If you cook in a tiny kitchen – you know too well that an open oven door makes the place non-navigable. It is also unkind to a human body. But what choice do we have other than performing our daily acrobatic etudes with hot dishes, and getting on with our lives… Well, this clever invention from Neff puts the end to this nonsense. A slide-away door, fitted on the new models, is a godsend for small spaces. By sliding neatly under the oven as you fully open the door, it provides easy access to the appliance. And if you look closer, you will notice that the handle rotates towards you in a smooth, circular motion. And once the door is fully open, it stays visible and easily accessible at the top of the door. Smart stuff!
(HT KBculture)
When it comes to air purification, house plants still remain the safest and the most visually attractive option. That is why French designer Mathieu Lehanneur and Harvard professor David Edwards employed the power of plants to create Andrea, the eco-friendly air purifier. The idea is simple – air is sucked into the device, where it gets filtered through the plant, soil and water. After that it gets recirculated back into the room. No filters to change, no components to clean. Just a beautiful, quiet machine that takes as much space as an average planter. Andrea is low on energy consumption and works with any plant.
(HT Dornob)
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.
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.
I am happy to announce that another cool iPhone alarm clock is here to tempt us. Called c/dock, this sleek new toy needs our help to be produced. Here is how the designer describes it on Kickstarter: ‘A handsome thick piece of solid walnut with either a brushed aluminum or glossy resin face plate with a six foot long black usb cable. The ultimate mix of modern design and convenience.’ The idea is simple – you slide your phone into the fully enclosed sleeve to dock and charge it, while it is running your favorite alarm app. And when you are awake, you can use it as a photo display or as a media player. Sweet!
Dishwasher is a notorious space eater in the kitchen. That is why designers come up with more and more ideas on how to combine it with other things. Here is another interesting concept – a dishwasher hiding under the drainboard of the sink. How intuitive and simple. It is on the small side, so there are some minor sacrifices, but, according to the manufacturer, the appliance can easily accommodate up to five place settings, including dinner plates up to 11 inches. So, just like in science fiction, you can dump your dirty dishes in the sink and press the button.
It seems that there are two basic types of aircons on the market today – ugly and hideous. Aside from that – all of them play real havoc with your electric bill and negatively impact the environment. This impressive concept from designer Rami Santala is envisioned to address both problems. Visually stunning piece, called Foliage, is small enough to fit on a windowsill and smart enough to detect sunlight and use it to power the device. Inspired by houseplants, Foliage transforms the shape of its ‘leaves’ to harvest more light. Another reason why this idea makes perfect sense is that we mostly need air-conditioning during the summer, when the sunlight is abundant. So, there you have it – the air that is clean and cool in all senses of the word.
I heart Resource Furniture. How can I not – they think, breathe and dream small spaces. In this video the company’s president Ron Barth shows some of their new models. His New York accent does not surprise me at all! If you are in the area – check out the flagship store.
Since we are on the subject of kitchen space – here is an interesting idea from German designer Kilian Schindler. His Concept Kitchen, designed for Naber, is a modular system that allows to built various configurations on the same frame. You can combine your basic worktop with either an oven, sink or storage. The basic elements are made from steel and easy to disassemble. They feature pre-drilled grid patterns for the flexible arranging of construction and storage shelves. So, if you decide to move house or remodel the existing one – there is at least one major project you can cross off your to-do your list.
A dish rack is the worst space offender in the kitchen, if you ask me. Even if it is cool and designy, it still takes a lot of precious counter real estate. The mission of this product is to change all that by eliminating the need for a dish rack altogether. Andrew Parsons of Canada’s Humber College developed a concept for Electrolux, called Breeze. It is a portable dryer that helps you quickly dry your hand washed dishes. The principle is simple – a digital pulse motor concentrates air to a thin stream that blows the plate dry when once moved through the machine. The air travels at a speed of 400 MPH (644 km/h) and leaves your dishes dry and, since you’re not using towels, bacteria free and safe. Brilliant!
