As you read this, you’re probably sitting in a chair. And the general consensus appears to be that, for the sake of your back, you oughtn’t. This consensus led to the standing desk craze. More recently acupuncturist Esther Gokhale conducted and compiled research showing that folks from developing nations who squat, rather than use chairs, have lower rates of back pain.
But it’s not practical for most of us to stand or squat for prolonged periods, so designers will continue to cook up new chair forms. The latest comes from David James France, an Australian chiropractor and equine enthusiast, who has concluded that saddles “[put] your spine in the perfect sitting posture.”
France devised what he’s calling the Workhorse Saddle Chair, which he’s now aiming to get into mass production. Here’s his data and his envisioned usage of the design:
As someone who has seen a lot of newfangled chair designs, I’m always wary of the would-be gamechangers; at the same time, I realize that innovation happens when plucky upstarts are willing to take risks. And thankfully for France, Kickstarter backers do not share my skepticism. At press time the Workhorse had $88,944 in pledges on a $29,632 goal. The first production models should start shipping in March of 2019.
PVC and vinyl tubing are super-useful not just for their original plumbing or electrical applications, but for DIYers and ID students seeking to cobble things together with a relatively inexpensive, easily-workable material.
One potential issue is how to get clean, square cuts on the end. For vinyl tubing we looked at this clever DIY cutting system. For more rigid PVC, a miter saw does well, but it can be awkward for long pieces, and there may be times when you prefer to bring the tool to the work rather than vice versa.
Thunderstorm time lapse and spectacular phenomenon with facts and information of where to witness these fascinating sights. Upward lightning, mammatus, sprites, gustnadoes and of course, tornadoes…(Read…)
In a remote area of northwest Greenland, an international team of scientists has made a stunning discovery, buried beneath a kilometer of ice. It’s a meteor impact crater, 300 meters deep and bigger than Paris or the Beltway around Washington, DC. It is one of the 25 largest known impact craters on Earth, and the first found under any of our planet’s ice sheets. The researchers first spotted the crater in July 2015, while they were inspecting a new map of the topography beneath Greenland’s ice sheet that used ice-penetrating radar data primarily from Operation IceBridge, an ongoing NASA airborne mission to track changes in polar ice, and earlier NASA airborne missions in Greenland…(Read…)
Our selection of 15 food and drink Christmas gifts – which includes a Japanese dish rack, a sandy-hued ceramic French press and an architect-designed kettle – will help you find the perfect gift for foodies.
Alba by Joe Doucet
New York-based designer Joe Doucet is behind this three-piece drinking set: an ideal gift for the design-conscious whiskey connoisseur.
Created for contemporary glassware company Nude, Albar includes a whiskey bottle and two tumblers all with bases etched with markings that are based on Scottish tartan.
Concentric circles are carved out of this natural beach wood chopping board, which can be used for both cutting and displaying food.
The block forms part of British designer Gareth Neal’s kitchenware range for Case Furniture, with each using digital manufacturing techniques to get precise designs. A ridged long tray for serving eggs and a circular design with a square indent for crudités also feature in the collection.
This set of simple trays by British designer Jasper Morrison would add a pop of colour to any dining table.
Morrison has used his famed minimal style for the set, sold at the WallpaperStore, which comprises three circular designs of different sizes and colour gradients. The red colourway darkens as the plate size increases, while a green range gets paler.
Melting ice provided the cues for the rippling and cracked surfaces of this jug and glass set, which Finnish designer Tapio Wirkkala created in the 1960s.
Glassware brand Iittala reissued the glass ware, which is available from Skandium, in a moody “rain” hue to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2018.
Zaha Hadid Design has drawn on the sinuous forms synonymous with the work of its late founder for these sculptural salt and pepper grinders.
The pair have three sides that curve up to a triangular top, evoking the twisting motion of hands when using the tools. The duo are identical shape but come in different greyscale hues to tell them apart.
Berlin-based industrial designer Mark Braun created this pale marble pestle and mortar to be the centrepiece of the dining table, not just for grinding and storing spices.
Produced by furniture brand Hem, the vessel features a small indent carved out of its base. A bulb-shape on the underside of the lid matches this so that the two slot together, either closing to form a container or creating a tight fit for pulverising.
Design duo HolmbäckNordentoft took cues from the “golden age of Danish design” for this electrice kettle created for Scandinavian brand Stelton.
