Design News

Another product from Normann Copenhagen: Danish architect Britt Kornum has designed a steel version of her Norm 03 Lamp for the Danish brand. (more…)

Room 68 is a bar and restaurant in Hampstead, London, designed by Anarchitect. (more…)

The Mehrzeller (multi-cell) caravan concept from Graz, Austria takes faceted design to whole new level. An online application generates the design based on a customers specifications resulting in no two caravans exactly the same—just incase driving this polygon camper on the autobahn doesn't express your individuality enough.

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The latest 1 Hour Design Challenge ends tomorrow night, and it only takes an hour to enter and win! So fire up those tablet, get out those Prismacolors, and get in this. Guest judges are Bopanna Ulliyada, Chris Chung, and Ryan Henbest from Timbuk2, and 1st prize winner will receive a Custom Timbuk2 bag, with custom fabrics and trim!

>See ALL the entries so far and add yours here.<<

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Slovenian domestic appliance brand Gorenje has developed a fridge-freezer with a built-in iPod docking station and speakers. (more…)

Protect The Human is a new open community site created by Amnesty International UK. Amnesty International is a movement of people from around the world standing up for humanity and human rights.

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This week's MoCo picks.

+ Arkitektfirmaet C. F. Møller's Summerhouse in Kandestederne. "This house was conceived to be placed in nature as a composition of small buildings, joined together around a sheltered inner court.". Via Below The Clouds and materialicious.

+ moomoo architects' rendering of a curtain house at designeast.eu for Polish photographer Szymon Szcześniak. "The fabric front of the house reacts to any tiny breeze, so moves, dances creating an unusual space for resting, relaxing and finding inspiration.".

+ Bramante Architects' 33 Lennox Gardens at Dezeen, an apartment interior completed in Kensington, London featuring some interesting multifuntion/ storage solutions and the blending of old and new interior design.

+ Torafu Architects' cubist cement house in Yokohama. Via Dezain.

More later...

Crain's has been doing their 40 under 40 since the early 90s, but our vote for most interesting stories of young entrepeneurs goes to MIT Technology Review's slightly younger and smaller TR35--a selection of 35 technologists, scientists and inventors doing some genuinely game-changing work. Obvious highlights include Jack Dorsey of Twitter fame and JB Straubel who made the Tesla Roadster a reality, but some of the lesser-knowns have perhaps even more remarkable things to offer: Michelle Chang, for example, a researcher at Berkeley, is coaxing microbes to synthesize fuel and pharmaceuticals, while Harvard's Robert Wood shows off some utterly convincing robotic flies; the smallest yet devised.

Detailed PDFs of each subject are available, and unusually detailed for this sort of feature, including profiles, images, technical briefs and video.

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Harmonia 57 by French-Brazilian architects Triptyque is an office building in São Paulo with a planted facade irrigated by a mist system. (more…)

This two-day international design policy conference, which will take place in Turin, Italy on 6 and 7 November, will provide a global platform for the high-level exchange of ideas, insights and best practice from the many different countries developing, launching and maintaining effective design policies. An international line-up of speakers and panel members drawn from governments, industry and design will address strategic and tactical issues on design policy in developing and developed economies. Keynote speakers include Peter Dröll, Head of the Business Unit in Innovation Policy for the European Commission; David Kester, the Chief Executive of the UK Design Council; and Yrjö Sotamaa, President and Professor, University of Art and Design Helsinki, Finland.

The design policy conference coincides with the 'International Design Casa' - a series of international exhibitions and events at various venues across the city of Turin (opening on 5 November), and an extravaganza of contemporary arts, highlighted by the international Artissima arts fair (opening on 7 November) and the Daniel Birnbaum curated exhibition 50 Moons of Saturn. Make sure to stay until 8 November for the Contemporary Arts Night.

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The Wonder Room at Selfridges department store in London is hosting an exhibition of jewellery influenced by the natural world, described as “a heady mix of taxidermy, genetic-engineered jewellery and natural pearls”. (more…)

Since the first use of tools to achieve goals, design has been born as a response to problems and needs. Sadly, since we now live in a thoroughly designed world, many of our problems are themselves secondary consequences of prior acts of design. Collecting striking photographs with interviews and original essays, Arctar's latest book/magazine hybrid, Verb: Crisis addresses architectural and design responses to the problems of our modern age.

