Hasta La Ideas

I once came across an ad featuring a woman working in a kitchen near the beach. While the idea of doing so is picturesque and romantic, I thought to myself, “How can you actually put up a kitchen on the sand and cook food there?” So when I saw this concept design for this Outdoor Kitchen Space, I thought it was cute but maybe not that practical. But it seems that the concept and design are not just for instagram-able posts but both for aesthetics and functionality.

Designer: Davide Colella

Horizon was created for the 11th International Outdoor Furniture Design Contest and is a concept for a user experience design for an outdoor kitchen. The inspiration is the “Mediterranean spirit” although it’s probably not exactly built for the beach. It is industrial-looking but each and every aspect of this kitchen module is functional and ergonomic. Every line, drawer, cover, and the surface is created to make your kitchen a fully functional one that you can use to cook and create your culinary masterpieces…while you’re outdoors.

The kitchen top not just has the sink and faucet but also the induction stovetop. Even small details like the integration of the cutting board on the work surface and the drawers and covers also being functional add to the usefulness of this module, even if it’s still a concept design. Each of the slats that is part of the structure has a latching feature so it can be used to hang things like baskets, accessories, and even plants.

The design uses horizontal lines in keeping with the Mediterranean aesthetic and it should also create some effects on the lights and shadows, depending on where the natural light falls during the day. The Horizon concept is made from various materials but mainly it uses aluminum, inox steel, and glass-ceramic. The industrial look and feel don’t really match an outdoor aesthetic but it does provide a foil to it if that’s what you’re going for.

I’m not a cooking or kitchen person, let alone someone who would want to do it outdoors. But the Horizon UX Outdoor Kitchen seems pretty interesting and may appeal to those that are looking for something that’s a bit different from their usual cooking setup.

The post Horizon shows you what your dream outdoor kitchen could look like first appeared on Yanko Design.

With COVID risks receding, we’re going to be left with a rash of pandemic-based objects that may or may not make it through history. Some supermarkets are removing their plastic shields, and I assume people stopped buying objects like that brass Hygiene Hand (which wound up landing $585k on Kickstarter!).

I thought of this as I came across this object today, though it was obviously designed for 2020. This Hands-Free Door Handle Lever Opener was invented by MYT Wares, a Brooklyn-based manufacturer of camera dolly equipment, and won a Good Design Award:

The $150 item (each—and you need two) certainly looks robust in operation:

We could actually use something like that here on the farm (hands full of tools, eggs or birds is common), though most of our doorknobs are actual knobs.

The company still appears to be selling these, or at least the website is still active. I wonder how much of this stuff will find a life after the pandemic’s receded completely.

Not only is an Amazonian water lily massive, with leaves that can grow up to 10 feet, but it’s also strong enough to withstand the weight of a small child. For years, researchers have attempted to ascertain how lily pads can do this. A recent study from Science Advances uncovered how a network of fractal veins, which radiate concentrically from a central stem, efficiently support the leaves. In addition to being an exciting revelation for botanists, the results of this study are particularly insightful for architects as they can improve the design of floating structures, wind turbines or anything needing increased structural support. (In fact, the lily pad inspired architect Joseph Paxton’s Crystal Palace, a London landmark built for the Great Exhibition of 1851.) Learn more about the lily’s influence on building design at National Geographic.

Image courtesy of Radek Petrasek/CTK/AP Images

Sustainable fashion is more than just a movement as we believe it is here to stay. It should be if we want a better future and planet for the next generation. We’re on the lookout for stylish footwear, clothing, and accessories so expect more eco-friendly and “green” products on the horizon.

There is a sudden increase in brands and designers starting campaigns for more sustainable products. Nike has its Move to Zero campaign. We also remember the Hana sneakers made from fruit waste like pineapple leaves, apple skin, grape skin, and seeds. A similar line of bags has recently been introduced and this time, the products are made from grapes. We know leather from fruits or vegetables is already possible. It’s much more sustainable compared to animal leather and is guilt-free.

