Even successful companies have failed designs in their product archives. In 2016 camera motion control company Edelkrone–whose gear generally draws rave reviews–had a swing-and-a-miss with their Povie, a neck-mounted smartphone holder. (As for the name, think “POV.”) The idea was to provide hands-free recording capability for influencers who wanted to capture something they were manipulating right in front of them:
Sure it’s somewhat goofy-looking, but in usage it does seem practical:
Edelkrone is a legit and respected manufacturer, and even B&H Photo sold these. As for what undid the product, I’m not convinced it was the form factor; I’m guessing it was the phone connection method. As the product description states: “It holds your smartphone in place by connecting magnetically with a metal plate that sticks to your phone with an adhesive backing.”
Who wants a metal plate permanently attached to their phone? I bet if they worked out something more convenient, we’d still see people walking around with these on.
Special thanks to reader Mark Østergaard. When we spotted these mystery constructions and asked for help identifying them…
…Østergaard, an industrial designer and engineer, knew what they were, where they were and who designed them. Based on the information Østergaard provided, we were able to find the story behind these pieces—and learn that, fascinatingly, they were originally painted red, yellow, blue or black, and they’ve been in place for roughly 60-70 years!
Danish furniture designer Poul Kjærholm (1929 -1980) was interested in boiling the concept of furniture down to the basics. “Kjærholm understood furniture as a series of types: paradigms in which function and formal characteristics produced a general model that exists independently of materials or styles,” explains author Michael Sheridan, in The Furniture of Poul Kjaerholm: Catalogue Raisonné. “The use of a module, or ideal element that can be used in different combinations and locations, was central to Kjærholm’s work.”
Kjærholm’s wife, Hanne, was an accomplished and pioneering female architect. The two had largely separate (and successful) careers, but there was at least one notable collaboration. In the 1950s Hanne’s father Lars Dam was a county administrator for the Hjørring region in Denmark’s Jutland peninsula, and was responsible for overseeing rest stops and picnic areas. Disappointed by the outdoor furniture of the time, Dam commissioned the Kjærholms “to design chairs and tables that were inexpensive, durable, and easily installed in a variety of locations.”
“After observing that the foundations of most roadside furniture were concrete, Kjærholm developed a table and chair of reinforced concrete that could be installed by digging a hole and burying the stem beneath the frost line. He called the system ‘Beton Elementer,’ or ‘Concrete Elements,’ emphasizing their status as simple modules that could be arranged according to circumstance. The seating element could either be installed as single chairs or in rows to make benches. The table could be used in the same manner or installed at a lower height to serve as a stool.”
“Rietveld’s Zig Zag Chair [influenced] Kjærholm’s thinking when it came to working with moulded materials – as evidenced by the range of Concrete Furniture that he designed, in collaboration with his wife, Hanne, in 1954. These concrete elements were installed, over a ten year period, at various rest-stops along the highways of Vendsyssel in Northern Demark and, in further reference to the source of his inspiration, were painted in the primary colours favoured by the De Stijl movement – red, yellow, blue, black and white.”
We were able to find these decommissioned Beton Elementer chairs on this auction site:
The images are fascinating: We can see just how long they had to be to reach below the frost line; we can see that this particular set was originally painted yellow; we can see the reinforcing steel rods; we can see that there’s aggregate mixed in with the concrete; we can see where the chairs eventually began to deteriorate, which presumably led to their removal.
Between 1954 and 1963, multiple examples of the Beton Elementer furniture were installed in the Hjørring, Ringkøbing, and Holbæk regions of the Jutland peninsula. In the end, they were a mere blip in Kjærholm’s long career; we’ll cover his better-known indoor furniture designs in another entry.
After cyclist Guillaume Bedard injured his shoulder in a BMX competition, he found himself unable to load his bike onto his car’s bike rack. Bedard subsequently designed and patented the BIKEeRACK, a motorized bicycle rack that allows users to load bicycles that exceed their lifting capabilities.
The anodized aluminum frame is trailer-hitch-mounted, and the motor draws power from the car’s own battery. A wireless remote is included. Both signal lights and a license plate holder are integrated into the design.
Although the rack is designed to stay up close to the vehicle while in transit…
…for convenience’s sake, it can also be swung backwards far enough for you to access the cargo area of the vehicle:
In this demo video, you’ll see Bedard offers different racks depending on whether you want to haul bicycles/e-bikes, heavier dirt bikes or wheelchair-user-friendly adaptive mountain bikes:
The bicycle variant can be configured to hold as many as five bicycles; the dirt bike variant, up to two bikes and a pit bike; and the adaptive mountain bike variant can hold one to two. Prices vary depending on the configuration, ranging from $2,400 for a single bicycle up to $4,000 for the multi-dirt-bike unit. You can browse the full line-up here.
