Indoor gardeners – rejoice! Someone had been thinking long and hard about your situation and came up with something rather delightful. The two Italian designers, Francesca Bonfrate and Alessandra Bove, that make up Bubble Design created an at-home gardening collection called Green Kit. The line is comprised of four different but equally useful items (see photos after the break): Invaso – a climbing plant support object, placed directly into the pot; Serravaso – a miniature greenhouse (in two sizes) that will create a perfect environment for plants to grow; Travaso – a clever and useful loose soil collecting surface, allowing your to easily poor the excess potting soil back into the pot; and Trifoglio – a modular climbing support wall that can also be used as a hanging divider (and you know how much I love hanging dividers). So there you have it – a perfect gardening quartet that will keep your green thumb occupied during all those long winter evenings.
(via design-milk)
These simple boxes are created by the French studio YPLFL for the purpose of storing small items. The inspiration for the series came from designer’s habit to store change, car keys and other essentials into actual building bricks. Eventually the concept was streamlined and transformed into these wooden boxes – Les Briques – that are colorful and fun. You can stack them on top of each other to save space. Available for purchase here.
Here is another brave attempt to dictate a cat where to lounge – Cat Crib. The idea of the piece is to provide a hiding place for your feline companion without erecting a large and expensive item of cat furniture in your living room. Your cat might very well dis it, of course, but at least you’ll stay in the confines of space. The Cat Crib is made from a sturdy washable material and features adjustable no-slip straps. The piece is designed to fit any chair or small table. Check out the video to see it in action.
(via DesignRulz)
The war between our love for techno-toys and debilitating clutter is not going to end soon. But this clever power strip by Herald J. Ureña – Umaña might win you a few battles. The piece fits snugly into corners, freeing the remaining space for things more exciting than cordage. The beauty of the design is that the power cord can be maneuvered to face the direction of the outlet, no matter how you place the strip. I want 4 for every room.
How delightful is this? Swedish company Matroshka Furniture AB managed to squeeze living room, dining room, bedroom and study in just 15m2 (about 160 square feet). This was achieved by inventing a piece of furniture that is able to transform into all of the above spaces. Matroshka system was inspired by Russian nesting dolls. Here too pieces fit into each other and save space.
Designers elaborate:
‘When the basic idea was being conceived, the focus was on seeing the room as a volume instead of an area, and on creating plenty of storage while also keeping the furniture comfortable and appealing. The L-shaped desk is fantastically spacious, with a standard height and depth. You may be living in a small space, but that’s no reason to use small furniture. A common problem in small residences is having guests round and finding somewhere for them to sit. With Matroshka, the solution is easy as the living room set-up has space for up to 12 people around the table.’
The entertainment area is built around a clever dining/coffee table hybrid, that can be moved up and down hydraulically. And when the party pieces are tucked in, they serve as a base for a double bed. Thus, all living systems are represented in one all-including piece of Matreshka furniture. It is pleasing that our humble Russian trinket propelled such an inspiring work.
I really heart this kitchen item, as I am sure you will too, if you are an iPad-loving foodie. Andrea Ponti‘s Bosco cutting board comes in two parts – one for business and one for pleasure. When the cutting part is in use, its base can work as a stand for an iPad (or any other tablet for that matter). You can socialize on the web, check recipes, watch movies, – all while cooking a meal. ‘The Bosco cutting board is not meant to be taken too seriously though. It’s meant to experiment with the relationship between technology and a kitchen tool that is often dull and flat but used daily,’ – says the designer.
This clever modular coat hanger by Veronika Wildgruber (in collaboration with Susanne Stofer) is made of series of Y-shaped hooks, mounted on polyamide rope that is typically used for mountain climbing. Called Wardrope (witty!), the piece is suspended from the ceiling via included ceiling hook. It holds up to 30 pounds of coats, bags, or whatever it is you wish to hang. You can adjust the hooks to the hight you need by simply sliding them along the rope. There is a weight at the end of the rope, which keeps it under tension. Sold here.
Filing is one of the most unavoidable dreads of life. So, it is always in our hopes to finish with it faster. The Up Filer from Westerville Design might just help you do it. This is a wall mounted vertical storage rack, which allows files and other flat content to always remain visible. The pivoting hangers provide easy access to each file and make adding and removing items a breeze. And because Up Filer allows storing oversized paper, it is perfect for graphic designers, architects, artists, teachers or anyone who has a need for filing differently-sized flat content.
Sprout is a modular tool-less furniture collection some of you might remember by this lovely Kickstarter video. This line is designed to be simple: simple to make and simple to use. It’s easy to assemble and disassemble, making moving and storage easy. No tools or hardware are required, components are interchangeable, allowing you to change the color, style, or even functionality. And with the eco-friendly and virtually waste-less manufacturing process, this furniture is kind to the environment too. As the company’s creator Clark Davis tells me, Sprout has recently rebranded and went in production. Now, that’s a success story I’m really happy to hear!
There is a lot to love about the 10 Unit System by Japanese architect and designer Shigeru Ban – it is modular, eco-friendly, good-looking and can be easily assembled by one person. And most importantly – it is ideal for limited spaces, because it allows us to built and customize our furniture according to our immediate needs. The series of L-shaped units can be combined to make different kinds of seating, from individual chairs to multi-seat configurations. You can also build table bases for tops of varying sizes with this same system. All configurations are held in place by a simple method of connecting rods, which makes them a child’s play to assemble. The 10 Unit System is made from UPM ProFi, an innovative composite, comprised of recycled paper and plastic. So, it is easy on the environment too. The product is available at Module R.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzO1-tfwG2E
