Huawei Mate 50 Pro delivers an elegant and powerful tool for content creators

Smartphones today are more than just gadgets reserved for more tech-savvy people. They have now become lifestyle choices and tools for making social connections. As the perception of these devices change, so do the appreciation of their designs or lack thereof. Going beyond mere utility or ergonomics, many smartphones have started to boldly embrace aesthetics as an important part of their DNA. It’s still a work in progress, though, with very few notable brands and models making that courageous leap. The Huawei Mate 50 Pro is the latest to join that growing roster, leading the way with an advanced flagship that looks exquisite as it is powerful, offering a content creation powerhouse that will match a designer’s aesthetic tastes.

Designer: Huawei

It is only recently that design and aesthetics have become important selling points for a smartphone. While it is always possible to embellish a phone with cases, stickers, and accessories, its innate design speaks volumes about a company’s attention to detail and dedication to a holistic user experience. More often than not, a smartphone that looks good also comes with the hardware to match.

The Huawei Mate 50 Pro is definitely an example of that. In stark contrast to the common trend of smartphones today, Huawei opted for a symmetrical design throughout the phone. In particular, the large camera array is placed in the middle, with four circles arranged in a uniform 2×2 grid. These cameras are enclosed in a Space Ring with an embossed Clous de Paris pattern, similar to what you’d find on luxury watches. Rather than obnoxiously calling attention to itself, this balanced camera design brings a touch of elegance and class to the smartphone.

Huawei’s choice of materials also points to the company’s design acumen. In addition to the classic Silver and Black glass finishes, the Mate 50 Pro also comes in an orange vegan leather that adds a unique identity to the phone. It is inspired by the orange rays of the sun, which seems appropriate for the Space Ring design of the camera at its center. And despite its luxurious looks, the smartphone isn’t a delicate snowflake. A new Kunlun Glass material protects the phone’s screen from drops ten times better, according to the company. In addition to its IP68 dust and water resistance rating, owners will be assured that their faithful companions will survive the test of time and accidents.

The Huawei Mate 50 Pro isn’t just a pretty face, though. In addition to some of the best hardware available to smartphones today, it boasts one of the most advanced camera systems in the market. The 50MP Ultra Aperture XMAGE camera, in particular, offers ten different aperture sizes ranging from F1.4 to F4.0, putting you in control of your blurs and depths of field. Together with the large and fast 6.74-inch 120Hz display, the Mate 50 Pro offers mobile photographers, videographers, vloggers, and designers one of the most powerful tools in their digital arsenal.

With the Huawei Mate 50 Pro, Huawei is proving that advanced technology doesn’t have to look cold and impersonal. Combining elegant design and high-end hardware, it offers digital creatives a tool that not only meets their needs but also matches their lifestyles as well.

The post Huawei Mate 50 Pro delivers an elegant and powerful tool for content creators first appeared on Yanko Design.

BIG and Carlo Ratti Associati complete garden-filled CapitaSpring skyscraper in Singapore

The exterior of CapitaSpring by BIG and Carlo Ratti

Architecture studios BIG and Carlo Ratti Associati have completed a 280-metre-tall skyscraper in Singapore designed to offer visitors a “seamless transition between the garden and the city”.

Located at the heart of Singapore’s financial district, the 51-storey mixed-use CapitaSpring building incorporates large pockets of greenery that are framed by sculptural facade openings.

Exterior of CapitaSpring skyscraper in Singapore
BIG and Carlo Ratti Associati have completed the CapitaSpring skyscraper in Singapore

It was designed by Danish studio BIG and Italian firm Carlo Ratti Associati on a site containing a public car park and hawker centre – a type of open-air market that is commonly used to sell cooked food.

Inside there is a mix of restaurants and office spaces, alongside serviced apartments, a replacement hawker centre and a series of gardens that aim to bring nature to the city.

Exterior of CapitaSpring skyscraper
The tower is 280 metres tall

“CapitaSpring is like a vision of a future in which city and countryside, culture and nature can coexist, and urban landscapes can expand unrestricted into the vertical dimension,” said BIG’s founder Bjarke Ingels.

