Apparently what’s bad for us can be good for our plants. For one – they thrive on cigarette ashes. French designer Frantz Brougere took this knowledge and put it in design use. His Cindy ashtray not only provides a free-standing place for cigarette butts, it also helps plants grow (monsieur Brougere wouldn’t be the first frenchman who defends smoking). The ashtray is easy on the eyes as well, it looks like an elegant planter. So, next time you send your guests outside with their cigs – let them grow some green.
Lamps and books are interconnected in our mind, no wonder it became a trend to bind them together physically. The Book Lamp from Groupa Studio is a great example of this dual function in action. The wire frame suggests the classic lamp form with a lampshade and a base, where the ‘base’ serves as a bookmark. Fun, simple, clever item that can enhance virtually any room.
Source: Contemporist
Recession Design is a group of creative individuals who explore DIY architecture and design solutions for low-cost living. Their project My Place was shown during the recent Design Week in Milan and included modular objects and Do-It-Yourself concepts. Here is how designers define their creative credo: ‘The idea behind Recession Design is very simple but opens an interesting debate on the meaning of “DESIGNING” today: The economic crisis is fact a pretext and opportunity for critical reflection on the contemporary design world.’ There is also a book in plans – ‘Do-It-Yourself Design, Ideas Against The Crisis.’ It doesn’t hit closer to home than this, does it?..
Via Serena Confalonieri
This inspired piece of design offers you a reality check – how many books in your home you have actually read and how many are only gathering dust? The Read-unread bookshelf by Niko Economidis will let you see (and display) this ratio. When I say ‘bookshelf’… All we have here are three wall-mounted metal rods, a belt-like leather strap and a few buckles. The books are suspended in the air, giving you the visual indication of your progress. Thus, the Read-unread bookshelf can serve as a flexible storage, a conversation starter, and a guilt factor that reminds you to finish those novels you have been passing by.
Source: Dornob
Italian designer Enzo Berti thought it would be fun to combine two essentials of interior design – lighting and greenery. And he was right. The result – the Eden lamp – turned out to be an unusual and fun accessory. The piece is illuminated by two LED lights – one pointing upward and one downward, which makes it a sufficient light source. And LED is not harmful to plants – another reason it is perfect for this particular project. Manufactured by Torremato, the Eden lamp comes in a variety of colors and finishes. And with your own choice of greenery, the lamp can be made to fit your specific design.
We all have something to conceal, have we not? Valuables, personal correspondence, bad habits, embarrassing sentimentals… The Secret Stash project by Yi-Ting Cheng will show us how to conceal in style. Hiding our things in plain sight by utilizing stereotypes and visual camouflage – is the general idea behind these pieces. Here is what designer has to say about this beautiful minimalist collection: “We make judgments based mainly on our experiences and what we see. This dependency on visual information can create large blind spots. Thus, usual stereotypes of how we perceive solid, transparency and lighting are employed in this project to play with notions of ‘solid and void’, and ‘true and false’.”
HT Mocoloco
Cords and plugs are the worst kind of clutter, if you ask me. They create unsightly piles under your desk, gather dust and become a Bermuda Triangle of unmanageable maze. Luckily Scott Wilson of MNML created something intelligent to deal with the whole cord situation. The Power Pod, produced by Coalesse, is an extension cord with six sockets, cleverly disguised as an innocent office accessory. Just open the base when you need to plug something in, and close it when you don’t. Thanks to its round shape the Power Pod can accomodate even the bulkiest adaptor, which is another reason to love it.
It is often said that an object isn’t generous enough, if it only offers one function. This chair from French designer Inga Sempe is an example of a generous object indeed. The Step Ladder Chair, as the name suggests, is a chair that doubles as a ladder. The rings at the bottom become steps, and the backrest is pulled up for better balance. Elegant and functional, the piece is perfect for small spaces, where storage is organized vertically. The retractable wheels on the bottom allow the Step Ladder Chair to glide everywhere with ease.
HT Materialicious
It seems the world became obsessed with folding metal furniture. Or maybe it’s just me. Here is another beautiful example of this efficient eco concept – Recto Verso collection from Krizalid Studio. The line includes a coffee table and a bookshelf, both of which are constructed of 2 mm perforated sheet of steel. The items arrive to you flat, and you assemble them following the simple diagram. There is virtually no dounside to this design – the items are sturdy, minimalist looking, flexible (the shelf can be folded in two different ways, which allows for the tilt to the right or left), the material itself is recyclable. Recto Verso shelf received an honorable mention at the Reddot Design 2011. Both pieces are available for purchase at the SitOnDesign.
How difficult it is to throw away magazines after you’ve read them? For many of us the answer is – very. They are shiny, they smell of print, and we like to think that we will need them one day for some uber important reference. And that is why magazine clutter is virtually impossible to conquer. But maybe we don’t have to? What if instead of throwing away our precious Vogues and ADs, we could turn them into a design inspiration? Designer Rush Pleansuk did just that. His Full-filled coffee table embraces magazines and uses them as a structural element. By filling this metal folding with your periodics – you create a table surface and, at the same time, turn your clatter into storage.
