A Honda-incubated startup designed this genius in-shoe GPS navigation system that can guide the visually impaired



Designed to integrate right into the wearer’s shoe, the Ashirase uses a series of haptic ‘tickles’ to help guide the visually impaired as they walk, providing a much more intuitive and effective alternative to using a smartphone.

The Ashirase has a rather heartbreaking backstory. Honda EV-engineer Wataru Chino began working on the concept following the death of a slightly visually impaired relative under circumstances he deemed avoidable. Determined to come up with a much more effective solution to help the blind navigate roads freely and safely, Chino saw no alternative but to craft together a design solution. Honda even helped incubate the design and build the startup through its new-business incubation initiative, IGNITION.

Armed with one less sense, visually impaired pedestrians find it incredibly difficult to navigate to unknown destinations. With their limited senses occupied in concentrating on directions, they can often forget to pay attention to their surroundings or the roads, putting them in danger. The inverse is problematic too, because when they pay more attention to their immediate surroundings, they could in the process forget to follow the directions correctly and get lost. Chino’s solution helps the impaired concentrate on the road while also being able to intuitively receive directions in a less-distracting way. The wearable sits sandwiched between the foot and the wearer’s sneaker. This frees up the user’s hand to hold onto their walking cane (as opposed to their smartphone), and allows them to use their ears to sense their surroundings (instead of listening to audio directions).

The name Ashirase comes from the Japanese word ‘oshirase’, for notice/notification, as the in-shoe wearable helps notify the wearer while they walk, effectively guiding them through a series of vibrations. The in-shoe wearable comes in two parts – a silicone band that wraps around the foot, and an electronic ‘compass’ that provides the haptic feedback. Wearables on each foot help guide the user in any direction, guiding the wearer to their end-destination that’s fed into Ashirase’s smartphone app (which also decides the most optimal path for the wearer to take). The app currently runs on the Google Maps API, which provides a few limitations like needing the internet to work, and not being able to provide effective navigation indoors, although the company is already working on overcoming those drawbacks.

Chino’s startup plans on releasing a beta version of the Ashirase system in Japan in October or November of this year, where users will be provided with free versions of the wearable and the app for testing purposes. Following the public beta, Ashirase is gunning for a commercial-ready product by October 2022, with a subscription-based payment system that should cost somewhere between $18 to $27 (or 2000-3000 Yen).

Designer: Ashirase LLC (Wataru Chino)

15 student design projects from the University of Applied Arts Vienna

University of Applied Arts Vienna

A project that bases a transport system on the mythological Yggdrasil tree and a building informed by a termite mound are included in Dezeen’s latest school show by the University of Applied Arts Vienna.

Also included is a project that uses others’ perspectives to understand how the world looks, while another explores reducing the number of crossing points between different user groups to minimise pathogen distribution.


University of Applied Arts Vienna

School: University of Applied Arts Vienna, Institute of Architecture
Courses: Architecture

School statement:

“This school show by the University of Applied Arts Vienna’s Institute of Architecture features a total of 15 projects in the digital exhibition by students from different year groups at the Austrian architecture school, completed as part of either Studio Díaz Moreno and García Grinda, Studio Greg Lynn or Studio Hani Rashid.

“Studio One: Studio Díazmoreno Garcíagrinda believes that in such a global catastrophe, contemporary urban challenges (migratory fluxes, global pandemics, urban structural deficits, the digital shift, environmental racism, precarious inhabitation conditions and spatial exclusion) are demanding a change of paradigm on architectural thinking and design practices.

“Students’ work centres on the extreme conditions of the European Slums, and particularly in the settlement in Pata Rât in Cluj-Napoca. Here the students investigated how architecture can still play a role in such socially and environmentally polluted situations.”

“Studio Two: Studio Lynn‘s students spent the year critically rethinking existing building precedents and inventing new building typologies for short stay living in constructive dialogue with contemporary real-world challenges.

“During the year, a social and cultural practice discouraged people from spending time in elevator cabins and enclosed rooms with strangers and encouraged fresh air ventilation and socialising outdoors. This studio addressed contemporary concerns for healthy, hygienic built environments. The designers’ response to the year’s global pandemic discovered innovative new concepts and design mediums that can transform how we conceive buildings from now on.

“Studio Three: Studio Rashid addressed the current overlapping crises that cities have been facing today and emphasised the emergence of new architectural paradigms and hybrid urban typologies that can serve as contemporary visions towards a positive future.

“This included designing a centre for contemporary art in New York City and rethinking the future of airports and urban interconnectivity by developing a holistic vision of urban mobility and sustainable models of city planning.”


MoMAS (Modern Museum of Audible Space) by Emma Sanson, Witchaya Jingjit and Patricia Tibu

“MoMAS is a network of installations, art galleries and spaces for artists to create. Using sound as the connective tissue embodies the ambition of creating a languageless communication between the different components that compose the art world.

“The project not only accommodates sound-related installations, but it is an instrument capable of producing and manipulating sound, with its design based upon sound visualisation methods derived from the research of physicist and musician Ernst Chladni.

“It is an interconnected collection of spaces created to support, display and integrate art and artists into the city’s fast-paced and challenging life.”

Student: Emma Sanson, Witchaya Jingjit and Patricia Tibu
Course:
Studio Rashid
Tutors:
 Hani Rashid, Jose Carlos Lopez Cervantes, Sophie Grell, Eldine Heep, Sophie Luger and Lenia Mascha
Email:
archi.witchaya[at]gmail.com, emma.sanson9[at]gmail.com and tibu.patricia[at]gmail.com


Traces of Global Warming – Trouble in the Away Away by Jade Bailey

“The incentive is to juxtapose current theory, political and cultural discourse with the unintended and unexpected through the speculation of ideas and spaces.