“In our design, this manifests as a seamless transition between the garden and the city, articulated in the facades and a series of lush spiraling gardens connecting between various programs and filled with amenities representing a spectrum of use,” added the studio’s partner in charge Brian Yang.

Facade with sculptural openings framing plants
Greenery inside is framed by facade openings

The 93,000-square-metre CapitaSpring skyscraper was first revealed in 2018. It was commissioned by real estate companies CapitaLand Development, CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust and Mitsubishi Estate.

Now complete, it is the joint-second tallest building in the country, followed by SOM’s Tanjong Pagar Centre, which rises 283.7 metres.

Vertical park inside CapitaSpring skyscraper by BIG and Carlo Ratti
Gardens feature throughout the skyscraper

“When we first got invited to join the architectural competition, we saw a great opportunity to team up and join forces with BIG to achieve a uniquely bold result together,” added Carlo Ratti Associati’s founding partner Carlo Ratti.

“I am proud of how we enhanced the public spaces across the building, creating the best experience for all users, leveraging both technology and unprecedented integration with natural elements.”

Park inside Singapore skyscraper
A four-storey vertical park sits at the building’s centre

Housing over 80,000 plants, CapitaSpring is a reflection of Singapore’s reputation as a garden city, where greenery is found throughout much of its contemporary architecture.

Vertical elements across its facade are pulled apart to frame views of the pockets of green spaces and gardens that feature at its base, middle, and rooftop.

View down into CapitaSpring's vertical park
The vertical park is landscaped like a tropical forest

One of the most striking elements of the building is a four-storey vertical park named the Green Oasis, which is placed in the middle of the tower.

The four connected levels are filled with spiralling walkways and tropical plants and trees, designed as a space for everything from work and events to relaxation and exercise.

Singapore skyscraper lobby by BIG and Carlo Ratti
A large entrance area provides shelter from tropical weather

Here, the landscape design is intended to echo the natural “plant hierarchy of tropical rainforests”, where shade-tolerant plants with large leaves are found on the forest floor and species with a smaller leaf structure requiring more light are found at a higher position.

On top of the building is a sky garden, featuring 150 species of editable plants that provide ingredients for the building’s restaurants and cafes.

At ground level, BIG and Carlo Ratti Associati have created a linear park and public plaza to introduce green public space to the surrounding high-density financial district.

This park area incorporates meandering pathways that lead to an 18-meter-high space at the base of the tower named the City Room, which houses various entrances for the building’s tenants and visitors and a shelter from the tropical weather.

Sculptural facade opening
Sculptural openings feature across the facade

Other highlights of the building include the new hawker centre, which sits on the tower’s second and third floors and contains 56 different food stalls.

Above it, the first eight floors of the building contain the serviced residences and their facilities, including a swimming pool, jogging track, kitchen and residents’ lounge.

Roof garden at CapitaSpring in Singapore
There is a roof terrace

The office spaces complete CapitaSpring, occupying the top 29 floors. These rooms have openings that grant tenants panoramic views of the Singapore River and Marina Bay.

One of the most notable examples of where architecture meets greenery in Singapore is the Gardens by the Bay project by Grant Associates and Wilkinson Eyre Architects. The enormous tropical garden contains tree-like towers, shell-shaped greenhouses and a 30-metre-high man-made waterfall.

Other skyscrapers in Singapore that feature planting are the 175-metre-high Robinson Tower by Kohn Pedersen Fox and Architects 61 and the residential EDEN tower by Heatherwick Studio.

The photography is by Finbarr Fallon.

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Top 10 furniture picks of September 2022

What truly makes or breaks a home at the end of the day is the furniture that’s placed in it. The right kind of furniture design can create the essence and soul of a home. And I do feel it’s essential that the soul of our home is a reflection of our own soul. Hence picking furniture pieces that bring out the best in our homes, while authentically representing our personality is a must. You need to pick designs that are fun, sophisticated, and functional. They add an extra spark to your home, without compromising on utility in the least. From a side table with legs and arms to a coffin-inspired office chair – these intriguing furniture designs are what your modern home needs!

