Hasta La Ideas

You have already heard of similarly-designed lamps but this Origami Lamp is probably the best. Inspired by the Japanese art of paper folding, this lamp looks like a large folded creation that lights up when you open it. It boasts a flat-packed design that is now becoming more popular.

The Origami Lamp is a paper pendant lamp that comes with built-in LED. It is packaged in something like a pizza box and can be easily assembled. You can say it is a design you may probably find in Ikea, or maybe you have already seen something similar.

Designers: Egor Bogomolov and Иван Горбунов for KIDZ

You no longer have to do the origami as it comes already folded inside the box. All you have to do is attach the LED light and the cord after folding the paper in two moves, and then you’re good to hang this anywhere. The origami figure is the head of the lizard, which is easy to do. It won’t remind you of a lizard, though—just two pyramids hanging and illuminating from underneath.

Pull the counterweight to open the lamp and turn on the light. Place the Origami Lamp in the corner of your living room or use it as an accent light. It can also be ideal for the dining room over the table where you spend a lot of time eating. Like most exciting lighting solutions we’ve featured here, this one is another conversation starter. The size of the Origami Lamp is just right but it looks like a giant folded paper creation. However, it doesn’t overwhelm the space with its simple and minimalistic design, making it perfect for most home interiors.

Using origami in design presents endless possibilities. Every fold shows depth and richness that may be customized to your liking. The aesthetic beauty of origami starts when you can transform a simple object, a paper, into something beautiful. Origami celebrates minimalism in art and this lamp design is a perfect example.

The Origami Lamp is a flat-packed creation that comes in a rectangular box. Please don’t mistake it for a box of pizza because you won’t find your favorite pepperoni pizza. Also, you can’t throw it after you’re done setting up the lamp because the box can grow grass for your pet. Just pour water, close the box, and wait for two to three days. After that, grass will grow and be ready for your cat to eat or play with. It’s edible grass but don’t attempt to eat it and no, pizza still won’t grow out of the box.

The Origami Lamp by KIDZ can be likened to other lamps we’ve previously seen. We remember the ORY lamp which is also inspired by origami. It folds into a flat sheet for carrying and opens into a tabletop lamp. The Spinel hanging light also boasts a flat-packed design based on origami. The Folding Lamp by Thomas Hick was made of stainless steel but appeared to be folded. The OMLAMP from years ago is still a beautiful ambient light.

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A digital accessory to display and show off your family heirlooms in style, rather than keeping them in closed cabinets for no one to see for decades!

Family heirlooms connect generations who’ve never ever met – making them a valued asset for centuries to come. The emotional attachment and the family history representation from a completely different era is what makes heirlooms special. It could be anything from a piece of jewelry, exquisite dress, an antique memento to a valued portrait or family bible. For young people, keeping heirlooms secured while having the trendy quotient is important. So, why not have an uber-cool accessory to store any valued heirloom digitally in style?

Designers: Vesta Rugilė Nausėdaitė and Auguras Pipiras

Meet the Airloom, a fashion accessory that’s essentially a digital picture frame in a clear case inspired by the Nothing ear(1) buds case design. So, now, rather than shunning the ancient things in your closet that you rarely access, it’s time to keep them in digital form in this mindful case. This way you’ll not end up hurting the family feelings, simply because you don’t find much interest in tagging along ancient things of your great, great grandfather all the time with you.

The idea is to click pictures or make videos of the important family heirlooms and upload them to the Airloom. If this reminds you of the popular Aura digital frame, you are not alone. It’s more like your personal NFT that can be accessed anytime, anywhere. Moreover, this being a totally different concept could become the next fad. Imagine young buddies bragging about their heirlooms at a coffee shop – giving reasons why their ancestors were the coolest people around in the yesteryears.

As the designers imagine this to be a single fashion accessory to keep all your heirlooms for countless years, passing them down to the next generations (who are going to be even more tech-savvy) in the digital form makes complete sense. This ensures, even if the real heirloom is damaged or lost, it still lives in the memories forever in the form of high-resolution photos or videos.

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Micro living is being adopted by a MAJOR number of people today. Sustainability has been running on everybody’s mind. Ever since the pandemic shook up our world, we’re trying to incorporate sustainability into every aspect of our life, including our homes! And, with everyone aspiring toward’s eco-friendly and mindful ways of living, micro homes have completely taken over the world of architecture and cemented their place as sustainable, minimal, and economical living setups. What started off as a cute little trend is now turning into a serious option for home spaces. They are a space-saving and eco-friendly living solution that reduces the load on Mother Earth! They’re simple and minimal alternatives to the imposing and materialistic homes that seem to have taken over. And, we’ve curated a wide range of micro-home setups that totally grabbed our attention! From a disused grain silo that was converted into a micro-home to a community consisting of 310 micro-homes designed for formerly unhoused people – there’s a micro-home out there for everyone.