“The instigating premise of the project is based on the ecological crisis we currently find ourselves within. It is addressed primarily through using traces of global climate change to explore the essence of how we as humans can inhabit and perceive its effects through architectural materiality and spatial qualities. In an attempt to understand how to co-exist with an inevitably tangled future and the sub-nature’s it will create.”

Student: Jade Bailey
Course:
Studio Rashid
Tutors:
 Hani Rashid, Jose Carlos Lopez Cervantes, Sophie Grell, Eldine Heep, Sophie Luger and Lenia Mascha
Email:
jadebailey014[at]gmail.com


Future Traces by Raffael Stegfellner, Shpend Pashtriku and Sarah Agill

“Future Traces is a proposal for Fiumicino Airport, which aims to dissolve the inward-looking nature of today’s airports and find a more peaceful, culturally productive coexistence with their surroundings. The master plan creates new urbanist links between the airport, the ancient ruins of Portus and the surrounding residential communities.

“It houses complex water distribution infrastructure, providing flood protection to the shoreline. The water, flowing continuously through the site, is used for various environmental and cultural programmes, superimposed onto the existing airport network.

“This composition aims to define the airport of the future through the optimisation of its technology.”

Student: Raffael Stegfellner, Shpend Pashtriku and Sarah Agill
Course:
Studio Rashid
Tutors:
Hani Rashid, Jose Carlos Lopez Cervantes, Sophie Grell, Eldine Heep, Sophie Luger, Lenia Mascha
Email:
rstegfellner[at]gmail.com, s.pashtriku@gmail.com and agillsarah@gmail.com


University of Applied Arts Vienna

Paradigm Compostition by Arkady Zavialov and Miriam Löscher

“Compostition denies the existence of the end. Materials and constructions create a structure that lives with time. There is the need for its future destruction, the composting of its remnants to give rise to a new, better life.

“The incompleteness opens up freedom, the bravery to make mistakes and change. These are the attributes of the sustainable world of the future. The future airport will become a self-adaptive ecosystem that responds to environmental and social demands by re-distribution, reshaping or destruction and re-use of the actual facilities. Railway networks along hyperloop and airships provide the new traffic system.”

Student: Arkady Zavialov and Miriam Löscher
Course:
Studio Rashid
Tutors:
Hani Rashid, Jose Carlos Lopez Cervantes, Sophie Grell, Eldine Heep, Sophie Luger and Lenia Mascha
Email:
zavialovarkady[at]gmail.com and loeschermiriam[at]gmail.com




Yggdrasil (The Future of Urban Interconnectivity) by Witchaya Jingjit, Patricia Tibu, Simonas Sutkus and Anastasia Smirnova

“Just like the Yggdrasil tree, the project aims at becoming a tool for organising and bringing together different worlds, more specifically different transport infrastructures. At the same time, it is a critique and a reaction to the obsoletion of the airport typology as we currently know it.

“The ambition is to work with pollution as an unavoidable byproduct of air travel and integrate it with our architecture as such. The proposal wishes to become a gate figure for the city; a threshold element that is informed by far more than the functional aspects of air travel.”

Student: Witchaya Jingjit, Patricia Tibu, Simonas Sutkus and Anastasia Smirnova
Course:
Studio Rashid
Tutors:
Hani Rashid, Jose Carlos Lopez Cervantes, Sophie Grell, Eldine Heep, Sophie Luger and Lenia Mascha
Email:
archi.witchaya[at]gmail.com, tibu.patricia[at]gmail.com, simonassutkus[at]gmail.com, anastasiasmiirnova[at]gmail.com


Aerial Meadows by Ebrar Eke and Alina Logunova

“In conventional buildings, volumes and spaces are designed first – infrastructure follows the design decisions. In our proposal, we are reversing this hierarchical system by designing the infrastructure of airflow first, which results in new types of organisations, spaces, volumes, programs and occupations.

“We looked at termites mounds as a reference as they have effective natural ventilation. Air supplies from underground inlets are distributed to upper levels through the system of chimneys and atriums.

“On the upper floor, the ventilation system consists of smaller clusters. Air structures with occupiable spaces create a variety of unique spatial relationships.”

Student: Ebrar Eke and Alina Logunova
Course: Studio Lynn
Tutors: Greg Lynn, Martin Murero, Maja Ozvaldic, Bence Pap and Kaiho Yu
Email:
ebrareke[at]gmail.com and 15_alina[at]mail.ru


Advection by Olga Filippova, Chenke Zhang and Hao Wu

“Occupiable air infrastructure voids replaces conventional circulation cores and additionally drives vertical airflow. An adopted Ferris wheels concept for our building operates as the only mechanical circulation, providing landing ports into various levels and spaces. Isolated floors are extended from these ports to link all the occupiable spaces.”

Student: Olga Filippova, Chenke Zhang and Hao Wu
Course:
Studio Lynn
Tutors: 
Greg Lynn, Martin Murero, Maja Ozvaldic, Bence Pap and Kaiho Yu
Email:
hao.wu1302[atgmail.com, zckqinyu[at]gmail.com and filipp.o.a[at]yandex.ru


Bridged Discontinuity by Tobias Haas and Jonas Maderstorfer

“To deal with the challenges of the pandemic, the project aims to minimise the number of crossing points between different user groups. By separating the high duration functions library, museum and work into three independent massings, the motion flows of the users can be kept parallel.”

“A public boulevard hosts all the amenities and low duration functions and bridges the three massings and providing an enfilade-like spatial experience transporting people with the programme. The boulevard is defined as a void, providing sufficient ventilation for the areas with the highest intermixing of people.”

Student: Tobias Haas and Jonas Maderstorfer
Course:
Studio Lynn
Tutors:
 Greg Lynn, Martin Murero, Maja Ozvaldic, Bence Pap and Kaiho Yu
Email:
haastobias[at]yahoo.de and jonas.maderstorfer[at]gmail.com


La torta a Strati by Alina Logunova and Joyce Lee

“This project serves as an investigation on thinking of borders in various ways as means of organising plans based on agent behaviour. Simulations are set up by putting targets of different properties inside the footprint of the building.

