This Grasp Lamp, by Danish industrial designer Thomas Albertsen, isn't really a lamp in the technical sense: Instead it's a structure to hold lighting. Which is to say, the lamp has no wiring, just a (presumably magnetic) connection point where you pop in a rechargeable LED light … | Continue reading
Space may be infinite, but it has the same problem we do on Earth: Not enough housing. Builders of space habitats are constrained by shipping capacity. While rocket launches have become cheaper and more frequent, there are only so many building materials you can cram into the pay … | Continue reading
In the UK, where drinking warm beer was a thing, pint glasses were an appropriate vessel for centuries. In 20th century Germany, a new type of beer vessel evolved along with the technology of refrigeration: The stange, which translates to "pole" or "rod," as that's what the narro … | Continue reading
This object might baffle Westerners visiting Japan:To give you some context, you'd find it in a traditional noodle shop.It's an old-school spice vessel, invented prior to blowmolding. They often hold shichimi (a spice blend) and are easily made with local materials. The body is s … | Continue reading
At first glance, wearable speakers are a strange bit of kit. When Bose released their Soundwear Companion in 2017, I couldn't see the use case. But as I age it becomes more obvious. I frequently use captions while watching shows or movies, as I have a difficult time making out th … | Continue reading
These stunning furniture pieces are by Australian furniture designer/builder Brodie Neill (who did that ReCoil table we looked at earlier). First off, this Bonsai shelving unit was commissioned by a client. It's made of bronze and hollow:The Atmos desk is "formed from a single su … | Continue reading
Muddycap is the handle of an anonymous artist/designer whose bio reads "I make chairs and shits." His Instagram is a deep portfolio of insane chair designs. (Most appear to be renderings, though he can be seen making models in some shots and occasionally shows IRL full-size build … | Continue reading
Korean artist/designer Oneseo Choi must have a steady supply of castoff aluminum extrusions. His "Pattern of Industry" series uses them to make furniture:Because Choi is branded both an artist and designer, it's a little trickier to evaluate the work. If it's art, it's essentiall … | Continue reading
London-based Scott Richler's design background is atypical: He's worked as both an architect and a jewelry designer. Both disciplines have clearly informed his Harlow Chandelier: The shades are mold-blown glass, available in white or smoked grey. The structures are available in f … | Continue reading
Designer and manufacturer unknown, but this chair hails from 1970s Norway, according to reseller Møbelhøker.It demonstrates mastery of steam bending and, surprisingly, it's listed as a folding chair. You can guess where the pivot point is, though the hardware is unseen. The armre … | Continue reading
Italian industrial designer Bruno Munari designed this radical Cubo posacenere ("Cube ashtray") around 1954:Image: Di Albertozanardo - CC BY-SA 4.0 Placing the butts inside the box was completely outside-the-box; up until that point, anything we'd call an ashtray was an open dish … | Continue reading
Interior design magazine RUM posted these shots of an NYC apartment renovation: While the newer furniture pieces are credited, this vernacular chair in the second shot is not:Image: Piet Albert Goethals The seatback flows downward to become the front leg, of which there are only … | Continue reading
This article was written by Scott Jenson and Michael DiTullo A few recent tech writers have leaked that the new AirPods case will likely have a touch screen. Other earbud makers have tried this as well but it's Apple, so people will naturally have strong opinions, and we're no di … | Continue reading
We don't often see softgoods in ID students' portfolios, so this one jumped out at us. This M–W256 project was done by Sven Abplanalp while studying Industrial Design at ECAL:"M–W256" is a project resulting from a global analysis of connectors from the textile industry. This rese … | Continue reading
On a Wire is a record stand as unique as your collection: the only record stand available today that organizes and displays your records simultaneously. On a Wire lives near your turntable, organizing your new, favorite, and new favorite records, while also displaying a record of … | Continue reading
"In perhaps one of the great ironies of human civilisation," writes Brian Kaller, "mechanical devices to truly magnify human power came along as soon as we didn't need them." Kaller's article, "The Hidden Potential of Bicycles," is well worth a read.To Kaller's point, bicycles ca … | Continue reading
