We, urban folks, love our bikes. And because the space is scarce in city apartments, we try to store them vertically, which means making holes in our walls. Well, not anymore. This brilliant bike stand from Public allows vertical storage without the nasty wall mutilation part. It has the easiest installation process imaginable. Just lean the stand against the wall, and gravity does the rest. The piece provides convenient storage for one or two bikes and works with the most bike shapes and sizes. Genius!
Flat-pack designs are very popular today, and there is a reason for it. They minimize the manufacturing efforts, reduce shipping costs and allow us to save space. And they also promote creativity. Just look at this collection by Ufuk Keskin! Called Flatobjects, the line consists of three pieces: Typeshelf – a type nerd’s delight and my personal favorite; Timewarp – a wall clock with laser cut numbers on the face that are ready to be bent; and Highrise – a dual function object which can be used as a vase or wall accessory. The collection is currently on display at the New York International Gift Fair until August 18.
The geeky charm of these pillows made me smile. Any scrabble letter with its corresponding point value can be now owned in a form of a pillow from Counter Couture Design. Each 14″x14″ case is made of 100% cotton and emulates the typography and layout of the classic word game tile. The values are the same as the ones in real life, so no scrabble nerdiness will be offended. You can spell words, create monograms, counts points and celebrate the game and the language any way you please with these pillows. Available at Etsy.
This lovely playroom item was designed by Eric Pfeiffer for Offi. The table has a durable chalkboard top, which allows kids to express their artistic spirit. And when our little artists are done with their masterpieces – their supplies can be stored in a bowl in the center. Thus, the piece promotes creativity, sharing and working together, and also being tidy after the playtime is over. The table can be purchased at designstory.com.
(HT Lilsnob)
This mirror with the girly name Precious was indeed designed by two women – Céline Merhand and Anaïs Morel, the creative duo behind the studio Les M. In spite of its minimal form, the object contains a lot of functional details. Its wooden frame houses cleverly hidden drawers and hooks for jewelry, cosmetics and other small items we, girls, like to have close to a mirror. The drawers come in a variety of colors, adding a playful touch to the piece.
Graphic designer Jack Curry made these brilliant (and orange!) bookends, called Biblio, for his own bookshelves. He also gained an instant fan the minute I saw them. As a typographically inclined individual, Jack initially searched for ready-made type-centric bookends. But after series of unexciting woodblock letters or “A & Z” bookend sets, he decided to make his own. ‘Using some off-the-shelf black bookends as a reference, I began figuring out how each letter would begin to look if used in the given framework, – says the designer. – After several different directions I came to the conclusion that the best solution would be to simply have the foundation of these forms contain both sides of the base, which would swing out in opposite directions; not unlike a gymnast doing forward splits.’ The first batch of letters (spelling out “READ”) were then produced from 16 gauge stainless steel and powder-coated in classic library orange. Beautiful!
(HT Typetoken)
Indoor gardening in a tiny city apartment is mostly a victory of hope over reality. The counter and windowsill real estate is just too scarce. That is why designers try to help us, urban folks, to build vertically and elevate our plants and our gardening spirit. This smart concept by Emanuela Stocco, called Orto Novo, is a soaring example. The system is comprised of interlocking modules that can make up a structure as high and wide as your space would allow. The planters, placed inside the loops, hold the system together. Made from powder coated aluminum, Orto Novo can come in a variety of colors.
Bluelounge is known for their innovative decluttering solutions. Here is a new little gizmo they made, called MiniDock. It is designed for docking your iPhone and iPod right into a wall socket. The device is compatible with your existing Apple USB power adapter (or any other USB adapter for that matter). Kind people of Bluelounge believe that it is a bad practice to leave our precious OMGiWant thing on the floor for docking, it may scratch (the disaster!) and pick up germs. This dock provides a compact and safe place for our shiny toy and eliminates clutter from cords. The piece is a great travel companion as well. Watch the video to learn more details about the device.
There is a lot to like about this clever storage unit/home office from Myfab. It has that cool vintage 70s feel to it, its fold-up desk can generate an instant workspace when needed, it can also be put away when the work is done (extra points for space-saving). And it’s orange! The piece is made from MDF with high gloss finish.
Mono dishwasher, designed by Daniel Simonini, is smaller than your average dish rack. Yet it can hold 4 plates, 4 glasses (or cups), and a set of flatware. Inspired by sea sponges, the piece has a smooth exterior and slick design that can agree with any space. But the best feature, in my opinion, is the fact that the pressurized water, used for cleaning the dishes, is also employed to power the device’s battery making it carbon-neutral. Perfect for an eco-friendly urban apartment.
