Spanish kitchenware manufacturer Lékué has a very different take on measuring spoons. Rather than having one for each size, they've designed a singular spoon with a slider: The measuring cup, which the spoon nests within for storage, is more conventional: Fill until you hit the … | Continue reading
This diminutive, Asian-market LatteStyle household trash can seems plain and basic. Angled top, spring-loaded press-to-open lid.What I did find interesting is that the manufacturer, Risu Co. Ltd., also offers rolling racks that can hold three, four or five of them, resting on the … | Continue reading
If I remember correctly, it was JosephJoseph who first came up with the concept of separate, color-coded cutting boards to prevent contamination while cooking multiple ingredients.Today they sell an updated Folio design that doesn't have the cutesy file tabs of the original, and … | Continue reading
Yesterday we looked at an object created by crafters on Etsy, that I'd have thought a corporation would sell—those shoebox-inspired sneaker storage furniture units—and this here is the opposite. This Xbox Mini Controller Hoodie, which totally looks like the kind of thing you'd fi … | Continue reading
Car & Driver has a secret source with GM's Tech Center, and they've broken the news that Corvette will be spun off as its own brand.In addition to the coupe, the allegedly racy-looking Corvette line-up (no leaked images were available at press time) will contain a four-door and a … | Continue reading
San-Francisco-based industrial designer Anson Cheung, a former partner at Bould Design, has been in the ID game for over a decade. On his Design Things blog, he shares a wealth of hard-won knowledge and advice from the field, and all of it's worth reading.For starters, perhaps yo … | Continue reading
Just prior to the pandemic, "we went around the world photographing scenes in which people were pictured cleaning," writes minimalist homeware brand Muji. "We had been wondering if the very essence of human beings lies dormant in the everyday and ordinary work of cleaning, which … | Continue reading
Do you use Procreate on an iPad? If so a Netherlands-based company called Pen Tips, whose stock in trade is making silicone tips for Apple Pencils, sells this shortcut panel specifically for that set-up.For those of you that find constantly tapping on the interface with the Penci … | Continue reading
I'm sure it's just a matter of time before lawyers from Beaverton shut this down, but for now, shoebox-inspired furniture is a thing on Etsy. Sneakerheads with an $825 budget for a coffee table can snag this kick-storing unit from Custom Big Cartel:Shoebox BG offers this $1,049 u … | Continue reading
When I left NYC several years ago, scaffolding looked like this:Now it's been upgraded, at least in places. A company called Urban Umbrella has wisely designed a more attractive scaffolding system, and even convinced the city to allow them to use the color white (standard regulat … | Continue reading
Remember that elaborate Ixi Ruixin Pro knife-sharpening rig?In contrast, look at how simple and elegant the design of this Tumbler Diamond Rolling Knife Sharpener is:The magnetic block offers a 15-degree angle on one side, and a 20-degree on the other.The rolling sharpener is als … | Continue reading
In looking up Orthex, which we called "the Muji of Finland," I came across this interesting tidbit in Finnish newspaper Ilta-Santomat.The company's most successful product, released in 1995, is called Jäänalle, and it's still sold today. It's what the Finns call a "freezer box," … | Continue reading
Muji, Rubbermaid, Umbra, the Container Store: These are the companies I might start with if doing research prior to designing common household goods. But another company you should check out, and which you've probably never heard of if you're not Nordic, is Orthex.It's perhaps no … | Continue reading
This attractive, functional Griff rotating nail clipper was designed by Yoshita Handi-Design Studio, a firm founded by Japanese industrial designer Yoshita Moritaka.I figured it was commissioned by a manicure/pedicure supply company, but I guessed wrong. "This was a request from … | Continue reading
Here's a strange product that might make sense for a minority of users. LG's 27" Libero display has a built-in base that also serves as a handle and hanging bar.One long edge of the monitor is lined with a soundbar, and the monitor can be used with the handle at the bottom, servi … | Continue reading
This absurd $75 three-piece tchotchke is not attributed to any designer, but is sold by Tesla as their branded "Sipping Glasses."It consists of two 1.5-ounce, 3.5" tall glasses that cannot stand on their own, and are seemingly designed to be impossible to wash by hand. A highly p … | Continue reading