Yet another bizarre design origin story.People come to product and furniture design through different routes. Some go to school and get a degree in Industrial Design. Others become architects, then decide working on smaller-scale stuff is more interesting. In Europe and Scandinav … | Continue reading
Yet another AI genie's out of the bottle. The…geniuses over at Microsoft have unveiled their new VASA technology for "Lifelike audio-driven talking faces generated in real time." The tech can use a single snapshot, then animate it to match whatever audio is plugged into it. "Make … | Continue reading
The Japanese art of flower arrangement, Ikebana, is a captivating practice that aims for poetic synthesis of human hand and natural beauty in each composition. Stickybana, as documented on this Instagram page, is a sub-genre that centers cannabis within that tradition. The pairin … | Continue reading
Here's what we looked at this week:Startup Humane has debuted their Ai Pin, to damning reviews. The UI/UX design is just insane. Form follows function: NASA's zero-gravity drinking cup, prototyped in space.Some wonderful scans from "The Function of Colour in Factories School … | Continue reading
Zenpack is a packaging design firm with a key difference from competitors: They also handle fulfillment, bringing design and manufacturing under one roof to offer clients a turnkey solution.They were recently hired by coffee retailer Cambio Roasters. "When Cambio Roasters was get … | Continue reading
This screw gripper, designed and manufactured by Wera Tools, is for holding non-magnetic screws on the tip of your driver. It slides over cylindrical and hexagonal shafts with a diameter of 4.5mm to 6mm. Made of soft plastic, they won't mar the surface of your workpiece as the sc … | Continue reading
This Tove Lounge Chair was designed by Arnold Madsen and Henry Schübell*, a 20th-century Danish design duo. Produced in the 1950s and '60s, it's finely designed and made, with a well-balanced blend of curves and straight lines. The frame is Oak and the sculpted armrests are made … | Continue reading
This low-tech Cloche table smoker is by Paris-based industrial designer Guillaume Bloget. It's made of Beech and stainless steel. "CLOCHE is for cold smoking food from aromatic plants or wood chips. It preserves the intrinsic flavors of each food while perfuming them with a smoky … | Continue reading
Despite the name, the UK's Grimsdyke Farm is actually a research facility and experimental fabrication workshop for artists, designers and architects. "Established in 2004 by [architect and RCA instructor] Guan Lee, it has been hosting workshops, seminars and residencies with the … | Continue reading
Early sewing machine designs failed because the inventors attempted to replicate human motions with mechanical parts. The way humans sew is by drawing a needle all the way through the fabric, thus the needle's eye is at the tail end. There was no workable way, using 19th century … | Continue reading
Produced in the 1950s and '60s, this AT-33 sewing table was designed by Hans J. Wegner. (The "AT" is for manufacturer Andreas Tuck, and "33" is the model number.) The frame is oak, and the tabletop and shelf are made of teak. Up top, the design is straightforward and conventional … | Continue reading
For the record I think this is a terrible, terrible idea. Sadly I think it's one that a subset of Americans will love, particularly those who suffer from package theft.The PaintCam is a night-vision-equipped security camera that uses facial recognition and "deters intruders with … | Continue reading
While this design of desk doesn't provide much flexibility for room layout, it is a good example of doing more with less. Made of rosewood and chromed steel, the vintage furniture site reselling it describes it as a wall desk from 1970s France. Although France was not a resource- … | Continue reading
Designed by Carlos Jimenez during his internship at NormannCopenhagen and codesigned with the Danish designer Simon Legald, Junto is a collection of carafe and cups that captivates with its traditional charm, revitalized through contemporary approaches. One piece of the collectio … | Continue reading
From Nendo, here's a fun imagining of 50 different chair designs, inspired by the way that kinetic energy is visually represented in manga. They've presented it in animation form, as one chair that morphs into all 50 designs: "50 manga chairs is the result of adapting the strong … | Continue reading
Industrial designer Kenji Takeuchi curated "Walking Sticks & Canes," a research exhibition currently running at the Triennale Milano. Takeuchi asked 17 fellow designers to re-imagine the titular object, considering the following:"[The first walking stick] must have been one of th … | Continue reading
