Hasta La Ideas



With a built-in pen, scale, caliper, protractor, and screwdriver, the Vortex Multitool Ruler Pen is like the Swiss Army Knife of stationery objects. The built-in LAMY refill makes it perfect for immortalizing your ideas, and the Vortex’s ultra-durable Grade-5 titanium construction ensures that your stationery is just as immortal as your ideas.

It doesn’t really take much to activate the stationery hoarder in me, but the Vortex Multitool Ruler Pen definitely goes above and beyond with how it compresses an entire stationery kit and toolkit into something as slim as what you’re looking at. CNC-machined out of titanium, with strategically placed magnets and space for hiding either a LAMY M22 refill or two screwdriver bits, the Vortex covers most of your basic stationery and multitool needs. Split into two parts, the Vortex serves as a ruler/scale that’s perfect for measuring, drawing lines, and even cutting against, along with a pen that lets you sketch ideas, make notes, or doodle away for inspiration. Built-in magnets help the ruler open out to an 8-inch measuring instrument, while also functioning as a sliding caliper set or even a protractor… and when you’re in a bit of a fix, the Vortex also lets you dock screwdriver bits into its titanium body, becoming a high-torque screwdriver.

Designer: MeTool

Click Here to Buy Now: $69 $99 (30% Off) Hurry! Only 8 days left!

The Vortex Multitool Ruler Pen has a design that feels simultaneously fresh yet intuitive. A similar product hasn’t quite existed before, yet somehow using the Vortex doesn’t require a learning curve. Spend a couple of minutes interacting with and you’ll quickly pick up its features and begin using it like an expert in no time. The multitool pen comes as a single hexagonal entity that splits apart into two to reveal powerful rare-earth magnets on the inside, along with a machined cavity that’s perfectly sized to dock either a LAMY M22 refill, or a pair of 1/4″ and 1/6″ screwdriver bits. The Vortex ships with a LAMY refill included, although you could swap it out for standard screwdriver bits from your own toolkit.

The hexagonal design and built-in refill make for a wonderful writing experience, thanks to a hefty titanium body with a weighted design that feels great to the touch. Slide the two shafts of the pen apart and you’ll find a LAMY M22 refill on the inside. Flip the refill outwards before sliding the titanium shafts back into place and you’ve got yourself a writing instrument that’s just perfect for notes as well as sketches. Use the refill independently as a writing instrument, and the ‘hollow shell’ of the Vortex transforms into a scale. Strategically placed rare-earth magnets let the two shafts flip open into a scale that’s a precise 8.66 inches (220 millimeters) long. Metric and imperial markings on the Vortex’s body make it easy to measure, and the magnets also give the Vortex the ability to function as a protractor or even a vernier caliper that measures objects to the nearest millimeter.

Magnets let you use the Vortex in Protractor Mode

A Vernier Caliper mode lets you measure objects much more intuitively

The inner compartment that houses the LAMY refill is also perfectly machined to dock a 1/4″ and 1/6″ hex bit of your choice. If you’re less of a writing kind and more of an EDC enthusiast, this arrangement makes more sense. To use the Vortex as a screwdriver, simply dock the hex bits in their respective hexagonal holes machined into the ends of the Vortex’s body and you’ve now got a nifty high-torque screwdriver that’s perfect for DIY projects as well as for opening and repairing objects around the house.

Each Vortex Multitool Ruler Pen comes CNC-machined out of Grade-5 Titanium (with a sandblasted texture), making it the perfect hybrid between stationery and durable, long-lasting EDC. The hexagonal shape of the multitool pen is reminiscent of the iconic pencil, and also makes using, maneuvering, and lifting the tool off flat surfaces rather easy (unlike flat rulers/scales that are notoriously difficult to pick up). The built-in magnets are reliably powerful, and give the Vortex its unique versatility while also providing a rather enjoyable fidget ability that should keep your hands entertained as you brainstorm your next biggest idea!

The Vortex Multitool Ruler Pen comes with a LAMY refill included, and boasts a discounted price tag of $69 with free global shipping. For an extra $10, you can also grab yourself a leather carrying pouch for your Vortex, and an additional $15 gives you access to blue or purple anodized finishes.

You can even use a cutter against the Vortex’s titanium edges.

Click Here to Buy Now: $69 $99 (30% Off) Hurry! Only 8 days left!

The post This Titanium Multitool Ruler Pen is the ultimate all-in-one desktop stationery item first appeared on Yanko Design.