1. The Bookgroove

We’re seeing a lot of product concepts for tables, shelves, and sideboards that can house books so designers need to create something that will stand out. And one such design is Bookgroove. The Bookgroove is a bookrack and table in one that has a pretty unique shape.

Why is it noteworthy?

The table itself is circular at first glance but there’s an almost J-shaped carving on one side that can fit several books. It’s not the most usual way to store books as they have to follow the shape of the built-in shelf on the side table

What we like

  • You can place a cup of coffee or glass of wine on the top part
  • It’s a fun way to store your favorite books

What we dislike

  • The books that will be at the bottom of the curve may get damaged over time because of its positioning
  • It’s also probably difficult to get some of the books when you want to read them

2. Sharing Joy

Rather aptly titled ‘Sharing Joy’, this award-winning chair comes with a side table for humans to place their books and cups of tea/coffee on, and a crawl space for cats to casually lounge in (complete with a suspended toy for them to play with).

Why is it noteworthy?

What I personally love about Sharing Joy is that it subscribes to a broader vision of what lounging is and who can ‘lounge’. Designed for humans and cats to cozy up in, the chair comes with a hollow, oblong backrest that’s perfectly sized for an adult cat (or a tiny dog) to crawl into and laze around in. Moreover, the idea of having the human and pet lounging together against each other sounds like absolute perfection. 10/10 will give you the happiness hormones.

What we like

  • The chair sports a minimalist aesthetic that fits in most contemporary homes

What we dislike

  • No complaints!

3. The Praying Mantis side table

At first glance, the Praying Mantis side table looks like just a simple, circular piece of furniture. But the name itself indicates that there’s something a bit different from this concept.

Why is it noteworthy?

You get a circular surface on top but when you look at the legs, that’s where it becomes a bit more unique. The legs actually look like arms folded in prayer, hence the name. The insect it’s named after doesn’t exactly look like the side table’s legs but the idea is there.

What we like

There are two legs and a praying arm so the latter maybe provides balance to the entire table

What we dislike

You wouldn’t be able to put a lot on the Praying Mantis side table as it just has the surface to place things on

4. Plint

Italian design studio Pastina created Plint, a collection of urban furniture for Punto Design. Pastina describes Plint as “more than just a street bench”, and I wholeheartedly agree.

Why is it noteworthy?

The colorful and quirky pieces of this collection are a far cry from the dreary brown benches, we often see scattered around cities. Plint on the other hand plays with diverse materials, geometrics, and visual perceptions, highlighting the interesting contrasts between them. This makes Plint anything but boring!

What we like

  • The base is modular, hence allowing each piece to be used individually, or to be combined with other pieces to create compositions of various lengths

What we dislike

  • No complaints!

5. The Paper Warrior Series

What do Samurai warriors and tables have in common? Not quite a lot, I’d imagine… but for Mingdu Design, the two shared a potential visual overlap, resulting in the Paper Warrior series of side tables and coffee tables.

Why is it noteworthy?

The tables, styled in longer pill-shaped variants as well as tall round side-tables, come with a distinct red fabric wrapped around their body. Rather than using the exact same kind of paper as the Samurais (which was made traditionally by specialized Japanese artisans), Mingdu Design opted for a similar but more readily available Tyvek paper by DuPont.

What we like

  • The iron has a distinct criss-cross pattern running around the middle, which the Tyvek clad conveniently exposes

What we dislike

  • No complaints!

6. The Orbit Coffee Table

Designed by Deniz Aktay, whose prolific designs have enigmatically taken over the online design world, the Orbit coffee table is distinguished by its multicolored and interloping legs.

Why is it noteworthy?

Aktay drew inspiration for the table legs from the orbits you find in outer space. According to NASA, “An orbit is a regular, repeating path that one object in space takes around another one. Now compare the coffee table to the images we’ve seen in our school textbooks of planets orbiting the sun – pretty similar, no?