1. van Beers’ micro-home

Plotted all over the Netherlands’ countryside, grain silos are largely going out of use due to a country-wide reduction of livestock, leading to lower demand for grain. Converting the disused silos into a functional and quirky place of respite, Stella van Beers renovated the cylindrical unit into a micro home. Starting from the container’s exterior, van Beers constructed a set of double doors to create an entrance into her micro-home, which connects with a semi-wraparound deck and spiral staircase. Moving inside, van Beers lengthened the interior volume by installing two floors joined together by a short staircase and ladder.

2. Community First! Village’s Tiny Victories 2.0

In East Austin, Texas, the Community First! Village is comprised of 230 micro-homes designed, constructed, and priced for unhoused individuals. Developed and run by Texas nonprofit Mobile Loaves & Fishes, Community First! Village started welcoming 310 new micro-homes designed and built by award-winning architecture firm Chioco Design. Created for unhoused individuals to find security and comfort in the community, the rollout of new micro-homes, also called Tiny Victories 2.0, is the start of a new community.

3. IKEA Japan Tiny Home Campaign

Considering Tokyo’s populace of 14 million, it’s safe to say the city’s residents are familiar with tiny living solutions. As part of its Tiny Homes campaign, IKEA Japan has debuted a completely furnished 10sqm tiny apartment in the city’s Shinjuku district. In the Shinjuku district, IKEA’s 10sqm apartment is organized vertically to make use of the floor plan’s lofty heights and furnished with an array of various space-saving furniture. Dividing the apartment into two levels, residents are greeted by the entryway, kitchenette, bathroom, and laundry machine.

4. The Unfolding Apartment

What is bigger than furniture but smaller than an apartment and yet serves the purpose of both? This 400 square foot studio in Manhattan! I love micro houses and MKCA is a New York-based architectural firm that designed the Unfolding Apartment is my latest obsession. Designed for a client who is a young single man that loves to entertain and host guests while occasionally working from home. Now here was the real challenge – accomodating all the zones you will find in a large apartment (for entertaining and working) while keeping it compact, it is Manhattan after all! So rather than diving an existing small space into even smaller pieces with dividers, MKCA relied on the core principle of flexibility and transformed a pumpkin into a carriage!

5. Goan

Japanese architect and architectural historian Terunobu Fujimori is known for his quirky teahouses and fondness for unusual city structures. His latest tea house transports an elf’s cottage from the pages of a fairytale to the concrete of Tokyo. Featuring grassy facades, timber treated with yakisugi, and a lofty vista point, the teahouse, called Goan, is sightly positioned in front of the new National Stadium of Tokyo where it remained until 5 September 2021 in celebration of the 2020 Summer Olympics.

6. DROP

While most micro-homes focus on setting up the place for a single owner, DROP provides two comfortable and fully equipped home offices. The dimensions of the cabin match that of a shipping container, the design is built and ‘dropped’ onto the site of your choice, reducing the environmental impact of construction! Need a break from work? The outdoor deck and fully openable windows allow you to immerse in your surroundings. With one fair-sized panoramic bedroom, three-piece bathroom, and fully-equipped kitchen – the cabin is yours for rest as well as work.

7. La Pointe

Nestled within Canada’s Poisson Blanc Regional Park is a micro cabin named, ‘La Pointe’. Designed by Montreal-based L’Abri, La Pointe is a serene little cabin that provides shelter to the visitors of the park. The triangular-shaped structure is a rejuvenated reinterpretation of the typical A-frame chalets that became so popular in North America in the 1950s. The A-frame cottage-inspired cabin can house up to four individuals, while also helping them stay connected to the pure undiluted nature all around. “It was important for the designers to create a simple, almost sculptural structure that would provide functional and nature-oriented spaces,” said L’Abri.

8. Nathalie and Greg Kupfer’s off-grid micro cabin

Retired industrial designer and former paramedic, Nathalie and Greg Kupfer began work on their off-grid micro-cabin in Canmore, Alberta after receiving a plot of ranch land and a decrepit shed from two neighbors. Following the cabin’s fortuitous beginnings, the Kupfer’s conceived a layout for their snug, solar-powered, 97-square-foot micro cabin built from recycled and repurposed outfittings, amounting to a total net cost of only $50. Finding new purpose in discarded steel, the Kupfer’s cast the micro cabins siding in steel for an all-season, durable finish.