It features a sleek black body, which is complemented by a curvy beech handle, giving an almost retro feel. It is also fitted with a removable limescale filter and a dry boil safety switch, which turns it off automatically when it runs out of water.
Give multiple gifts in one with this colourful nesting set by household product brand Joseph Joseph.
The entire kit contains bowls, a sieve, a colander and measuring spoons, which are designed to slot inside each other to save space in the cupboards when not in use. Each item is a boldly different colour to make them easy recognise.
Cook up warming stews, soups and casseroles in style with this all-black cast iron dish by Crane.
The matte enamel runs inside and out of the product, a typical feature of the UK company’s cookware, and makes it suited to design-savvy cooks who know that black never goes out of style.
Danish studio Norm Architects designed this glass teapot, giving it a tall body, rounded handle and short spout. The tea egg that plugs in the top is accessed via a black silicon string.
Menu produces the product and also sells an accompanying “kettle teapot heater” to be used for boiling water – in case you’re feeling particularly generous.
Named after designer George Sowden, Hay’s vacuum flask is intended to be playful and uconventional.
The stainless steel body, which keeps keep drinks hot, tapers inwards to the top, while the plastic, no-drip screw cap branches out slightly on top. Both also come in a range of different colours.
The Kitchen Shelf by Rosie Reynolds and Eve O’Sullivan
Published by Phaidon, The Kitchen Shelf teaches budding cooks the art of maximising their cupboard stock, and how to swap in and out ingredients to make 100 easy recipes.
The book, which is written by Rosie Reynolds and Eve O’Sullivan, has a simple design, contrasting colourful images and a white backdrop.
Ash wood handles offset a steel cut frame to make up this minimal dish rack by Japanese homeware company Yamazaki Design.
Plates, cutting boards, pots, pans and bowls are all intended to fit into slots within the structure, with the pale plastic tray beneath catching any water run off.
Totalling 950 square metres, the House of Courtyards is located in a residential part of Brasília, the federal capital of Brazil. For a flat site lacking vegetation, the team conceived a cluster of stark, rectilinear volumes that push outward and pull inward. Portions of the home cantilever over the site and form sheltered areas.
“The project was designed using an orthogonal grid of 3.65 by 3.65 metres, placed diagonally in relation to the lot,” said local firm Bloco Arquitetos in a project description.
Exterior walls are made of white-painted ceramic brick and vast expanses of glass. Recessed windows are shaded by short eaves that help reduce solar heat gain.
The home’s primary openings are situated on the north – a vantage point that allows views of Brasília’s city centre, located about 10 kilometres away. This elevation also overlooks a verdant yard with a swimming pool.
House of Courtyards is surrounded by paved surfaces, stretches of grass and young trees. Walkways are lined with lush grasses and flowering shrubs – all of which are native to the region.
“The landscape design makes use of the ‘cerrado’ vegetation (Brazilian savannah) that is typical in this part of the country,” the team said.
An extensive programme was distributed across two levels. Public areas are located on the ground level, along with the clients’ home offices, which face a patio. The main bedrooms were placed on the upper floor.
“All parts of the programme are clearly separated, although the uniform volumetric composition sets no hierarchy between the functions,” the team said. “The intention was to disperse the built volume following only the criteria of desired views, privacy and solar orientation for each room.”
Many rooms are afforded a direct connection to one of the home’s six courtyards. On the upper floor, bedrooms open onto grassy terraces. At the very top of the home, a “sightseeing terrace” is accessed via an open staircase clad in white stone.
Interior finishes include white walls, and wood flooring and cabinetry. All of the furniture was brought from the family’s previous residence.
Bloco Arquitetos is known for creating stark homes composed of white geometric forms. Other projects by the studio include the Morrone House and the Cora House, both also located in Brasília.
Dezeen promotion: Italian designer and architect Fabio Novembre‘s appointment as the scientific director of the Domus Academy school of design in Milan marks a “new era” for the school.
Joining Novembre in the leadership of Domus Academy will be Fabio Siddu, who will be the director of the school. Together, the two figures will form a new vision and strategy for the academy.
Shilin Wu, Nicolas Paez, and Jules McGannon designed Rain-Kit on the Product Design masters
Founded in 1982 in Milan, the “world capital of design”, Domus Academy was the first post-graduate design school in Italy to focus on Italian design and fashion, and the processes of industrial creativity.
