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Made entirely out of aluminium, designer Kiki Goti's sculptural chair is an adaptive, multi-functional seating design that consists of two separate chairs that can fit into each other. Dubbed OO+II Nested Chair, the design contrasts a sharp angular back with a curved, rounded seat. The user can choose to have one compact chair, or two different chairs (a tall chair and a stool), or a chair with a side table, or a chair and a footrest. Each chair is offered in different finishes, creating a playful matrix of design options to choose from.
More extraordinary aluminium chairs in our blog.
Made entirely out of aluminium, designer Kiki Goti's sculptural chair is an adaptive, multi-functional seating design that consists of two separate chairs that can fit into each other. Dubbed OO+II Nested Chair, the design contrasts a sharp angular back with a curved, rounded seat. The user can choose to have one compact chair, or two different chairs (a tall chair and a stool), or a chair with a side table, or a chair and a footrest. Each chair is offered in different finishes, creating a playful matrix of design options to choose from.
More extraordinary aluminium chairs in our blog.
#BeOpenDESIGN
Belgian designer Thomas Serruys creates his SPC outdoor furniture from hot-dipped galvanized steel. With its simple, sculptural shape and galvanised finish that patinates lovely over time, the furniture has everything to age gracefully.
Belgian designer Thomas Serruys creates his SPC outdoor furniture from hot-dipped galvanized steel. With its simple, sculptural shape and galvanised finish that patinates lovely over time, the furniture has everything to age gracefully.
#BeOpenDESIGN
Ombak lounge chair by Sungai Design is crafted using discarded plastic bags collected from Indonesia’s rivers by the non-profit Sungai Watch. Production of one low-slung armchair requires approximately 2,000 single-use bags, which are thoroughly washed and shredded before being heat-pressed to form solid sheets. Highly detailed CNC cutting then creates the pieces that are fixed together. The chairs are manufactured in Bali with a process that aims at minimal waste.
Ombak lounge chair by Sungai Design is crafted using discarded plastic bags collected from Indonesia’s rivers by the non-profit Sungai Watch. Production of one low-slung armchair requires approximately 2,000 single-use bags, which are thoroughly washed and shredded before being heat-pressed to form solid sheets. Highly detailed CNC cutting then creates the pieces that are fixed together. The chairs are manufactured in Bali with a process that aims at minimal waste.
#BeOpenDESIGN
Medium2 Studio has collaborated with Taiwanese design brand Unipapa to address the perennial problem of storing a bulky ironing board. Design team conducted extensive research to develop Flip, an ingenuous dual-function product that combines the functionality of a full-length mirror with that of an ironing board. The resulting design boasts sophisticated sleek aesthetic that seamlessly blends into any interior while offering unparalleled functionality and optimizing space usage.
More multifunctional mirrors in our blog.
Medium2 Studio has collaborated with Taiwanese design brand Unipapa to address the perennial problem of storing a bulky ironing board. Design team conducted extensive research to develop Flip, an ingenuous dual-function product that combines the functionality of a full-length mirror with that of an ironing board. The resulting design boasts sophisticated sleek aesthetic that seamlessly blends into any interior while offering unparalleled functionality and optimizing space usage.
More multifunctional mirrors in our blog.
#BeOpenDESIGN
Inspired by the satisfying experience of popping up bubble wrap is Air Type, a concept keyboard by London-based design studio Running Guy that comes with inflated keycaps. Renders show a bespoke tactile keyboard with each individual key featuring a cushioning of air bubbles.
Inspired by the satisfying experience of popping up bubble wrap is Air Type, a concept keyboard by London-based design studio Running Guy that comes with inflated keycaps. Renders show a bespoke tactile keyboard with each individual key featuring a cushioning of air bubbles.
#BeOpenDESIGN
Reminiscent of a grandfather’s clock with its circular shape and swinging pendulum, One's has been developed by Seoul-based designer Ji Ye Hong as a wall-hung safe that preciously stores memories, both digital and physical. Using Bluetooth connectivity, the product’s 20-inch round digital frame shows photographs from the user's digital library. Behind the display panel hides a storage area with shelving intended for physical memories like childhood photographs and small memorable items.