A health-monitoring watch that looks inwards now also acts as a symbol of looking outwards…

With seven different NASA-approved designs to choose from (along with 20+ watch faces to match), MobyFox’s Apple Watch straps are far cooler than any Nike or Hermes strap you could ever buy. The straps, made from sweat and UV-resistant silicone, feature a variety of graphical elements surrounding NASA’s rebranding over the ages, including the iconic meatball and worm logo styles. The strap-loop also has the year 1953 printed on it, marking the day NASA was first founded.

Designer: MobyFox

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The collection of straps is designed to work with every single Apple Watch model, all the way down to the Series 1 to even the SE and the Ultra. Choose your watch model during checkout and the strap ships with 2 sets of connectors to accommodate both 38/40/41mm and 42/44/45 mm case sizes as well as Samsung and other smartwatches with a 22mm pin.

To access the 20+ watch face designs, all you have to do is download the MobyFace app onto your iPhone (the app is currently limited to just iOS) and scan the QR code inside the box that the strap shipped in. Scanning the code instantly adds a perfect space-inspired touch to your Apple Watch display, letting you choose between photos of famous astronauts, iconic NASA photographs, or a personal favorite, images shot by the James Webb Space Telescope!

The straps, which are cheaper than Apple’s own Watch Straps, make for the perfect accessory for anyone who loves everything space and extra-terrestrial. The various styles range from regular to vibrant and graphical, catering to everyone’s tastes. They’re durable, come with their own cleaning/maintaining instructions (just soap and water does the trick), and have a universal one-size-fits-all design for your wrist.

Click Here to Buy Now

The post NASA-themed Apple Watch bands add a wonderful space-geek touch to your smartwatch first appeared on Yanko Design.

American clothing brand Kith has created a flagship store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, that uses brick, wood and steel to reference the industrial history of the neighbourhood.

Designed by Kith‘s founder Ronnie Fieg and the brand’s in-house team of architects, the Williamsburg location is located in the Gensler-designed 25 Kent Plaza office building, where Kith also has its corporate offices.

The design takes elements that carry through some of the other Kith stores, such as marble finishes and metal fins, and adds details that situate it in the context of Williamsburg.

These include a massive circular structure at the heart of the store that is covered with red brick on the outside and lined with white oak inside. The piece was custom-made at a nearby, undisclosed wood workshop.

This central element has a domed wooden ceiling with a wooden column and circular light fixtures that radiate out towards the edges concentrically.

A number of sloping arched voids in the structure have metal-lined undersides and provide an entryway on two sides and display cases for the brand’s collection of sneakers on another.

“We constructed the central dome completely from scratch and created the exterior from the same exact bricks used on the outside of the main building so it feels very cohesive as you enter,” said Fieg.

“Every inch of that dome is custom which meant our precision down to the last minute detail was crucial.”

“Outfitting the interior with rounded wood panels, shaping the footwear shelves to sit flush within the windows, every detail was poured over.”

Outside the circular area, the lights radiate perpendicularly, like sun rays, towards the walls.

The perimeter of the store is lined with metal fins that block the sun from the glass-lined eastern exposure while also creating a massive logo when viewed from outside.

Also lining the perimeter of the store are custom wooden clothing racks.

Polished concrete flooring runs through the space, which steps down from the public plaza at the centre of 25 Kent.

The designers oriented the entrance towards the plaza and placed garden boxes in the corners of the store to better connect it with the public space outside.

“The industrial ambiance is balanced with lush oak trees outside, and an abundance of greenery spread throughout the store,” the brand said.

The Kith Treats Area at the entrance – where a combination of ice cream and cereal are served – was lined with Rosa Aurora marble and has a to-go window that opens up to the plaza.

A wall of stainless steel panels separates the treats area from the retail space, while the walls opposite the street-facing glass are matte concrete with wooden insets for further display and service areas.

On the floor, Kith installed a brand logo made of mosaic tiles.

It is the third store in New York City for the brand, which was founded in 2011, and creates apparel for men, women and children.

To celebrate the opening, the brand launched a sneaker with footwear companies Clarks and Adidas.

This is the twelfth store opened by Fieg, who moved to Williamsburg himself with his family in 2017, and the Kith headquarters there in 2021.

“The restaurants, the shops, the people, and the atmosphere make it a very special area in New York and were all factors in us moving our brand HQ there in 2021,” he said.

“It’s my home, our team’s home, and it only made sense for us to make it a home for our community.”

Many of Kith’s prior locations, in Miami and Los Angeles, for instance, were designed by designer Daniel Arsham and his studio Snarkitecture.

