#BeOpenDESIGN
Burls Art has built a fully playable electric guitar from what is essentially air and recycled cardboard. Inspired by a cardboard guitar developed by Fender and Signal a decade ago, the maker revisits the material with a more refined approach, laminating resin-soaked cardboard sheets to create a lightweight yet durable instrument. The hollow corrugated structure keeps the body exceptionally light, while the neck is reinforced through alternating cardboard layers, full resin saturation, and a truss rod for added strength under string tension. Finished with standard electric guitar hardware, clear coating, and visible corrugated openings, the project turns an everyday packaging material into a functional musical instrument with a surprisingly sculptural, semi-transparent presence.
Burls Art has built a fully playable electric guitar from what is essentially air and recycled cardboard. Inspired by a cardboard guitar developed by Fender and Signal a decade ago, the maker revisits the material with a more refined approach, laminating resin-soaked cardboard sheets to create a lightweight yet durable instrument. The hollow corrugated structure keeps the body exceptionally light, while the neck is reinforced through alternating cardboard layers, full resin saturation, and a truss rod for added strength under string tension. Finished with standard electric guitar hardware, clear coating, and visible corrugated openings, the project turns an everyday packaging material into a functional musical instrument with a surprisingly sculptural, semi-transparent presence.
#BeOpenDESIGN
Yeonsu Ra’s Poetic Beauty Vase transforms the humble planter into a ceiling-suspended statement piece, merging the elegance of a chandelier with the vitality of indoor greenery. Designed as a two-tier hanging vase system with 13 plant vessels, the concept uses a self-watering mechanism that feeds each planter through central trays and clear pipes, while buoyant containers rise and fall with the water level to signal when it is time to refill. The result is a poetic fusion of ornament, engineering, and biophilic design that turns plant care into a ritual and brings a sense of life, softness, and quiet drama to interior spaces.
More extraordinary planters on our blog.
Yeonsu Ra’s Poetic Beauty Vase transforms the humble planter into a ceiling-suspended statement piece, merging the elegance of a chandelier with the vitality of indoor greenery. Designed as a two-tier hanging vase system with 13 plant vessels, the concept uses a self-watering mechanism that feeds each planter through central trays and clear pipes, while buoyant containers rise and fall with the water level to signal when it is time to refill. The result is a poetic fusion of ornament, engineering, and biophilic design that turns plant care into a ritual and brings a sense of life, softness, and quiet drama to interior spaces.
More extraordinary planters on our blog.
#BeOpenDESIGN
Designed by Sol Rybakken Kallin, the 12-year-old daughter of Norwegian designer Daniel Rybakken, Solaris is a table lamp created for Swedish lighting manufacturer Blond that combines illumination, display and storage within a compact, sculptural form. The lamp features a curved frame with a hollow central compartment for small personal objects, allowing it to function as both a lighting object and a domestic accessory. Vertical light tubes at either end are enclosed by curved panels of either frosted glass or perforated steel, producing either a soft diffused glow or a more graphic effect. Held between lozenge-shaped aluminium side panels, Solaris translates a playful concept into a resolved product that explores simplicity, material contrast and multifunctionality.
Designed by Sol Rybakken Kallin, the 12-year-old daughter of Norwegian designer Daniel Rybakken, Solaris is a table lamp created for Swedish lighting manufacturer Blond that combines illumination, display and storage within a compact, sculptural form. The lamp features a curved frame with a hollow central compartment for small personal objects, allowing it to function as both a lighting object and a domestic accessory. Vertical light tubes at either end are enclosed by curved panels of either frosted glass or perforated steel, producing either a soft diffused glow or a more graphic effect. Held between lozenge-shaped aluminium side panels, Solaris translates a playful concept into a resolved product that explores simplicity, material contrast and multifunctionality.
#BeOpenDESIGN
Dutch textile designer Luna Haverkorn is using knitting as a construction system for interactive, body-scale objects that shift, fold, and respond to the people who use them. Currently completing her Master’s in Textile Interaction Design at the Swedish School of Textiles, Haverkorn develops sculptural knitted forms that can be sat on, reclined in, balanced against, or even hidden inside, treating knitting less as decoration and more as a method for building transformable structures. Developed through hands-on experimentation and programmed on industrial flatbed knitting machines, her work challenges conventional ideas of craft while arguing for knitting as a site of innovation, where material knowledge, movement, and user interaction are just as important as technology.