Reminiscent of a grandfather’s clock with its circular shape and swinging pendulum, One's has been developed by Seoul-based designer Ji Ye Hong as a wall-hung safe that preciously stores memories, both digital and physical. Using Bluetooth connectivity, the product’s 20-inch round digital frame shows photographs from the user's digital library. Behind the display panel hides a storage area with shelving intended for physical memories like childhood photographs and small memorable items.
#BeOpenDESIGN
Just as its name suggests, the iconic feature that makes In Frame fireplace by YoungGyu Kwon stand out is an elegant frame that can be rotated. This feature allows the user to put the fireplace against a wall in a more conventional manner, hang it on the wall or have it freestanding in any place of the room.
via yankodesign
Just as its name suggests, the iconic feature that makes In Frame fireplace by YoungGyu Kwon stand out is an elegant frame that can be rotated. This feature allows the user to put the fireplace against a wall in a more conventional manner, hang it on the wall or have it freestanding in any place of the room.
via yankodesign
#BeOpenDESIGN
The design of the Infinite bag by Tehran-based designer Maryam Hosseini pays homage to the geometry pattern of the dome of the music hall of Aali Qapu, an imperial palace in Iran, 1957 C.E. It also uses origami techniques to fold the pieces of the bag to different faces. Crafted from durable material, leather, the bag can turn into at least 40 different shapes, symmetrical and asymmetrical. The user can change one of the shapes listed in the manual or create new faces for the bag themselves.
More origami-inspired designs in our blog.
The design of the Infinite bag by Tehran-based designer Maryam Hosseini pays homage to the geometry pattern of the dome of the music hall of Aali Qapu, an imperial palace in Iran, 1957 C.E. It also uses origami techniques to fold the pieces of the bag to different faces. Crafted from durable material, leather, the bag can turn into at least 40 different shapes, symmetrical and asymmetrical. The user can change one of the shapes listed in the manual or create new faces for the bag themselves.
More origami-inspired designs in our blog.
#BeOpenARCH
Polish architect Robert Konieczny of KWK Promes has enveloped a new residential project in Poznan, Poland, in a facade almost entirely covered in greenery. Emerging organically form the existing terrain, the building seems to be a seamless extension of the surrounding hillside. The architecture studio has wrapped the building in 140,000 plants, which will grow along a specially designed structure forming a vertical garden. Not only the plants minimize disruption to the existing ecosystem, they also offer residents easy access to fresh herbs and flowers. An automated irrigation system utilizing 90% rainwater collected on-site ensure the plants’ health, minimizing the need for manual maintenance.
More buildings with extraordinary facades in our blog.
Polish architect Robert Konieczny of KWK Promes has enveloped a new residential project in Poznan, Poland, in a facade almost entirely covered in greenery. Emerging organically form the existing terrain, the building seems to be a seamless extension of the surrounding hillside. The architecture studio has wrapped the building in 140,000 plants, which will grow along a specially designed structure forming a vertical garden. Not only the plants minimize disruption to the existing ecosystem, they also offer residents easy access to fresh herbs and flowers. An automated irrigation system utilizing 90% rainwater collected on-site ensure the plants’ health, minimizing the need for manual maintenance.
More buildings with extraordinary facades in our blog.
#BeOpenARCH
The idea of the extraordinary facade for Toy Storey Residence in Vadakara, India, came to Vinu Daniel, lead architect at Wallmakers, after stepping on a LEGO brick. The resulting home takes shape with a complex, latticework facade constructed from compressed stabilized earth blocks which integrate over 6,200 discarded toys. This innovative external skin has been designed to facilitate natural ventilation and enhance insulation.
The idea of the extraordinary facade for Toy Storey Residence in Vadakara, India, came to Vinu Daniel, lead architect at Wallmakers, after stepping on a LEGO brick. The resulting home takes shape with a complex, latticework facade constructed from compressed stabilized earth blocks which integrate over 6,200 discarded toys. This innovative external skin has been designed to facilitate natural ventilation and enhance insulation.