In both the Paris and original downtown Brooklyn locations, Kith installed chandeliers made up completely of Nike Air Max sneakers.

The post Kith creates “industrial ambiance” for its Williamsburg store appeared first on Dezeen.

According to a draft document (which is under review) released by the Pentagon, intelligent extraterrestrial beings might have already visited Earth and even be monitoring life here via research devices—or probes. Written by Sean Kirkpatrick (director of the Pentagon’s All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office) and Avi Loeb (chairman of Harvard’s astronomy department and founder of the Galileo Project), the research paper says, “Since most stars formed more than a billion years before the Sun, it is possible that other technological civilizations predated ours by the amount of time needed for their devices to reach Earth.” It goes on to explain how a mothership may send probes down to a planet as it passes by, like sprinkling seeds, even if there hasn’t been an official alien landing. Read more about the document at Dazed.

Image courtesy Albert Antony/Unsplash

Architecture studio LBR&A has designed a residence that “breaks the imposed paradigms of construction” in a Mexico City neighbourhood where development has reportedly taken its toll on the landscape.

The CH73 House is located in the Bosques de las Lomas neighbourhood and occupies a long, slender site that slopes down toward a ravine.

Designed for a retired couple, the full-time residence is meant to stand in contrast to the prevailing architecture in the area.

According to local firm LBR&A, the neighbourhood’s natural environment has been severely degraded due to insensitive development. Flora and fauna have been decimated, and impervious surfaces – such as concrete paving – are inhibiting rainwater from reaching the soil.

“Within this context, the CH73 House is born as a self-sustainable proposal that breaks the imposed paradigms of construction in the area,” the studio said.

In addition to sustainability concerns, the design was guided by several conditions, including the existence of a 30-metre-tall, masonry retaining wall that was built around five decades ago.

Envisioning the project as an “architectural-structural piece”, the studio conceived a two-storey building that is rectangular in plan.

The bottom level has concrete walls, while the upper level is framed with steel. A dark-hued, wax patina was applied to the steel structural elements to encourage “good ageing behaviour”.

One side of the house extends 20 metres over the site. Prefabricated components allowed for the cantilevering volume to be constructed without causing any damage to the landscape, the studio said.

The home’s facade treatments vary. The entrance elevation, which faces a street, is opaque and clad in Arabescatto Orbico marble. The rear facades are more transparent, with glazed walls that usher in daylight and offer extensive views.

Totaling 1,023 square metres, the house has a mix of public and private spaces spread across its two levels. Spatially, the home is meant to feel “calm and diaphanous”, the team said.

The upper level holds the entrance, communal areas and main bedroom. A landscaped garden is found outdoors. The bottom level contains a garage, gym, lap pool, bathroom and machine room.

“The spaces have a flexibility of use, which can be easily adapted to the changing needs of the clients,” the team said.

Interior finishes include granite flooring, marble walls and aluminum-composite ceiling panels. The kitchen has a sliding door made of metal and frosted glass.

The house is designed to be net-zero in terms of energy usage.

Passive strategies, such as optimal orientation and natural ventilation, have helped reduce energy consumption. Electricity is provided by solar panels and a “geothermal foundation pile”.

“This is essentially a system of underground pipes that are used to extract heat from the ground, which is then converted into electricity via a heat pump,” the firm said.

“This allows the house to have a reliable and sustainable source of energy throughout the year.”

A biodigester system was installed to treat wastewater, which is then used for irrigating the property and surrounding land.

“Additionally, rainwater is infiltrated into the subsoil to help improve the conditions of the local flora and fauna, particularly in a nearby forest area that has been impacted by human activities,” the firm said.

The project also entailed rehabilitating the landscape. The team planted endemic species such as tepozán shrubs, Montezuma pines and avocado trees. Trees that had grown naturally on the site were saved.

“Overall, the house is an excellent example of how sustainable practices can be incorporated into residential design to achieve net-zero energy use and promote ecological well being,” the studio said.

Other projects in Mexico City’s Bosques de las Lomas neighbourhood include a culinary school by Belzberg Architects that has board-marked concrete walls, and a bathhouse by Arqhe Studio that features a stark composition of grainy white marble.

LBR&A, or  L. Benjamín Romano & Arquitectos, was founded in 1978. Among the studio’s notable projects are Torre Reforma, a three-sided skyscraper in Mexico City that rises 246 metres, making it one of the tallest buildings in the metropolis.

The photography is by Frank Lynen unless stated.

The post LBR&A creates dramatic cantilever for CH73 House in Mexico City appeared first on Dezeen.