“Floorplates, cutouts, voids and volumes are defined based on the agent movement patterns. A different workflow is created to define space based on programmes, volumes and duration.”

Student: Alina Logunova and Joyce Lee
Course:
Studio Lynn
Tutors: 
Greg Lynn, Martin Murero, Maja Ozvaldic, Bence Pap and Kaiho Yu
Email:
15_alina[at]mail.ru and joyceleeeee3[at]gmail.com


MixINN by Anna Chakhal-Salakhova and Yiting Yang

“The project aims to create an active hotel as a more socially engaged place, with a high level of interaction between users. At the same time, it intends to bring civic experience to the building by arranging hotel rooms mixed with three ‘districts’ with different spatial organisations and characters generated from the algorithm.

“The agent-based design method helped us define the space typologies in terms of spatial connectivity, boundary conditions and sizes. By blurring the borderline between activity areas and the hotel rooms, the project stimulates interaction, providing a sense of community and connectivity.”

Student: Anna Chakhal-Salakhova and Yiting Yang
Course:
Studio Lynn
Tutors: 
Greg Lynn, Martin Murero, Maja Ozvaldic, Bence Pap and Kaiho Yu
Email:
chakhalsalakhova[at]gmail.com and yangyiii.yt[at]gmail.com


University of Applied Arts Vienna

All Watched Over by Merve Sahin

“All Watched Over is a digitally mediated and camouflaged interior. It is an impulsing artefact of data and images that are cultivated by the political exiles.

“The interior readapts the theatre and parliament typologies to exchange and circulate visual and linguistic elements, while the exterior envelope employs strategies to trick the surveillance gaze for granting digital anonymity.”

Student: Merve Sahin
Course: Studio Díazmoreno Garcíagrinda
Tutors: Cristina Díaz Moreno, Efrén García Grinda, Anna Gulinska, Lorenzo Perri, Zsuzsa Peter and Hannes Traupmann
Email: mmervesahin7[at]gmail.com


University of Applied Arts Vienna

Partly Automated Luxury City by Bofan Zhou, Diana Cuc and Iga Mazur

“The project tries to investigate the heterogeneity and richness of the continuous ground floor conditions of the city where the limits between urban and domestic, public and private are diffused.

“The city operates in the post-work scenario in which leisure creates opportunities for the new social relationships beyond biological family to happen through the spatiality of the communal spaces.”

Student: Bofan Zhou, Diana Cuc and Iga Mazur
Course: Studio Díazmoreno Garcíagrinda
Tutors: Cristina Díaz Moreno, Efrén García Grinda, Anna Gulinska, Lorenzo Perri, Zsuzsa Peter and Hannes Traupmann
Email: bofan.zhou1996[at]gmail.com, cuc.diaana[at]yahoo.ro and iam.iga.mazur[at]gmail.com


University of Applied Arts Vienna

Place of Distinct Voices by Patricia Vraber

“Place of distinct voices wonders how to take others’ perspectives to form mental images of how the world looks like through the eyes of others. This new civic is a universe on its own, providing an extensive grid of time and space.

“The visitor experiences it through the architecture of inversion and an infinite archive of people’s stories that enhance our empathy and emotions.”

Student: Patricia Vraber
Course: Studio Díazmoreno Garcíagrinda
Tutors: Cristina Díaz Moreno, Efrén García Grinda, Anna Gulinska, Lorenzo Perri, Zsuzsa Peter and Hannes Traupmann
Email: vraberpatricia[at]gmail.com


University of Applied Arts Vienna

The Otherworldliness by Magdalena Gorecka

“The Otherworldliness, an audio-video production, creates augmented spatial sceneries for an informal and dynamic production and projection of Bollywood movies. It is located in the biggest European greenhouses agglomeration in southern Spain.

“The proposal brings together displaced immigrants from the sub-Sahara. The project manifests in a sequence of artefacts, which tense the voids within a dense and homogeneous polyethene landscape.”

Student: Magdalena Gorecka
Course: Studio díazmoreno garcíagrinda
Tutors: Cristina Díaz Moreno, Efrén García Grinda, Anna Gulinska, Lorenzo Perri, Zsuzsa Peter and Hannes Traupmann
Email: goreckagorecka[at]gmail.com


University of Applied Arts Vienna

Vertical Suburbia by Alexander Klapsch and Jenny Niklasch

“This project rethinks an intensified urban realm and the reconceptualisation of open space on the periphery of Vienna.

“Through the vertical integration of activities, the built space is densified and seen as a juxtaposition to the negative space, creating an environment of coexistence for humans and other species.”

Student: Alexander Klapsch and Jenny Niklasch
Course: Studio Díazmoreno Garcíagrinda
Tutors: Cristina Díaz Moreno, Efrén García Grinda, Anna Gulinska, Lorenzo Perri, Zsuzsa Peter and Hannes Traupmann
Email: alexander.klapsch[at]gmail.com and jenny_niklasch[at]outlook.de


Partnership content

This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and the University of Applied Arts Vienna. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

The post 15 student design projects from the University of Applied Arts Vienna appeared first on Dezeen.

Listen Up

Traversing musical genres via bangers, ballads and bops

Lil Nas X feat. Jack Harlow: INDUSTRY BABY

Lil Nas X continues to triumph and tantalize (and torment homophobes in the meantime) with “INDUSTRY BABY” featuring rapper/singer Jack Harlow. The video, directed by Christian Breslauer, is a colorful, vibrant celebration of homoeroticism, Black men, queerness, sex and freedom—all in Lil Nas X’s now-familiar playful style (and even nods to his partnership with The Bail Project). The song itself provides Lil Nas X fans with yet another banger.

