Melt tables by Marble Balloon among new products on Dezeen Showroom

A render of the Melt table collection in a pink surrealist landscape

A collection of tables with stone tabletops in the shape of running liquid is among seven new products featured on Dezeen Showroom this week.

A render of the Melt table collection in a pink surrealist landscape

Melt table collection by Marble Balloon

Created by Turkish brand Marble Balloon, Melt is a series of tables with stone tabletops that have been carved to look as if they are melting down the curved wood veneer bases.

Designed with the intention to blur the lines between solidity and fluidity, the collection includes a coffee table, side table and console table.

The Melt table collection was featured on Dezeen Showroom this week, alongside products including a wooden seat informed by the design of chairs from 20th-century Austria and an upholstery fabric made from 100 per cent recycled plastic waste.

Read on to see the rest of this week’s new products:


A photograph of the Repose sofa, which was presented on Dezeen Showroom, taken from above in a living room setting

Repose sofa by OKHA via Twentieth

Created by South African interior design studio OKHA, Repose is a sculptural sofa with an organic shape.

The curved form of the sofa was designed to allow a natural flow of circulation while also providing a sculptural furniture piece that acts as a visual anchor.

Find out more about Repose ›


A photograph of the Brulla chair in front of a sheer curtain

Brulla chair by Miniforms

Informed by the design of 20th-century Austrian chairs, Brulla is a wooden chair consisting of a circular webbed seat with ash wood legs and backrest.

Created by furniture brand Miniforms, Brulla is available in three finishes and designed to suit contemporary interiors while also being stylistically retro.

Find out more about Brulla ›


A photograph of samples of Vescom's recylced PET upholstery in different colours

Recycled PET upholstery by Vescom

Made from 100 per cent recycled plastic waste, Vescom’s new range of upholstery is available in four types of fabric that each use a classic weaving technique.

Vescom’s yarn is made from recycled PET bottles and the fabric is made by weaving one of the 59 colours available with a grey melange yarn, a process which cuts down on excess yarn production.

Find out more about Recycled PET upholstery ›


A photograph of a circular Reader edit light, which was presented on Dezeen Showroom, mounted on a wall next to a bed

Reader edit by Astro Lighting

Astro Lighting’s reader edit is a range of bedside lighting designed for hospitality, commercial, and high-end residential projects.

The lighting range, which is available in classic and contemporary designs, includes wall-mounted fixtures that combine both ambient and task lighting.

Find out more about Reader edit ›


A photograph of Shelved Modular Furniture, which was presented on Dezeen Showroom, used in a living room as a room separator

Shelved Modular Furniture by Shelved

Shelved Modular Furniture is a furniture system that functions as shelving and storage, designed by British brand Shelved.

Users can choose from a selection of pre-made modular arrangements, including TV units, sideboards and display shelving. Alternatively, users can customise the arrangements to suit their needs or create their own design from individual modules.

Find out more about Shelved Modular Furniture ›


A photograph taken from above of 3D carpet, which was presented on Dezeen Showroom, with a black stool

3D Carpet by Talk Carpet

3D Carpet is a flooring design by Talk Carpet that features a dark grey background with white, grey and black decorative curving lines.

The design of the carpet was informed by the Prince Felipe Museum of Sciences’ collections in Valencia, Spain, which exhibits prehistoric animal skeletons.

Find out more about 3D Carpet ›

Dezeen Showroom

Dezeen Showroom offers an affordable space for brands to launch new products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen’s huge global audience. For more details email showroom@dezeen.com.

Dezeen Showroom is an example of partnership content on Dezeen. Find out more about partnership content here.

The post Melt tables by Marble Balloon among new products on Dezeen Showroom appeared first on Dezeen.

Fresh produce takes centre stage in Notting Hill's Spring-To-Go farm shop

Spring-To-Go interior by Skye Gyngell and Briony Fitzgerald

Australian chef Skye Gyngell has teamed up with her sister, designer Briony Fitzgerald, to create a deli version of her restaurant Spring that is centred around a huge display of fruit and vegetables.