#BeOpenDESIGN
Made exclusively from sawdust and potato scraps, the experimental Briket stool by Swiss product designer Renaud Defrancesco can be produced directly where wood waste is abundant: in sawmills, carpentry shops, and workshops dealing with large quantities of wood. All it takes is a press to manufacture the stools on-site, giving wood waste a second life before its third and final use as fuel.
Made exclusively from sawdust and potato scraps, the experimental Briket stool by Swiss product designer Renaud Defrancesco can be produced directly where wood waste is abundant: in sawmills, carpentry shops, and workshops dealing with large quantities of wood. All it takes is a press to manufacture the stools on-site, giving wood waste a second life before its third and final use as fuel.
#BeOpenDESIGN
With his debut series, featuring a chair and a floor lamp, designer Do Hyun Ahn pays homage to the traditional Korean reed broom, a symbol of cultural significance, transcending its ordinary use as a tool for sweeping floors and functioning as a talisman against malevolent forces. Recreating the traditional craft of hand-weaving brooms from reeds and strings, the designer meticulously affixes multiple strands of yellow binder twine to a pre-existing furniture frame.
With his debut series, featuring a chair and a floor lamp, designer Do Hyun Ahn pays homage to the traditional Korean reed broom, a symbol of cultural significance, transcending its ordinary use as a tool for sweeping floors and functioning as a talisman against malevolent forces. Recreating the traditional craft of hand-weaving brooms from reeds and strings, the designer meticulously affixes multiple strands of yellow binder twine to a pre-existing furniture frame.
#BeOpenDESIGN
As part of the project, called Aldgate Gold, students from London Metropolitan University worked with furniture manufacturer Benchmark to create a range of products using the furnituremaker's wood offcuts and objects gathered from the streets of London, which they felt had latent potential. The students were asked to really choose an object that they personally felt has latent potential and find a way for it to remain identifiable for what it was, but also be transformed into a new item.
As part of the project, called Aldgate Gold, students from London Metropolitan University worked with furniture manufacturer Benchmark to create a range of products using the furnituremaker's wood offcuts and objects gathered from the streets of London, which they felt had latent potential. The students were asked to really choose an object that they personally felt has latent potential and find a way for it to remain identifiable for what it was, but also be transformed into a new item.
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Anahita Zabehi, artist based in Tehran, Iran, has been selected the Regional Artist of the Month (May 2024) and has become the second of the three candidates to the Artist of the Region (Middle East), as an artist who best represents the artistic tradition of Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
In 2024, BE OPEN Art continues to run BE OPEN Regional Art, the regional competition for emerging artists, whose art best represents their regional, cultural and ethnic identities. The second stage of the second year of the programme run will cover the countries of Middle East and will last 3 months, with a winner named and awarded 500 euro at the end of June.
Anahita Zabehi, artist based in Tehran, Iran, has been selected the Regional Artist of the Month (May 2024) and has become the second of the three candidates to the Artist of the Region (Middle East), as an artist who best represents the artistic tradition of Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
In 2024, BE OPEN Art continues to run BE OPEN Regional Art, the regional competition for emerging artists, whose art best represents their regional, cultural and ethnic identities. The second stage of the second year of the programme run will cover the countries of Middle East and will last 3 months, with a winner named and awarded 500 euro at the end of June.
#BeOpenARCH
The design concept of the Wuduhus house, developed by Cambridge-based firm Mole Architects following the principles of Passivhaus, uses the inverted roof to enhance the building's energy efficiency. The longest side of the residence, whose energy use regularly hovers close to zero, is positioned facing south to take advantage of the solar gain, thus the choice of the butterfly roof is essential.
More building with butterfly roofs in our blog.
The design concept of the Wuduhus house, developed by Cambridge-based firm Mole Architects following the principles of Passivhaus, uses the inverted roof to enhance the building's energy efficiency. The longest side of the residence, whose energy use regularly hovers close to zero, is positioned facing south to take advantage of the solar gain, thus the choice of the butterfly roof is essential.
More building with butterfly roofs in our blog.