Mdou Moctar feat. MC Yallah: Tala Tannam (Debmaster Remix)

Tuareg songwriter and musician Mdou Moctar (aka Mahamadou Souleymane) released his already acclaimed Afrique Victime album earlier this year. From it, the track “Tala Tannam” returns as a remix by electronic producer Debmaster (aka Julien Deblois) that features a riveting guest turn from the rapper MC Yallah. “I’ve loved to work on my brother Mdou Moctar’s track,” Kenya-born, Uganda-based Yallah says in a statement. “Fusing hip-hop with deep desert sounds really took me to a different place. I hope we meet in real life one day!”

Kiana V: Better

Filipina singer-songwriter Kiana V (aka Kiana Valenciano) follows her 2019 debut album See Me with Dazed, an EP released today. From the five-track project (co-produced with Jesse Barrera) comes “Better,” a dreamy, contemplative tune. With ethereal vocals and twinkling synths, it sounds like a love song, but after listing the problems within a relationship, Valenciano repeatedly coos “I could do better” in each chorus.

MUNYA: Pour Toi

French-Canadian singer, songwriter and producer MUNYA (aka Josie Boivin) returns with a new single, “Pour Toi.” The dreamy tune matches synths with Boivin’s delicate vocals, as she sings wistfully (in French and English) about long distance love. She also directed the video with Josh Aldecoa, which was shot in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Nico Hedley: Tennessee

From Queens-based alt-country singer-songwriter Nico Hedley’s debut LP Painterly comes the second single and album opener, “Tennessee.” A tender, contemplative reflection on the act of saying goodbye, with exquisite harmonies introduced toward its escalating end, the track was written spontaneously after Hedley witnessed his band members hugging their partners goodbye before the start of a tour.

Casper Caan: Last Chance (Hot Chip Remix)

English synth-pop act Hot Chip has reworked NYC-based electronic artist Casper Caan’s debut single, “Last Chance.” The dance-floor-ready remix blossoms from a minimal but buoyant bop into an all-out party. Hot Chip says in a statement, “Something about the melody and Casper’s voice reminded us of New Order so they became an important reference for the remix. We really enjoyed making it!”

Belaver: 70’s Adventure

A subdued, sometimes humorous ballad, “70’s Adventure” is the latest track to be released from the sophomore album of NYC-based singer-songwriter Belaver (aka B.E. Godfrey), Lain Prone. The album, out 22 October, is set to be structured like a novel; composed of tracks that act as thoughtful, reflective alt-folk chapters. This song’s official music video, directed by Erica Alexandria Silverman, follows the singer on a canoe trip down a fantasy river of the past.

Listen Up is published every Sunday and rounds up the new music we found throughout the week. Hear the year so far on our Spotify channel. Hero courtesy of Casper Caan and Jonathan Zawada

This firefly-inspired Husqvarna bike balances the comfort of car with the thrill of biking!

Imagining how the dimension of mobility will evolve in the next few years, Haochen gives his imagination wings in the shape of this firefly-inspired Husqvarna Devil S Concept bike.

More often than not, motorbikes are tagged as unsafe since they expose the rider’s body to high-speed dangers in case of an accident. Two-wheelers typically have a very open stance that attracts the young generation and adds to the adrenaline rush. More than anything, the ride should be stylish and match the fashion statement of the young crowd. This inspired Haochen (Wenson) Wei to design a motorbike with a very stylish character and a safe design that’s radically different from what bikes are perceived to be.

The rider sits inside the Husqvarna branded bike as one would typically do in a car, and the doors open to resemble the shape of a firefly. These classy doors, in a way, hug the rider in a safety cocoon which is reassuring at high speeds. While doing this, the bike maintains its edgy looks – perfect for a futuristic ride that young people will find irresistible.

Interiors of the Devil S Concept complement the rider’s needs with all the telemetry and vital information displayed on the side panels on the front. The designer wants this bike of the future to be an equally good city street rider as it is out there in the open patches of the outback. A two-wheeler like this one is destined to be a head-turner – just the right recipe for the youth who want their wheels to be fast and furious.

The side profile of the Devil S is truly devilish with a very balanced aesthetic charm. The rider sits very low as the seating position is secured by the lightweight yet reinforced body of the bike. I hope there are airbags, too, as there is ample scope for that in the enclosed interior. Would a hardcore bike racer fancy this bike? Maybe not, but hey, every new thing has to live with some resistance until it becomes a trend!

Designer: Haochen (Wenson) Wei

 

Edition Office completes black concrete home in rural Australia

A black concrete house

Black-pigmented concrete and black timber battens have been used to create this tactile home in the village of Federal, New South Wales by Australian studio Edition Office.

The Melbourne-based firm designed Federal House to be both a peaceful sanctuary for its clients and a sculptural object dug into a slope in the hilly, forested landscape.

A black concrete house
Edition Office has created a black concrete house

“At a distance the building is recessive, a shadow within the vast landscape,” described Edition Office.

“On closer inspection, a highly textural outer skin of thick timber battens contrasts the earlier sense of a machined tectonic, allowing organic materials gestures to drive the dialogue with physical human intimacy.”

A forested landscape with a secluded house
It sits on a slope within a forested landscape

Drawing on the verandah typology common among Australia’s colonial homesteads, a central living, dining and kitchen space is wrapped by a partially covered deck area.

This deck was designed to create a variety of different connections to the surrounding landscape.

It was lined with black timber battens that filter air, views and more direct sunlight on the western edge, and left entirely open for panoramic views to the north.

A bedroom with a private terrace
Sliding glass doors open the house to the outside

Sliding glass doors around the living spaces allow them to be completely opened to the elements or sealed off.

At the centre is a double-height garden void, illuminated by a cut in the home’s roof.

“The expansion and contraction of the interior allows shifts between the intimate and the public, between immediate landscape and the expansive unfolding landscape to the north,” said the studio.