Designer: Meng Du for Oddbird

Chinese designer Meng Du has teamed up with Oddbird to design leather bags. The leather is made from recycled grape skins, which means grape waste now serves a purpose. Winemaking dates back to some 4100 BCE, and it’s not yet a lost craft. However, winemakers still need to be pro-active in making sure the industry is future-proof. We’ll never know what will happen, but we can prepare to improve the wine’s lifecycle and production.

Oddbird, a producer of quality wine in the Scandinavian region, knows there are obstacles in ensuring winemaking lasts. However, they can be overcome by partnering with companies and designers with the same goal in mind. Wine production waste is a reality, but good thing grape marc can now be transformed into leather. Instead of just throwing away grape skin, they can be used for next-generation leather.

More companies are looking for more innovative ways and sustainable methods when it comes to fashion, furniture, and accessories. This collaboration between Meng Du and Oddbird also brings Planet of the Grapes into the equation. The French leather maker has helped discover ways to produce vegan leather.

The leather bag collection is called Unwasted. The grape leather bag is a bottle holder that you can carry as a waist bag. It’s art with a purpose and is a perfect example of a zero-waste effort by Meng Du–a young Chinese designer from Parsons School of Design, New York, who is now gaining popularity for her sustainable designs. She has also come up with a virtual concept design adapted for the metaverse.

The shape of the Merlot bag is like a squashed milk carton. The inspiration was a squashed carton the designer saw on the road. The other bag shaped like a can is called the Chardonnay. Meng Du called this project ‘Incognito’ because in her own words, “many things appear to be hidden in this project.” It looks like leather, but it’s really made from grape skin.

The post Meng Du x Oddbird Unwasted bag collection is made from grape skin leather first appeared on Yanko Design.

The Efjord Cabin is a triple-glazed glass cabin that one newlywed couple calls home on the Hallvardøy Island in northern Norway.

When you’d rather spend your honeymoon in your own home than in a luxe hotel somewhere on the beach, you know you did something right. When Frode Danielsen and Tone Beathe Øvrevoll went on a holiday to Hallvardøy Island in northern Norway, the couple spent the next two years there designing their dream home where they’d soon spend their honeymoon and the rest of their lives together. The couple looked no further than the internationally renowned architecture studio Snorre Stinessen Architecture for help in building their dream home, The Efjord Cabin.

Designer: Snorre Stinessen Architecture

Before getting their plans off the ground, Danielsen and Beathe Øvrevoll had to work with the Ballangen municipality to develop a new zoning plan for the undeveloped plot of land. Settling on a naturally flat area to give rise to their new home, the couple chose it to keep the site disturbance to a minimum.

In good company, Snorre Stinessen also takes land disturbance seriously as the architects at the studio are “committed to developing projects that are conscious of our surroundings.” Stinessen goes on to say, “The shape of the building is both a dialogue with the close natural formations, but also with the larger landscape. Its functional aspects create privacy and indoor/outdoor connections to different zones around the building.”

The Efjord Cabin is propped up on a concrete slab and stationed between two rock formations which influenced the overall layout of the home. Split between two volumes, the larger of the two comprises two floors harbors the sleeping accommodations and spacious sauna.

Connected next door is a similarly angular structure that houses the home’s open-plan living room. Each volume is topped off with an inclined roof that offers lofty interior ceiling heights and unobstructed views of the snow-covered hills outside.

Defined by its triple-glazed glass facades, the Efjord Cabin finds thick insulation through 14-tons of glass to reduce energy demands. The home is also strategically configured on the site’s sloped hill to passively collect the available solar energy.

Stinessen also took to locally sourced timber to clad the exterior and interior of the Efjord Cabin. On the outside, core pine treated with iron sulfate provides the home’s exterior with a glossy sheen. Inside, birch veneer gives the home a warm, Scandinavian appeal.

Birch veneer frame the glass windows of the Efjord Cabin to balance the wild views with Scandinavian refinement.

The angular, geometric look follows through from the outside to the inside, with clean, neutral lines defining the inteiror.

Gray carpeting and tile flooring help cool down the inside and gives the home a darker appeal.

An in-home sauna can be found in the larger of the two structural volumes. 

Positioned on a sloped hill, the Efjord Cabin takes full advantage of the passive solar conditions.

The post This geometric glass cabin’s layout was defined by the fjords and rock formations that surround it first appeared on Yanko Design.