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Alice Hultqvist, Emelie Sjöberg and Linnea Nilsson, design students from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, have created a chair that is used for cultivating plant life. The extraordinary furniture is named Chia-Chair and comprises a knitted tube of a seat with chia seeds planted in it. As a result that chair primarily serves as a planting bed for the seeds, and only then as a seating for humans.
Alice Hultqvist, Emelie Sjöberg and Linnea Nilsson, design students from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, have created a chair that is used for cultivating plant life. The extraordinary furniture is named Chia-Chair and comprises a knitted tube of a seat with chia seeds planted in it. As a result that chair primarily serves as a planting bed for the seeds, and only then as a seating for humans.
#BeOpenDESIGN
Danish design and innovation studio Swift Creatives has unveiled Sculptural Surveillance – a brand new concept of architectural outdoor lighting and monitoring system. This striking range challenges the conventional with visually impactful structures that seamlessly combine lights, speakers, and monitoring devices, serving as statement pieces for gardens and grounds. Crafted from powder-coated recycled aluminium, the motion sensor-controlled motorized cameras offer a 360° field of vision, accompanied by speakers, tracing lamps, and WIFI connectivity. The concept ushers in a new era of home surveillance that echoes current trends in the smart-home sphere, where functional devices are modeled to blend with their surroundings without compromising the home’s aesthetic.
Danish design and innovation studio Swift Creatives has unveiled Sculptural Surveillance – a brand new concept of architectural outdoor lighting and monitoring system. This striking range challenges the conventional with visually impactful structures that seamlessly combine lights, speakers, and monitoring devices, serving as statement pieces for gardens and grounds. Crafted from powder-coated recycled aluminium, the motion sensor-controlled motorized cameras offer a 360° field of vision, accompanied by speakers, tracing lamps, and WIFI connectivity. The concept ushers in a new era of home surveillance that echoes current trends in the smart-home sphere, where functional devices are modeled to blend with their surroundings without compromising the home’s aesthetic.
#BeOpenDESIGN
Compact and lightweight, POCO portable capsule coffee machine by Designer Dot and Seunghun Song can easily fit into a backpack. The sleek and modern device is easily rechargeable using an USB-C on a laptop or a portable charger, which makes it the perfect choice for people who are always on the move. What makes the design remarkable is that it incorporates a built-in thermal insulation function, which keeps water warm, eliminating the need for a separate coffee thermos.
More portable coffee makers in our blog
Compact and lightweight, POCO portable capsule coffee machine by Designer Dot and Seunghun Song can easily fit into a backpack. The sleek and modern device is easily rechargeable using an USB-C on a laptop or a portable charger, which makes it the perfect choice for people who are always on the move. What makes the design remarkable is that it incorporates a built-in thermal insulation function, which keeps water warm, eliminating the need for a separate coffee thermos.
More portable coffee makers in our blog
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Eli portable coffee maker by NYC based designer Chenchen Fan lets you master the pour-over brewing method and make the taste more consistent. This brewing kit makes the process more intuitive, dividing it into three phases – material preparation, brewing setup, and final brewing. It even features an automatic rotating water nozzle so each ground can be evenly coated with water, which is usually done by hand with traditional machines. What's more, an integrated electromagnetic heating pad is used to boil water to make the device truly portable.
Eli portable coffee maker by NYC based designer Chenchen Fan lets you master the pour-over brewing method and make the taste more consistent. This brewing kit makes the process more intuitive, dividing it into three phases – material preparation, brewing setup, and final brewing. It even features an automatic rotating water nozzle so each ground can be evenly coated with water, which is usually done by hand with traditional machines. What's more, an integrated electromagnetic heating pad is used to boil water to make the device truly portable.
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Botanical artist and "urban gardener" Christophe Guinet, better known as Monsieur Plant, delicately twists and contorts robust pieces of tree trunk, modeling them into five hyper-realistic sculptures recalling everyday symbols and objects for his Twist project.
More furniture and art created using tree trunks in our blog
Botanical artist and "urban gardener" Christophe Guinet, better known as Monsieur Plant, delicately twists and contorts robust pieces of tree trunk, modeling them into five hyper-realistic sculptures recalling everyday symbols and objects for his Twist project.
More furniture and art created using tree trunks in our blog
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Designed and fabricated by Madrid-based studio Caliper for Manhattan clothing brand Hidden as part of store display, the Mac Pro Bench – just as its name suggests – is comprised of two recycled first-gen Mac Pro shells, deprived of any electronic components, with a folded aluminium bench top.
Designed and fabricated by Madrid-based studio Caliper for Manhattan clothing brand Hidden as part of store display, the Mac Pro Bench – just as its name suggests – is comprised of two recycled first-gen Mac Pro shells, deprived of any electronic components, with a folded aluminium bench top.
