May 31

Move over, Revuelto… This minimal Lamborghini Purixta concept absolutely has our hearts

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With an exterior that draws a careful balance between aggressive and minimal, the Lamborghini Purixta concept distils the Italian marque’s design DNA to its purest form. The intent of designers Euan, Giuseppe, and Che, was to retain the essence of what makes a Lamborghini a Lamborghini… but without that strong, harsh character that you see in cars like the Terzo Millennio, or the Sian.

Created as the result of an extensive design exercise, the Purixta is what you get when Marie Kondo meets aggressive Italian racecars. The Purixta focuses on visual and practical purity, with a single-seater cockpit reminiscent of the Egoista in the hopes of giving the driver the ultimate thrill of the new, distilled Lamborghini experience.

Designers: Euan McPherson, Giuseppe Starace, and Che Chien Liao

Most great supercar designs are actually a collaborative effort between the designer’s pen strokes and the actual strokes of moving air which gives the car its aerodynamics. Lamborghini’s automobiles have mastered this balance beautifully, with cars that can cut through the air with finesse, while retaining a wonderfully unique character. The Purixta’s mastery of that balance is what makes it so great. The car is merely an intersection of multiple lines, resulting in an angular mass that both looks and moves like a predator.

The Purixta’s use of lines is evident in its side profile as well as its back. The side looks like a designer’s rough sketch come to life, with multiple lines slashing through the car’s lithe form, even culminating in some stunning line-based headlights and taillights. Move to the back, however, and you notice how the Purixta tries to be different from its predecessors. Sure, there’s no rear windshield, just like most Lamborghinis, but you also don’t have the signature Y-shaped taillights, which have come to become a Lamborghini rite of passage, in a way. The new taillight, however, feels unapologetically futuristic, and the angular lines feel reminiscent of the large air intakes seen on the front of the company’s most popular cars.

The cockpit of the Purixta seats merely one, giving the driver the ultimate thrill. With a racecar-style cockpit that puts you in the front and center of the action, the Purixta sports an entirely clear front panel that extends all the way from the bumper till the top of the car, creating an almost triangular panel of transparency that lets the driver see even what’s immediately in front of the car. Side window panels also offer a view of the left and right-hand side of the driver, although you can’t really roll down the windows on this one, like the Egoista… However, with a ride as thrilling as this, you’ll never see me complaining!

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May 30

8 Peaceful New Year’s Resolutions For Your Home

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Designer: Kenji Abe for ifuki

As we usher into 2023, it’s time to carry forward the tradition of making customary New Year’s resolutions. Some common resolutions include weight loss goals, financial goals, eating clean, self-improvement, working out, following our passion, and so on. This year, let’s focus on home improvement and make some achievable resolutions for our abodes as we are spending a lot of time indoors. We must ensure that our homes are clean, well-organized, and comfortable to use. Maintaining the house requires hard work and effort, and these tips can help us organize better. So let’s celebrate 2023 with hope and positivity, as these resolutions can easily fit a busy lifestyle.

1. Decluttering

Decluttering is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to bring a sense of clarity and positivity into your home.

  • Adopt the minimalist lifestyle. It is not about getting rid of everything but just keeping what you need. We tend to accumulate and hoard many things that we do not require. It takes a little effort to eliminate and donate the extra things. Check whatever you have before you buy more.
  • Take some inspiration from the Marie Kondo style of organizing so that whatever product you possess sparks joy. This is a great way to make space for what matters and a Zen vibe.

Designer: Radha Sotomayor

2. Deep clean

It is time to pack all your Christmas decorations as the holiday season is over. Deep clean the rooms and create a maintenance routine to make the home a better and brighter place.

  • Device a daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning routine which is easy to adhere to. Various checklists are available online. Choose the one that is best suited for your working style.
  • Always keep a basic cleaning kit in each bathroom and kitchen for easier accessibility, quicker cleaning, and keeping the home more organized.

3. Organize your storage

Small habits that we practice every day will help us to stay organized and create a tidy home.

  • It is highly recommended to store items of one category together. Demarcate different sections for keeping the toys, electronic chargers, books, clothes, craft supplies, papers, stationary, wrapping paper, and so on. It will become easier to search for things.
  • Store your items in boxes, trays, and baskets. Labeling the baskets and containers makes it easier to find them amidst the chaos. Try to store vertically so that all the objects are visible in one go.
  • Stop the paper clutter, as envelopes, catalogs, and documents tend to create a lot of chaos.
  • Don’t forget to periodically organize the digital clutter of your phone, laptop, and tablet, keep deleting extra emails, photographs and unsubscribing to emails, to name a few.