What we like

  • The tubes are interestingly intertwined, creating an intriguing visual mesh, which is further enhanced by giving each of them a different color

What we dislike

  • It’s still a concept!

7. Coffin Office Chair

Are you someone who absolutely despises your dead-end corporate job, well then, we may have found the chair for you! Shaped like a coffin, this wooden chair recently took the internet by storm. A Twitter user shared it on September 7th, and everyone who’s downright fed up with their jobs completely resonated with it.

Why is it noteworthy?

The conceptual coffin chair perfectly represents all the dreaded emotions employees feel throughout the entirety of their workday. It reflects the feeling of doom one experiences, as they have to sit through another pointless meeting that could have been an email.

What we like

  • Inspired by Rene Magritte’s painting titled The Balcony (1950)
  • Perfectly captures the feeling of having a dead-end job

What we dislike

  • It’s a concept!
  • There’s no cozy cushioning to get comfy in

8. The Groove Concept Table

The Groove concept for a curved table is pretty interesting. You get two levels for this furniture with the bottom part being the flat, hard, sturdy plane but the top part being the curvy section as it uses a fabric material. The designer calculated the depth that the fabric can reach and up to what weight you can place on it without it tearing or falling over. It also uses a wide shape rather than a circular one as you can see the changes in the fabric when you put light or heavy objects on it.

Why is it noteworthy?

The second space of the table is the more stable one and is made from an iron plate. So basically you get two options when placing an object and the contrast between the “flexible-shaped fabric and hard steel plate” is pretty interesting. Obviously, the design for this kind of table is more aesthetic than functional.

What we like

  • A unique furniture design
  • Features a crease-resistant fabric

What we dislike

  • More aesthetic than functional

9. The Play Table

Presenting a modern dimension to the work table, Strol x cloudandco –studios brainchild of designers Yeo Junyoung and Yeongkyu Yoo respectively – have designed a ping pong table that can also facilitate work from home.

Why is it noteworthy?

Rightfully called the Play Table, it is categorically designed for a home than a recreational space. To ensure it finds a rightful place at home where stylish and contemporary tables rule the roost, the ping pong table does a multipurpose gimmick in a modern design outfit. Kicking back the tradition of a single-purpose table, the Play Table gears up for a game of tennis and in an instant transforms into a work table complete with wireless charging and storage for your stationery and supplies.

What we like

  • Functions as a recreational and a functional furniture design
  • The table legs are made from aluminum with steel castors that make it effortless to move the table

What we dislike

  • No complaints!

10. Skrolla

A shining example of an ergonomic yet aesthetic chair is Skrolla, a beautiful wooden chair whose curves are more than just for show.

Why is it noteworthy?

Chairs with curved surfaces are nothing new, but you’d often find those forms in seats made of plastic or metal. These materials are easier to bend than wood, of course, but they also have less impact when it comes to portraying natural beauty. That novelty serves to augment Skrolla’s beauty, its smooth wooden surface and smooth curved form creating a visually appealing appearance that will sit well in almost any room. Plus, those curves were carefully designed to offer the best comfort for anyone sitting on this magnificent piece of furniture.

What we like

  • Joined and curved using a novel patented process

What we dislike

  • No complaints!

The post Top 10 furniture picks of September 2022 first appeared on Yanko Design.

The Consistency Project’s Bright, Sustainable Vision for American Workwear

Textiles made from pant hems and other innovations in this NYC-based studio

Based in Chinatown, New York, The Consistency Project acts as both a design studio and a call to action. Founded by Hawaii-born Natasha Halesworth, the multi-disciplinary project invokes a sustainable and exuberant design ethos that not only puts a colorful, bold spin on American workwear, but it also scrutinizes our relationship to clothing and the climate. The studio—which uniquely reworks deadstock clothing into vibrant patchworks and funky patterns—upholds a higher standard of zero-waste and an ingenuity to recreate with scant materials. Expanding to outerwear in the coming months, the bright collection reinvents workwear and what it means to shop secondhand.

