Hasta La Ideas

If you don’t have space for a shoe rack and you cringe at the idea of just leaving your shoes in a cluttered heap inside or outside your house, Avril has you sorted. No, not the Canadian rock singer, the wall-mounted shoe-rack. Designed to uplift your space by uplifting your shoes, the Avril shoe rack by Ylisse sits on your wall, providing a nice angled shelf to dock your shoes when not worn. Unlike conventional racks with horizontal shelves, the Avril’s angled design sits closer to the wall and occupies less real estate space, making it perfect for small homes, houses with narrow entrances, and even hotel rooms. Plus, the shoes are easy to access at all times, giving Avril the upper hand over your floor-based shoe rack that requires you to hunch over to find your shoes!

Designer: Hubert Therrien

Click Here to Buy Now: $153. Exclusively for YD readers.

“We bought a house, and despite the space we were gaining, the entrance hall was still filled with shoes”, said Avril’s designer, Hubert Therrien. “Jogging shoes, walking shoes, work shoes… all of them were cluttering up the doorway and piling up really quickly.” The idea of coming home to a living room or doorway cluttered with piles of shoes didn’t appeal to Therrien (and why should it?!), so he designed the Avril as a much more elegant, space-saving, minimalist, and easy-to-maintain alternative.

Simply put, the Avril is a powder-coated sheet metal rack that mounts onto any wall. Designed at a precise angle, the rack just protrudes a mere 5.1 inches from the wall, but holds at least 3 pairs of shoes per shelf. Mounting is rather easy, and maintaining the rack is simple too. Just place your shoes into the rack’s angled shelf when you need to store them… and if the shelf ever gets dirty over time (and it probably will), simply unhook it off the wall and wipe it down or rinse it under a gardening hose before drying it and mounting it back!

The Avril Shoe Rack comes in textured black or matte white finishes, and is designed to last for years!

Click Here to Buy Now: $153. Exclusively for YD readers.

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Forget the Dynamic Island on the front… check out the Rolex Island on the back.

There’s a fine line between a good Medium Rare steak and a steak that’s pushed just over the edge into Rare/Well-Done territory. I’d argue Caviar’s Rolex Daytona iPhone 14 Pro sits rather firmly on the latter end of the spectrum. Designed to clearly be showcased on tabletops (because there’s no way this could comfortably fit into most pockets), the latest custom iPhone from Caviar comes with a massive Rolex Daytona timepiece stuck to its back, making the smartphone’s camera bump look like the sleekest design detail ever. The Rolex Daytona (functional, might I add) isn’t the only detail on the back of the iPhone – clearly doubling down on the racing-inspired theme, the phone also comes with decorative dashboard dials modeled to look like a speedometer and oil + fuel indicators, and actual functional flip switches, all crafted from 18K gold. The Rolex and gold details sit on a bespoke titanium case that wraps around the iPhone, with a black PVD finish and gold accents that match the ones on the Rolex Daytona timepiece. Is it elegant? I’ll leave that to you, the beholder, to decide. Is it ridiculously opulent? Well, given that the Caviar Daytona starts at $133,670, I’d probably say yes.

Designer: Caviar

This work of art (?) takes inspiration from Malcolm Campbell, professional racer and the first ambassador of Rolex’s Daytona series. The watch’s visuals pay homage to Campbell and his Blue Bird car, which broke the land speed record in 1928. The back of the Caviar Daytona is an artistic twist on the Blue Bird’s dashboard, showcasing the Rolex Daytona timepiece front and center. On the top, you’ve got artistic sub-dials representing the three main dials seen on a car’s dashboard, and below are 3 flip-switches that can be fidgeted with, but don’t actually do anything. The watch sits there in its entirety, sans the straps, and can be controlled/adjusted using the crown and buttons on the side.

There’s no wonder this limited-edition smartphone costs as much as it does. Sure, Caviar’s entire schtick is to make luxury phones, but the Daytona pushes the limits with 18K gold detailing (including the smartphone’s frame) covered with jewelry-grade enamel. The back panel of the phone uses PVD-coated titanium, arguably giving the iPhone a more happening rear than the front. Although with all those bells and whistles crammed onto the back of the phone, don’t expect it to be able to rest it rear-side-down on any table or flat surface.

As remarkable as the phone is to look at, the Caviar Daytona isn’t designed to be used and carried like your everyday smartphone. That side profile is chaotic at best, and will not easily slip into pockets or handbags. You can forget about cases or even MagSafe chargers/accessories, considering the Rolex Daytona timepiece sits exactly above the wireless charging coil and magnetic ring.

