding door principle. Only unlike traditional sliding door closets, which can take some considerable space in your room, this piece has no frame and no ceiling rails. Just doors, storage boxes and/or clothes racks and thin air. Thanks to this open approach, Mobile can fit virtually anywhere in the room, even in the middle of it, creating a stylish and functional divider. You can also hide a home office behind these sliding doors, instantly putting working paraphernalia away when the work is done. And of course, since Mobile is essentially a sliding door closet, there are many customization perks – you can run wild with colors and finishes and select the precise configuration of storing components you need.
