Inspiration

What happens when a designer is facing difficulties? French designer Julien Carretero wanted to use the flexibility and low-cost of aluminum to avoid the additional costs of aluminum injection molding. After a few try-outs, he found out aluminum didn’t need to be too warm to melt and thus came his idea. Carretero figured this reasonably high temperature of melting wasn’t...

Green roofs are no longer a new phenomenon. They have become a veritable staple of ecological building, but sometimes it’s nice to have a little reminder of just how fantastic green roofs can be. Not only do they add a unique touch to a home, they are also incredibly functional with their natural heating and cooling properties. Form + function: isn’t that what good desig...

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 ...

Fun fact: oak contains high concentrations of tannic acid. When tannic acid comes into contact with iron oxide, it turns the oak a dark, dark blue. The same thing happens when tannic acid is applied to steel, transforming two radically different materials into a product with almost the same color. Dutch artist and designer Steven Banken used this unique chemical reactio...

The Temporary Museum for New Design opened its doors just yesterday at Superstudio Più. We zipped around this space bursting with all sorts of new design. While it can be tough to break into the design realm or to push forward a new concept, we were captivated by several pieces. The wide range of products kept us on our toes and a display of fun art linked design areas t...

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 – ...

WE MAKE CARPETS makes (surprise!) carpets. But not just any carpets! A collaboration between Marcia Nolte, Stign van der Vleuten and Bob Waardenburg, the design collaboration rethinks an age-old art, combining old techniques with materials and technologies that are definitively 21st century. Working with everyday items, particularly items that would be deemed worthless o...

This human-sized kaleidoscope is basically the coolest thing since sliced bread. ‘Wink‘ is a mind-bending installation that was presented at last year’s KOBE Biennale and lets users create the colors of their own kaleidoscope. Designed by Saya Miyazaki and Masakazu Shirane as part of the Art Container Contest, the kaleidoscope was contained within a single shipping conta...

Why be traditional when you could be original? Or something along those lines. Either way, freestanding wooden bathtubs are as resistant as their counterparts, and they provide an unexpectedly warm bathroom centerpiece. From Japanese ofuro soaking tubs to marine-inspired bath time vessels, wooden tubs can be an impossibly simple accent or a dramatic statement. We’ve sele...

Half rug, half sculpture, Elise Strozyk’s wooden rugs are unlike anything we’ve ever seen. They manage to overturn our concept of wood as a material – precisely as the German designer intended. By transforming wood into a sort of fabric that can be shaped and folded, an everyday experience becomes something remarkable and worthy of consideration. To create each object, a...

Founded in 1979, the Pritzker Prize is considered one of the top distinctions in the field of architecture. Every year, a living architect is awarded the honor, and the 2014 winner is none other than Japanese architect Shigeru Ban.Known more for his temporary works of humanitarian architecture than permanent icons, Mr. Ban represents an anomaly in his field. His interest...

If prefabs are fabulous, containers are pretty cool too. It’s funny to see how in a few years, containers then prefabs have taken over the architectural world. These simple and economical construction methods have provided an answer to our growing need for adaptable and quick architecture. One country that has shown such need over the last few years is China, so it is no...

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....

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...

Les Palettes by M&M designers makes upcycling accessible to even the least crafty among us. Yes, even you can create upcycled furniture. Well, maybe. We haven’t tried it yet, but we really like the idea: Les Palettes gives you instructions to create a series of furniture from recycled pallets! Simply procure a few pallets and a handful of power tools, and you’ll have the...

Trying to sum up a whole year in one building, one project or one idea is impossible. But somehow, Edward Burtynsky‘s 2013 exposition in Toronto comes close. Even though these photographs weren’t taken this year, it’s their compilation and exposition called Water Photography that mattered here. Indeed, these wonderful pictures, taken from the sky, reveal and remind us wh...

Design Miami officially kicks off today, and we are exceptionally excited to meet with Lebanese designers Marc Baroud and Marc Dibeh, creators of Wires. Commissioned by Art Factum Gallery, Wires has been to Dubai and back, making its way to Miami Beach this week. The minimalist designs originated as 2D drawings before being manipulated into 3D forms. Each piece is create...

We’ve all been amazed by the images taken from the International Space Station (ISS), pictures of our countries, cities and how they look like at night. The dazzling golden images of our brightly-lit metropolises reveal their complex architecture and city planning. Highlighting the complicated way humans have rearranged their environment to suit their needs. London-based...