A living room with a suspended fireplace
Light wooden floors and tan leather furniture feature inside

Along the eastern edge of the home is the bedroom block, what the studio calls an “enclave of withdrawal, rest and solitude” containing two smaller rooms either side of a bathroom and a large en-suite bedroom with its own private terrace.

For the interiors, the dark wood and concrete are contrasted by lighter wooden floors and tan leather furniture, with custom door pulls designed to encourage a “tactile engagement” with the home.

On the lower level is a thin pool open to the landscape at one end, which cools air as it travels through the building, up the garden void into the living spaces.

This natural ventilation is supplemented with a ceiling fan for the hotter days of the year and a fireplace for winter.

A swimming pool lined with black concrete
On the lower level is a thin pool

Edition Office has recently completed another rural home in the Australian town of Kyneton, which also saw natural surroundings inform a textural material palette.

The photography is by Ben Hosking.


Project credits:

Lead designers: Kim Bridgland, Aaron Roberts
Landscape designer:
Florian Wild
Structural engineer:
Westera Partners
Builder:
SJ Reynolds Constructions

The post Edition Office completes black concrete home in rural Australia appeared first on Dezeen.

Ten eye-catching hotel bedrooms with standout interiors

Hotel bedrooms lookbook

For our latest lookbook, we’ve selected 10 hotel bedrooms with striking interiors that will make for a memorable stay.

Hotel bedrooms are designed to be welcoming spaces to spend the night away from home.

These striking guest rooms, which range from brightly coloured to pared-back and minimal, can provide inspiration for your own bedroom.

This is the latest roundup in our Dezeen Lookbooks series providing visual inspiration for the home. Previous lookbooks include interiors that make use of colour-theory, Japandi living rooms and residential loft conversions.


A monochrome bedroom in Hotel Monville in Montreal

Hotel Monville, Canada, by ACDF Architecture

The monochrome bedrooms at Hotel Monville in Montreal keep to a dual-tone theme with black and white accents.

Local firm ACDF Architecture designed the hotel rooms in a largely muted palette including grey carpets and understated lighting by fellow local studio Lambert & Fils. Oak headboards and chairs brighten the otherwise dark space.

Read more about Hotel Monville ›


Shaker-informed hotel interiors

Círculo Mexicano, Mexico, by Ambrosi Etchegaray

Architecture office Ambrosi Etchegaray created bedrooms devoid of ornamentation for this Mexico City hotel, which takes cues from the Shakers‘ minimal approach to living.

The bedrooms of Círculo Mexicano adopt this style with a series of blocky wooden plinths that make up the rooms’ tables, storage cupboards and bed bases. Terracotta barrel-vaulted ceilings also feature in some of the bedrooms.

Find out more about Círculo Mexicano ›


A hotel bedroom designed by Soho House

The Ned, England, by Soho House

Private members’ club Soho House created 252 lavish bedrooms in the Ned hotel, which is located in an Edwin Lutyens-designed bank.

A vintage feel permeates the guest rooms that are informed by 1920s and 1930s design.

Brass and mahogany furniture contrasts with mustard-coloured sofas and large four-poster beds, while richly patterned curtains and cushions are reflected in decadent chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

Find out more about The Ned ›


Vintage pastel hotel bedroom interiors

Whitworth Locke, England, by Grzywinski+Pons

New York-based studio Grzywinski+Pons used vintage posters advertising international trading between Manchester and “warmer and brighter corners of the globe” as a design prompt for the bedrooms in this hotel based in the English city.

Whitworth Locke’s guest rooms feature interiors in quaint 1800s-informed pastel colours. Exposed brick walls are painted salmon-pink, while gold wall lamps illuminate pistachio-green accents and illustrated monochrome bedclothes.

Find out more about Whitworth Locke ›


Hotel Saint Vincent

Hotel Saint Vincent, US, by Lambert McGuire Design

Grey bedrooms at the Hotel Saint Vincent in New Orleans reflect the chilling legacy of the building, which was converted from a 19th-century infant asylum.

Austin-based practice Lambert McGuire Design chose to paint the walls and ceilings of the rooms in a dark shade of grey intended to echo the hotel’s sinister atmosphere.

Red velvet upholstery offsets the grey walls, combined with unlikely colourful accents such as bold yellow telephones.

Find out more about Hotel Saint Vincent ›


Retro interiors in a Washington DC-based hotel

Eaton DC, US, by Gachot Studios and Parts and Labor Design

Time-worn pieces such as Himalayan salt lamps and colourful textiles add to this Washington DC hotel, which has retro bedrooms designed to reject the luxury style of accommodation in the city.

New York studios Gachot Studios and Parts and Labor Design created the hotel’s eclectic bedroom interiors.

Read more about Eaton DC ›


Barceló Torre de Madrid by Jaime Hayón

Barceló Torre de Madrid, Spain, by Jaime Hayón 

Spanish designer Jaime Hayón brought his signature playful style to the bedrooms of Barceló Torre de Madrid, a vibrantly designed hotel in the Spanish city.

Best known for his recurring animal imagery, Hayón added pieces such as his Monkey table, a humorous cartoon monkey-shaped concrete resin side table, to the hotel’s quirky rooms. The designer’s Catch chairs and Palette tables also feature, while abstract gold lion motifs decorate large mirrors above guest beds.

Read more about Barceló Torre de Madrid ›


The lookbook features hotel bedrooms

Palm Heights, Grand Cayman, by Gabriella Khalil

1970s Caribbean mansions informed the mood of Palm Heights, a hotel on the island of Grand Cayman by interior designer Gabriella Khalil.

The hotel’s bedrooms feature an eclectic mix of materials including Italian pale stone floors and a combination of yellow and blue tones intended to mimic the colours of the beach. Neutral white walls complement the rooms’ natural light and offset their bolder upholstery.