Located in London’s Notting Hill, Spring-To-Go is a shop where customers can buy seasonal produce and order restaurant-quality meals for home delivery.

Spring-To-Go vegetable display
Spring-To-Go centres around a display of fresh fruit and vegetables

Gyngell and Fitzgerald designed the space in the same spirit as Spring, which opened in Somerset House in 2015.

The interior is deliberately pared-back to allow the fresh food that’s for sale to become the focal point.

Fresh farm produce including carrots and tomatoes
Biodynamic produce is organised on tiered semi-circular shelves

“We wanted it to feel like a little sister to Spring, a space where the produce from the farm could really take centre stage,” Gyngell told Dezeen.

“We wanted to create a welcoming beautiful space, which invites people to have a sensory experience as they select produce or wait for their coffee,” Fitzgerald added.

Spring-To-Go coffee and juice bar
The coffee and juice bar features a marble counter and green front

At the centre of the shop is a multitiered display stand filled with regeneratively farmed produce from Fern Verrow farm in Herefordshire and Heckfield Home Farm in Hampshire.

Other details include a coffee and juice bar with a marble counter and green front, limed oak shelves filled with bottles and jars, and stepped display stands covered in buckets of fresh flowers.

Limed oak shelves in Spring-To-Go
Limed oak shelves are filled with bottles and jars

“We considered the flow of people in the space as they move around the displays,” said Fitzgerald.

“We wanted the space to encourage people to touch, smell, potter around and enjoy the beauty of the fresh produce.
”

Gyngell first established Spring-To-Go at the start of the pandemic. With restaurants across the country forced to close, she started offering customers recipe boxes filled with vegetables, bread and dairy produce.

This led her to start developing a range of jams, cordials and ferments, which then evolved into a range of baked goods and prepared meals.

“It seemed a natural progression to open the shop,” said Gyngell.

Spring-To-Go shelving and flower displays
Fresh flowers are displayed in metal buckets

The Spring-To-Go shop opened in spring 2021 and was expanded six months later with a private dining room in the basement.

The colour palette throughout features natural materials and pastel shades of pink, peach and green.

Dried flower arrangements courtesy of Kitten Grayson Flowers add texture to the walls and ceilings while potted plants line the windows and fresh flowers are used to decorate dining tables.

Spring-To-Go private dining room
A private dining room is located in the basement

“The colours and finishes are in the same palette as Spring but the experience of the space is very different,” said Fitzgerald.

“At Spring people are seated and at Spring-to-Go people are moving around,” she added.

“With Spring-to-Go, the fresh produce and house-made goods are the stars and we kept that front of mind as we designed the space and shelving.”

Exterior of Spring-To-Go
Spring-to-Go is located in London’s Notting Hill

Elsewhere in London, designer Camille Walala opted for a more vibrant colour palette when she transformed the visitor shop of the Design Museum into a pop-up supermarket earlier this year.

Photography is courtesy of Spring-to-Go.

The post Fresh produce takes centre stage in Notting Hill’s Spring-To-Go farm shop appeared first on Dezeen.

The Oqular Clip is effectively the tiniest, slimmest spectacle case ever made



{“@context”:”http://schema.org/”,”@id”:”https://www.yankodesign.com/2021/12/19/the-oqular-clip-is-effectively-the-tiniest-slimmest-spectacle-case-ever-made/#arve-kickstarter-oqularclipoqular-clip-lets-reinvent-eyewear-protection61bfee4131f39135350924″,”type”:”VideoObject”,”embedURL”:”https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/oqularclip/oqular-clip-lets-reinvent-eyewear-protection/widget/video.html”}

In a world with people using large, bulky spectacle cases, the Oqular Clip is so simple, even Khaby Lame would approve.