There was a time when laptops had limited computing power because of their cramped spaces, but now we have notebooks strong enough to run games with decent quality. These more powerful laptops, however, are often bulky and too flashy with their RGB lights, making them less ideal for more formal work settings. It sometimes feels like buyers need to make a difficult choice between power and portability as if these two were mutually exclusive. That isn’t true, of course, and the new Acer Swift X16 is designed to go beyond expectations, providing a powerful laptop for creating all kinds of digital content while also looking stylish and elegant in a way that creators would be proud to flaunt.
Designer: Acer
While it’s true that you need plenty of space for powerful components inside a laptop, technology has reached a point where these parts have become significantly smaller and more efficient so that they can fit in slim and light bodies. The Acer Swift X16 SFX16-61G, for example, carries the latest-gen AMD Ryzen 9 7940H processor paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 GPU, delivering enough power not only for gaming but especially for graphics-heavy content creation tools like video rendering, 3D modeling, and the like.
The large 16-inch 3.2K panel makes enjoying and creating content even better with accurate colors, 500 nits of brightness, and a fast 120Hz refresh rate. Extra thin bezels help reduce the laptop’s overall size, leaving plenty of room for just the vibrant display. A 1080p camera also upgrades the video call experience, especially with Temporal Noise reduction and a suite of AI tools for making sure you have clear and crisp videos every time.
Even with all that power, the Acer Swift X16 maintains a slim 17.9mm profile and a portable 1.9kg weight that lets you easily take your work anywhere. An upgraded TwinAir cooling system makes sure that the laptop is running optimally even under heavy load, while discreet air vents hide under the laptop’s aluminum surface.
On the outside, the Acer Swift X16 SFX16-61G carries a character of elegance with its minimalist aesthetic that belies the true power it bears inside. It doesn’t scream “power” yet still commands a presence with its stylish appearance, whether in the office, at home, in a studio, or in a coffee shop. Acer’s newest laptop for digital creatives starts at $1,249.99 and will be available in North America in July.
Modern life has become surrounded and dependent on consumer electronics, from the appliances we use day in and day out to the smartphone that almost never leave our hands. While these products bring convenience to our lives, they often come at the cost of the planet’s health, especially when we buy them left and right without considering where and how they are made. Fortunately, manufacturers are taking note and have started producing more eco-friendly options for consumers. In the midst of a new batch of computers and accessories, Acer is expanding its green Vero family with a 15-inch laptop and a brand-new laser projector to offer a more sustainable way to work, play, and enjoy life.
Designer: Acer
Acer Aspire Vero 15 Laptop
Although desktop computers still have a spot in the market, especially in gaming, most people prefer to have a laptop that they can bring with them outside or even just around the house. There is an almost overwhelming amount of models available across dozens of brands, making it difficult to pick one to buy. If you’re the type to be conscious of the impact of your purchases on the environment, then the new Acer Aspire Vero 15 AV15-53P is something you should look into.
Although it still has the conventional parts found in all laptops, the Aspire Vero 15 boasts a more eco-conscious design that brings the amount of post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastics used in the chassis from 30% to 40%. This chassis is also made with 30% fewer carbon emissions and doesn’t use paint for its eye-catching appearance. The laptop is also made to have an extended life thanks to standardized screws that simplify repairs and recycling when the inevitable happens.
Breaking misconceptions about products that use recycled materials, the Aspire Vero 15 doesn’t skimp on performance with a 13th-gen Intel Core i7 processor, a spacious 15.6-inch Full HD screen, up to 16GB of memory, and up to 1TB of M.2 SSD storage. The Acer Aspire Vero 15 AV15-53P launches in June with a starting price of just $699.99.
Acer Vero Projector
There are many people these days who have replaced their TVs with home projectors for ultimate flexibility. This growing segment of consumer electronics represents an opportunity to start on the right foot with more sustainable practices from the get-go. There are plenty of areas where things can be improved, and Acer’s newest laser projector focuses on not only reducing energy consumption but also reducing your electricity bill.
