This minimalist apartment has been designed by St. Petersburg based architect Oleg Trofimov. The 59 m² (approximately 640 square feet) residence includes a living room, dining room, galley kitchen with an island, bedroom and even a tiny workspace. Most elements of this small dwelling are interchangeable, allowing for creative use of space.
The apartment is a gem of space-saving creativity. The custom built unit in the living room, in addition to providing storage, hides a dining table and four dining chairs. In order to visually open up a tiny bedroom space, designer created a see-through shower and a free standing sink (with more storage!). Only the toilet and bidet are secluded. When privacy (or noise control) is needed, the closet door in the bedroom slides to cover the threshold. The small fold-away desk completes the bedroom suite.
Envisioned as a retreat for an avid art collector, the place works as a backdrop for the art pieces, displayed on the walls. Clean lines and neutral color scheme add to this gallery-like aesthetic, which in itself is quite an achievement in a space of this size.
(via homedit)
Othello is a modular bathroom cabinet, designed by famous Japanese studio Nendo for Italian brand Boffi. Minimalist and functional, the piece is a perfect remedy for bathroom clutter. The unit is fully customizable and can be arranged into many configurations. The modules come as open or closed cabinets with plain or mirrored doors. These doors, in fact, are the most notable feature of Othello – they rotate 180°, closing and opening the next unit. The hardware is integrated in the cabinet and completely out of sight. The matte white, varnished metal handle can be fixed to the door magnetically, if you so choose. Every detail of this piece is carefully thought out and simplified to perfection, which made for a timeless understated design.
(via 3rings)
As an unfortunate possessor of two left hands, I’ve always admired DIY projects from a distance. But this fun eco-friendly idea by Adrian Candela looks so simple, even I find it unthreatening. Maybe because the material for the project comes from used boxes, a low key resource. Even if you mess things up, so what? You were going to discard the boxes anyway. No pressure.
Adrian explains: “The scenario is quite common: You move into a new apartment, which usually requires the familiar trip to IKEA (or some other similar furnishing store)… The final outcome: A fully furnished place and a large stack of decent quality corrugated fiberboard (most commonly referred to as cardboard).” Thanks to the downloadable instruction, this cardboard is folded into a nightstand. The result is simple and elegant. What a nice way to save money, space and, if the effort is successful enough to repeat, a few trees…
Read vs. unread bookshelf idea is not new, but Australian designer Robert Stadler executed it so beautifully, it made me look. The Origami-like object is made of aluminum composite and folded into a clever W-shaped structure, allowing us to divide the books into two stacks.
Here is how the designer describes it: “‘Transitory bookshelf’ points out a well known dilemma – books are piling up at home because we lack time to read them. This object combines two inclined platforms which help us to handle the situation : the ‘read!’ section reminds us that we should take time to read; the ‘read.’ section’s purpose is to digest books we have recently read before they disappear into the jungle of our main bookshelf.”
The Transitory Bookshelf is shown at the Milan Design Week till April 22nd.
Folks! I would like to introduce an enhancement – the mobile version of Shoebox Dwelling got optimized today. This change came with a story. My reader, Kyle, emailed me recently and shared his thoughts about the user experience of the site. He pointed out that reading it on the go made him frustrated by its lack of mobile-friendliness. And, being a media developer, he wrote a code to fix the problem. As you can see from the before and after shots above, the new mobile version is much more streamlined, it zooms on the posts right away and eliminates side-scrolling. Also, if you wish to place a Shoebox Dwelling bookmark on the screen of your device, you will get a minimalist, easy on the eye icon (a small detail, but an aesthetically crucial one for some finicky people, author included). I hope you guys enjoy these improvements. Thank you for this beautiful gesture, Kyle!
Cleaning the floor is tedious enough, but what makes it worse is having to fiddle with chairs. Trying to find a temporary place for them is tricky in a small space and turning them upside down over the table is unhygienic. But what are other options?.. Malaysia-based designer Poh Liang Hock came up with an answer. His Hold Chair has a seat and back that slide up the backrest frame. This separates the seat from the frame below it. The chair can then be slid onto the table. Genius! I especially like the fact that at no point of this operation you have to handle the chair’s feet. This concept piece is a winner of the prestigious Red Dot Design Award. Can’t wait to see it produced.
I truly think that every shoebox dweller should know about this incredible project (and those who do might enjoy a revisit). Closet House by Marta Costa and Henrique Pinto, principal architects of Consexto, took blogosphere by storm two years ago after winning the prestigious ArchDaily “Building of the Year” award. This 44 square meter (~475 sqft) home was made not only livable, but luxuriously comfortable thanks to many technological advancements. Truly a home of the future, Closet House is marked by minimalist design, integrated features and sophisticated automation.
Here is how Marta Costa describes the role of the project in today’s changing housing market: “The Closet House mirrors the concept of the company in that this experimental project is intended to make people questions the models of standard housing. With the evolution of science, at various levels, and consequent social and technological changes occurring in the 1990s such as mobile phones and the internet, housing had to necessarily follow such growth and adapt to new demands of the everyday world.”
Enjoy the video tour of the Closet House above and check out the rest of the interview with Marta here.
Avid readers – rejoice. The Eli shelf by Tel Aviv based Studio Ve is designed specifically for your active piles. Instead of scattering the books you are currently reading around the apartment or leaving them in heaps near your sofas and chairs – you can neatly store them on this mobile shelf. This temporary housing for your active library can be easily moved, it will save your precious tomes from damage and free some valuable floor space.
Welcome to the Jungle is the name of the furniture collection, designed by Rui Alves, force behind My Own Superstudio. It is comprised of five pieces that can be stacked in many different ways, creating shelving, seating, multilevel console/occasional tables and even coat hangers. I love the colorful fun the line projects. Little columns on the side of each piece really do add animal resemblance, something kinds of all ages will appreciate.
(via swissmiss)
I cannot possibly pass by bike storage without noticing. Especially if it is as beautiful as this piece. A product by Long Beach based design studio Ballou Projects is quite literally called Very Nice Bike Rack. And I couldn’t help but agree with this self-congratulatory name. Minimal and sleek, the item blends with its surroundings, looking like a cool shelf. And although the idea is not particularly new, I do like the Ballou Projects’ variation. The rack is mounted on the wall, elevating your bike and freeing precious floor space. It is perfect for a horizontal top tube bike that weighs less than 25 pounds. The floor stand version is also available. It holds just about any type of bike and comes with felt spacer pads to accommodate various tire widths. These racks come in bent plywood, walnut veneer or white powder coasted steel.
(via Gessato)