Dutch textile designer Luna Haverkorn is using knitting as a construction system for interactive, body-scale objects that shift, fold, and respond to the people who use them. Currently completing her Master’s in Textile Interaction Design at the Swedish School of Textiles, Haverkorn develops sculptural knitted forms that can be sat on, reclined in, balanced against, or even hidden inside, treating knitting less as decoration and more as a method for building transformable structures. Developed through hands-on experimentation and programmed on industrial flatbed knitting machines, her work challenges conventional ideas of craft while arguing for knitting as a site of innovation, where material knowledge, movement, and user interaction are just as important as technology.
#BeOpenDESIGN
Irish designer James Murphy has reimagined children’s furniture as a compact play system with Casul, a plywood chair that transforms into a rudimentary castle in just two moves. Developed as part of Murphy’s final-year project at Nottingham Trent University and recognised at London’s New Designers showcase, the design combines furniture and imaginative play through kid-safe hinges, interlocking timber joints, and fold-out elements that allow the seat to open into an abstract castle setting. Versions finished in chalkboard paint or equipped with hidden foam swords and shield-like cushions further encourage open-ended storytelling, while the project’s simple construction, affordability, and emphasis on unsupervised analogue play position it as a thoughtful update to transformable children’s furniture.
Irish designer James Murphy has reimagined children’s furniture as a compact play system with Casul, a plywood chair that transforms into a rudimentary castle in just two moves. Developed as part of Murphy’s final-year project at Nottingham Trent University and recognised at London’s New Designers showcase, the design combines furniture and imaginative play through kid-safe hinges, interlocking timber joints, and fold-out elements that allow the seat to open into an abstract castle setting. Versions finished in chalkboard paint or equipped with hidden foam swords and shield-like cushions further encourage open-ended storytelling, while the project’s simple construction, affordability, and emphasis on unsupervised analogue play position it as a thoughtful update to transformable children’s furniture.
#BeOpenDESIGN
Developed during a residency at Metropolitan Fukujusou in Kyoto, Hacienda Okazaki is a collection by Hoi Kaloi that explores contemporary Japanese material culture through reuse, bricolage, and everyday objects. Drawing from the Okazaki neighborhood, the project combines found materials, Mingei antiques, Showa-era souvenirs, and components from hardware and discount stores to create hybrid objects that sit somewhere between craft, critique, and collage. In doing so, Hoi Kaloi challenges romanticized ideas of Japanese craftsmanship and the figure of the shokunin, instead shifting attention toward the overlooked design intelligence of ordinary urban life, from 100-yen shop objects to the visual language of hazard stripes.
Developed during a residency at Metropolitan Fukujusou in Kyoto, Hacienda Okazaki is a collection by Hoi Kaloi that explores contemporary Japanese material culture through reuse, bricolage, and everyday objects. Drawing from the Okazaki neighborhood, the project combines found materials, Mingei antiques, Showa-era souvenirs, and components from hardware and discount stores to create hybrid objects that sit somewhere between craft, critique, and collage. In doing so, Hoi Kaloi challenges romanticized ideas of Japanese craftsmanship and the figure of the shokunin, instead shifting attention toward the overlooked design intelligence of ordinary urban life, from 100-yen shop objects to the visual language of hazard stripes.
#BeOpenDESIGN
Swedish designer Gustaf Westman has turned one of the home's least glamorous objects into a playful design statement with the Chunky Cat Tree. Inspired by the rounded forms of his signature Blob collection, the made-to-order piece reimagines the conventional cat tower as a sculptural object upholstered in vibrant wool. Rather than hiding pet furniture from view, Westman's design embraces bold color, exaggerated proportions, and soft geometry, creating a functional climbing and lounging space that doubles as a striking centerpiece for contemporary interiors.
More design-minded cat towers on our blog.
Swedish designer Gustaf Westman has turned one of the home's least glamorous objects into a playful design statement with the Chunky Cat Tree. Inspired by the rounded forms of his signature Blob collection, the made-to-order piece reimagines the conventional cat tower as a sculptural object upholstered in vibrant wool. Rather than hiding pet furniture from view, Westman's design embraces bold color, exaggerated proportions, and soft geometry, creating a functional climbing and lounging space that doubles as a striking centerpiece for contemporary interiors.
More design-minded cat towers on our blog.