The premise behind the design of the Oqular Clip is simple… If you’re protecting the lens from breakage and scratches, why do you need a stationery-box-shaped case to keep your entire spectacles in? The Oqular Clips, simply put, are a set of magnetic covers that sit over the lenses of your spectacles. Designed to cover and protect the most vulnerable part of your glasses (the ACTUAL glasses themselves), the Oqular Clips are sleek and elegant enough that you can carry them in your pocket with you. With magnetic closures and soft suede-lined inners, the Oqular Clips satisfyingly click shut around your lenses, sandwiching them from both sides, and preventing them from external damage.

Designer: Adam Webb

Click Here to Buy Now: $27 (Buy one, get one free, and free shipping with coupon code “YANKODESIGN”). Hurry, sale ends December 25th.

1mm magnets on each side of the clip keep them lightly gripped to your glasses.

The idea behind the Oqular Clips is that while spectacle cases are great the way they are, they’re sort of overkill. Nobody ends up routinely sitting or stamping on their spectacles everyday, so the idea of needing to protect the entire wearable all the time is much. Plus, carrying cases is an absolute headache and most pockets aren’t big enough for them.

Instead, the two AirTag-sized Clips are easy to carry around, and snap shut around your left and right spectacle lenses, allowing you to slide them into your pocket without worrying about the lenses getting scratched… effectively solving a problem that’s much more frequent than actual spectacle breakage.

Roughly 20x tinier than your average spectacle case, the Oqular Clips have a one-size-fits-all universal design, and are crafted from vegan leather that gives the Clips their premium touch. Soft magnets allow the Oqular Clips to close around your lenses, providing physical protection from the front and the back, and an inner vegan suede layer prevents the lenses or their coatings from getting scratched.

Moreover, when you actually want to wear your glasses, the Oqular Clips open out and fasten around your keychain or even against your pocket, giving you a convenient way to store/carry them with you wherever you go, so you don’t have to carry a bag with your spectacle cases… or have an awkward bulge in your pants because you’ve got a case in your pocket!

The Oqular Clips come in 6 different colors, and cost 250 Swedish Krona (27.7 USD) for a set/pair of them (one for each lens). Readers of Yanko Design can additionally use the code “YANKODESIGN” to get a 1+1 deal on the Oqular Clips with free international shipping, so you can gift one to a friend, partner, or relative and say “Eye Love You”! (We don’t take responsibility for that joke…)

Click Here to Buy Now: $27 (Buy one, get one free, and free shipping with coupon code “YANKODESIGN”). Hurry, sale ends December 25th.

The post The Oqular Clip is effectively the tiniest, slimmest spectacle case ever made first appeared on Yanko Design.

DeLorean E mashes up past with the future as a cool eye candy electric vehicle

One glance at this DeLorean EV and I know the past is back, reshaping the future. The two-seater ride has a windshield that opens up completely to the back, giving access to the vehicle, and probably the only entry point to the inside cabin. Yes, it indeed has no gull-winged doors like the classic one!

The DeLorean Motor Company has had its set of controversies, and some even label it as a flawed icon. The first DMC DeLorean rolled out of the production lines in 1980 and just a year later the production was halted with only 9,000 cars seeing the light of day. Presently only around 6,500 DeLoreans are on the road and a clean one carries a value of around $35,000 – $45,000. The chunk of its popularity is attributed to the “Back to the Future” franchise which in itself is a cult favorite movie. There are speculations since long that the classic sports car will make a comeback, and all automotive fans are eagerly waiting for the modern avatar of a car that deserved more than it got!

This concept rendering by transportation designer Onkar H takes a dig at what a DeLorean of the future will be like. Of course, it has to be electric to stand a chance of longevity in the closely contested automotive market that’s going through a metamorphosis for an electric vehicle-dominated near future. An electric DeLorean E powered by 4 high-performance motors and a mid-mounted battery pack is what the passionate fans will take with both hands. After all, it kills two birds with one stone – owning a classic piece of history that doesn’t sound alienated in the EV landscape.

