– Seven innovative buildings, designed to fit in tight urban spaces.
– A lovely and touching article about Russian museum cats. (via @zomgmouse)
– Startling animation. 1000 years of war in 5 minutes.
– An unsettling anti-smoking campaign – Tobacco Body.
– What an incredible and admirable gesture – a man turns his home into a public library.
– Levitating water… Mind-boggling.
– Stunning tea illustrations (made of actual tea) by Andrew Gorkovenko.
– And finally – a very inspiring TED talk by writer Kathrin Schultz on the psychology of regret (via Brain Pickings).
Have a great weekend, folks!
Here is a noteworthy concept by French designer Clement Sarrodie – Botanic Hydroponic Furniture. In his attempt to introduce more greenery to the everyday life, Sarrodie designed three pieces of furniture for hydroponic plants. Each item allows us to grow our precious botanicals while creating a beautiful setting for them. Would be interesting to see these items produced.
96° shelf system by Germany-based designer Karoline Fesser is a successful attempt to break the routine of conventional shelving. Each of the basic elements – base, box and cover – follows an angle of 96 degrees (hence the name). “Stackable into each other the elements mount up to a shelf by an alternate layering. Interlocking edges and cuts allow an easy and stable stacking without any additional fixtures,” – designer explains. The modules come in various colors, allowing to create personalized palette.
This film, shot by the great Kirsten Dirksen of Fair Companies, lets us into a very unusual tiny home. The owner, Barcelona-based architect Valentina Maini, bought an extremely small space in a historic walk-up. The apartment is only 25 square meter (269 square feet) big, yet it contains all the necessities and even a few luxuries (check out how she managed to incorporate a bathtub into her limited living space!). This housetour offers a lot of great space-saving ideas, shows how to recycle old office furniture and choose new one. I specifically loved how the traditional Japanese tatami chairs were used in various ways. Enjoy!
The Netherlander Dirk Ploos van Amstel designed this clever hybrid between a baby crib and a rocking chair, called Moep. Both pieces are morphed into a singular rocking unit, allowing a parent to accommodate the child with ease. “MOEP symbolizes the strong bond between parents and their new-born,” – says the designer. When the little one overgrows the crib – the side unit changes into a magazine rack, so Moep gets a new life as an adult piece of furniture. I like the laconic shape and neutral design of the piece – cute enough for the baby and quite elegant for everyone else.
Since we’re on the subject of interesting room dividers, here is another one I couldn’t pass by. B-OK is a space-saving alternative to the usual bookshelf, created by Italian designer Marica Vizzuso. The piece unfolds into a screen and folds back into a tower, depending on your preference and space limitations. B-OK is also fun – instead of stacking books side-by-side, you pile books on top of one another into a variety of slots. ““Why do you place books in a conventional way when you can have both an amusing and aesthetically interesting alternative?” – aptly asks the designer.
This elegant and rather witty table has been created by Reykjavík-based designer Theodóra Alfreðsdóttir. The surface of the piece is divided in two parts by a cork partition – the work area and an eating nook. On the days of big dinner parties, the partition is being removed and the proper dinner table is being set. “The inspiration for Flétta comes from medieval banquets around the 1500s, – says the designer. – At the time, halls were multifunctional and dining tables were raised upon trestles so that they could easily be put away after the feasts and the halls put to other uses. Nowadays tables are often used for more than just to sit down and eat at. Flétta can be divided in two with its middle, which is made of cork, thus creating a working space on one side and a space for enjoying dinner at the other side without having the day’s work in sight. ” The cork divider can be unfolded and used an as insert expending the tabletop even further. Beautiful idea.
These modular partitions from German brand Koziol are a new obsession of mine. Semi-transparent and light, they create beautiful and subtle dividers in a room of any size. The installation of the product is simple – connect the panels using the steel hooks provided, then place them wherever you want in your space. They work equally well as screens, decorative wall hangings, or light diffusers in front of windows. The panels obstruct view, yet allow light to shine through – a great quality for small or poorly lit studios. Being modular, the panels are interchangeable, so you can let your artistic flag fly and combine multiple colors and patterns. Available for purchase here.
– Finally, someone came up with this – Citrus Zinger.
– Removies – hilarious movie poster with one letter removed.
– Do you want to see what you eat? Then you’ll like these food photographs by Caren Alpert made with a scanning electron microscope.
– An interesting energy-saving proposal – solar roads.
– The Cure for Greed and other fascinating conceptual art by Diddo.
– Adorable bear pictures from Russia (it’s what you’d expect, right?).
– Pretty extraordinary – the art of ironing.
– And an eye candy – astonishing timelapse of the meteor shower.
Have a pleasant weekend, everyone!
Hidden is a small desk, designed by Swedish studio A2. Created specifically for laptop computers, the piece, as the name suggests, hides both a function and an object. Simply slide the cover to the side to expose the laptop work area, and back again to hide it – brilliant. In the off-duty hours, Hidden can function as a console or a sofa table. The piece is made of painted wood and MDF. It suits laptops up to 15 inches.
(via apartment therapy)