The Acer Vero PL3510ATV projector touts an advanced laser-light projection system that promises 48% less power consumption thanks to the use of super laser phosphor illumination technology. Despite that lower figure, it still manages to put out a bright 4,800 ANSI lumens projection and sharp Full HD resolution. The mercury-free projector also uses 50% PCR plastic in its chassis to further reduce its overall impact on the environment.
In addition to its sustainability bragging rights, the Vero PL3510ATV projector also has some smart chops with 2D keystone and four-corner correction that automatically adjusts the projection to any viewing surface. In addition to directly connecting video sources, the projector also comes with an Android TV dongle for an even wider selection of things to watch or play. The Acer Vero PL3510ATV projector will be available only in EMEA markets starting in September for 1,399 EUR ($1,540).
Augmental Technologies, an MIT Media Lab spin-off based in San Francisco, has developed a Bluetooth mouse designed to be worn inside your mouth.
The mouthpiece is fitted over the user’s upper teeth in the manner of a mouthguard, and a tongue-sensitive trackpad rests against the roof of the mouth. Users can control cursors using tongue movements across the trackpad. A tongue press will register as a left click, while right clicks are achieved with a sipping gesture.
“Our goal is to provide everyone with more intuitive ways to interact with computing systems,” the company writes. The MouthPad, which is currently in beta testing, will allow quadriplegics and other users without the use of their hands to control computers, smartphones, tablets and other Bluetooth-enabled devices.
Conveniently, users can speak normally while using a MouthPad:
“Its slim design minimizes the impact on speech, making it a convenient solution for users who need to communicate verbally while wearing the device. This means that you can use voice recognition software while wearing your MouthPad.”
Here’s a project description and demonstration from the company:
Interested users can sign up for the waitlist here.
Designed by Bologna-based firm STUDIOFEM, this beautiful 484 square-foot home is called the Mini – a name that does it justice quite rightly in appearance, but not in character. Although the home is still a concept and hasn’t made it to the ground yet, it still manages to be quite a beauty. Architects Francesca Morsiani and Mujgan Merve Rinaldi plan to tuck away the home in the village of Cavusin, Nevsehir, Turkey, surrounded by mountains on all sides.
The home features a rectangular structure that has been clad in dark brown vertical panels. The box-like form of the home is quite cute to look at it, and the wooden facade gives the home a rather rustic yet cozy look. The panels are intersected with floor-to-ceiling windows, that provide stunning views of the surrounding landscape while lending the space an air of openness and fluidity. The windows also impart the exterior with a sense of sleekness, which in combination with the panels give the home a pretty minimal and clean appearance. The floor-to-ceiling windows also ensure that generous amounts of natural light will continuously stream in throughout the day. They also help sustain a connection between the interiors and landscape, giving the impression that the inside of the home is larger than it seems.
Although the home occupies a tiny footprint, the interior feels quite open and spacious, offering views of the outside from all angles. The living space is open-plan with kitchen cabinets running along one wall before they transform into a built-in bench located at the entrance of the bedroom. It can be utilized to store and displays books and other souvenirs. The walls of the home have been kept pretty simple as well, lined with wooden panels, that add a bit of texture and rawness to the space.
The furniture also seems to be wooden, and it maintains the same minimal and neutral tone that has been followed throughout the home. The furniture pieces seem to be carefully curated, such that they perfectly complement the home, and do not contrast against it. The exterior, interior, and furnishings of the home line up together perfectly to create a living space that is warm, cozy, and inviting.
In Palazzo Serbelloni, a shimmering sculpture greets guests before an exhibition of the heritage brand’s Objets Nomades
One of the most alluring attributes of Milan Design Week is the city of Milan itself—a place where a stone planter on a street corner or a petite door into a private courtyard quietly attract attention. As such, brands often tap into the city’s splendors and invite guests to step into the extraordinary. Epitomizing this pairing of design and destination, “Pavilion Nomad” is being presented by Louis Vuitton in the heart of the historic Palazzo Serbelloni as an accompaniment to the release of the prestigious brand’s new Objets Nomades pieces. Designed by the New York-based French architect Marc Fornes, also known as THEVERYMANY, the shimmering, organic structure is composed of more than 1,600 ultra-thin strips of anodized aluminum (with no two pieces exactly the same). The bulbous, metallic and coral-like creation even welcomes visitors to explore within.
“We are between two different worlds to some extent,” Fornes tells COOL HUNTING. His description of his studio and the thought process behind and development of the pavilion is poetic in nature. “On one hand, there is the research behind this unified system. The skin is everything. It is both your experience and your envelope but it’s also your structure. There is no traditional element of architecture like beams or columns.”