DeWalt's $33 manual Carbon Fiber Composite Staple Gun is made out of the stuff, and thus weighs 50% less. It's actually 2-in-1 tool as it can also fire brad nails.As for design features, it's got a little windows on either side of the nose, so you can see when you're running low … | Continue reading
This PSF1, by Taiwanese manufacturer BESV, is an e-bike that's easy on the eyes. Conveniently, it folds down for transport or apartment storage. An LCD display indicates your speed, range, battery life, and which of the four assistance modes you're in. It's powered by a 250W moto … | Continue reading
This wall hook, which was manufactured at least as far back as 1908, is designed to be installed without the use of tools. Though pre-drilling might make it easier, the lower hook is used for leverage to screw it into place, and the wire is of a thick enough gauge to not get bent … | Continue reading
Leif Jørgensen is the Danish architect/furniture designer who designed that Loop Stand for Hay.While that piece involved a trio of welds, Jørgensen asks more of the welder for his more recent LJ Spider Chair, produced for his own brand: It's one of those pieces that's simple and … | Continue reading
When it comes to kitchen items, certain objects will last forever, like a cast iron frying pan. Other things get chewed up and need eventual replacement, like cutting boards. But if you want a cutting board that falls in the former category, here's your chance.This Siki cutting b … | Continue reading
I'd love to get my hands on a copy of this book. "The Function of Colour in Factories Schools & Hospitals" is a British book published in 1930. UK-based stationery retailer Present & Correct owns a copy, and posted these (uncaptioned) scans on their blog:I found an old eBay listi … | Continue reading
This unusual-looking cup was designed by Dr. Mark Weislogel, a former NASA research scientist and expert in fluid dynamics. It has the unusual provenance of having been prototyped not on Earth, but in space.As the story goes, Dr. Weislogel learned that Donald Pettit, an astronaut … | Continue reading
Startup Humane has debuted their Ai Pin, an $800 wearable AI assistant meant to be something like a smartphone without a screen. First-wave tech reviewers are all over the thing, and the reviews have been damning.There's two main issues with this first-of-its-kind device. The fir … | Continue reading
Here's what we looked at this week:China's ancient Dragon Kilns were designed to work with hilly terrain.Studio Touya built this traditional Japanese Anagama kiln in North Carolina. NASA has revealed two additional designs for Lunar Terrain Vehicles.From Switzerland, designey … | Continue reading
NYC-based dog owners Jeremy Canade and Sophie Bakalar are the founders of Fable, a pet products company. Pet crates are an essential piece of kit for many urban pet owners, and the duo wondered: Why are they always so ugly?Canade and Bakalar worked with industrial design firm Dor … | Continue reading
This unusual LBM Corner Table Lamp is by Mexican industrial designer Moisés Hernández."Inspired by the innovative architecture of fellow Mexican Luis Barragán*, Moisés Hernández designed the LBM Corner Table Lamp to reflect his fascination with monolithic geometry, colour, light … | Continue reading
"There is a long standing tradition for the small retreat in architecture," writes Norwegian architecture firm Rever & Drage, introducing their Cabin Nordmarka project. "Historically this kind of building has served as a shelter whilst doing other recreational activities such as … | Continue reading
Underground bike storage systems, like those seen in Japan, are amazing. But they obviously require a massive amount of excavation and construction.A Swiss company called V-Locker has designed an easier-to-implement solution. The company has developed tower modules containing bik … | Continue reading
Russian artist Canyaon skewers both sneaker culture and the aesthetics of various subcultures with his absurdist footwear concepts: Nike Grapes Adidas Neighborhood Watchers ESports Custom Mercedes-Benz Sneakers There's a ton more on his Instagram. | Continue reading
An old-school construction trick used in Japan, the Swiss Alps, and probably other places, is to hold roofing down using heavy rocks.UK-based design/research/building firm Material Cultures used this technique, as well as timber framing, in building this Rock Hut for client Grize … | Continue reading
Jørn Utzon is the Danish architect best known for designing the Sydney Opera House. That was a 16-year ordeal, beginning with winning a design competition in 1957, then being unpleasantly confronted with engineering challenges, ballooning costs and politically-motivated personal … | Continue reading