This clever shelving system, called One Shelves, was created by Singapore based Studio Juju, a design partnership of Timo Wong and Priscilla Lui. The piece itself wins many space-saving points – it is modular, light (made of powder coated aluminum), can be assembled into multiple configurations, and requires zero tools to build. When not needed, the boxes can be nested together and conveniently stored out of the way. This year Studio Juju was selected to be one of the recipients of the Designers of the Future Award. As winners they were commissioned to create new work to be unveiled at Design Miami/ Basel, Switzerland ’11, which starts tomorrow. I can’t wait to see what they’ve done.
UPDATE: Please visit Design Miami Blog to see all three Designers of the Future installations and watch interviews with the designers.
This minimalistic piece by Finnish designer Timo Niskanen was shown at the DMY Berlin festival this week. Called Change for more reasons than one, this coin deposit lamp encourages people to turn the light off after leaving the desk. Envisioned as a sustainable lighting solution for public places (libraries etc.), Change can definitely find its place in a private home as a symbolic reminder of our ecological footprint (and our electric bill). This clever and thoughtful design comes from Niskanen’s interest in human behavior and specifically, how it can take acount in design process. Here is how the designer explains his creative vision: ‘We are surrounded with complicated and unnecessary things. I think a good product feels natural – it only bears the essential. A good designer creates an experience out of something simple and functional. An experience that is meaningful.’
PIN-UP Magazine and Phillips de Pury & Company recently embarked on an interesting quest – to reinvent the nightstand. Eleven designers were asked to submit their creative take on this humble everyday object. Check the video below and this slideshow for a quick view of the works.
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/23493977]
Matt Brown is a Brooklyn based designer, artist and DJ; and this project, called Pitch Control, derived from his long-term passion for record collecting. The slight pitch allows for records (as well as books or magazines) to lean naturally and avoid warping. Born out of specific function, this leaning storage idea made for a visually stimulating piece. The system consists of identical modules that can be arranged into various configurations. The assembly is easy – the units interlock, and the gravity adds stability to the structure. And because it is designed to fit and withstand records, there is no limit to what the Pitch Control system can handle… Handmade in Philadelphia using high quality birch plywood and stainless steel fasteners, the product can be ordered here.
The grilling season is upon us. And if you live in a tiny city apartment with limited outdoor space – you need a plan. This elegant solution by Johan Ridderstrale and Mats Broberg, designed for Röshults, might help. The sleek charcoal table grill is easy enough to put together – it only consists of one removable zincked charcoal holder, an ash catcher, and a chromed cooking grate. The piece measures 35 x 35 x 14 cm, which makes it suitable for even the tiniest of balconies. And when the summer is over – it can be easily stored away. The table grill can be powder-coated in silver, antracit and white.
This furniture collection from Australian company KARTON made me gasp. The pieces are so elaborately designed – I can barely perceive them as temporary solutions. Constructed from high grade corrugated cardboard, the line ranges from seating, dining and sleeping pieces to office furniture and modular storage. No tools and hardware are required to put these objects together. And when not needed, they duly fold flat, just like cardboard should. It is easy to individualize your KARTON furniture too. Paint and varnish only improves the product by creating a protective layer. Genius!
Here is another highlight from the DMY festival in Berlin – the universal table leg system by designer Jakob Schenk, called Tick. The leg looks like a big paper clip and can be attached to any material – glass, wood, plastic, you name it… You now have the power to build a table (or a bench) out anything that can provide a flat surface. How awesome is that? Tick is either powdercoated, chromed or made of stainless steel, which makes it suitable for both indoor and outdoor furniture creations.
A dishwasher is usually a ‘one trick pony’ kind of object, it rarely performs any functions other than doing your dishes (based on my personal experience – you are fairly lucky if it does just that). But wouldn’t it be brilliant if it could add more to your home? Designer Kim Joomin thought so. That is why he created this incredible concept for Elecrolux. The item, called Dishwasher L, is a light fixture that doubles as an appliance. Positioned over the dining table, Dishwasher L will handle plates, glasses and flatware, quickly eliminating the immediate mess. In addition to its obvious space-saving properties, the piece recycles & purifies used water for the next wash. Because what kind of a futuristic object it would be if it wasn’t eco friendly?..
Brazilian artist Marcela Casarotto created these cool colorful accent tables that can bring character to the room while serving as a book storage. The inspiration for the collection came from the colorful esthetic of the La Boca district (Argentina). Here is what the author says about the pieces: ‘The project proposed the creation of a set of residential auxiliary tables using the colorful district of La Boca (Argentina) as semantic reference, searching for meanings attributed to it and reflecting them on the product through its esthetic and symbolic functions… The product allows the consumer to assemble it at home and select the colors for the finishing, making it part of the environment it’s inserted in a pleasant and humorous way.’ The materials used to make the prototype are MDF, hardwood and PET finishing.
This modular shelving system is called H X B X T for it’s ‘Höhe, Breite and Tiefe’ – hight, widths and depth properties. Created by German studio Philipp Ganter Design, the system can be built in all three directions. The parts of three different sizes are held together by a simple T-shaped connector and can be put together into various configurations. I don’t know about you, but I never have enough of adaptable storage…