#BeOpenDESIGN
Hungarian designer Ben Koros has envisioned a conceptual timepiece that works like a digital hourglass and shows the passing of “subjective time”. Named Piece of Time, the piece of jewellery, which can be worn as a pendant necklace, bracelet, or basic clip, synchronises saved events and alarms from all the user’s calendar apps via a smartphone’s Bluetooth function, and counts down to the next important event based on the user’s preferences.
Hungarian designer Ben Koros has envisioned a conceptual timepiece that works like a digital hourglass and shows the passing of “subjective time”. Named Piece of Time, the piece of jewellery, which can be worn as a pendant necklace, bracelet, or basic clip, synchronises saved events and alarms from all the user’s calendar apps via a smartphone’s Bluetooth function, and counts down to the next important event based on the user’s preferences.
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TRAGA, a new Milanese design brand, has debuted with a bifunctional glass. One side of this is perfect for Martini cocktails, but when flipped the glass can be used to serve shots. Each glass is crafted from borosilicate glass, known for its durability and resistance to hot and cold temperature. The colour palette includes four options: transparent, blue & pink, teal & blue and amber & lilac, all of which brings vibrancy to any table setting.
TRAGA, a new Milanese design brand, has debuted with a bifunctional glass. One side of this is perfect for Martini cocktails, but when flipped the glass can be used to serve shots. Each glass is crafted from borosilicate glass, known for its durability and resistance to hot and cold temperature. The colour palette includes four options: transparent, blue & pink, teal & blue and amber & lilac, all of which brings vibrancy to any table setting.
#BeOpenDESIGN
Swedish design studio Addi has created an alternative to conventional waiting-area furniture – a minimalist log-like perch for users to lean on while waiting around in anonymous spaces. Named Lumber, the piece can also act as a room divider when placed next to each other, a centerpiece in an artsy environment as well as a play area for young and old. The textile components are easily removable: thus facilitating cleaning and the option to replace if needed, thereby extending the product’s longevity.
Swedish design studio Addi has created an alternative to conventional waiting-area furniture – a minimalist log-like perch for users to lean on while waiting around in anonymous spaces. Named Lumber, the piece can also act as a room divider when placed next to each other, a centerpiece in an artsy environment as well as a play area for young and old. The textile components are easily removable: thus facilitating cleaning and the option to replace if needed, thereby extending the product’s longevity.
#BeOpenDESIGN
With the development of online shopping and deliveries, the growing amount of plastic packaging waste threatens to question all progress made with reducing the amount of plastic bags. To address this problem, the design team from Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, China, experimented with better ways of recycling polymer mailer bags and transforming them into a new surface material through simple processing or pattern design. The regenerated material can be used to produce various products, such as fashionable bag designs. The material is highly flexible and wear-resistant, with a texture that resembles vegetable tanned leather.
More exciting sustainable bags in our blog
With the development of online shopping and deliveries, the growing amount of plastic packaging waste threatens to question all progress made with reducing the amount of plastic bags. To address this problem, the design team from Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, China, experimented with better ways of recycling polymer mailer bags and transforming them into a new surface material through simple processing or pattern design. The regenerated material can be used to produce various products, such as fashionable bag designs. The material is highly flexible and wear-resistant, with a texture that resembles vegetable tanned leather.
More exciting sustainable bags in our blog
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Uncovering beauty from the mundane, NYC based designer Nik Bentel has crafted a bag out of a single orange electric cord. He wrapped and glued the 25 metre lonbg cord to form a bucket-like shape, preserving the cord for its intended use without any cuts.
Aptly named Electric Cord Bag, the bag can be worn as a unique and distinctive accessory, or can even be plugged into a wall.
More bespoke bags in our blog.
Uncovering beauty from the mundane, NYC based designer Nik Bentel has crafted a bag out of a single orange electric cord. He wrapped and glued the 25 metre lonbg cord to form a bucket-like shape, preserving the cord for its intended use without any cuts.
Aptly named Electric Cord Bag, the bag can be worn as a unique and distinctive accessory, or can even be plugged into a wall.
More bespoke bags in our blog.
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Developed by designer Saiyami Jhaveri, Ecobloom is a concept device that take the routine of maintenance needed for home gardening. Almost of parts of this process, such as watering, sunlight and protection from pests, are automated. Soil moisture sensors determine the right time to water the plants, while drippers dispense the right amount of water. The smart gardening pot also features artificial "grow lights" and a built-in insect repellent that keeps pests away without harming humans and pets.
Developed by designer Saiyami Jhaveri, Ecobloom is a concept device that take the routine of maintenance needed for home gardening. Almost of parts of this process, such as watering, sunlight and protection from pests, are automated. Soil moisture sensors determine the right time to water the plants, while drippers dispense the right amount of water. The smart gardening pot also features artificial "grow lights" and a built-in insect repellent that keeps pests away without harming humans and pets.