Rightly called the DeLorean E, the two-seater electric avatar of the iconic car is a mashup of the Cybertruck influenced color theme and the modernized edgy lines of the DeLorean. There’s an array of cool LED headlights on the front section and a matrix of taillights bringing in the EV vibe that I liked very much. The windshield is more panoramic now, extending to the roof minus the pillars for an airier feel inside. The hood gets a streamlined geometric pattern to go with the overall flowing character of the vehicle. Overall boxy styling and smooth silhouette of the original DeLorean have been preserved to maintain the nostalgic element. Onkar imagines the DeLorean E in metallic silver and cool blue color variants – I absolutely love that Gen-Z feels of it!

Designer: Onkar H

The post DeLorean E mashes up past with the future as a cool eye candy electric vehicle first appeared on Yanko Design.

This flatpack cat tower comes with integrated scratching posts and a top bed for functionality and comfort!

Float is a flatpack cat tower with built-in scratching pads that can be assembled in just a few steps.

Keeping cats entertained is a losing game. With all of the toys we buy for our feline friends, they still seem to prefer the armchair for scratching and balls of yarn for chasing. But then, that rare piece of furniture comes along made specifically for them that becomes their favorite spot for a midafternoon cat nap.

It might come through as a scratching post that catches their claws in just the right spots, or a cushioned bed that’s snugger than the corner of the couch. Or, it might be Float, a four-tier cat tower designed by João Teixeira that blends versatile design with comfort and simplicity.

Amounting four levels, Float is a flatpack cat tower with integrated features like scratching posts and movable seat rests. Following a client’s specifications and criteria, Teixeira designed Float so that it would blend into any modern home. Taking on a Scandinavian-inspired overall look, Float achieves a minimalist profile through natural, unstained wooden rods as well as cool, gray felt cushions.

From its final look to its assembly process, Float was designed to optimize functionality and versatility. Opting for a vertical, single tower build, Float is aptly sized for smaller homes as well as larger living rooms, fitting snugly in any corner of the room. Comprised of only a few parts, Float has been given a plywood base that bolsters wooden rods connected to one another by elastic tubing.

Throughout the main wooden rod’s length, Teixeira incorporated scratching posts so that cats will always be within paw’s reach of a scratchy surface. Before tightening the whole tower together, cat owners can adjust the distance between each felt pad as well as the overall height of the Float cat tower. Based on an assembly process of threaded wooden rods, the height can be adjusted by adding or removing modules.

Designer: João Teixeira

The post This flatpack cat tower comes with integrated scratching posts and a top bed for functionality and comfort! first appeared on Yanko Design.

Sony Walkman music player docks your smartphone like a cassette player, reviving nostalgic memories

This cool Sony Walkman is a modern audio player that doubles as a digital detox gadget for audiophiles who keep staring at their screen.

Who can forget the nostalgia of rewinding the same song over and over again on the good old Walkman cassette player? That’s one thing every millennial as a kid would relate to. Fast-forward to the present day, and we have the smartphone tending to all our music listening needs (unless you’re a hardcore audiophile) – virtually having all the music out there in the world just a finger swipe away. Such is the drastic shift in technology ever since the popularity of cassettes and cassette players in the late 1980s.

The analog side of gadgets has almost faded away in modern times and the digital age has overshadowed the charm of most classic stuff. But analog is not a fad – rather an ever-blossoming culture – and that’s a fact proven all these centuries when applied to any kind of domain. The Walkman SSS (Smart Sound System) by Ja Heon Lee proves it alright, mashing up the modern digital with the old classic to satiate the lust for music in a niche form factor. The Sony Walkman opens up like any analog cassette player and docks the smartphone with the screen facing outwards. The information screen of the compatible music player app displays the music information through the animation which resembles the look of a cassette tape.

