Inspiration

How much space do we really need? In fact, what if all of your daily living requirements could be met in a mere 2.5³? Polish design team Ania Rosinke and Maciej Chmara examined this idea with a minimal living cube that they aptly named 2,5³. A revisitation of the ‘living cube’ by Papanek & Hennessey, Chmara.Rosinke‘s sparse-but-snug structure meets our basic needs of foo...

Who doesn’t love the crisp coolness of clean hotel sheets? We certainly do. Still, there’s something unsatisfying about the uniformity and recycled air that always makes it fantastic to come home. However, we’ve found five hotel interiors that take a large step above ordinary – perhaps so far from ordinary that they will even make you abandon the idea of home. No, we’re ...

If interior design is probably not the first thing that you should look at when you choose a restaurant, we must admit that it has become the main factor in our decision-making process. The use of fresh, seasonal and local products, the quality of the service, the cleanliness (for crying out loud!)…we’re afraid that all of this comes second to design. Who cares about foo...

New trend alert! Maybe you too had the chance to notice a newcomer in the interior architecture and design arena. As most of what’s being done nowadays, it subtly mixes modern and traditional elements while opening new paths. Indeed, this “ribbing” technique – we’ll give it a name since it doesn’t seem to have one – uses modern computer design and traditional wood materi...

The movie adaptation of the E.L. James novel 50 Shades of Grey has just been released in theaters. You might be wondering what the racy flick has to do with design, but it turns out that when your character is a swanky businessman, chances are he also has a swanky apartment to match. Moviegoers will get an eyeful…of lamps from DelightFULL, a cabinet by Boca Do Lobo, a ta...

In 1964, Verner Panton’s FUN Lamp series was shown for the very first time at the Cologne Furniture Fair. The generous shape and gently reflective discs undeniably made an impression, provoking strong reactions across the board. Fifty years later, the FUN series has become a design icon and a staple of the VERPAN collection. For the fiftieth anniversary, VERPAN launche...

Sometimes, there’s nothing like a good slant. It turns a building from an ordinary rectangle into something more: a monolith, a colossus, a force of reckoning. Although far from uncommon, the slant is still rare enough to be an architectural unicorn with just a hint of gravity-defying magic. And with the increased use of solar panels, the slant is also sometimes a functi...

Your bookshelves are bursting at the seams. You frequently walk into traffic because you just can’t put down the latest bestseller. Good news, bookworms. You can now put your hobby (read: addiction) to use! Create a distinctive headboard out of old books! You probably don’t even have to stop reading while you do it. Not into DIY? Check out the headboards on ArchiExpo.

What happens when you regroup five young Swedish design talents under one roof? We don’t really have the words, but it’s not far from magic. CrayCollective is a Stockholm-based design collaboration consisting of five former Beckman’s College of Design students: Andreas Frienholt, Lotta Lampa, Lisa Berkert Wallard, Amanda Karsberg and Dennis Graben. Their first exhibit to...

It’s the most wonderful time of year! No, not Christmas. Halloween! Last year, we brought you the first edition of Creepy Design, and what a better way to celebrate our very favorite holiday than to bring you ten more creepy, crawly design products. (Warning: the following designs might provoke feelings of extreme discomfort.) Skin Chairs by Gigi Barker of Studio 9191...

Have you ever flown over fields of clouds and wanted more than anything to float about in one? Cumulus is, above all, a satisfactory little taste of this deep childhood desire. Designed by Jordi Iranzo, Stefanie Rittler & Nadine Kesting, the tangible cloud was exhibited at the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design in Germany. The concept imitates our famili...

Carrying on the tradition of high-quality American craftsmanship, New York-based Industrial Design studio Fort Standard designs furniture, lighting and objects in long-lasting natural materials by forging traditional production methods with an innovative approach. The duo behind Fort Standard, Gregory Buntain and Ian Collings, describe their aesthetic as “warm-contempora...

Innovation. Experimentation. Imagination. Dutch Design Week presents a concentration of creative energy that is yet unmatched in Europe. Perhaps it stems from the Design Academy Eindhoven‘s hotbed of new talent or from the freethinking spirit of established talents like Piet Hein Eek. Whatever the source, Eindhoven’s industrial backdrop was overflowing with great design....

For the second installation of our Dutch Design Week favorites, we’ve chosen to focus on the crazy cool lighting designs that were making Eindhoven a brighter place. Enjoy! Fresnel Suspension Lamp by Dirk Vander Kooij Dirk Vander Kooij’s golden lamp could have descended from the heavens, but it’s actually made from recycled CDs and metal. The lamp gets its shape an...

With Bentley Elements, the British luxury automotive brand Bentley has launched a series of artistic collaborations imagined by creative directors Duncan Campbell and Charlotte Rey of the agency Campbell-Rey. Each year, the company will commission a new piece that represents the brand’s values and illustrates elements of the car’s construction. The first installation de...

During our visit to the Paris Design Week in September, we attended the Drawing Glass exhibition at the plush St Sulpice Christian Lacroix boutique. The Italian design workshop Fabrica presented a limited edition collection of glass pieces. In the face of computer domination and the rise of 3D printing, the workshop’s purpose was to bring a group of designers back to ...

From May 16th to June 20th, Chinese artist Jacky Tsai will present his work at Scream London for an exhibition called Eastern Orbit. Based in London since 2006, Tsai is trying to create a link between the two cultural worlds he has been evolving around all his life. Mixing several techniques and styles along with those two strong cultural influences, Jacky Tsai achieves ...

