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!
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.
Milestone is a clever minimal storage solution for those of us who park bikes indoors. Designed by Japanese trio Mile, the piece is made of marble and comes in custom sizes. Each made-to-order cube is fitted perfectly to a specific bike. And when you are not using it, Milestone can be displayed as a nice sculptural object or simply stored away.
Cordage clutter is the price we pay for cool gadgetry. But this nasty side of technical advancement doesn’t have to be so hideous. There are products out there, made specifically to help us take our wires and cords under control. This neat solution from Danish designer Søren Refsgaard is called Great Balls Of Wire (witty!) and designed to hold up to five feet of excess wire inside. Refsgaard explains: ‘I chose the round shape because it fits almost all interior surroundings — both lying on the floor and hanging from a table lamp on a shelf.’ His first prototype was made out of a tennis ball. In its current version the ball is 2.7-inch in diameter and comes in nine colors.
If you are a cooking enthusiast – you will love SpiceCare from TableFare. The manufacturer claims to deliver everything we can possibly want from spice storage. And judging by the looks of the product, it was not an empty promise. I struggle to find one thing they haven’t thought of. The line features clever interlocking design, it is shelf and drawer compatible, each jar has a build-in spoon leveler. You can group spices and print your own labels… Watch the video to see the system in action.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDcq2g84688
This chair is a looker. Beautifully constructed by Lyon based designer Petit Romain, the piece, called Chaise Leaf, has a fluid continuity to it. It also features storage under the seat. This elegant little shelf can hold a few books, periodicals, an iPad perhaps… Made in a variety of colors, Chaise Leaf can add a happy note to a room. And if you like to read while you eat (one of my vices), this piece can be a nice dining chair too.