This Frankenstein-mashup of phone and watch from Caviar is limited to just 3 units per variant. There are a total of 8 variants to choose from – 4 storage tiers for the 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max respectively. The starting price for this limited-edition series begins at $133,670, going up to a whopping $135,420 for the highest tier.

The post Caviar’s bejeweled iPhone 14 Pro comes with a $133K price tag and an actual Rolex stuck on the back first appeared on Yanko Design.

With a dynamic touchscreen, two knobs, 4 buttons, MIDI inputs/outputs, a MicroSD card slot, and the ability to be connected to a variety of electronic instruments, the nanobox razzmatazz from 1010music is more powerful than it’ll have you believe. The mini drum sequencer is compact yet incredibly versatile, combining FM synthesis and sampling into its list of abilities, so you can literally turn even noisy traffic into sick beats!

Designer: 1010music

The $399 razzmatazz is the third in 1010music’s food-themed nanobox series. Following the fireball and lemondrop, the pink raspberry-themed drum sequencer promises to be ‘berry’ delightful at letting you sample audio, compose rhythms, and export them for music production and live performances.

The nanobox razzmatazz comes with 120 of its own presets, while allowing you to load your own samples using the MicroSD card slot, or even record 30-second samples using the line input on the back. You can create performances/loops using up to 8 pads, with compositions as long as 64 bars thanks to the touchscreen interface that lets you scroll nearly infinitely. Once your audio samples/presets are selected, razzmatazz lets you adjust primary parameters for each drum model using macro controls and add effects like delay, reverb, and distortion. For serious audio enthusiasts, the razzmatazz even allows you to individually sculpt and fine-tune the sound of each drum pad using filters, envelopes, distortion, a resonator, snap transient generation, bit crushing, and rate crushing.

Your samples and rhythms can then be easily integrated with other synths, drum machines, and audio devices using MIDI in/out ports, or even the USB-C port on the rear… or if you’re just looking to play around with the razzmatazz and explore its solo capabilities, its portable and nearly indestructible design is perfect for carrying around in your backpack and messing about with while at a coffee shop or on the subway.

The post This tiny pocket drum machine lets you sample, remix, and drop beats anywhere first appeared on Yanko Design.

The search for extraterrestrial intelligence, a feminist bird-watching club, an inclusive surf school and more

Helsinki Plans to Use Seawater to Create Sustainable Heating

Helsinki hopes to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 and to do so the Finnish capital is planning on utilizing cold water from deep in the Baltic Sea to heat homes. Partnering with Spanish builder Acciona SA and infrastructure company YIT Oyj, the city’s power company Helen Oy will extract water from the seabed that remains at a constant two degrees Celsius. Then, the water will be processed in underground heat pumps, where heat exchangers will remove 1.5 degrees of heat (that will be returned to the sea via a tunnel later) and a heat pump process will increase the temperature to 80 to 95 degrees. In addition to being renewable and free, the seawater-derived heat will be able to power 40% of the capital and, during the summer, harvest energy to cool homes. Learn more about the innovative and unique process at Bloomberg.

Image courtesy of Helen Oy

Making Surfing Accessible to Children with Disabilities

Founded by Chris Antao, Gnome Surf is a Little Compton, Rhode Island-based non-profit making surfing accessible to kids with disabilities. Through individualized, inclusive programming for students with ADHD, autism, down syndrome, anxiety and adults who struggle with addiction, Gnome utilizes surf therapy—a method of intervention that combines the peacefulness of nature with physical and mental wellbeing—to empower people who are oftentimes overlooked and left out. “These are kids that typically do not get invited to birthday parties or sleepovers,” says Mackenzie Palumbo, a parent of two boys who have autism and surf with Gnome. “To see them having fun doing something that typical kiddos do, it’s a feeling like no other. Every time I stand on that shore and I watch my kids out on the board, I always think to myself, ‘This is what parents of typically developing children must feel like when they watch their kids play baseball or football or soccer.’ And you just feel so proud.” Learn more at PBS.

Two Astronomers Discuss Technosignatures in The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

Macy Huston, a PhD candidate in astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State, and Jason Wright, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the university, have penned a thought-provoking essay on technosignatures—or the signs of alien technology that could lead to discovery. Both work on SETI, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, and have addressed everything from radio waves to megastructures developed by advanced civilizations that harness the power of local stars, and even potential pollution in the atmosphere of exoplanets. Although no astronomer has yet to confirm a technosignature discovery, Huston and Wright provide inspiring observations and insights on the potential. Read their words at The Conversation.