Find out more about Palm Heights ›


Hotel interiors in Scottsdale, Arizona

Hotel Valley Ho, US, by Edward L Varney

Many of the bedrooms at the Hotel Valley in Scottsdale, Arizona, which was transformed by architect Edward L Varney, contain freestanding bathtubs positioned against vibrant yellow walls.

The bedrooms are finished with neutral-coloured terrazzo floor tiles that soften deep burgundy lounge chairs by American design firm Knoll.

Find out more about Hotel Valley Ho ›


Chunky scalloped headboards in an Italian boutique hotel

Condominio Monti, Italy, by Studio Tamat and Sabina Guidotti

Chunky scalloped headboards in shades of cobalt, hot pink and purple take centre stage in the bedrooms of this Italian boutique hotel by Studio Tamat and Sabina Guidotti.

Brightly coloured furnishings are paired with more paired-back furniture including steel bedside tables with marble bases by Austrian designer Klemens Schillinger.

Find out more about Condominio Monti ›


This is the latest in our series of lookbooks providing curated visual inspiration from Dezeen’s image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing mezzanines, U-shaped kitchens and calm living rooms.

The post Ten eye-catching hotel bedrooms with standout interiors appeared first on Dezeen.

Lemoal Lemoal creates hempcrete sports hall in France

Paris studio Lemoal Lemoal has used hempcrete blocks to build the Pierre Chevet sports centre, which the studio believes is the country’s first public building built from the material.

Named Pierre Chevet, the 380 square-metre sports hall is located in the town of Croissy-Beaubourg near Paris.

Pierre Chevet sports hall is clad in cement panels
The sports hall has hempcrete block walls

Lemoal Lemoal used the building as an opportunity to experiment with hemp as a construction material.

The sports centre contains an exercise hall and changing rooms enclosed in a structure made from hempcrete blocks, which were constructed by cement manufacturer Vicat.

The blocks were made using lime and hemp hurds – an agricultural material produced from hemp stalks, which were grown in France.

Pierre Chevet sports hall has large interiors
The sports hall has a half vaulted structural system

The exterior of the building is clad in white, cement-fibre panels that protect the hemp blocks.

Inside, the building has a wooden, half-vaulted structure that is adjoined to the hempcrete walls for support and provides the interior space with a column-free interior.

“The structure is a mix of timber and hempcrete blocks, wooden half-vaulted porticoes lean against a wall of hempcrete blocks for support,” Lemoal Lemaol told Dezeen.

“This combination frees a maximum of space for practising sports, and allows large opening of two facades to the public space.”

Pierre Chevet sports hall has white rendered walls
Walls were half rendered revealing the hempcrete blockwork

Lower sections of the walls were treated with hemp plaster – a technique typically used across the interiors of hempcrete buildings to conceal the material’s textural quality.

Other areas of the walls were left untreated to reveal the blockwork and aid the building’s acoustic performance.

Pierre Chevet sports hall has a wood and hempcrete structure
Hempcrete removes the need for insulation

“By virtue of [hempcrete’s] multiple qualities, hemp blocks makes it possible to avoid the use of linings and to reduce the thickness of the walls to the essential,” said the studio.

“It also makes it possible to increase the practicable surface of the sports hall.”

Pierre Chevet sports hall has wood lined changing areas
It has a shower and changing spaces

Hempcrete was chosen for the construction by Lemoal Lemoal for its durability, fire resistance and the fact it is an emerging construction material.

The material’s France-based production also means it promotes short and local supply chains.

“Hempcrete is very popular due to its high qualities for construction, which is really good news for sustainability,” said the studio.

“We choose to work with hempcrete because this sustainable and long-lasting material has also multiple performances, which allows us to reduce the thickness of the walls and get high quality and spacious interior rooms.”

Pierre Chevet sports hall has a tiled floor
Walls were rendered with a hemp plaster

The blocks used in the building can be assembled dry and have an interlocking system that does not require adhesives or mortar. The hempcrete also removes the need for additional insulation due to its natural insulating qualities.

“The innovation here is not to use hempcrete for a public building but the hempcrete blocks with dry interlocking.”

The blocks have a textural quality
The blocks were created using hemp hurds and lime

The studio explained that the sports hall is France’s first public building to use hempcrete blocks and hopes it will encourage others to consider using the material on future projects.

“The Pierre Chevet sports hall is the first new public facility built with hemp-concrete blocks, it helps to engage stakeholders in the building industry in ecological transition and helps to reduce the number of different materials used,” said Lemoal Lemoal.

“The project was notably an opportunity to train a masonry company to this technique. Lighter than a traditional concrete block, but with a similar implementation, the hemp block can convince entrepreneurs to permanently modify their prescriptions.”

It has a concrete floor
The bases of the walls were rendered in lime

Hemp is a carbon sequestering material when used in constriction. Cambridge University researcher Darshil Shah explained that hemp is estimated to be one of the top CO2-to-biomass converters.

He stated “[hemp] is even more effective than trees,” and that “industrial hemp absorbs between eight to 15 tonnes of CO2 per hectare of cultivation.”

Image of the blocks used at the Pierre Chevet sports hall
The blocks have an interlocking system

Hemp is becoming more widely used as a construction material. A video made at Margent Farm in Cambridge details how Hemp is grown, cultivated and processed to be used as a construction material.

Elsewhere in Cambridge, Jonathan Tuckey Design recently announced its plans to add a hempcrete extension to a house in a conservation area.

Photography is by Elodie Dupuy.

The post Lemoal Lemoal creates hempcrete sports hall in France appeared first on Dezeen.

The ‘MagEasy’ wallet comes with magnetic modules that let you easily organize your belongings


Titled the MagEasy Badge, this nifty little number upgrades the oh-so-boring lanyard into something that’s much more functional, versatile, and easy-to-access. Instead of shoving all your cards and cash into a bifold that sits firmly pressed against your behind, the MagEasy Badge brings everything front-and-center by suspending your belongings around your neck. Ultimately, it still looks like a lanyard, although it contains much more… and if you’re the kind of person who works at a place that requires RFID tap-to-access employee cards, this might just be the most perfect little thing for you.