I would've guessed this was an ID student concept. A kitchenware company with the unlikely name of Ninja Foodi makes this bizarre countertop contraption: The Flip Toaster is essentially a stand-up toaster, but one that can be rotated onto its side if you need to toast something h … | Continue reading
Look at this bonkers modernist coffee grinder, by Chinese brand Timemore:That's the Sculptor 078 electric coffee grinder, designed in-house (of Timemore's three co-founders, one is an industrial designer and another is a mechanical designer). Created to produce the coarse grinds … | Continue reading
No, these won't charge your smartwatch. These non-wired Leaf wooden watch stands, created by Japanese carving company Mimatsu Craft, have the shape of a leaf presented in the negative space of the removed material.A small disc of stainless steel weights the base, and a synthetic … | Continue reading
New-Zealand-based Mike Hewson has an unusual blend of skills: He holds degrees in both visual arts and structural engineering, and has a background in "heavy-civil construction," his website reads.A project of Hewson's recently gained some press, and criticism on social media: Ro … | Continue reading
This eye-catching MC 302 Cardboard Chair was designed by Nordwerk, a German-Canadian sustainable architecture and design firm.It's designed to be made from pieces of 10mm-thick cardboard, with the pieces either cut digitally or (carefully) by hand.We're a bit late to this, but ea … | Continue reading
We've written about industrial designer and researcher Cui Zhihua before. Lately Cui's Instagram has been populated with new experiments he's been doing with what we think is PVC and a heat gun. Here's what he landed on--he appears to be working out a low-tech connector for dowel … | Continue reading
Abarth has launched their new, all-electric 500e EV in Europe. And instead of messing around with the spaceship sounds other EV makers have installed for safety, the 500e's Sound Generator simply reproduces the sound of a gas engine. "The New Abarth 500e is the only small car," t … | Continue reading
Remember the Pininfarina-designed 1970 Ferrari Modulo concept car? (If you don't, you should check it out; we wrote it up with tons of images of here.) Well, a startup luxury brand called Inkar has partnered with Pininfarina to design a Modulo-inspired iPhone case. Pininfarina de … | Continue reading
New Atlas put together a brief history and demo video of walking "spider" excavators, which look more like anime mecha than real-life machines.These incredible feats of engineering use wildly articulated legs and a combination of wheels and claw-like stabilizing feet. The hydraul … | Continue reading
Festool has announced the CSC SYS 50, a cordless jobsite table saw that runs on two 18V batteries. Portable, the design actually fits into one of their Systainers, and the company says the two batteries are enough to turn the motor at up to 6,800 RPM. It weighs 15kg (33 lbs.).The … | Continue reading
This is a weird, undeniably useful object created to address our evolving technology-based lifestyles:The Earzz Smart Home Monitor is a tiny device that can be programmed to listen for certain sounds. When it hears one of them, it alerts you via your smartphone and/or smartwatch. … | Continue reading
The popularity of computer gaming has spilled into furniture design, as seen in the CyberOne Gaming Desk and the rather extreme Ultimate Gaming Bed. Both of those things were arguably tweaks of existing furniture forms. But this Couchmaster object is in its own category.It was in … | Continue reading
"We use permanent markers on a daily basis at the shop," writes mechanical engineer Daniel Bauen, who runs Georgia-based industrial design and manufacturing studio Soul Built. Bauen ticks off the pain points of standard markers: "I don't enjoy having to remove the cap every time … | Continue reading
Here's a fantastic example of "less is more." By removing a very specific chunk of material, French industrial design firm Contexte turns a piece of wood into a function-increased cutting board and serving board."Mudra is a simple, practical and minimalist cutting board. Thanks t … | Continue reading
I desperately want to touch this simple, clean pen design by Derel Shell, a final-year ID student at Purdue University.I love the facet, the O/I slider, the indication of ink color and the size indicator. While it doesn't have a clip, if this pen were real and I owned one, I woul … | Continue reading
Let's say you own Ikea's discontinued Tobo unit, which features sliding glass doors.And let's say you lose or break one of these four funky-looking, complicated components:That little plastic gewgaw is what holds the sliding doors in place at the top. Without it you're screwed. T … | Continue reading
