Remember his crazy cubic chandeliers ? Here he is again – Robert at the peak of his student career, creating something at once simple but with infinite potential. Control switches sometimes give users the ability to adjust light levels, a step up from the classic on-or-off switch to be sure, but these simple-looking, box-shaped pendant lights take things to another level entirely. Each of the six sides to each cube is independently flexible,... 

Sick of rearranging the power strip to make everything fit? Annoyed by the way a slightly-to-wide plug can take up more than its fair share of space partially covering one (or even two) other slots? Or frustrated with the fact that some cords come straight out while others bend sharply in some random direction? This slider-style socket idea (in this case rendered by Chen Yinfeng) is actually not brand new. In fact, variants on the core idea... 

Some say caskets, others say coffins, but if death is the ultimate equalizer it may not matter to you once you are at the funeral home or lying six feet under – though before you go, it may be worth considering how stylish your (permanent) exist strategy is. Contemporary German architect Gregor Darius Haiduk is the latest in a long line of countrymen (the Brother’s Grim come to mind) to have addressed topics deemed too morbid for... 

Those who enjoy efficiency in furniture design may find they have a love/hate relationship with the (in)famous IKEA, which prides itself on cheap, flat-pack, easy-to-ship but still-stylish home products … with some assembly required. These humorously artistic advertisements show off a lighter side of this international furnishings company, and remind people that they do have installation services available. Grabaz und Partner created this... 

No, the other kind of plumbing fixtures – you know: lights, coat racks and the like. Faucets, sinks, toilets and showers are usually all we see of our household plumbing – end caps to an incredible network of hidden tubes and joints that supply us with water every day (and then drain it away again). Made to bend, twist and yet stand the test of time, plumbing pipes and fittings are just begging to be made into other kinds of furnishings... 

Los Angeles has a history of letting technology drive design, but not in a form-follows-function kind of way. Rather, as is the case with this ultra-cool contemporary condo, folks like Frank Gehry, Morphosis and the local students at SCIArch love seeing what three-dimensional rendering and fabrication can do to shape a space itself – and not just the technologies found within a home. Patrick Tighe architects have …  Read More →

Do you prefer to slumber in stillness and silence, or would you rest more soundly if you could swing yourself gently to sleep? Suspended beds are nothing new, but continue to appear in contemporary bedrooms with ever-more-modern materials to hold them in place. One of the classic methods of hanging beds is to simply run four ropes to the various corners, pass them through a circular hole and tie knots below. This low-tech solution works surprisingly... 

Ever notice that there is a gaping hole in your kitchen counter? You may be so used to seeing a sink that it has become second nature to consider it a place you could save some much-needed surface space. These undercover sinks provide a way to create food preparation areas when the water is turned off and the washing zone hidden from view. Undermount bowls sit …  Read More →

In architecture, the new is build around the old – and often respectfully so. Why not do the same with furniture? This set of recycled dressers uses antique drawers as the starting point and crafts useful a new storage furniture system around each collections of unique drawer boxes. With each discarded drawer carefully measured by Entwurf-Direkt . Then, the frame is assembled to comfortably fit the various shapes and sizes – from... 

Cheap, easy and playful, wall stickers can be a simple way to add some life to otherwise dull white walls – but they are also easy decor to overdo.  Kid-friendly but cool enough for adults too, these cut-out shapes combine small scissors and dotted lines you can bend and twist along the wall and around doors, windows, fixtures or furnishings. In a way, these are a bit like fridge poetry but better – they invite interaction, personalization... 

To say ‘ Milk ‘ was styled for Apple users might be an understatement. Streamlined like a Mac and with equal emphasis on sleek form and minimalist functionality, this computer desk might not stand the test of time (e.g. when the world truly goes wireless) but as a contemporary of-the-moment work surface it seems superbly streamlined to its purpose – whether or not you share its goals. Is it minimalist, or the opposite: over-engineered?... 

So-called ‘public-key’ cryptography involves passing ‘digital keys’ in plain site and creating codes that can move as bits (rather than atoms), securing communication between two parties separated in time and/or space. But what if you could do something similar with a physical house, garage or car key – ship a non-physical version to yourself or someone else that they can then print out into a real metal object... 

This original U-shaped, courtyard-centric farmhouse has rural homestead charms with which a contemporary structure cannot hope to compete  - instead, the designs of its modern extension emphasized a new direction in terms of plans, materials and aesthetic execution. White-painted walls and a pitched wood-shingle roof define the original residential and farm buildings, all sunken down and placed toward the front of the property. The addition... 

So you live in a small condo where every square foot counts – but imagine the premium on space of actual outer space habitats. Combining his childhood love of houseboats and adult work on habitat modules for NASA and the International Space Station, one architect has applied all of his learning and yearning to a unique space-saving (and space-age) trailer right here on Earth. After years figuring out how to make comfortable and compact... 

Yes, some of us drink milk straight from the carton. Be it a bad bachelor habit or a single-instance fluke, at one time or another, most people have probably done the same – and if you do live alone, why not? Minna has tackled this cultural taboo head-on – perhaps easier for a non-US designer to do – by crafting specialized wooden handles that slot neatly into the folded top of milk cartons. Since these homogenized vessels...