#BeOpenDESIGN
Inspired by the rare phenomenon of cloud iridescence, BằNG's Dreamy Lớp transforms light into an ever-changing visual experience. Layers of dichroic acrylic surround a glowing opal glass sphere, creating shifting colors that change with every viewing angle and source of ambient light. More sculpture than conventional lamp, the award-winning design balances material innovation, craftsmanship, and everyday functionality, proving that lighting can shape atmosphere as much as it illuminates a space.
More outstanding lamps on our blog.
Inspired by the rare phenomenon of cloud iridescence, BằNG's Dreamy Lớp transforms light into an ever-changing visual experience. Layers of dichroic acrylic surround a glowing opal glass sphere, creating shifting colors that change with every viewing angle and source of ambient light. More sculpture than conventional lamp, the award-winning design balances material innovation, craftsmanship, and everyday functionality, proving that lighting can shape atmosphere as much as it illuminates a space.
More outstanding lamps on our blog.
#BeOpenART #BeOpenNEWS
For the second half of 2026, BE OPEN’s Art Limitless programme will focus on UN Sustainable Development Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, spotlighting artists whose work explores sustainability, circular thinking, and the creative reuse of materials. Hosted through the BE OPEN Art online gallery, the initiative will feature monthly selections of artworks that address ecological impact through artistic practice, inviting the public to vote for an Artist of the Month. One selected artist will receive a €1,000 grant and media exposure, while BE OPEN founder Elena Baturina will award an additional €500 prize, and a separate public vote prize of €300 will also be presented. Following its 2025 edition dedicated to inclusivity in the arts, Art Limitless continues to position creativity as a powerful tool for social and environmental change.
For the second half of 2026, BE OPEN’s Art Limitless programme will focus on UN Sustainable Development Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, spotlighting artists whose work explores sustainability, circular thinking, and the creative reuse of materials. Hosted through the BE OPEN Art online gallery, the initiative will feature monthly selections of artworks that address ecological impact through artistic practice, inviting the public to vote for an Artist of the Month. One selected artist will receive a €1,000 grant and media exposure, while BE OPEN founder Elena Baturina will award an additional €500 prize, and a separate public vote prize of €300 will also be presented. Following its 2025 edition dedicated to inclusivity in the arts, Art Limitless continues to position creativity as a powerful tool for social and environmental change.
#BeOpenDESIGN
Jihyun Kim uses gloop glaze to create "gravity-defying" Salty Fairy Ring ceramics, a series of porcelain salt containers that reinterpret a South Korean household ritual through the symbolism of fairy rings. Inspired by the tradition of placing a jar of salt by the home's entrance to ward off negative energy, the vessels combine cultural superstition with folkloric imagery, transforming an everyday object into a sculptural expression of protection, ritual and enchantment.
Jihyun Kim uses gloop glaze to create "gravity-defying" Salty Fairy Ring ceramics, a series of porcelain salt containers that reinterpret a South Korean household ritual through the symbolism of fairy rings. Inspired by the tradition of placing a jar of salt by the home's entrance to ward off negative energy, the vessels combine cultural superstition with folkloric imagery, transforming an everyday object into a sculptural expression of protection, ritual and enchantment.
#BeOpenDESIGN
Japanese design studio YOY's Book is a book-shaped flower pot that transforms a familiar object into a functional planter. Made from waterproof PVC, the design opens like a book and stands upright, revealing soil and plant roots within. Whether used as a standalone vessel or as a shelf divider, Book playfully blurs the boundary between everyday objects and living greenery.
Japanese design studio YOY's Book is a book-shaped flower pot that transforms a familiar object into a functional planter. Made from waterproof PVC, the design opens like a book and stands upright, revealing soil and plant roots within. Whether used as a standalone vessel or as a shelf divider, Book playfully blurs the boundary between everyday objects and living greenery.
#BeOpenDESIGN
Tokyo-based studio Sotanaka unveils Uneri, a furniture collection that transforms naturally knotted camphor and Zelkova branches into sculptural chairs, stools and tables. Finished in matte black enamel and joined using a bespoke hand-cut joinery system, the pieces balance geometric surfaces with organic forms, celebrating the movement and irregularity of the wood rather than concealing it.
Tokyo-based studio Sotanaka unveils Uneri, a furniture collection that transforms naturally knotted camphor and Zelkova branches into sculptural chairs, stools and tables. Finished in matte black enamel and joined using a bespoke hand-cut joinery system, the pieces balance geometric surfaces with organic forms, celebrating the movement and irregularity of the wood rather than concealing it.