Nowhere is the collision between man-solution and self-induced problem clearer than in the book's opening aerial time lapse photographs of Dubai. In only a few years, a fully completed city seems to have risen from the desert, grown only from oil, money and hope. Yet behind all of the investment, buildings like the Burj Dubai stand as a monuments to disequilibrium. As is done in each chapter, descriptive prose and photographs are followed by philosophical inquiry. Boris Brorman Jensen observes that Dubai's very existence attempts to answer the question of whether a city can be created from scratch, and its success or failure will be born out over time. While Dubai works as a microcosm illustrating the ability of human beings to manage their environments, later chapters explore cases of varying scale: from single building housing projects to massive plots like the Fresh Kills landfill.

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In the spirit of the back-to-school season, this week we highlight a few products to help keep you organized and productive as you resume your routine.

Everyone needs a good notebook whether at school or work. They are our to-do lists, diaries and scribble pads. Although we like the traditional Mead and Five Star varieties, the following are our selection of eco-friendly, well-designed or just plain pretty notebooks.

Awagami - +1 Notebooks
Awagami is a Japanese stationary company steeped in the 300 year tradition of Washi papermaking. The Awagami+1 series was released earlier this year, and features these notebooks, designed by Craig Anczelowitz (pictured above). They come in hand-printed Yuzen paper or the more subtle Syurro, which is made from eco-friendly rice straw paper. You can find them at select stores in four continents.

Remarkable - I used to be...Notebooks
All of Remarkable's products are made from all different kinds of recycled UK waste, hence the phrase "I used to be." Featuring a whole range of notebooks including A4 and A5 sizes which use recycled paper, covers are made from car tires and retail waste such as food, fashion and gift packaging. You can also check out their pens and pencils made from materials such as CD cases, plastic cups and polystyrene packaging. A fun, funky and eco-friendly brand, purchase their notebooks for £4 at Remarkable.

Mateo Ilasco - Ikat + Stitch Tree Journals
Beautiful journals created by designer, writer and illustrator Meg Mateo Ilasco, each cover is hand screen-printed around a 60-page sewn quality textblock from Italy. It measures 4.75" x 7" and uses recycled paper. The journals come as a pair, one Ikat journal (above left) and then your choice of either the blue or yellow Stitch Tree journal (above right). They are available to buy online at eco-boutique Beklina for $36.

The Cottage Industry - Portait / Landscape Sketchbook
A thoughtfully designed sketchbook, pages gradually shift from from portrait to landscape format as you progress through the pages. Start from either side and work your way through the 210 differently sized pages accommodating any situation. It was designed, created and hand-bound in the Netherlands as a signed limited edition of 500. The Cottage Industry is a collaboration between designers Damian O'Sullivan and Lisa Smith who are based in Rotterdam. Purchase the Portrait / Landscape Sketchbook for €55 from The Cottage Industry.

Vickery - The Himalayan Journal
The Himalayan Journals measure 9.25" x 13" and are made with 96 pages of Lokta paper from Nepal. The hand made paper is sourced from the bark of the Daphne bush which grows naturally in the Himalayas at altitudes of 6000 to 10,000 feet. Lokta produces a soft and strong acid-free paper with a natural color and beautiful texture. They are available to buy online from Vickery at $36.

Moleskine - Volant Notebooks
We can't fault the classic Moleskin notebooks for becoming so popular. They are still every bit as desirable as when Hemingway used them. However, we also like the variations and themed products that Moleskin are now producing. Simple, chic and practical, the new Volant series come in ruled or plain acid-free thread bound paper and are sold in pairs of contrasting shades of the same colour—blue, green, pink or black. There's a size for every conceivable need—extra small, pocket and large. Available from Mojo starting at £4.

Myndology
Another eco-friendly variety, Myndology notebooks use 100% recycled products, are printed with soy ink, produced using hydroelectric energy and come in an array of different sizes and colors. Designed by Duffy & Partners, they are similar to a three-ring binder in some respects. Disc Binding allows you to pull out sheets of paper, re-organize and put them back in. Reusable, refills are also available so you potentially never have to purchase another notebook again. Available for $3 to $10 at select retailers and online at Myndnology.