On top of the music player, there is the detachable multi-controller which acts like an interface to control the music, take important calls or view lyrics on the fly. All this while your smartphone sits snug inside the Walkman. This is like a digital detox for all the screen time with a bit of added fun seeing the music being played out of the pseudo cassette player. It will surely transition you to good places in your subconscious memory, reviving old times when less was more!

Designer: Ja Heon Lee

The post Sony Walkman music player docks your smartphone like a cassette player, reviving nostalgic memories first appeared on Yanko Design.

This sleek wearable band tracks your daily activities to create smart recovery regimes for you!

Maintaining an active lifestyle, that encourages good health and fitness has become a top priority for most of us these days. We usually set up fitness goals, that we then focus on with an eagle eye vision! At least, I attempt to. Wearable tech can be an absolute boon in helping us achieve these fitness goals! Fitness trackers and watches help us monitor our everyday progress, and keep an eye on how well we are truly doing. PAL is one such wearable device that beautifully simplifies and integrates activity and recovery tracking into a sleek, futuristic, and fashionable wearable. The wearable doesn’t include a digital display, so the activity tracker has been given a minimal and subtle form while being amped with innovative and not-so-minimal tech.

PAL consists of a simple band, with an identifiable pill-shaped motif on the front and the rear of the product. The pill-shaped motif on the rear of the band outlines the interaction zone. You simply double-tap it, to start the tracker and double-tap it again when you want to shut the tracking. The intuitive physical user interface completely eliminates the visual clutter often found on other conventional fitness trackers and watches.

PAL has been equipped with an accompanying Wahoo+PAL app, that utilizes the tracking data collected by the band, to log your activities and vitals. It also uses this data to create a smart recovery regime on your smartphone, once you stop your activities. PAL’s adaptive ecosystem subtly works in the background tracking and creating regimes without reminding you of its existence. So, you can actually focus on the activity at hand, and be present in the moment.

PAL’s soft-touch polymer band and moisture-wicking fabric perfectly merge great aesthetics with high performance, creating a unique fitness tracker that helps you achieve your fitness goals, while also complimenting your everyday lifestyle!

Designer: Angus Chung

The post This sleek wearable band tracks your daily activities to create smart recovery regimes for you! first appeared on Yanko Design.

Massive timber panels form public art installation by CLB Architects

Town Enclosure

US firm CLB Architects has completed a public art project for the town of Jackson, Wyoming, that is intended to be “a gathering place that also functions as a sculptural art installation“.

Town Enclosure was commissioned by Jackson Hole Public Art and supported by a variety of local business and private patrons.

Town Enclosure installation
The installation shown in its original location in Jackson, Wyoming

Although it was initially put up in Jackson, a popular skiing destination in the USA’s Teton Mountain range, it has now been relocated to Bozeman, Montana.

The installation is formed by 22 cross-laminated timber panels arranged in a circle.

Town Enclosure has now relocated to Bozeman, Montana

This type of engineered wood is created by glueing and compressing smaller pieces of wood to form much larger panels. This allows them to be very large, while still being relatively thin.

Each of the panels is 13.3 feet (four metres) tall, and their widths vary between 7 and 12 feet (two and three metres). All of the panels are oriented in the same direction, so that the structure is asymmetrical, and looks different when viewed from many angles.

Cross-laminated timber panels
Cross-laminated timber panels form a circle

“Spaces between the panels invite exploration,” said CLB Architects, which has offices both in Bozeman and Jackson.

“From a distance, the composition acknowledges its mountainous setting, engages passersby, and serves as a sympathetic counterpoint to its natural setting,” they added. “True engagement happens as one moves around and within it.”

The space created at the centre of the 52-foot-wide (16-metre) circle is intended for a variety of public uses. “Town Enclosure becomes a place for community engagement and a venue for artistic expression: a place for performance and exhibition, and an armature for creative discovery,” said the architects.