#BeOpenDESIGN
Marten Herma Anderson explores the relationship between colour, light and material with a series of resin lamps inspired by the translucent glow of candy wrappers and gummy sweets. Featuring pigmented resin shades, glass fibre structures and raw ceramic bases, the lights reveal bubbles, seams and subtle imperfections that become more pronounced when illuminated, creating luminous objects that appear fluid, suspended and constantly in motion.
Marten Herma Anderson explores the relationship between colour, light and material with a series of resin lamps inspired by the translucent glow of candy wrappers and gummy sweets. Featuring pigmented resin shades, glass fibre structures and raw ceramic bases, the lights reveal bubbles, seams and subtle imperfections that become more pronounced when illuminated, creating luminous objects that appear fluid, suspended and constantly in motion.
#BeOpenDESIGN
Charlotte Kingsnorth's Hi!breed series transforms discarded chairs into sculptural, creature-like furniture that blurs the line between design and art. By wrapping salvaged frames in hand-carved foam, rich upholstery, and shaggy textiles, the London-based designer reveals the hidden character of each piece rather than concealing its past. The result is a collection that celebrates craftsmanship, reuse, and storytelling, proving that forgotten furniture can evolve into expressive objects with entirely new identities.
More unconventional chairs on our blog.
Charlotte Kingsnorth's Hi!breed series transforms discarded chairs into sculptural, creature-like furniture that blurs the line between design and art. By wrapping salvaged frames in hand-carved foam, rich upholstery, and shaggy textiles, the London-based designer reveals the hidden character of each piece rather than concealing its past. The result is a collection that celebrates craftsmanship, reuse, and storytelling, proving that forgotten furniture can evolve into expressive objects with entirely new identities.
More unconventional chairs on our blog.
#BeOpenDESIGN
Camping in the summer could soon feel a lot more comfortable thanks to a Red Dot Award-winning concept that turns the tent itself into a solar-powered cooling system. Designed by Zhong Xu, Li Baoyu, Pan Yiyuan, and Li Xueyan, the innovative shelter uses its composite fabric to harvest solar energy and power an integrated air conditioner, eliminating the need for bulky batteries or generators. It's a smart example of sustainable design that transforms one of camping's biggest frustrations into an opportunity for innovation.
More innovative tent on our blog.
Camping in the summer could soon feel a lot more comfortable thanks to a Red Dot Award-winning concept that turns the tent itself into a solar-powered cooling system. Designed by Zhong Xu, Li Baoyu, Pan Yiyuan, and Li Xueyan, the innovative shelter uses its composite fabric to harvest solar energy and power an integrated air conditioner, eliminating the need for bulky batteries or generators. It's a smart example of sustainable design that transforms one of camping's biggest frustrations into an opportunity for innovation.
More innovative tent on our blog.
#BeOpenART
British artist Lewis Prosser, who describes himself as an "absurdist basketmaker," uses basketry as a lens to explore labor, place, material culture, and the future of making. His project Making Merrie draws on the 500-year tradition of mummers' plays along the Wales–England border, combining monumental willow costumes, folk performance, and a playful blend of Welsh and English to celebrate cultural exchange. By reviving regional basketry techniques through community-led, improvised processions, Prosser highlights the enduring value of craft as both a living tradition and a vital part of human identity.
British artist Lewis Prosser, who describes himself as an "absurdist basketmaker," uses basketry as a lens to explore labor, place, material culture, and the future of making. His project Making Merrie draws on the 500-year tradition of mummers' plays along the Wales–England border, combining monumental willow costumes, folk performance, and a playful blend of Welsh and English to celebrate cultural exchange. By reviving regional basketry techniques through community-led, improvised processions, Prosser highlights the enduring value of craft as both a living tradition and a vital part of human identity.
#BeOpenDESIGN
With Bad Posture Chairs, Mara Bragagnolo challenges the idea that there is only one correct way to sit. Designed to support natural positions such as sitting cross-legged, leaning sideways, or constantly shifting, the collection embraces movement and neurodiverse needs instead of correcting them. Inspired by Bruno Munari's playful investigations into comfort, the project reimagines inclusive design by adapting furniture to real human behavior.
With Bad Posture Chairs, Mara Bragagnolo challenges the idea that there is only one correct way to sit. Designed to support natural positions such as sitting cross-legged, leaning sideways, or constantly shifting, the collection embraces movement and neurodiverse needs instead of correcting them. Inspired by Bruno Munari's playful investigations into comfort, the project reimagines inclusive design by adapting furniture to real human behavior.