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
In order to manufacture the clothes we wear, things have to be pulled out of the ground. Plants for fibers, petroleum for technical fabrics. But a startup called Human Material Loop has a more sustainable idea: To create textiles out of human hair."Every day, hundreds of tonnes o … | Continue reading
In mid-20th-century Europe, Margerete Jahny belonged to a rare demographic of industrial designer: She was an East German female. And according to design historian Günter Höhne, she was the first East German industrial designer, of any gender, with a university education.The Germ … | Continue reading
These curious looking vintage "road glasses" were made by Kasper & Richter, a German manufacturer of precision instruments. They were designed for driving in bad weather, in the days when enclosed cars were a novelty. I am so curious to try a pair on to see what can actually be s … | Continue reading
Swiss toymaker Naef has been manufacturing this Cella toy since 1967.It was designed by German polymath Peer Klahsen, whose career has included stints in carpentry, furniture design, fine art, architecture and writing. "He has a brilliant mind with an excellent mathematical-geome … | Continue reading
Previously we looked at Astrolab's FLEX, a vehicle with no design predecessor. Intended for lunar exploration, the utilitarian two-person vehicle was designed for NASA.Now NASA's announced they've selected an additional two companies to develop additional Lunar Terrain Vehicles f … | Continue reading
Asahikawa, Hokkaido has been a furniture-producing center for Japan for decades. The furniture industry produces a lot of wooden offcuts. How can you turn those offcuts into more revenue?Since 1955, the Tomiya company has been producing these Kuma Bokko*, tiny carved bears made f … | Continue reading
This bathroom cabinetry is by Thomas Longuefosse, an ébéniste (cabinetmaker) based in the Basque Country.Longuefosse has been taken by the art of kumiko, and practices it in his spare time. "The Japanese have a very particular way of working," he writes, "and very different from … | Continue reading
This stunning Cocoda Chair, Special Edition was designed by master furniture craftsman Shigeki Matsuoka. It is produced by Matsuoka's company, Studio Toda (and is an alternate take on their "standard," symmetrical Cocoda Chair). Aesthetically it takes a lot of risks, from the asy … | Continue reading
Meyer-Hayoz is an industrial design and engineering firm based in Winterthur, Switzerland. They've created this designey Tomorrow laundry drying rack for Stewi, a Swiss manufacturer of laundry drying products:"Our cooperation with Stewi is characterised by the guiding idea of imp … | Continue reading
If you're not in the path of today's total solar eclipse, you can still watch it live, thanks to NASA. They're broadcasting live views of the eclipse from multiple locations across its path. The broadcast, embedded below, will go live at 1pm EDT:If for some reason the embed's not … | Continue reading
North Carolina has a lot of clay, and it's where Japanese ceramic artists Hitomi and Takuro Shibata are based. Together they run Studio Touya, producing pieces using wild clays and wood firing techniques.They've built several kilns for their work, but the most impressive is their … | Continue reading
In the hilly terrain of southern China, ancient ceramicists designed a special type of kiln that worked with the terrain. These Dragon Kilns, which date back 2,000 to 3,000 years, ran up a hill in a long, snakelike form. Image: Shanghai Museum Image: Wuxi Daily Not only have some … | Continue reading
Here's what we looked at this week:Ringbot is a robot with a bizarre form factor: One hubless wheel and two "legs. Logitech's well-designed, easy-to-open clamshell packaging is a revelation.BYD's Yangwang U8: A $155,000 electric luxury SUV with an emergency flotation feature. … | Continue reading
The Palm Plug is a virtual reality hand tracker and guider dreamt up by entrepreneur Ola Adesan. Adesan turned to industrial design and engineering firm Hatch Duo to realize the product, which is geared towards learning to play a musical instrument. As the firm explains:The Palm … | Continue reading
Adrien Rovero, a Swiss industrial designer who runs his own firm in Renens, designed this cheeky VD003 bike rack:"VD003 is a car-shaped bicycle rack which holds six bikes in the space that one car would take up. It was designed to sensibilize car users to the space a car occupies … | Continue reading
Designing gas station bathrooms might seem beneath the average Swiss architect. But "We want to be free to build what people really need," Jeanne Wéry told HochParterre, "and not sink under the pressure of architecture as a financial business. We want to flirt with the boundaries … | Continue reading
With his Dedicate Lamp, industrial designer Thomas Bentzen sought to update the archetypal architect's lamp with some UX improvements. "It's all about achieving a truly smooth movement," he says. "When you grab it and pull it towards you, it shouldn't tilt; it should feel sturdy … | Continue reading
The last time we looked in on jet suit company Gravity Industries, the UK's Royal Marines were using their jet suits to board a ship. More recently the company made the news for a non-military happening: They've held their inaugural Jet Suit Race in Dubai, hoping to generate some … | Continue reading
I live in a rural American county where police are few, but the speed limit is enforced by deer. The sheer amount of dead roadside deer keeps body shops in business and the local vulture population fed, but it's still sad to see. In Australia, it's kangaroos that are getting hit … | Continue reading
Something civilians might not grasp is how radically cheap drones are changing the face of warfare. Years ago the U.S. dominated this space with $40 million Predator drones. Now underfunded combatants—ISIS, Hamas, the Ukraine—can pick up a DJI drone for a couple hundred bucks and … | Continue reading
Danish designer Poul Henningson's PH 5 pendant lamp is so iconic… …it's easy to forget that it wasn't a standalone object; it was part of a series incorporating Henningson's very specific arrangement of shades.Image: Nasjonalmuseet/Bjørgli, Annar - CC BY 4.0 "PH did not just desi … | Continue reading
This Instahanger is a hanging rod that folds against the wall. It can hold up to 60 lbs.They also make a door-hanging version, which makes sense for a closet door… …but mounting one in a high-traffic area seems like a mistake. Overall the idea is neat, though I think the executio … | Continue reading
This male urinal bottle has had some design thought put into it.The lid is glow-in-the-dark. The shape and handle placement make it both easy to fill and empty, the latter of which you can see in the demo video below. What I think is the best feature, is that it has been designed … | Continue reading
As with the EDC market, the fitness market is awash in gizmos with curious forms. Like these things:Those are called Swissies, and if they were to survive for centuries, future archaeologists would have fun trying to figure out what they were used for.Perhaps they could guess by … | Continue reading
The hi-tech counterpart to the Victorian-era creel is this automated laundry rack. Manufactured by Singapore-based Good Living, it's meant to appeal to that city's denizens, who live in space-tight conditions. This rack has no footprint at all, as it retracts into the ceiling; wh … | Continue reading
To the Victorians, the widespread availability of metal casting must've seemed like 3D printing today; now alluva sudden manufacturers could create new, fanciful, elaborate forms that would be difficult to make using previous means. In 1800s England this cast iron thing, known as … | Continue reading
This unusual-looking piece of cabinetry…Image: Dr. Galen R. Frysinger …is a retractable drying rack, used by the Shakers in their laundry facilities. The one above is located at the Shaker Village in Canterbury, New Hampshire.Here's a shot of the drying racks at the Wash House of … | Continue reading
You could be forgiven for thinking these cast aluminum pieces are trivets… …but in fact they're rope connectors. The friction of the ropes hold them in place. These doodads are a knot-free way to make a climbing net, like you'd see at a playground (or perhaps at the American Ninj … | Continue reading
No fooling, there are some great Industrial Design Jobs out there right now and many of the finest popped-up on Coroflot over the past week or so. Here is a collection of roles that you may be interested in:Junior Product Designer at Infantino"We are looking for a Junior Product … | Continue reading