“On the other hand, beyond the experimental structural aspects that we explore at the studio,” he continues, “it’s really about defining the experience. It’s about allowing the guests to let go and enjoy the moment. It’s about having the ability to spend time but also losing the notion of time. When you enter, you can follow along the surface. You can read into it whatever you like. It’s not referential to anything but everyone reads something in it.”
Fornes explains that his favorite interaction with “Pavilion Nomad” arrived while observing children playing inside. At first, they paid no attention to the unique composition of the structure. Then they began to slow down and marvel at the fact that it did not have walls like any they’d known before. Remarkably, this was our personal experience as well—one, first, of wonder; the second of wondering how it stood upright.
Though “Pavilion Nomad” greets guests in grand form, it is far from the only delight on site. Throughout several rooms of Palazzo Serbelloni (above a majestic spiraling staircase), the heritage brand introduces 10 astonishing new Objet Nomades furniture and design pieces with partners Raw Edges, Marcel Wanders, Atelier Oï, Zanellato/ Bortotto, Atelier Biagetti and Fernando & Humberto Campana. In a garden tucked behind the palazzo, a glistening, geometric pop-up structure houses acclaimed industrial designer Marc Newson‘s “Cabinet of Curiosities,” a reimagining of the iconic monogrammed Louis Vuitton travel trunk that features an interior organized with 19 leather-covered cubes. It’s an exclamation point to the spectacular installation.
Louis Vuitton’s entire Milan Design Week 2023 exhibition will run through 23 April from 10AM to 8PM.
Swedish brand Abstracta is launching two pieces of furniture at Salone del Mobile, which feature in this Instagram Reel produced by Dezeen for the acoustic product manufacturer.
Abstracta, which is best known for producing noise-regulating pieces for office, is exhibiting newly launched work pods by Swedish designer Staffan Holm at its stand at Salone del Mobile.
Abstracta is exhibiting work pods at Salone del Mobile
The Zen Pod has minimalist finish options, comes in a range of sizes, and can facilitate private meetings, calls and focused work.
The slatted design takes its cues from Japanese interiors, and is intended to offer a quiet environment for users to focus on tasks without isolating them from their surroundings.
Abstracta’s products are manufactured at its headquarters in Småland, Sweden. Visit Abstracta at Salone del Mobile at stand B01, Hall 10, from 18 to 23 April.
Chinese architecture studio MAD has inserted a 12.5-metre-tall cube, named Momentum, into the courtyard of the University of Milan during Milan design week.
The cube measures eight metres along each of its edges and is anchored to the grassy lawn of the university’s courtyard at a 45-degree angle.
The installation is titled Momentum. Photo is by Andrea D’Antrassi
It was constructed using ETFE – a plastic polymer that is often used as an alternative to glass, which was fixed across the surface of the iron frame and used to conceal the interior of the structure.
It was installed at the University of Milan
Given the reflective material quality of the ETFE polymer used, during the daytime its surface reflects its surroundings. At night it become a light beacon as a result of an artificial light source by L&L Luce&Light situated within the cube structure.
The artificial lighting was created with nine lights, which were set to pulse at intervals to create a beating heart-like rhythm. The placement of the ETFE across the iron structure means light is able to glow between each of the long strips.
“In the daytime, Momentum’s skin reflects the surrounding environment of the courtyard of Statale University, becoming a forever-changing art form of its own,” said MAD.
“As night falls, and the installation turns transparent and ethereal, the lighting inside illuminates a new character.”
It was constructed using iron and ETFE. Photo is by Andrea D’Antrassi
The installation was designed to “freeze the moment of art creation” according to MAD, which explained the structure aims to represent different forms of art.
“Momentum seeks to freeze the moment of art creation, with the simplest cube is used as a carrier to undertake different forms of art expression,” said the architecture studio.
“Momentum, exhibited during the Salone del Mobile, hopes to evoke the solidification and refinement of time with this form,” it continued.
The installation has reflective surfaces
Momentum also includes an AR experience whereby viewers can scan a QR code and access filters that enhance and alter the look of the installation.
“At a time when everything is immediate, and everything can be replicated digitally, Momentum is, on the one hand, the spark, the original idea; on the other, it is the study, complexity and care behind creative development,” said L&L Luce&Light.
The photography is by Moreno Maggi unless stated otherwise.
Momentum takes place from 17 to 23 April 2023 at Via Festa del Perdono, 7, 20122 Milan, Italy. See our Milan design week 2023 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week.
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