What if sour was something that you could touch? How would it feel? Copenhagen-based designer Martyna Barbara Golik attempts to answer these questions with her Touch That Taste! project: five tangible objects that translate taste into touch. Sweet is interpreted as a pouf which imitates the feeling of sinking into something like when sugar melts slowly on your tongue, w...

Michael Wolf is a German-born photographer whose time behind the lens is spent examining life in the metropolis. His work “Architecture of Density” unorthodoxly depicts a day-to-day existence in Hong Kong – one of the world’s most populated cities and Wolf’s current home. His point of view reduces buildings to a complex series of patterns and lines that offer no end, no ...

MINDCRAFT is a yearly exhibition that highlights Danish design and craftsmanship. This year, Stine Gam and Enrico Fratesi of GamFratesi handpicked fourteen designers to be featured in the exhibition which took place in the Chiostro Minore di San Simpliciano during Milan Design Week. The historic cloisters, which are located in the Brera Design District, provided an elega...

A modular greenhouse/storage shed combination is the result of a collaborative effort between two Finnish companies: Avanto Architects and Kekkilä Garden. With potential use as a beautiful green space or an enchanting natural escape, the versatile structure of half wood and half glass panels can be enlarged or contracted based on the model and the owners’ needs. The cove...

Eric Klarenbeek has combined two of 2013’s biggest trends: 3D printing and biomimicry. The Mycelium Chair was printed using a mixture of water, powdered straw and mycelium – the vegetative part of a fungus which resembles a mass of thread-like filaments. Klarenbeek prints the object with living organisms that then grows inside, giving the object substance and strength. T...

The novel MyRoom concept combines a selection of unlikely partners. French company Somfy is specialized in blinds, shutters, alarms and gates, while Muzéo is an expert in art prints and frames. With the help of Maud Bury (an interior designer that spent ten years under the tutelage of Philippe Starck!), Somfy and Muzéo went about designing the ultimate customizable hotel...

“My photographs are all that remain of the sculptures.” Environmental artist and designer Martin Hill makes sculptures in nature that return to nature. His designs illuminate the idea of a new model of progress where the living world on which life relies is not destroyed. Using local materials running on renewable energy, waste is eliminated and multiple benefits and job...

Small confession: we are deathly afraid of heights. Our paralyzing fear is the reason that Object Élevé by Dutch designer Mieke Meijer strikes terror in our hearts, yet we would put it in our house without hesitation. Despite the vertiginous heights, combining a staircase with storage and a desk is brilliant, and the design is gorgeous. The oak and steel structure was...

In an ideal world, work would be so much fun that extra hours would feel effortless. Unfortunately, the majority of us spend our weeks slogging through until Friday. Depressing? Perhaps. But we’ve rounded up a few objects that may not necessarily make work more fun, but their convenient multiple functions will definitely make it easier. Islands by Jordi Blasi Islan...

The work of Berlin-based artist Eva Berendes invokes a beguiling effect on the viewer, which is imposed by intentionally blurred lines between product and art. Geometric forms and pops of bold colors permeate her creations which include room dividers, folding screens and wall units. Her pieces recall real functionality, yet certainly stand on their own as art. Grid lines...

We don’t want to speak to soon, but it seems to be warming up. The trees are in bloom and our vague memories of the sun are becoming more vivid. We may not have completely shed our winter skin, but we can’t help but dream of sunscreen, barbecues and swimming pools. The last frost may not have yet thawed, but we’re already compiling our wishlist of poolside lounging mater...

This small creation by the Japanese design studio is nothing complicated, but it works extremely well. A simple and fun idea that yet perfectly sums up nendo‘s philosophy of thinking out of the box, while remaining innocent and childlike. This set of paper blocks was created as an insert for a Japanese lifestyle magazine. It consists of a series of flat paper forms print...

Very few things are worse than sitting in front of a computer screen eight hours a day, everyday. Not only is it soul-sucking, but it can also cause a multitude of real, legitimate health problems. If that weren’t enough, the modern open office space often leaves much to desire with regard to acoustic and visual privacy. Fortunately, a handful of manufacturers and design...

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...

Jean de Loisy, president of the modern and contemporary art space Palais de Tokyo, commissioned Constance Guisset to create three islands of calm for the immense Parisian building. Titled “Three Conversations”, the three objects resemble lamps of Gulliverian proportions. Long, colorful straps, suspended from metallic circles, are held aloft by a mast that rises above the...