The kitchen is evolving. All of the essentials are still there, but modern kitchens have gone to the next level with materials, ergonomics and aesthetics. Designers are bringing back natural materials and using technology to create bring never before seen materials into the kitchen. Stand alone and modular kitchens are becoming a design staple, and integrated kitchen acc...

Carl Kleiner’s Postures series is a collection of pictures of tulips held in various positions with wires. Documenting the surrounding world with his camera, he lets his photography serve as a medium for bringing his insightful visions to life. The fragility of the flower figures contrasts with either a black or white background, and as they hang in the air the flowers ...

Thanks to the incessant holiday music playing in stores since late October, you are probably aware that it’s almost the holidays. For some, it’s a time of joy and excitement. For others, it’s a time of crippling anxiety and dread. Either way, you’re pretty much expected to buy things for people you love, so why not buy awesome things? Thus, in the spirit of the season, w...

Shanghai-based design brand Stellar Works presented its new signature collection at EDIT by designjunction in Milan during the design week. The exhibition featured their cross-cultural cosmos of furniture, lighting and accessories. Stellar Works stitches together past traditions with present approaches for tomorrow’s design needs. Their ethos as an international melti...

Rebecca Louise Law is a British artist that has been working with flowers for 17 years. In addition to several large-scale installations, she has worked on visual merchandising for brands such as Hermès, Mulberry and Cartier. Her most recent installation, entitled ‘The Flower Garden Display’d 2014′, was commissioned by London’s Garden Museum for the current exhibition ‘...

Breaking up is hard to do. Unless you are Elsa Boch. Well, perhaps the lovely French designer also finds breaking up hard to, however her modular lamp, Rising, makes breaking up and making up seem eternally easy. Made from steel, aluminum and glass, the table lamp consists of a tray, a light source and several trundle tubes that can be arranged and rearranged according ...

For his first time exhibiting at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark, Olafur Eliasson presents 3 ambitious spatial installations within the architectural context of the museum. Among these installations is Riverbed, an indoor river perfectly imitating nature. The artificial landscape created by the Danish-Icelandic artist is breathtaking. Rocks cover the floor...

For last October’s Science Festival, French photographer Romain Giusiano was able to capture an unusual performance. During the visit of a waste processing plant, comedian and dancers started interacting with the extraordinary venue, exposing the plant from a brand new angle. The photo shoot resulted in a series of almost surreal images. But the interesting aspect of Gi...

What looked like a great exhibition turned out to be more than that. From January 25th to April 6th, the Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is hosting one major event. A few figures can sum it up: 7 architects from 6 countries and 4 continents have the task of filling more than 2,000 square meters with one monumental exhibition. The point is to make architecture interact with ou...

Adding to his body of work titled An Aggregation, Seoul-based artist Seon Ghi Bahk is currently presenting his latest installations at the Zadok Gallery in Miami. Known for his delicate charcoal installations, Bahk hangs the substance from nylon threads to create concrete and abstract shapes that simultaneously seem to be crumbling, floating and flying away. More specif...

“It is not about what you see but how you see it.” And from behind the lens of Lebanese photographer Serge Najjar, Beirut’s concrete jungle flourishes with unexpected geometric patterns, contrasts, colors and stolen moments. If such elements exist outside of Najjar’s digital world, his patience and timing are impeccable. Every Saturday, Najjar drives without aim, until s...

Raise your hand if you often eat in front of the television, or at the computer, or standing in the kitchen, or in your bed. Okay, maybe that last one is just us, but the point is that many individuals no longer sit down at a proper table to eat. Mealtimes are often used for multitasking, however eating is also a profoundly social act. In order to bring the focus back o...

Nadja Swarovski is committed to innovation. Her cutting-edge design collaborations include the likes of Ron Arad and Zaha Hadid, collaborations which demonstrate the versatility of Swarovski crystal and keep the brand perfectly relevant. Ms. Swarovski is equally dedicated to the Swarovski Waterschool, a program that seeks to teach children about the importance of sust...

The days are long, the nights are warm and there doesn’t seem to be any snow in sight. Summer (a.k.a. the best season) is here. Of course, with summer comes the heat, but it’s nothing a dip in the pool can’t help! However, there are pools and there are pools. If only the best will do for you, and we have just what you need. Jellyfish House by Wiel Arets Architects ...

With the summer well underway and holidays coming up (or already here, if you’re lucky!), you might want to run away from your daily routine – forget about the stress, the noise and the pollution. But beware, just running away will lead you nowhere – that’s why we’re here to help you find your summer retreat! Yeta Log Cabin by Lab Zero If you really want to hide in...

The M Family is a French brand launched by Michael Malapert that creates artistic 3D printed objects. Most recently, the brand debuted the Dark Side collection. The Dark Side revisits everyday objects, transforming vases, bowls and plates into sparse geometric forms. Mimicking the graphics of 3D modeling software, each 3D printed piece is reduced to its pure skeleton – ...

Get a complete rundown of the Venice Architecture Biennale in the latest edition of our e-magazine! As part of the 14th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice, German artist Heinz Mack created a grid of nine identical golden columns. Each column is seven meters high and decorated with over 850,000 light-reflecting golden tesserae that give a nod to Venice’s t...

Last week, we kicked off our top articles with a recap of our most visited projects of 2014, and this week it’s time to get inspired. An artist who mixes her media with science topped our inspiration list, while our concept of “naked houses” (it’s a thing, really) also raised some eyebrows. Check out the top five most inspiring articles from the past year.

So, we revisited the year’s top projects and the most inspiring articles from 2014, so it’s time to turn to products. Bicycles, planters and rugs, oh my! Have a look at the top five products from the past year.