“The design is flexible, always open to the public and capable of being used in a variety of ways — both formal and spontaneous — to foster artistic experiences en plein air.”

The panels are stained black on one side, while the natural wood finish is left on the other, so the structure looks different from the inside.

Town Enclosure by CLB Architects
The panels are stained black on one side

CLB Architects has completed a range of residential commissions in the US mountain states. Much of the studio’s work is influenced by historic agricultural buildings such as barns and stables.

These projects include a house made up of several different structures to resemble a “village”, and a home wrapped in black steel panels that is intended to weather and rust over time.

The photography is by Matthew Millman, Krafty Photos, Tuck Fauntleroy and Cody Brown.


Project credits:

CLB Architects team: Eric Logan, Forrest Britton, Sam Ankeny
Landscape: MountainScapes
Structural engineer: KL&A
Builder: Premier Powder Coating, Two Oceans Builders
Facilitated by: Jackson Hole Public Art
Painting: KWC, Inc.
Other supporters: Anvil Hotel, Center for the Arts Creative in Residence Program, Center of Wonder, Community Foundation of Jackson Hole, Dembergh Construction, Western Trust, Altamira Gallery, MountainSpaces, Nelson Engineering

The post Massive timber panels form public art installation by CLB Architects appeared first on Dezeen.

Top 10 Kitchen Appliances of 2021!

Before the pandemic took place, cooking was a chore I completely avoided! But now, I honestly find it quite therapeutic! The pandemic, and all the free time that came along with it, somehow awakened my inner chef! I’m sure a lot of other inner chefs were brought to life as well. Especially with the right kitchen tools and appliances, cooking can be a fun and effortless process. The right products can reduce your prep time in half, make the little cooking tasks much easier, and help you with tedious and complicated techniques. This collection of kitchen appliances promises to transform cooking from a Herculean feat to an approachable and enjoyable process! Let your inner chef take over with the help of these innovative and nifty designs!

1. Carnerie

Turner designed Carnerie – a conceptual device that will let you grow your own meat in the future! Cultured meat is the process of growing meat from cells extracted from animals. Many experts believe that cultured meat offers us the opportunity to produce meat with significantly reduced environmental impacts and without slaughtering animals. The technology is being rapidly developed across the world and is beginning to be introduced to some high-end restaurants but there has been discussion about whether one day we may be able to grow our own meat from animal cells in our own kitchens. Carnerie is a ‘grow your own meat’ device for around twenty years in the future. It is controlled by an app, whereby the user is able to order cell capsules from local farms in order to grow a variety of different types of meat. This conceptual, speculative project is designed to help us visualize what this future scenario could be like and whether it’s a future that we would buy into.

2. The Gevi

In about the same number of steps it takes you to make coffee from a Nespresso or Keurig, the Gevi gives you a cup of coffee that’s brewed directly from freshly-ground beans… and it all lies in the appliance’s sleek, 2-in-1 design. At first glance, the Gevi doesn’t look like your conventional 2-in-1 coffee maker. Those are much bulkier, and look industrial, while Gevi has a sleek, slim appearance to it. On the inside, however, the Gevi can both grind as well as brew your coffee beans… and it can weigh the beans out beforehand too, resulting in a well-calibrated brew that’s just right.

3. Groundfridge

Cellars have been used across the ages to store food or even act like bunker houses in case of natural disasters. Groundfridge takes that design one step further by adding fresh food refrigeration to the game. The trick used by Groundfridge is by utilizing the natural insulating capacity of the ground and the cooler night air temperatures. The balance of this design allows you to store your vegetables, fruits, cheese, and even wine throughout the year. Ventilating this project uses a fan with a timer that replenishes the cool air during the night. Too hot for comfort? An additional cooler can be used to power it during the hottest summer days. “The Groundfridge is dug in and covered with the excavated soil from its new location. This covering layer of soil is about 1 meter thick and has good insulating properties for the core temperature within the Groundfridge to barely vary. Furthermore, your Groundfridge is fitted with a ventilator.”

