Ecuador-based architects Amelia Tapia and Juan Ruiz have developed a collapsible cabin called Iwi.Image: JAG Studio Image: JAG StudioImage: JAG Studio Image: JAG Studio It's essentially an on-demand extra room—"a place to work, relax, read, meet, etc."—composed of a fixed rear mo … | Continue reading
This month Lexus introduced their long-awaited new RZ 450e, the brand's very first fully electric vehicle, to its fleet. The new model is a sleek offering, with dynamic lines, a minimized look overall (the contentious spindle body feature, for example, has been noticeably pared d … | Continue reading
Seoul says they're building the world's largest hubless ferris wheel. Will these replace skyscrapers as the go-to international bragging rights object?Product designer Erik Stehmann found himself stuck with 1,500 disposable paintbrushes, and devised a creative way to upcycle them … | Continue reading
A brewery in Neuzelle, Germany says they have developed powdered beer and will start market-testing it in September.After two years of research, and with funding from Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, the Klosterbrauerei Neuzelle ("Neuzelle Monas … | Continue reading
Growing up, Michael Brucker noticed that his grandfather used a metal comb "probably obtained in the early 1950s," he writes. The object fascinated Brucker, who eventually inherited the comb and treated it like a treasured heirloom.The next part sounds crazy, but Brucker somehow … | Continue reading
This suitcase design is of unknown origin, and is listed for sale on the kinds of dicey websites that scream "bait & switch." But it does have some unusual design features worth looking at.The first feature we've seen variants of before, but I'll include it anyway: There's fronta … | Continue reading
Loosely speaking, there are two types of earbuds: The kind that hang out in your ears, and the kind that plug your ears. I've found the first type is more comfortable for long wearing sessions, but the second is indispensable for true noise canceling or thumping bass. Most manufa … | Continue reading
This almost doesn't seem real. Australia-based design and engineering firm Flux has developed the Flux Keyboard, a transparent keyboard that sits atop an HD display. The user can instantly change the labels for the keys, as well as background images for the keyboard.The company d … | Continue reading
Today the Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity launched Tables, Tables, Tables, a free online exhibit examining Ray and Charles Eames' designs for tables. As excited as I was to click on it, I was equally excited to see the lead-in is an essay by Kim Colin, of Industrial Facilit … | Continue reading
This cleverly-designed object, designer unknown, was discovered by Arne the Kraftsman, proprietor of a vintage store in Australia known as the Kabinet. Arne explains what it is and how it works:"How can you resist such a great desk gadget? The item is a letter scale, to establish … | Continue reading
Danish furniture brand +Halle regularly holds an Annual Briefing where they gather designers, and ask them tough questions.As an example: "[Consider] the deficit of moments to oneself in public spaces, and the human experience of seeking those moments out in the most public of pl … | Continue reading
Our partners at DIA announced their 2022 winning entries. At the Award Ceremony, which kicked off at the Keqiao International Convention and Exhibition Center, DIA announced 29 works competing for the highest prize and bonus, including 2 Gold Award winners, 8 Silver Award winners … | Continue reading
In Japan, clothes dryers are not a thing. No one has the space for one, and electricity in Japan is well expensive, so everyone hang-dries their laundry outside (virtually all Japanese apartments come with verandas for the purpose).For cases where that won't cut it—if you're in a … | Continue reading
Next month London's Design Museum will open "Ai Weiwei: Making Sense," the artist's first exhibition focusing on design. Despite the design theme, there's an unexpected showstopper that will be on display."This major exhibition, developed in collaboration with the artist, will be … | Continue reading
Tim Drier is a scientific glassblower by trade, with over 25 years of experience. (You can see his demonstration videos on the Corning Museum of Glass website.)On his Instagram, Drier shows off the booze-based purposes he's turned his skills towards: Making unique cocktail glassw … | Continue reading
This is the beautiful Trinidade Island, which lies over 700 miles off the coast of Brazil. Pictured is geologist and researcher Fernanda Avelar Santos of Brazil's Federal University of Paraná (UFPR).Santos recently made a disturbing discovery that is now international news: This … | Continue reading