SwitchBot, invented by a company of the same name, is a small droid that hangs from a curtain rod.Motorized wheels inside the hangers allow it to travel side-to-side along the rod.With a pair of these connected to curtains, you essentially have a no-installation-required automati … | Continue reading
"Sometimes you find ideas from places you least expect," writes Turkish industrial designer Pelin Özbalci, on her LinkedIn. "That happened to me when I saw a video explaining how an ancient Chinese waist fan worked. It was simple yet incredibly clever, and I wanted to apply the i … | Continue reading
Tricky to use and impractical? Takes up too much space on a desktop? Maybe these things and more, but I can't take my eyes off of industrial designer Michiel Cornelissen's 36 Pencil Bowl."It's a tribute to the ubiquitous, and lovely, hexagonal colour pencil," writes Utrecht-based … | Continue reading
"Shape-Haptics" is a project done in collaboration between the Industrial Design departments of the National University of Singapore and the Georgia Institute of Technology. "Shape-Haptics [is] an approach for designers to rapidly design and fabricate passive force feedback mecha … | Continue reading
This Hawk Crawler Multi-Use Cart may not look like much, but in fact contains an innovative feature that makes it easier to pull over rough terrain.Manufacturer Hawk, a hunting accessories company, describes their patent-pending feature as "dual rotating axles," which is a mildly … | Continue reading
Spying these in a public bathroom, I'd surely think these were fancy urinals:And while they are, closer inspection of the silver gewgaw front and center sends a different message:So what's going on here? Singapore-based design consultancy Trigger explains that the design was driv … | Continue reading
For us, a countdown to the holidays isn't complete without the launch of our annual Core77 Ultimate Gift Guide Competition. It's not only one of the best resources on the web for finding cool gifts for your loved ones, it's also user-controlled and a great chance to win some priz … | Continue reading
Here's a nifty concept I wish Zippo would have come up with in their current phase of design experimentation. This Plasma Lighter XR, by a Texas-based EDC brand called True, aims to combine the convenience of two different form factors. The rectangular flip-lid lighter fits easil … | Continue reading
This Velo expandable suitcase was designed for trips where you expect to return with more than you brought, or vice versa.At its smallest, the hard-sided case collapses down to smaller-than carry-on size, at 16" tall. It can be expanded to 22" and 26" heights. (Note that those di … | Continue reading
Remember that chunky stainless steel Sharpie case by Dango Products?Dango ProductsDango Products Perhaps in reaction to that, Sharpie is now offering their own Stainless Steel Marker Case.A threaded collar locks your Sharpie into the barrel, and the stainless steel cap replaces t … | Continue reading
Cooking is a much-loved activity for all people around the world. On average we particularly spend 1-2 hours of our day either cooking or prepping food of some kind if we include breakfast lunch and dinner. You will notice, usually when prepping food our thought process is spent … | Continue reading
There exists a class of remedial objects, that would not exist if the primary objects they interact with were designed in totality, with ultimate priority given to the end user's experience.As an example, metal non-threaded bottle caps solve the manufacturer's problem of capping … | Continue reading
When nature calls, on Line 2, it can be challenging for those of us who didn't grow up in a squatting culture. Last winter we lost power and running water for a week, and I had to go in the woods. I have a neighbor who does this routinely, because he grew up in the backwoods and … | Continue reading
Brussels-based industrial designer Jean-Francois D'Or designed this eye-catching SXS hunting rifle for Browning. It's a "Redesign based on a Winchester existing object," writes D'Or, who performed "research on branding identity, finishes, materials sensitive touch integrations an … | Continue reading
"Break design limitations to clear a way for car designing," writes U Power, a Shanghai-based mobility startup. The company is referring specifically to their UP Super Board; U Power is the latest to develop a standalone EV "skateboard," a plug-and-play platform atop which other … | Continue reading
Remember those transparent displays developed by LG?While they make great sense for signage in public or commercial spaces, LG Display has also teamed up with Seoul-based industrial designer and ID professor Jiyoun Kim to investigate how they might be adapted to domestic use.Kim … | Continue reading