9. Microhaus

Microhaus has been constructed using 3D-printed structural components and arrives move-in ready with a kitchenette, double bed, bathroom, and plenty of storage. “The Microhaus also comes with our fully integrated Cloud Self-Diagnosis System, which provides a new generation of Smart Home amenities, full remote control, and machine learning,” explains Haus.me CEO, Max Gerbut. It is one of the most advanced micro-apartments in the world and to complement its high-tech capabilities, the tiny, portable dwelling has a sleek exterior and interior.

10. The Nomad Camper

Being the only Minimaliste camper capable of off-grid operation, the Nomad camper includes a composting toilet, two 36-gallon tanks for black and gray water, as well as a 54-gallon freshwater tank allowing two people to enjoy a short vacation without having to empty or fill the tanks. Additionally, Minimaliste equipped the roof with a grid of solar panels that take lithium batteries, outfitting each Nomad camper with a minimum of 5.12 kWh solar power, or an advanced package stocked with 10.24 kWh.

The post Top 10 micro-homes to convert you into sustainable architecture advocates first appeared on Yanko Design.

Inspired by the skateboards and concept cars, this hybrid e-kick scooter adopts a future-facing design to shape-shift wheelbase depending on the needs of the rider.

Kick scooters have now been the more trendy and sensible option to commute in the cities. So have been the skateboards which can be seen in every corner owing to their cool factor and flexibility to not only ride the roads but also the pavements or stair rails depending on the user’s skill level. So why not combine the best of both worlds and create a kick scooter that has the bright prospect of making it to the consumer market?

Designer: Dailyn Kim

The EXT E-Kick Scooter by Dailyn Kim is the perfect example of an electric kick scooter done right. The reason – there are countless kick scooter ideas already on the market and this one brings a new dimension of riding. The EXT is designed keeping in mind the flexibility to switch between short and longboard modes. Apparently, the shortboard configuration on a kick scooter enhances speed and performance for power users, while the longboard form supports comfort and balance.

Delightfully, the EXT E-Kick Scooter can do both thanks to its extendable wheelbase that can make the quick switch between the short and longboard configuration to support both the riding modes. This is done by the extendable and retracting wheelbase which alters the length by 3 inches. The deck extends above the rear wheel which essentially creates a wheelbase to slide easily. There are no complex mechanisms that pose a challenge to the function of the electric kickboard, and that’s big merit here.

Dailyn creates a deck with an arc and patterned grip for a more comfortable stance while riding. The ease of use extends to the driving aid in the form of a thumb throttle and brake. There’s a dynamic touchscreen to keep the rider abreast with all the information such as current speed, battery charge levels, listening to music, and navigation aid for snaking through the dense suburbs. The rims get a reflective pattern for visibility to other motorists in the nighttime.

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The Ford Transit Custom PHEV is the midsize van well suited for camper conversions – as Dethleffs and Wellhouse Leisure have shown in the past. Now Campervan Co, known for its hybrid camper vans, gives outdoorsy people enough reason to explore their world with Ford Transit PHEV Eco Evolution.

While on the outside the camper van looks like any the Ford Transit, on the inside it has all that’s required for a comfy life on the road. The customized camper gets powerful solar panels installed on the roof, generating around 1,000 watts of zero-emission power on a good sunny day. The fold-out solar panels can charge the Eco Evolution’s 3,000-watt Clayton Power leisure battery while it’s rolling on the road. This onboard battery is employed to power the modular kitchen, lighting system, and induction stovetop for living comfortably off the grid.

Designer: Campervan Co

On top of this, the well-illuminated interiors will not make you feel bogged up at any time – especially during extended camping or road trips. To shed a little weight off the camper, a lightweight folding bed is used as the replacement. The removable kitchen modules give the occupants option to save space and improve the mileage when the Ford Transit will be used for daily commuting.

For more customizable options, a couple of extra seats can be installed to get a six-seater configuration. The Ford Transit PHEV Eco Evolution will sleep four people courtesy of the folding bench-bed and the additional pop-up roof bed. Since you’ll be away from home for quite some days, the camper has a cabinet and a full-size rear console for clothes, storing gear, and other accessories. Other than that, the camper gets a side kitchenette and folding bench floor plan.

To ensure campers get everything they desire for their adventure trips, Campervan Co is also working on a zero-emission heating system capable of putting the waste heat to use. This will come in handy for heating up the cabin in the colder locations without burning up fuel. This system will function in tandem with the boosted insulation package for better heat efficiency.

For now, the Campervan Co Ford camper is in the latter prototype stage and is soon expected to sell at a starting price tag of approximately $101,900. There will be more option accessories coming in the consumer-oriented version – including hot water facility, microwave, coffeemaker, Wi-Fi and even an Omni-slide indoor/outdoor cooking system.

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