Designers: LHiDS Creative & Ergomi Design

Click Here to Buy Now: MagEasy Badge & MagBoard Set for $59 $94 (37% off). Hurry, only 66/150 left!

MagEasy Hybrid workstation consists of an ID badge holder and a desktop organizer.

Overcome workplace challenges with readiness, orderliness and calmness.

The system declutters your life and clears the way for creativity.

Traditionally, a lanyard has just been a fancy way of strapping an ID or an access card around your neck. It’s an easy way to have people identify you, or systems recognize you and allow you to access parts of a building. The lanyard hasn’t really changed in the couple of decades (or centuries, if you look up Wikipedia) that it’s existed, but LHiDS has a clever idea. Instead of carrying a lanyard with a card around your neck, and a wallet with your other cards in your back pocket, why not merge the two into some sort of super-lanyard that carries everything you need right where you can access it (and potentially prevent a pickpocket from quietly stealing it too).

The custom magnetic modules meet the needs of specific scenarios.

The MagEasy Badge, envisioned by LHiDS Creative and designed by Ergomi Design, sits suspended from your neck, and features a bifold design that’s about as spacious as a wallet. Outwardly, it looks like a lanyard with a card, but to the wearer, it’s much more. It has a dedicated windowed slot for your ID card, as well as additional slots for your payment cards, membership cards, and even a couple of banknotes. It also comes equipped with one of those retractable tether systems, which means you can use your lanyard to tap on RFID machines at work, and can be worn/carried around your neck, by your pant’s belt loop, or even strapped to your bag.

Things get really interesting when you start looking at the ‘MagEasy’ part of the equation. The wallet/lanyard comes with 8 internal magnets that allow it to snap shut, but they additionally also let you easily attach modules to your wallet, expanding its abilities.

Among LHiDS’s ecosystem of magnetic modules exists a phone-stand, a notepad, and even a tiny pocket mirror that you can easily snap on or snap off. The MagEasy Badge’s modules allow you to build your own ‘super-lanyard’ that acts as a mini organizer, holding your cash and cards while also acting as your notepad or mirror (going well above and beyond what your average wallet can do). At the same time, it ensures all your stuff is well within reach – either around your neck or by your waist… or better still, on your desk!

The magnetic feature plays a large role in ‘organizing’ your belongings, not just around your neck, but on your desk too. MagEasy’s organizing system lets you easily snap all your magnetic modules to a vertical board on your desk, almost like you’d attach notes to a softboard or whiteboard. The organizing system is MagEasy’s way of de-cluttering your desk too (aside from your wallet) and putting everything in an organized, easy-to-access format. Aside from being able to snap your wallet/lanyard to the organizing system, you’ve even got stationery-holders, cable-ties, and card-holders, that bring the magic of modular, magnetic design to your life, whether it’s around your neck or at your desk… so you’re 100% productive and organized all the time!

Click Here to Buy Now: MagEasy Badge & MagBoard Set for $59 $94 (37% off). Hurry, only 66/150 left!

Kitchen Appliances to help dessert-loving home cooks achieve their pastry chef dreams!

My favorite part of a meal is…dessert! I have a massive sweet tooth, and if you give me a piece of cake, I’ll be sitting in contentment for hours. As much as I love devouring desserts, I’m not the best at making them. Although that would help reduce some of the stress on my wallet! For all those dessert lovers who love gobbling up anything sweet in sight, but unfortunately struggle at preparing them – this collection of kitchen appliances has been curated specially for you. From a Star Wars-inspired waffle maker to a robotic icing assistant to help you decorate your cakes – these kitchen appliances have been designed for all those home cooks with a huge sweet tooth! These kitchen gadgets are dessert-friendly and YD-approved. Enjoy!

 

Imagine how good an ice-cream scooping spoon would have to be to win a Global Innovation Award. With a special heat-retaining liquid inside its handle and a thermally-conductive alloy structure internal structure that guides the heat to the scoop’s rim, the ScoopTHAT II can quite naturally carve through that solid block of ice cream with zero fuss. Relying on just the physical transfer of heat, ScoopTHAT II slices through frozen cream like a hot knife through butter, but without any electricity or batteries… just good old science.

The Bruno comes as a clamshell appliance with a lid that hinges back when you open it. With heating coils on the base as well as the lid, you can use the Bruno just like an oven (except this opens differently) by even choosing which heating plate you want to activate. A grill plate sits at the middle, holding your meats or vegetables on it as you grill them just like you would on a barbecue grill. Open the lid, fire the lower coil, and you’ve got yourself an impromptu grill that works well with all sorts of food. Close the lid and activate both heating coils and you’ve got a toaster that toasts breads kept horizontally!

Producing probably the best waffles in the galaxy, Pangea’s Deluxe Millennial Falcon Waffle Maker creates iconic starship-shaped waffles, with even browning on both sides thanks to its weighted lid and in-built thermostat. It even packs two LEDs that tell you when to pour batter, and when the waffles are perfectly golden and ready absolutely devour.

Modeled on the shape and design of a toucan bird (remember Rafael from the movie Rio?), Toco actually helps core and spiralize an apple, turning it from a fruit into a fun spiral you can eat! Made from plastic (so it’s relatively safe around kids), Toco’s beak comes with a circular element at its tip that pierces into the fruit’s core, while the beak itself has a sharp-ish edge that cuts through the fruit’s flesh. Toco’s eye-hole serves as a finger-rest too, giving you the leverage you need to easily cut through the fruit.

Designed to mount onto your existing 3D printer, the Cakewalk 3D is a handy food extruder that lets you decorate cakes, make meringues, adorn your pizza with ornate cheese patterns, or write your name in guacamole on a burrito. If there’s any food that can be extruded, the Cakewalk 3D can pretty much extrude it, thanks to a stainless-steel food tube, a helix that pushes the food out like an Archimedes screw, and a NEMA 17 motor that runs the extrusions while the entire setup (which gets mounted on the X-Y axis arm of your printer) moves back and forth to create complex patterns that you feed into your printer program.

