Inspirational & creative ramblings of a self-confessed geek – Things I like, things I find and things I’m doing.
When I originally stumbled across this it reminded me so much of a post I wrote last year that I couldn’t resist giving it a mention. It’s a wonderfully charming twist on the hammer-forged DIY furniture, aimed both at children (for the whimsical playfulness) and adults (for the eco recyclable touch).
Rip + Tatter is a creation from Peter Oyler, sculpted out (in huge great tearing handfuls, I’d imagine) from industrial grade cardboard. Great fun, and a great sustainable product.
Yes you read the title correctly, RGB wallpaper. This particularly creative output is the product of Italian design studio Carnovsky and has been created for the Milan branch of Janelli & Volpi.
Each wallpaper style offers an utter visual delight in overlapping illustrations and colours, revealing one of three designs depending whether you shine red, green or blue light on them.
I can see real potential in expanding the application of this technique. Everything from colour changing interiors in bars and clubs, to public spaces that could seemingly alter their environment at the flick of a switch.
The lucky folk in Berlin can go along to the Johanssen Gallery until February next year to see these pieces first hand, with the stunning addition of a similarly themed series on playing card based prints.
Carnovky’s Francesco Rugi explains ”in each there are printed three different playing cards: The overlapping of colours mixes up the forms so that it is difficult to recognize which figure is represented, an enigma that can be solved just through the use of one of the coloured filters.”
If anyone is stuck for a Christmas present for me then one of these beautiful sets would go a long way to earning my affection.
More images from the different wallpaper series’ here.
All photographs: Alvise Vivenza
Via Creative Review Blog.
A beautiful piece of furniture to start off the week with. Prepare to say goodbye to your bookends with these cantilevered modules finished in stylish walnut veneer.
Stacked on top of each other at single angled points, this rather unique item of furniture will provide as much of a talking point in your home as the function it provides. It’s the fantastic work of Malagana Design, succeeding where many bookcases fail, in creating an impression of balance and lightness.
Designed to create an air of amusement and surprise, Equilibrium is able to hold up to 120lbs of books and magazines naturally tilted to eliminate the need for bookends. Part of it’s appeal is the utterly baffling manner in which it stays upright and balanced, especially when you consider that can be completely disassembled in minutes with no tools or hardware! The modules simply sit in absolute and perfect equilibrium.
It’s already been honoured with mentions around the world, in particular Lápiz de Acero in Columbia and Design+Modern+Function in New York. Now the hat trick of accolades are complete with a glowing review on Inspirational Geek!
If anyone’s wondering what to get me for Christmas I’ll assure you now that you can’t go wrong with one of these bookcases. I’m not fussy on colour.
‘Chairless’ is a rather innovative example of minimalist design by Alejandro Aravena of Vitra. So minimalist in fact, that it’s a chair that isn’t a chair at all.
Inspired by the nomads of northern Paraguay it allows the user to sit in a relaxed manner, but with no seat or backrest, simply a strap of fabric.
It offers a really rather clever solution for when chairs are in short supply, or impractical to carry around (think lunch in the park, sitting down at a festival, reading on the beach), and having a design approach verging on “extreme minimalism” you can carry it around with you wherever you go. This leaves your hands free “to operate your iPad” (read a book, eat a sandwich, or something else mundane).
It’s even been endorsed by medical professionals as “there are no more risks involved than when using a conventional chair”. Excellent, get one here.
When I first saw this I actually uttered “oh I do like this” out loud. You may laugh, but just you wait. I give you… ‘Papervore‘.
It’s so simple, yet mechanically industrial. Effortlessly cumbersome, yet you know you want one.
I mean for a start, who doesn’t get junk mail? We all do, and what better way to recycle it than with your living room centre piece.
Pigeontail Design studio is offering ‘Papervore’ as “part-coffee table, part-paper shredder”. And not just your typical electronic, CD shredding, bank card tearing, multi-directional cross bladed shredder either, you hand crank this one. The crank is a lovely touch, winding your mail through the teeth, imagine the satisfaction actually being involved as an integral part of the process that obliterates any piece of scrap paper. The powder coated aluminum top and mahogany shelf underneath simply enhance the overall image no end.
On a much deeper level, the tactile feedback for the user must be fantastic too. Tiny vibrations and sensations as you crunch it through, the thicker the mail the more stimulating the feedback for the user. Making the user enjoy being part of the process, that’s good design.
The fact that it’s is largely transparent is perhaps a subconscious nod to the “Dyson generation” that we are. Core to all of Dyson’s designs (apart from their wonderful cyclone technology) is a transparent vessel which stores the dirt. Being able to see it demonstrates what a great product it is, almost showing off (even just to yourself) “look how much work I’ve done” by sucking up all this dirt. Similarly here, this means that your shredding is measureable, it is quantitative. Boasting about how much junk mail you get, or how much recycling you do, people are naturally competitive and will want to compare and fill theirs up first.
Watch it shred it all its (stop motion) glory
But remember, this is only for junk. To those of you who are ultra competitive don’t get carried away and stick your credit card bill in there, you probably need to pay that.
Hat tip to Design Taxi for the original find on this.
I’m a big fan of seating, if it’s a well designed chair I (generally) like it.
I posted about these imaginative, and probably incredibly efficient, meeting chairs quite a while ago so it’s time for another seating based instalment.
It comes in the form of these ABChairs, each one modelled on a letter of the alphabet. Maximum points for creativity, and top job on incorporating some decent type into the design.
The prototypes are currently lacquered MDF but the aim is for them to be rotational moulded using LDPE plastic. Created by dutch designer Roeland Otten (who also has a very clever site), and they are more than just an attractive model – you can order limited prototypes of each on request.
I’m very tempted by the G.
A nod to Dezeen for the original find on this.
Having just sat through a stuffy meeting that unnecesarily ran over by 45 minutes I found myself drifting in and out of focus and generally wishing I was somewhere filled with fluffy clouds and marshmallows. With many of those around me also on the verge of nodding off I remembered this which I found late last year and thought I needed to remind the world about it.
Imagine if meetings were efficient, ran on time and only contained the important stuff. Too much time has been spent sitting around in wonderfully ergonomic and comfortable Herman Miller chairs, generally being inefficient. Until now.
Every company should have these.
The Slightly Uncomfortable Chair Collection was designed by the Sid Lee Collective.
More pictures of the full collection on the Today and Tomorrow blog.