While they source and curate vintage clothing in their studio, The Consistency Project’s Rework collection is their magnum opus. It consists largely of (and began with) pre-existing vintage Stan Ray painter pants that have been completely transformed with patchwork, waves or more subtle color-blocking. Halesworth’s dedication to saving all materials extends through the brand’s Mini line-up, comprising uniquely printed Bermuda shorts (like an ’80s vintage alphabet textile) and Stan Ray pants for kids. Perhaps most emblematic of the studio’s colorful and crafty creativity is their City Bag, a colorful, utilitarian and versatile vessel—made entirely from scraps—that takes the shape of a bottle holder yet comfortably fits wallets, phones, umbrellas and the like.

The impetus for the brand’s own clothing line began during the pandemic, a little less than a year after The Consistency Project established their brick-and-mortar shop. “When everything had shut down in New York, we weren’t able to curate that much vintage,” Halesworth tells us. “I’ve collected a lot of pant cuffs because another part of the businesses is not to waste anything. So come pandemic, we have these bags of pant cuffs and that’s where we explored the patchwork and the checkered Stan Ray pant.”

Remaking pants out of discarded hems is a lesson in problem solving. As Halesworth explains, “When you are designing within the scope of reuse, designs aren’t determined by what you want—it’s determined by what’s possible. The patchwork really was born out of the pieces being on the smaller end for us to create what we call re-roll which is essentially creating new textiles out of scrap.”

Currently, the studio works directly with Stan Ray to source their deadstock painter pants, which have either been sitting in the warehouse for too long or have some kind of defect but remain wearable. From there, The Consistency Project may re-color the pants (which typically only come in white or cream) using a local New York dye house.

Then they begin to make and add re-roll, a process that utilizes every inch of fabric. “When you start with cuffs, you actually have to take apart every single cuff. We take out the seams to maximize the amount of fabric,” says Halesworth. “Then from there, that’s where we create re-roll and our patchwork and that can then be added onto our pant. We also have a lot of bigger scrap cabinets of fabric that we’ve collected over time. We’ve learned what works best on our pants, so most of the time it’s a range of colors of cotton and a certain weight.”

Re-roll encapsulates what Halesforth admires about secondhand fashion and the changes she wishes to see within it. She tells us, “The idea of ‘American workwear’ has traditionally been more neutral. So we felt like this really bridged the gap between function and comfort and what we love about vintage: the one-of-one uniqueness.”

“I personally love vintage, but sometimes I felt like pieces or some curations were geared toward the aesthetic; you find this art of a piece but you’re really not able to wear it every day because you’re afraid that it might fall apart,” she continues, noting how shopping vintage often prioritizes style over function. It was this sacrifice within the industry that launched Halesworth into The Consistency Project’s central experiment: “How do we we create an experience with second-hand that can match how people shop new?”

The first step was merging style and function. The second was to rethink the retail experience. In addition to regular walk-in shopping, the studio offers private appointments to handpick vintage for customers, as well as tailoring, fitting and customizing patchwork designs for them. “During that time, we’re able to take measurements and start educating people on actual measurement. That is your most important tool in making sure something fits,” says Halesworth.

“The dream for a brand is to design something that fits every single body type, but unfortunately that’s almost impossible. Because there are so many, you can’t do a one-thing-fits-all,” she continues. While the appointments help people find garments that work for them, they also showcase how each piece can be altered in vast ways to work for different bodies. As it can be especially difficult to find inclusive sizes while secondhand shopping, this is a crucial offering.

From rethinking how vintage shopping should and can look like to inventing new ways to use textile scrap, The Consistency Project examines sustainability movement in fashion and beyond. “The name The Consistency Project also came from this idea that if we’re able to reflect on how we shop second-hand for clothing, we should also be able to reflect on other parts of our life that promote reuse,” says Halesworth. More than a clothing brand, the experimental studio envisions how objects are engaged and can be re-engaged in new, creative ways.