To celebrate famed furniture designer Hans J. Wegner's birthday this year, Carl Hansen & Søn is releasing a special version of his Wishbone Chair, originally designed in 1949 (and in production ever since!). The limited-edition run will be produced in oiled oak, and with a more l … | Continue reading
A heads-up display, or HUD, is one of the more useful features I've encountered in modern cars. So I was excited when BMW announced their forthcoming Panoramic Vision feature, which they touted as a "New head-up display across the entire width of the windscreen." However, the ver … | Continue reading
As people have grown obsessed not just with carrying stuff, but how they carry said stuff, we've seen some strange bag designs on the market. But this here's the cake-taker. High-end German travel gear company Rimowa makes this Aluminum Sling Clutch, which seems like something yo … | Continue reading
Rocking chairs aren't typically known for their style. But these clean, simple models by Nicaraguan designer Abril Zepeda and produced by Nashville-based Masaya & Co. catch the eye:Masaya & Co. founder Aram Terry started the company in 2016, after having run sustainable forestry … | Continue reading
How did one mix drinks before electricity? You might think one of these hand-cranked eggbeaters would do:Image: Levi Szekeres - SXC #437420, Public Domain However, that's really a tool for food prep, not beverages. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, apothecaries and drug stores n … | Continue reading
Is there anything worse than stocking up on materials, when the project you're snagging them for gets canceled? Arnhem-based product designer Erik Stehmann found himself in that situation, and was stuck with 1,500 disposable paintbrushes.His creative solution was to acquire more … | Continue reading
Are skyscrapers losing their luster as brag-worthy international objects? The Seoul Metropolitan Government has announced they're building, as an international attraction and object of wonder, the world's largest hubless ferris wheel.The Seoul Ring will be sited at Seoul's Haneul … | Continue reading
Here's a wild concept by St.-Petersburg-based industrial designer Albert Rakhimzhanov: Ultro, a drone-based air purifying system. As crazy as the idea is, I guess you can't argue that a drone can cover a lot more ground than a stationary unit.THE CONCEPTThe concept of the system … | Continue reading
Though most of these are obviously renders, this is apparently an actual product that's in production. South Korean appliance manufacturer Moon makes this Obicuum Water, a striking-looking, modernist power mop.The unit is turned on by tilting the handle backwards. It also has a r … | Continue reading
Here are three projects done by Kaelan Abernathy as an Industrial Design student at Iowa State University. The first is for a set of measuring cups/spoons that take up less space:The second is for a spice rack that takes advantage of the dead space you'll typically find in one ca … | Continue reading
After Japan's 2011 earthquake, a group of volunteer designers led by architect Keiji Ashizawa wanted to pitch in for disaster relief in the affected areas. The collective gathered a bunch of tools and materials, then set up workshops to teach residents how to knock together simpl … | Continue reading
London-based startup Bottle Farm has designed a simple and economical way to grow herbs at home. Rather than selling you an elaborate kit containing vessels that require soil and/or grow lights, they reckon you can save money by using sunlight and an existing jar, can or beverage … | Continue reading
This Continuous Chandelier, made of galvanized steel and standard circular fluorescents, is by Belgian architect Maxime Prananto."Continuous Chandelier balances the iconographic, structural I-beam section with the fragility of light itself. It is an object that operates within a … | Continue reading
Norwegian designer Daniel Rybakken designed this handsome Ypsilon bench for Vestre."Ypsilon's angled, solid glulam beams rest on laser-cut, arched sheets of galvanized steel.""The angled wooden beams provide a comfortable seating surface, while their sloping surfaces mean that wa … | Continue reading
Here's one of the strangest mailbox designs I've ever seen:That was designed by Zurich-based architecture firm Lu¨tjens Padmanabhan for this Therwil Terraced House project:Image: Stefano Graziani Image: Stefano Graziani Image: Stefano Graziani No information is offered about the … | Continue reading
Design Speculations is a monthly feature that rounds up the latest news and postulates on what it implies for the future of design.__________________________________________________________________________________February seemed to have zoomed by, as it always does, but there wer … | Continue reading