#BeOpenDESIGN
As part of his Diploma Project during his student tenure at the L’école cantonale d’art de Lausanne (ECAL) Swiss product designer Robin Luginbühl has conceptualized The Disassembly Lab, modular sneakers with 3D-knitted parts that are repairable, restorable, replaceable, and recyclable. The TPU soles and upper parts can be tied using an elastic thread, or glued together with recycled rubber. Since the sneakers are modular, the upper parts can also be manufactured with disposable or thrown-out materials, including excess fabric from the fashion industry.
As part of his Diploma Project during his student tenure at the L’école cantonale d’art de Lausanne (ECAL) Swiss product designer Robin Luginbühl has conceptualized The Disassembly Lab, modular sneakers with 3D-knitted parts that are repairable, restorable, replaceable, and recyclable. The TPU soles and upper parts can be tied using an elastic thread, or glued together with recycled rubber. Since the sneakers are modular, the upper parts can also be manufactured with disposable or thrown-out materials, including excess fabric from the fashion industry.
#BeOpenDESIGN
Skateboarder and designer Chris Luu has turned a city barrier into a purse. The Barrier Bag, playfully cast in resin, mirrors different barriers celebrating their distinctiveness, so no two bags are identical.
Skateboarder and designer Chris Luu has turned a city barrier into a purse. The Barrier Bag, playfully cast in resin, mirrors different barriers celebrating their distinctiveness, so no two bags are identical.
#BeOpenDESIGN
Designed by The Joy Of, a family venture by Ignas and Lina Survila, T-J-O Balance is an eye-catching handbag that features a case of Italian leather for elegance, a sturdy plastic shield for protection, and a carefully crafted handlebar made of birchwood for a touch of natural personalization. The experimental piece is nevertheless very practical, perfectly serving its direct purpose of carrying your everyday essentials.
Designed by The Joy Of, a family venture by Ignas and Lina Survila, T-J-O Balance is an eye-catching handbag that features a case of Italian leather for elegance, a sturdy plastic shield for protection, and a carefully crafted handlebar made of birchwood for a touch of natural personalization. The experimental piece is nevertheless very practical, perfectly serving its direct purpose of carrying your everyday essentials.
#BeOpenDESIGN
Beverage company Keurig has addressed the persisting problem of millions of coffee pods thrown in the waste on a daily basis. It has introduced a compostable and plastic-free alternative to the pod, named K-Round, that manages to produce a great brew without leaving a throwaway plastic and metal coffee pod. The K-Round comprises a compressed disc or puck of coffee grounds, bound together with plant-based materials like cellulose.
Beverage company Keurig has addressed the persisting problem of millions of coffee pods thrown in the waste on a daily basis. It has introduced a compostable and plastic-free alternative to the pod, named K-Round, that manages to produce a great brew without leaving a throwaway plastic and metal coffee pod. The K-Round comprises a compressed disc or puck of coffee grounds, bound together with plant-based materials like cellulose.
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Emy Bensdorp produces bricks from soils, heavily contaminated with PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) that are toxic and do not break down in the environment when they leak into our soils and groundwater. With her start-up Claybens, Bensdorp eliminate PFAS chemicals from contaminated clay soil by firing it into bricks. What is great about these chemicals is that they're actually great because they are water resistant, fireproof and last for a long time.
More sustainable bricks in our blog
Emy Bensdorp produces bricks from soils, heavily contaminated with PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) that are toxic and do not break down in the environment when they leak into our soils and groundwater. With her start-up Claybens, Bensdorp eliminate PFAS chemicals from contaminated clay soil by firing it into bricks. What is great about these chemicals is that they're actually great because they are water resistant, fireproof and last for a long time.
More sustainable bricks in our blog
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Japanese manufacturer Sumitomo Metal Mining Co has collaborated with consultant Droga5 Tokyo and fashion designer Kosuke Tsumura to create an extraordinary jacket as a way of demonstrating potential of its innovative heat-producing Solament material. Named the Down-Less Down Jacket, the coat has a typical puffer jacket silhouette, but instead of using feathers or a synthetic material for warmth, it uses infrared-retaining technology to warm the wearer, warming the body "instantly".
Japanese manufacturer Sumitomo Metal Mining Co has collaborated with consultant Droga5 Tokyo and fashion designer Kosuke Tsumura to create an extraordinary jacket as a way of demonstrating potential of its innovative heat-producing Solament material. Named the Down-Less Down Jacket, the coat has a typical puffer jacket silhouette, but instead of using feathers or a synthetic material for warmth, it uses infrared-retaining technology to warm the wearer, warming the body "instantly".