Images courtesy of The Consistency Project

Kitchen Toke Volume 5 Issue 2

The first media company dedicated to culinary cannabis, Kitchen Toke (founded by Joline Rivera) exists at the point where marijuana, food, cooking and health collide. This issue celebrates cannabis cuisine chefs of “Chopped 420,” explores the evolving integration of marijuana into food chain and more.

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King Charles III reveals royal monogram topped with Tudor Crown

King Charles III royal cypher

UK monarch King Charles III has unveiled his royal cypher, which was designed by the College of Arms and will appear on the country’s official buildings, postboxes and passports.

Charles’ royal monogram consists of the letters C and R interlinked – the C representing his first name and R for Rex, which is the word king in Latin. The number III was placed within the R’s counter – its enclosed section.

The group of letters is topped with a representation of a crown that is known as the Tudor Crown, which was contained in his grandfather King George VI’s monogram.

Cypher will signify the monarch

The cypher was designed by the College of Arms, which is an official body responsible for the country’s flags and national symbols. It is understood that Charles picked the cypher from a selection designed by the organisation.

It will be used to signify the monarch in various places such as official buildings and postboxes, as well as documents including passports and stationery.

The monogram will replace Queen Elizabeth II’s cypher, which consisted of the letters E and an R on either side of the number II.

Queen Elizabeth II’s royal cypher was topped with the St Edward’s Crown. Image is by Sodacan

One of the most striking differences between the two royal monograms is Charles’ choice of crown.

While Queen Elizabeth II’s cypher was topped with a representation of the St Edward’s Crown, which was made for King Charles II in the 17th century, King Charles III’s is topped with the Tudor Crown.

The Tudor Crown was used to top the monographs of many of the kings before Queen Elizabeth II including Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII and George VI. It closely resembles the Tudor crown worn by regents since Henry VIII, which was lost when the monarchy was abolished in 1649.

The intertwined letters of King Charles III’s cypher also evoke previous monarchs’ monographs. George VI, Edward VII and Queen Victoria all had official monograms with connected letters.

King Charles III became king of the UK last month following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II. The new king has a strong interest in design and architecture and to mark the start of his reign we took a look at how he had impacted British architecture.

The main image is courtesy of Buckingham Palace.

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TRU Architects designs Bugok Friday House with indoor and outdoor living spaces

Exterior image of Bugok Friday House at dusk with views to the interior

South Korea’s traditional hanok homes informed the design of this compact house on a mountainside in Bugok, Changnyeong County, which features semi-outdoor spaces for relaxing in the summer.

Bugok Friday House was designed by Seoul-based TRU Architects for a family who wanted a countryside retreat they could visit at weekends from their main home in South Korea’s capital.

Image of Bugok Friday House pictured against the green surroundings
Bugok Friday House was designed by TRU Architects

The house is built on a narrow site measuring 18 metres in length by just four metres in width. Its setting informed its design, which aims to make the most of views towards the nearby Bukhansan mountains.

The project features on the shortlist for the rural house category at Dezeen Awards 2022.

Exterior image of the front of Bugok Friday House
The home is located in South Korea

The rooms at Bugok Friday House – a living room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom – are arranged in a single row so the family can look out at the scenery from every space.

“Our goal was to design a house where they could enjoy both indoor and outdoor views of the stunning mountains and a quiet village,” TRU Architects said.

Image of a person sat on the deck surrounding Bugok Friday House
It was built on a small site

The building’s design is based on traditional Korean hanok houses, which typically feature simple pitched roofs with extended eaves. Hanok homes also often incorporate passive solutions for heating and cooling the interiors.

A large overhanging roof supported by a row of columns protects the living spaces in Bugok Friday House from direct sunlight during the hot summer months, while allowing winter sunlight to warm the rooms.

The building is also raised above the ground so that cooling breezes passing beneath it can enter through the floor.

A wooden deck that extends around the house recalls traditional covered balconies known as a toen-maru. The deck connects with a semi-outdoor room that was informed by another typical feature of hanok houses, the daecheong-maru.