4. Cook Nook

Non-electric toaster and oven combos have struck their brilliance with the outdoorsy, the gas-powered Cook Nook presents an added advantage with a stove. There is so much one can do with the non-electric toaster, stove, and oven combo. It can be used for making toasts, roasting chicken, baking cake and even preparing a meal when electricity isn’t a luxury. So, when stepping into the wilderness, a portable and lightweight gas-operated toaster, oven, the stove is the icing on the cake since it opens up possibilities for a great treat for a large family or friends gathering with the choice of pizzas, cookies, and other delicious.

5. The B Point

That plastic kettle sitting on our kitchen counter probably looks like something from a time capsule compared to all the other appliances that have gotten design makeovers. Finally, it is the kettle’s turn and the B POINT shows it all off. It features a touch interface that instantly gets the appliance up to speed with others and lets the user form a more organic connection with it. The circular display has two rings – the outer ring shows the temperature and the inner ring shows the water level inside. Countdown starts after setting the water temperature and will beep once it is ready! The choice of CMF really elevates the simple appliance into an aesthetic product that you can display proudly on your kitchen counter.

6. Decker

decker3

Decker is an all-electric appliance so grilling on it is devoid of fossil fuels like coal. It creates a smokeless experience which is perfect for an urban kitchen or a balcony. Young millennials and Gen Z have little access to the experience of cooking food on a grill. Using a BBQ grill indoors only creates a fire hazard but most living quarters don’t allow them because of the smoke and soot which can be bothersome in cities where people are often living too close to one another. The team elaborates, “We created a clear yet functional UI that displays options as and when the functionalities are selected. The display screen is a hi-definition OLED display that is touch-sensitive with multi-touch as well as provides haptic feedback to the option selected.

7. MY Idra Bottle

The bottle’s clever design focuses on three really important elements/innovations. For starters, the MY Idra bottle is entirely plastics-free and is designed to last forever even with constant use. On the outside, the MY Idra comes with a double-layered stainless steel and glass construction. The 18/8 stainless steel enclosure houses the unpurified water, which trickles through the MY Idra’s filter, dripping gradually into and filling up the transparent glass cup below. The second and most noteworthy bit of innovation lies in MY Idra’s filter, a unique, everlasting little porous ceramic puck that can both filter as well as mineralize the water.

8. The ONE BRUSH

Designed to look less like something you’d pick up from Target and more like a design-driven object from Alessi, the ONE BRUSH conveniently combines modern aesthetics with research-driven functionality and adds a dash of sustainable thinking. The brush sports a thick, well-weighted design that looks less plastic and more premium, as it sits magnetically attached to the side of your kitchen sink. The ergonomic grip makes it comfortable to hold, while the tilted bristles give you the right gripping angle to easily soap and scrub your dishes.

9. Lapitec Chef

The induction cooking system is seamless and very easy to operate. All you have to do is place the Lapitec Chef silicone mat on your worktop to activate the touch controls and switch on the system. The mat is key, without it the induction unit and controls will be inactive and the worktop is like any other kitchen counter only distinguished only by small engravings that align with the mat’s controls. Lapitec Chef allows for easy cleaning and storage so the counter can be used for other activities like preparing food, plating dishes, and hosting social occasions. Interestingly, Lapitec is a 100% sintered stone and it is also non-porous, non-absorbent as well as resistant to chemicals which makes it ideal for both indoor and outdoor kitchens. You can choose to have either two or four cooking rings for your induction system.