Designed in the bundt-cake format, the T&T’s mold is almost like a work of design and architecture (and highly reminiscent of Dinara Kasko‘s work), using geometric shapes and patterns to make each of the cake’s 8 ‘pillars’ look absolutely unique and exquisite. The cake’s silicone mold is perfect for casting intricate textures and allows you to eject the confectionery post-baking with incredible detail. The cakes look rather awe-striking on their own, but coat them with some mirror glaze and they should look absolutely ready for Instagram!

Not only do ice pops act as a tasty refreshment on a summer’s day, but they can also be used to quickly cool us down in the sweltering heat. However, the ice pop-making process is anything but quick, which can lead to frustratingly long waits as our impatience levels increase. This is certainly not the case for THE SEAL, which reduces the processing time down to a mere 10 minutes! You may be asking how this has been achieved? It takes full advantage of the working principle of an ice-cream maker but reduces the volume significantly. This, paired with the metal molds that reduce the freezing time even further, allows for ice-lollies to be made in just a matter of minutes… so you can enjoy the refreshing treat on a whim!

Much better than any cookie-cutter you’ll ever use, OXO’s Cookie Press doesn’t cut cookies, it pumps or extrudes them. The Cookie Press is a hand-operated cookie-pumping machine that relies on a stainless-steel die to push out intricately formed cookies with speed and consistency. Just load the die-disc of your choice into the Cookie Press’s base and fill the cylinder with cookie dough (your dough needs to be neither too wet nor too dry) and attach the pumping handle on top and you’re ready to go.

Imagine standing in front of an induction cooker with your pancake batter, and the cooker’s interface tells you exactly when to pour the batter into the heated pan for perfectly cooked pancakes. They say you always mess up the first pancake because more often than not, your pan isn’t at the right temperature… but when we made pancakes at Electrolux‘s office in Stockholm, every single one of them turned out absolutely flawless. Designed to make amateurs feel like experts, and to give experts a helping hand, Electrolux’s Intuit kitchen range uses a combination of remarkable design and cutting-edge technology, sprinkled with a secret sauce that is the AI.

There are three things that can destroy friendships. Monopoly, the Draw Four card in Uno, and an unequal slice of cake, pie, or pizza. Now I don’t know about the first two, but there’s a rather nifty way of avoiding the third scenario. Klipy’s Cake Divider. This handy little gadget allows you to set the angle for cutting the cake/pie/pizza based on the number of slices you need. It comes with a base that fits right into the center of the food item you want to divide, and the two arms of the Klipy act as guides for the knife, allowing you to cut perfectly even slices for yourself and your friends… because no one likes a greedy hog!

I hope you’ll forgive me for this terrible pun, but OTOTO‘s products are truly ‘deer’ to me! The company, which has established a reputation for making some of the most heartwarming products, does a remarkable job of combining elements of playfulness along with a strong storytelling aspect to create products that are just clever! Take for instance the Sweet Deer – a rocking-horse-inspired cookie cutter. Designed to clearly get children to help with food prep, the cutter comes in the shape of a reindeer on a rocking base. The rocking base comes with tapered edges that help it cut into the dough, allowing kids to cut out cookies while playing with their forest friends!

The Sonic Seasoning by graduation project of RCA student Mengtian Zhang is a unique creation centered on the satisfying sensory experience of listening to ASMR (Autonomous sensory meridian response) sounds even before we take a bite. This project culminated from Mengtian’s pandemic-induced lockdown experience when she took to watching ASMR cooking videos to remain stress-free. “I can feel the texture and flavor of food such as crunchiness and freshness behind the phone screen.” There Mengtian was struck with the idea of using sound and visual effects to elevate the buildup expectations of taste before the first bite hits the mouth. This resulted in the set of plates and cutlery connected to sensors for detecting touch which then triggers the appropriate notes to go with the whole eating experience.

This prefab holiday home in Netherlands has transforming rooms that go from day to night instantly!

Yes, you read that right – it has a flexible layout which means no need to build separate rooms for different purposes that are divided by walls like a traditional home.

For the last 15 months, all of us have been planning our post-pandemic vacations and this holiday home is now on top of my wishlist because of its gorgeous design! The luxury cabin-style structure is located on the Dutch island of Texel in the Netherlands and is just a short walk to the North Sea. Designed by Rotterdam-based Orange Architects, the modern villa saves space thanks to its prefabricated construction and flexible layout.

Yes, you read that right – it has a flexible layout which means instead of building separate rooms for different purposes that are divided by walls like a traditional home, the designers optimized the floor plan with prefab, multifunctional spaces that can be transformed or divided temporarily to create separate zones for different functions.

Since it is a holiday home, the villa has to serve more purposes than a regular house because people will tend to spend more time together in communal areas by day and only use private spaces at night. The team of architects designed rooms in a way that they served at least two functions to keep a compact volume while still maximizing space. Each room is a fluid open space during the day and can be turned into a private one by night.

During the day, the villa serves as one continual space during the day, and at night residents can separate different sections by either closing the wooden panels in the hall or turning them 90 degrees. There is also a hidden shower and sink to create an en suite bathroom! The walls and roof were prefabricated at the contractor’s workshop before being transported to the island to save construction costs. The villa has a black wooden shell which is beautifully complemented by warm wood interior tones.

My favorite part is the south-facing floor-to-ceiling windows which extend the main living room area onto a covered terrace and adjacent garden. Several skylights on the upper floor bring in more natural light and the villa is also fitted with sloping rooftop solar panels as well as a rainwater drainage system for irrigation. I could move here permanently as long as they have a good wifi connection!

Designer: Orange Architects