Interior image of a living space at Bugok Friday House
The home occupies a single storey

In total, around 23 square metres of the building’s built area of 80 square metres comprises covered outdoor spaces that provide cool, shaded areas for the family to gather and relax.

As with traditional hanok houses, landscaping within the site is kept simple to maintain the viewer’s focus on the scenery. Various species of flowering trees positioned to be visible from within the house will bloom at different times throughout the year.

Interior image of a bathroom space at Bugok Friday House
The interior features an open-plan design

The building has a roof made from corrugated steel that was also used as the formwork for the exposed-concrete external walls. A horizontal datum separates the upper corrugated section of the wall from the smooth lower section.

Inside the house, TRU Architects designed the main dining and living space with a level change on either side of the central island unit, so that those sitting on one side can converse at eye level with those standing on the other side.

Image of a covered outdoor area at the South Korean home
Outdoor areas are covered and shaded

The living area is positioned on one side of the house’s entrance hall, with a bathroom, storage space and sleeping area on the opposite side of the house.

Also shortlisted in the rural house category for Dezeen Awards 2022 is a house on a Scottish island that references relics of agricultural buildings, and an Italian home with a ficus tree growing in the centre of the living space.

The photography is by Yousub Song.

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One-Step rotating outlet makes it more convenient for you to plug in

When you’re working outside or even within your home and you need to charge your device, something as simple as plugging into outlets can sometimes be a challenge. You have to sometimes make sure that your adaptor is in the right direction and it requires looking at both the cord and the outlet, which can be difficult if it’s dark or you have some visual impairment. It’s an inconvenience that almost everyone experiences and yet solutions are few and far between.

Designer: OConnect

A Korean company called OConnect wants to be the first brand you think of when it comes to outlets and so they have come up with a concept that may get them one step towards that goal. This may be literally as the device is called One-Step. It’s a self-rotating outlet that will make it easier for you to plug in since it will adjust to your adaptor no matter what direction you’re plugging into. It uses a “rotatable structure” with an external case, a rotating part, and an electrode. It also uses “force-generating rotation” with an included surface to help guide the plug into the outlet hole.

What you get is an extension cord type of outlet with four round holes to fit in either the C and F types of plugs that are used in Korea and in some parts of the world. Each One-Step has three plugs in it so you can charge and re-charge different devices all at once. There’s also a main power switch which is safer than an extension cord that doesn’t have any on or off button. The slope feature that allows it to rotate itself is something original to the device. You can also turn the outlet left and right up to 30 degrees so it can accommodate all kinds of directions.

One-Step currently has prototype molds for product testing but they’re aiming to have it produced by early next year. Depending on what kind of plugs you use, this can be pretty useful and convenient especially if you’re one of the 70% of people they surveyed that think plugging into outlets is such a pain. The product renders show just a white and gray device with a minimalist look, which is exactly what you need your plugs and outlets to look like anyway.

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Sou sofa by Teruhiro Yanagihara for Offecct

Sou sofa by Teruhiro Yanagihara for Offecct

Dezeen Showroom: Japanese designer Teruhiro Yanagihara has created Sou, a layered sofa for Flokk-owned brand Offecct, which is informed by a jigsaw puzzle.

According to Offecct, Yanagihara also had the French mille-feuille pastry in mind when he designed Sou, which is shown in its layered fabric.

Sou sofa by Teruhiro Yanagihara for Offecct
The Sou sofa is designed in layers so it can take on different shapes

“My idea was to start with the sofa’s most basic parts and let the different shapes and functions overlap in layers,” said Yanagihara.

“For me, it’s about how the sofa is designed but also the fact that it can have different uses and expressions – depending on how you choose to combine the different layers.”

Sou sofa by Teruhiro Yanagihara for Offecct
It has an ash wood frame

Following both the Japanese and Scandinavian design traditions, Yanagihara strived to reduce rather than add to the product to create a timeless and sustainable piece.

The Sou sofa is available with a solid ash wood frame in either white or black.

Product: Sou
Designer: Teruhiro Yanagihara
Brand: Offecct
Contact: maria.olofsson@flokk.com

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