I love it when designers take an inherently cheap and banal material and just by virtue of an idea turn it into something exquisite. This is the case with Fly – a stunning pendant lamp, created by Finnish designer Susan Elo. The lightweight polypropylene structure of the piece shows delicate, origami-like simplicity. The lamp is designed to work with low-impact halogen bulbs. It is a part of a permanent collection of the Finnish Design Museum. A beauty…
This small house in Oregon has been inspired by traditional Japanese minka homes. The owner and builder, Brian Schulz, wanted to see “how small of a house I could make feel big”. And the achievement is remarkable. This 14-by-16-foot dwelling looks airy, serene and spacious. The salvaged wood, collected by Brian during his kayaking trips, has a strong presence in this project. It envelopes the exterior, makes a statement in the interior, works as structural support and creates an aesthetic identity of the house. Watch the video by Fair Companies for the full tour of this amazing built.
Arranging sound devices in a small apartment can be a challenge, because they take valuable shelf space we always need for other things. But what if a sounds system is a shelf? This is exactly the concept behind the aShelf by Danish design studio Kreafunk. The piece is a speaker, amplifier, iPhone dock and an attractive shelf in one. Thanks to the bluetooth functionality, it can be completely discrete and blend into the room. No more cables, no more bulky docks. Just a simple minimalist object, which can also provide extra space for storage. I really love this idea.
This cool desk organizer by famed design studio Lexon, called Minitotem, is a brilliant personal and/or office gift. Slick and attractive, the item can add class and square inches to a busy workspace. Minitotem stacks a USB hub, LCD display clock, stationery kit, storage container and tape dispenser. You can keep the components in a tidy tower when you need your desk to look neat, or spread them around when the coast is clear. The piece is made of strong ABS plastic, it comes in black, lime green, red and white. Available for purchase here.
– Recently Kickstarted – a modular kit to transform empty storefronts into pop-up shops. Very cool idea!
– Ten of the tiniest apartments for sale in NY.
– Geeky meets cutesy – Thomas Kinkade incorporated Star Wars characters into his pictures.
– Funny anti-communist propaganda posters (especially funny for me, for I grew up seeing the anti-capitalist ones in Russia; they were almost the same).
– Adorable. Fleeting glimpses of love on the NY subway.
– Great science animation! Stephen Hawking’s big ideas made simple.
– This foam clouds installation is stunning!
– Beautiful short film about calligraphy – Forging the Future with the Tip of the Pen.
Forgive the delay, folks, I’m in the process of moving to a new apartment. Enjoy your weekend!
 Friday Links){kind=link}
When the space is tight, even such an innocent thing like an umbrella stand can ruin the flow of the entryway. Italian designer Carlo Contin and furniture manufacturer Mogg came up with the clever solution. This minimalist floating umbrella stand, called Piove (“it rains” in Italian), only stands out a couple of inches off the wall. Made from aluminum with a mirror finish, the piece can be used both inside and outside. It features a small hole in its base, through which the moisture from a wet umbrella evaporates. Beautiful.
Here is a nice concept for those of us who live in rental buildings and can’t be very creative with electrics. The Loop Lamp, envisioned by Romanian designer Pani Jurek, can be attached to any available outlet and brought over any, even distant, surface. The 23′ cord will allow you to hang the lamp under the ceiling or as a sconce fixture on the wall. You can also move with the light to another room. What a lovely idea! The cord is available in black and yellow, the bulb socket comes in black, white, raspberry red and denim blue.
Good News is a small table created Norwegian designer Karl Marius Sveen for the furniture brand Mokasser. This simple and elegant piece holds your magazines and newspapers without cluttering the surface. The table is made of oak wood veneer and comes in three finishes: white, black and natural. A nice idea for a coffee or side table, especially when the space is tight.
This small Tel Aviv apartment is a home to a family of three, designed by Benjamin Lowenstein. The open space is divided by a partition in the middle, creating privacy for two workspaces and a library. Made from iron and pressed wood, the partition is coloblocked with shades of blue, red and yellow. These friendly colors inform the scheme and the vibe of the apartment. Another clever part of this layout is that the partition is built perpendicular to the wall of windows, allowing light travel freely in all areas. I love how other elements of the place pick up the aesthetic of this core feature. Like the kitchen, which is adjacent to the partition, is continuing the colorful theme with bright green and pale pink accents.
Photography by David Frenkel
– Possibly the best looking patisserie shop I’ve seen to date.
– My friend Joe of the great Bookofjoe blog spotted this stunning trailer (and even had a look inside).
– Love these playful plates by Duncan Shotton.
– Simply wow. A 15th century cathedral transformed into a modern bookstore.
– An amazing view of a bike jump.
– Have been hypnotized by this picture all day.
– The end of Starbucks? A cool concept for a digitalized barista kiosk.
– A new to-do app that holds a lot of promise (I’m still loyal to my teuxdeux though).
Have a pleasant weekend, ladies and gents!