Image courtesy of NASA/Jay Freidlander

The Feminist Bird Club Breaks Barriers

In 2016, Molly Adams founded the Feminist Bird Club in NYC after finding the birding community full of “sexist or queer-hostile attitudes.” Now with 27 chapters across four countries, the Feminist Bird Club is an organization that makes the hobby more accessible and welcoming for queer individuals, people of color and people with disabilities. While fighting for improved access to traditionally white outdoor spaces, the social justice-leaning club has also raised more than $100,000 for the National Network of Abortion Funds, Transgender and Intersex Justice Project and other vital non-profits. Club members Martha Harbison and Meera Jagroop credit fellow organizations like Outdoor Afro and Latino Outdoors, as well as the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, for helping create pathways to build a movement. They write for Teen Vogue, “This work isn’t flashy. It’s investing in infrastructure, changing an economic model to accommodate more free passes and programming, compensating community experts for their labor, and training staff on how to create inclusion and belonging. It’s the ongoing, never-ending effort to build and maintain relationships and trust, especially with people who have been burned by half-hearted diversity pushes before.” Learn more at Teen Vogue.

Image courtesy of Mikey Burns/Outside Clothes

Link About It is our filtered look at the web, shared daily in Link and on social media, and rounded up every Saturday morning. Hero image is an artist’s impression of the 5km diameter central core of Square Kilometre Array (SKA) antennas, courtesy of SPDO/TDP/DRAO/Swinburne Astronomy Productions‚ SKA Project Development Office and Swinburne Astronomy Productions

Living spaces are organised around a decades-old olive tree in this Santa Monica home, completed by Los Angeles studio Woods +Dangaran.

Woods + Dangaran designed both the architecture and interiors for the dwelling, named Twentieth, which is shortlisted in the house interior category in the Dezeen Awards 2022.

Home to a couple and their three young children, the three-storey house is designed to be practical for day-to-day family life, but also able to host parties and gatherings.

Living spaces are organised around a courtyard where the old olive tree can be found, while a generous rear garden provides an opportunity for lounging and dining to extend outdoors.

“Twentieth delicately balances the opposing priorities of creating a sophisticated, entertainment-oriented home, and one that would be comfortable for a growing family with three young children,” said Woods + Dangaran.

“The result is a truly modern home.”

The house is primarily built from white brick, which is exposed both inside and out to offer a bright and textural feel.

These brick surfaces are punctured by generous glazing. Sliding glass doors span entire walls, while windows typically extend from floor to ceiling.

Twentieth’s ground floor has a U-shape, creating space for living rooms on both sides of the courtyard.

The first, located close to the entrance, is the more formal entertaining space. It features a grand yet minimal travertine fireplace, custom-made sofas and a solid walnut bar.

The second living space, located on the opposite side of the courtyard, has a more comfortable feel. Four club chairs with swivel bases are organised around a polished stone coffee table.

“Wide, open doors to both the courtyard and the backyard make this an ideal room for the family to gather and connect at the end of the day,” said Woods + Dangaran.

The family dining room sits in between these two living spaces so that it also flanks the courtyard, while the kitchen is located just beyond.

Four double bedrooms are located on Twentieth’s upper level, including a main bedroom that opens out to a roof terrace and is designed to feel “very plush”.

It features a large custom bed, designed to slot into a recess in the wood-panelled wall, along with a vintage Venini chandelier and a Cassina lounge chair and ottoman.

“The primary suite is an oasis compared to the rest of the home,” said the studio.

“The suite opens onto a private balcony overlooking the backyard, creating the perfect getaway within this busy household.”

Accompanying this room is an en-suite crafted from a dark grey stone animated by streaks of white – the same marble that features in the kitchen downstairs.

The house also has a basement level, providing two guest bedrooms, a playroom for the children, a home cinema and a study where the owners can work from home.

Woods + Dangaran is led by architects Brett Woods and Joe Dangaran and typically works on home build and renovation projects in California and beyond.

The studio recently renovated a mid-century modern home in LA that will compete against Twentieth in the home interior category of Dezeen Awards.

Woods + Dangaran said the ambition behind Twentieth was to elevate it “from custom, new-build to bespoke forever home”.

Its design is completed by characterful vintage furnishings and custom details, including Mehraban silk shag rugs, brass fixtures, leather armchairs and fleece-upholstered bar stools.

“Punches of color like deep avocado and salmon, along with many varied textures, provide contrast throughout the home and elegantly maintain the modern aesthetic,” concluded the studio.

The photography is by Joe Fletcher.

The post Woods + Dangaran organises Twentieth house around olive tree appeared first on Dezeen.