“Italian design approach is a key aspect of our teaching at Domus Academy,” explained Novembre. “Italian design has long been renowned for its creativity, originality, innovation, and beauty, as well as its capacity to adapt rapidly to the changing market.”
“Domus Academy’s contemporary interpretation of Italian design remains faithful to this tradition by responding to ever-evolving situations and the merging of different cultures. We not only challenge design solutions – we believe equally in the task of revealing new problems.”
Students Parepisut Wangniwetkul, Margalida Parello, Yigit Yamak and Doga Vurgu designed Achille’s Journal while on the Visual Brand Design masters course in collaboration with Achille Castiglioni Foundation
The school offers 12 one-year masters programmes in a wide variety of design specialisations, including business design, fashion, interaction design and architecture.
The school centres itself around a “learning by designing” methodology, which sees students solve real-life design problems with the help of its faculty of industry professionals and international design thinkers.
“Our students are encouraged to develop the ability, not only to solve design problems, but also to identify problems for which design can offer effective solutions,” said Siddu the new director of the school.
“Essential to Domus Academy are the challenges offered by the professional partners that the school has developed with leading Italian and international companies.”
“These invaluable collaborations give students vital real-world learning to develop critical thinking and problem-solving abilities,” he continued.
“Through such perspective Domus Academy has stayed true to its founding mission: to prepare designers for personal growth and professional success in an ever-changing market.”
Jirayu Kumsup and Gloria Galasi in collaboration with Aster Cucine created Aster for Art while on the Interior and Living Design masters
Selected for his “vision and know-how”, Novembre is expected to bring his heritage of knowledge in the design industry to the academy to help in developing new principles for the school, while leveraging the legacy of its great founders.
“Domus Academy has always been a reference point for design education, and I am honoured to become its scientific director,” commented Novembre.
“Italian design has become a concept that is distinct from the origins of its representatives – its in an approach that is constantly growing because it is now expressed by international minds collaborating with companies that were originally founded in Italy,” he continued.
“Domus Academy is a perfect expression of this evolution, with 94 per cent international students completely immersed in the Italian design environment offered by Milan.”
Alice Rawsthorn and Paola Antonelli talked at the school’s Prototyping Ideas day
Novembre will actively take part in students’ life at Domus Academy, giving lectures and leading workshops. The school will also offer a scholarship dedicated to the new scientific director and an internship at Studio Novembre to the most talented student.
“I have already started a mutually beneficial exchange of ideas with the faculty, allowing us to develop a strategic new direction that will be expressed through the school’s new Manifesto,” said Novembre.
“Our objective is to reconnect to our tradition through the lens of innovation to continue meeting the educational demands of the designers of the future.”
Originaire du Zimbabwe, Oriana Fenwick vit et travaille actuellement en Allemagne. Cette dernière est une illustratrice dotée d’un sens aigu du détail. Passionnée par les objets banals et les formes des choses de la vie quotidienne, elle fait ressortir, dans son travail, le bizarre et merveilleux dans ce qui l’entoure comme des « plis dans du papier de soie, du chewing-gum ou la fonte de la crème glacée. J’essaie en fait de rendre les choses plus précieuses qu’elles ne paraissent au premier coup d’oeil », précise-t-elle. Des illustrations contemporaines au réalisme frappant. Pour ce faire, l’artiste utilise un mélange de ses propres photos et de ce qu’elle trouve et rassemble en ligne, en référence pour ses dessins.
Pour découvrir plus d’illustrations, rendez-vous sur son instagram : @orianafenwick
I’m a fan of Lee Rosario’s imaginative work and this design, dubbed Hyperlight, is no exception. Believe it or not, this latest wild automotive concept is visually less extreme than his others. Fluid yet sharp, the design sees a single driver in a cockpit centered around a “living and breathing” shell with an advanced self-healing skin that automatically repairs small dings and dents. I won’t spoil the fun by making any comparisons to what it looks like. Rather, let us know what you think in the comments!
– 100% Reusable 3D printed parts – Cam-less Freevalve V6 Hybrid Engine System (30% more powerful and 70% more efficient) – Breathable “gills” located behind the front wheels use conductive airflow to power electric motors – Keyless Biometric DNA touch access and startup – Rupture resistant magnetic run safe high performance tyres – Magnetic carbon breaking system for precise stopping power – Holographic cockpit HUD and intelligent self drive systems – Adaptable electrically charged uniflex rear spoiler and aerodynamic body kit – Holographic rear projection screen signals and informs other drivers behind vehicle.
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