10. Magnetic Kitchen Countertop

In small studio apartments, the kitchen unintentionally becomes the center of attention due to this and the magnetic kitchen proposed by Juliana sets things right in the most subtle way. The one square meter magnetic panel seen here is fixed to the wall and acts as the base for the compact countertop that has a cutting board that doubles as a folding sink (or vice versa) and of course the magnetic properties to keep all the utensils in place. The sink can be concealed from plain sight to increase the kitchen’s working space and used as a cutting board for random use. Anything that sticks to a magnet can be put up on the vertical section – things like spoons, forks, pans, induction cooktop, oven, or custom-made shelves which further hold the plates and other non-magnetic objects.

The post Top 10 Kitchen Appliances of 2021! first appeared on Yanko Design.

Carlo Ratti and Italo Rota design Italian home around ten-metre-tall tree

Tree inside The Greenery

A 10-metre-tall ficus tree grows through the centre of the living space in The Greenery, a farmhouse renovation and extension by studio Carlo Ratti Associati and architect Italo Rota in Italy.

Located in the countryside outside Parma, the home was designed by Carlo Ratti Associati (CRA) and Italo Rota for Francesco Mutti, the CEO of tomato company Mutti.

Italian farmhouse renovation
Carlo Ratti Associati and Italo Rota have converted a farmhouse in Italy

Having already won an international competition in 2017 to redesign the Mutti factory, the architects were invited to design the CEO’s “forever home” in a nearby farmhouse and granary.

Named The Greenery – a combination of the words green and granary – the house is intended to “blur the boundaries between the natural and artificial”. This led to the large ficus tree, named Alma, being installed in the farmhouse’s new open-plan living space and kitchen.

Italian farmhouse renovation
The living room and kitchen are arranged around a tree

“The 2oth-century Italian architect Carlo Scarpa once said, ‘between a tree and a house, choose the tree’,” explained CRA founder Carlo Ratti.

“While I resonate with his sentiment, I think we can go a step further and put the two together,” he continued. “The tree stands in a new weathered steel-topped extension that abuts the original farmhouse, sunk slightly into the ground and featuring a fully-glazed, south-facing wall and skylights.”

Living room containing tree
The ficus tree is 10 metres tall

Inside the living space, a weathered steel staircase leads around the tree to a series of landings above, which are enclosed by screens that create a play of light and views.

Windows covered by perforated brick walls on either side of this room create a dappled pattern of light and shadow similar to that of the tree.

The tree inside The Greenery by CRA
A weathered steel staircase wraps around it

“Light enters the interior space through the pierced brick wall, corten steel stairs and tree branches,” added CRA partner Andrea Cassi.

“By doing so, it mingles with the architectural details of the house, and leaves subtle shades all around it.”

Atrium inside The Greenery
The staircase is lined with screens of weathered steel

The landings above The Greenery’s kitchen and living room lead to the bedrooms, which are lined with thinner, elongated openings and windows to provide more privacy.

At the end of the farmhouse building, there is secondary living space, which opens up to the landscape with a fully-glazed south-facing wall, shielded from the sun by large shutters.

Opposite the farmhouse to the north is a workspace housed in the old granary. It features similar weathered steel detailing and has an elasticated net-like floor that functions as a hammock for lounging and reading.

The architects’ aim of incorporating nature into the design is also reflected in some of the project’s material choices, including the resin flooring that incorporates soil and orange peels.

Net-like floor
The old granary contains a workspace with a net-like floor

A weathered steel canopy on brick pillars runs along the edge of the granary, creating an outdoor gathering and creating a sense of continuity between the two buildings.

The landscaping surrounding the two structures was designed by Paolo Pejrone and Alberto Fusari and celebrates the biodiversity of the area.

Farmhouse in Italy
The two buildings are connected by a canopy outside

CRA also recently collaborated Rota on the design of the Italy Pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020.

Completed with Matteo Gatto and F&M Ingegneria, the structure was topped by a roof of three upturned boats from which hangs a rope curtain facade.

The photography is by Delfino Sisto Legnani and Alessandro Saletta from DSL Studio. 

The post Carlo Ratti and Italo Rota design Italian home around ten-metre-tall tree appeared first on Dezeen.