Omnifocus
One of the more slept-on features of iPhones in our opinion is the ability to ditch paper products in favor of applications that do more than simply provide a place to jot down thoughts. Omnifocus is one such helpful tool, managing tasks with technology that makes it effortless to prioritize, organize and sync with Mac. You can download a free trial or purchase a license for $80 from The Omni Group.

Evernote
Like Omnifocus, Evernote seamlessly syncs across multiple platforms but the emphasis here is on capturing and organizing information using any number of methods, including pictures, email, screenshots, audio recordings and more. A basic account is free but you'll have to pay $5 monthly or $45 for the year to get the premium service that enables more data uploading.

Other Cool Hunting favorites include the Muji Chronotebook, Behance, Studio Matador and Start Here Notebooks.

With contributions by Ami Kealoha, Doug Black and Tim Yu

Droog Design have given their website a much welcome overhaul, it's hard to remember the last version but it was a little too designed with individual hyperlinks on every word in a sentence--very annoying. This one is a huge improvement and does a much better job presenting their impressive collection of work and designers.

Check out photo's from their exhibition A touch of Green in Milan earlier this year here.

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With the rising costs of fuel, airlines are taking extreme measures to lose weight. Many companies in the States are persuading passengers to travel light by charging a fee for additional checked luggage. Air Canada's regional carrier Jazz is taking it one step further and removing life vests to lighten the load.

Safety cards now ask passengers to use their cushion as a flotation device in the event of an emergency. While their rationale makes sense, we'd rather see design improvements like Marc Newson's thinner seats for Qantas and maintain our illusion of safety for a little longer.

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The entries are coming fast a furious now for the latest 1 Hour Design Challenge: Back-to-school Bag.

Picking a few recent highlights, from top-to-bottom are LT21's Hard Shell SquatPak, elliotts21's Le Mondrian, and Bbarn's Campus Media Bag. We also dig Savage's ModPac, nourmalaeb's Velcrometre (LOVE the name!), and idfarmer's totally awesome Nomadstic!

There are 3 days left to enter your design--we intentionally scheduled this to give you the whole long weekend if you're in these parts--and it only takes an hour to enter and win. So fire up those tablet, get out those Prismacolors, and get in this. Guest judges are Bopanna Ulliyada, Chris Chung, and Ryan Henbest from Timbuk2, and 1st prize winner will receive a Custom Timbuk2 bag, with custom fabrics and trim!

>See ALL the entries so far and add yours here.<<

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We don’t usually think of using carpet anywhere else but the floor, so work by carpet collective Fun on the Floor caught our attention. A Georgian townhouse in London has undergone a colourful transformation: carpet is used as a wallcovering in the hallway, as upholstery in the living room, and to accessorize every room of the house. Carpet is used to cover surfaces in the bedrooms, to create leaves for the jungle theme of the kids’ bedroom, and to replace the standard moose trophy in the front hall.

+ funonthefloor.com

Admit it--when you hear the words "copyright violation," the first place you think of is China; you probably don't think of, say, Home Depot.

Well, check out the two lamps up top. Recognize 'em? Can you even tell 'em apart? Here's the deal, from an NYC tipster:

Right now the Home Depot on 23rd Street [in Manhattan] is selling an almost exact copy of the Starck-designed Miss K Lamp by Flos. Only [Home Depot's version] is missing the half-chrome plating on the inside of the shade, which is the whole concept of the original design, and the plastic quality is substandard. Also the chrome "collar" is el cheapo and has no engraved branding on it as with the Flos lamp. The price? Only $21.97! About 1/10 the price of the Flos lamp. From three feet away, they are all but identical.

The [Home Depot] lamp is actually produced by Hampton Bay, who should really know better than to pirate intellectual property. It is one thing for companies to knock off vintage design classics, but for a supposedly legitimate company to out-and-out copy a design currently in production by a living designer like Starck is really over the top. For shame!

thanks Bradley!

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I have to say I don't love this guy's font, but it's a cool way of thinking about hand lettering. And further proof that architects really just wish they were graphic designers... (BURN!)

For more handwriting tips, check out Matthew Frederick's 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School. Crushing on the chick with a pocket full of Microns and an Eames chair tattoo? Write her a love note she'll appreciate. Frederick's tip: write in highlighter, then outline the letters in black pen. So classy.

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Rosenbaum Design created an interior for Brazilian footwear brand Melissa during São Paulo Fashion Week in June. (more…)