"Clean lines" and "functional simplicity" are how Swiss industrial designer Simone Viola characterizes the work of his eponymous design firm. Both are on display with this Revo chair.Designed for institutions, the Revo comes in both full-back and half-back versions. Options inclu … | Continue reading
Veteran industrial designer Carl Liu, who's worked for everyone from Designworks to Disney, Astro Studios to Motorola, designed these headphone holders apparently as a personal project. The first is a monolithic wooden piece:The second offers additional desktop storage:And the th … | Continue reading
Industrial designer Emily Tang is co-founder of Studio Doozy, a Hong-Kong-based consultancy focused on the healthcare and lifestyle sectors. The company's mission is "to help companies of all sizes build remarkable and inclusive experiences," and their Doozy Violet project for a … | Continue reading
Industrial designer Kevin Nguyen quit his traditional ID gigs to design his own specialty clay tools. The Camera Shy Hoodie, by artist/designer Mac Pierce, uses embedded infrared LED lights to blind night vision cameras. Pioneering drone delivery company Wing has designed these A … | Continue reading
Though an industrial designer by training, Seoul-based Beomseok Chae makes no bones about these pieces being art furniture. Inspired by sci-fi in general......as well as movies like "Interstellar" and "Blade Runner 2049," Chae's Post-Collapse collection applies the genre's design … | Continue reading
London-based designer Marco Campardo's approach consists of "hands-on experimentation and research to question the nature of contemporary models of production," reads his bio. "With a keen interest in materiality, his research seeks to subvert or adapt industrial manufacturing pr … | Continue reading
You know what would make video calls more natural? If it looked like one party was beheaded, and then their detached head was reanimated inside of a fragmented prism connected to rapidly-moving motors.This is the vision of a startup called Wehead (not Behead, I was off by one let … | Continue reading
This Tutu Half-Cone Collar, by Taiwan-based product design consultancy Nessdesign, is intended as an improvement on the post-surgery "cone of shame."Designers Chao-Wei Sun & Hsin-Hua Yeh say their version still prevents the dogs from licking their wounds, without blocking their u … | Continue reading
Industrial Craft is seeking to hire an Industrial Design Intern to join our studio in the Mission District in San Francisco. The role: The intern’s responsibilities range from user research, concept ideation, and freehand sketching to model-making, 2D and 3D CAD, photo-realistic … | Continue reading
We know how it goes: things get busy and before you know it, a deadline you've been keeping track of is just days away. That's why we wanted to send a reminder that the Core77 Awards Regular Deadline is quickly approaching, ending March 15 at 9 PM ET.But just because this deadlin … | Continue reading
Charlotte Dubois, an Industrial Design student at ECAL, created this unusual ladder as part of the school's partnership with Artek. Her L Leg Ladder—which could serve as an escape ladder, but is intended as a climbing ladder for kids—uses a single repeating wooden component and a … | Continue reading
I've griped before about the cheapie Ikea laundry drying racks I use, but here's a new dog-based complaint with them: If you use them to hang shirts on hangers, as I do, this places the shirts at dog height, so during shedding season the shirts get nice and hairy.This SuperGulliv … | Continue reading
A startup called Nanu Electrics has designed something radical by today's standards: An analog alarm clock designed for longevity and repair.The Arc Alarm Clock features easy-to-read numbers on a non-fussy dial, a manual knob to set the alarm time, and just the right amount of te … | Continue reading
Montana-based drinkware company Planetary Design created this Airscape Coffee Canister Classic, which features a cleverly-designed lid.The canister is drawn stainless steel, not molded plastic, so there's no draft angle on the sidewalls; this means you can push the plunger-style … | Continue reading
Music-lover Roman Plaghki is a design engineer at 3D printing company Materialise. Tasked with developing customized offerings for their automotive clients, Plaghki and his team began looking at using Materialise's technology to produce 3D-printed speaker covers. But rather than … | Continue reading
These handsome Toní Armchairs are an aluminum take on the classic bistro chair.Designed by Arnhem-based product designer Erik Stehmann for Dutch furniture brand Fatboy, "The Toní collection is designed as the reinterpretation of the well-known bistro set, with its typical round s … | Continue reading