Designer: Leydi Rofman

4. Clean and Organize the Kitchen

Your kitchen has worked hard during the holidays, so it is time for some deep cleaning and organizing.

  • The first step is to empty all the kitchen ingredients and check what you need to keep, discard or donate. Check the expiry date of the non-perishable items and canned tins before buying and adding new grocery items to the kitchen.
  • Empty the contents of the kitchen cabinets and divide the storage into items that we use frequently and rarely used items.
  • Give a spring clean to all the drawers and cabinets and organize them in a grouping technique that suits your lifestyle. Place the items closest to where their function is performed.
  • Neatly organized containers and tins make cooking easier and more efficient.
  • Purchase additional storage and organization tools like roll-out shelves, baskets, storage containers, cabinet risers, and drop-downs to improve the kitchen’s efficiency.

Designer: Nancy Eaton

5. Organize your Home Office

Many of us are into hybrid models and work-from-home models, so we must ensure that the home office helps to improve focus and productivity. Also, we must prevent frequent clutter from building up.

  • Don’t let the pile of papers and documents create chaos. Create a mail station for incoming and outgoing mail. Categorize the papers into different files, place them alphabetically, or the best way is to go paperless.
  • Designate an area for keeping the printer and all the printing supplies. Use the vertical wall space to keep filing systems, hangers, shelving, and whiteboards.
  • Organize all the office supplies in containers, drawers, and baskets and keep them out of view so that it imparts a decluttered look.
  • Organize the books according to size and color, and genre.

Designer: norse.keeb

6. Invest in Smart and Energy-efficient Appliances

Here is how you can conserve energy and recurring electricity costs.

  • Invest in programmable thermostats, smart appliances, and smart lighting to save electricity costs. One can control the heating or cooling of the house via the smartphone application.
  • In case you need to replace white goods like refrigerators, air conditioners, and dishwashers, they should be replaced with Energy Star or energy-efficient appliances.
  • Replace all incandescent bulbs and CFL lights with LED lights because these lights are highly durable, they are long-lasting, and come with superior energy—efficiency.

Designer: Samsung

7. Healthy Habits and Sustainable Lifestyle

We should be mindful of protecting our climate, and sustainable habits should be the core of our home décor. Some of the best ways to go green and reduce the carbon footprint are as follows:

  • Create a clean and restful environment by tidying up your clothes every day instead of throwing them on the chair.
  • Make it a point to switch off the lights when you leave any room — turning off the lights when not in use reduces the electricity bills and extends the bulb’s life.
  • Reduce disposables, avoid single-use packaging, shop with reusable bags, and avoid prepackaged food by buying from the local farmer’s market.
  • Air-drying clothes is more eco-friendly than using a dryer. It not only saves electricity costs but also reduces wrinkles and increases the lifespan of the clothes.
  • Improve the thermal insulation of the house by caulking around the doors and windows and weather-stripping. This is one of the best ways to reduce air leakage and a cost-effective way to reduce heating and cooling costs.
  • Seal and insulate the heat ducts to improve the heating and cooling efficiency of the home.
  • Improve the water efficiency of your home with low-flow showerheads, as they can reduce water consumption by nearly 40% and result in significant savings on annual heating costs.
  • Invest in low-maintenance and highly durable materials, as they can reduce the wear and tear of your home and enable long-term cost savings.
  • Try composting at home, as it is a process in which organic kitchen and garden waste, like food scrap and leaves, break down into the soil. This is a perfect way to recycle waste from the kitchen and garden and convert it into nutrient-rich fertilizer for the garden.
  • Segregate your wet waste from dry waste and place it in bins and bags in places that are easy to access. This segregation makes it easy to further segregate dry waste into different categories.

Designer: Katie Maris

8. Decorate with Plants

Plants are a great way to add beauty and color, it allows us to distress and lower anxiety levels.

  • They come with air-purifying qualities that eliminate toxins and maintain good humidity levels indoors.
  • Some of the common pollutants include mold spores, bacteria, and VOCs (volatile organic compounds) like benzene, xylene, toluene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene that are usually emitted from chemical cleaners and household products.

Designer: TerraLiving

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May 30

How to Design a Mindful Home

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Our homes are the epicenter of our lives and determine our emotional and mental well-being. Off late, mindfulness has entered architecture and interior design and aims at creating calm interiors that nurture the body and mind. As we spend more time at home, we must rethink our spaces and create a space that focuses on wellness. Mindful spaces offer an environment that uplifts our senses and makes our abodes happier and more liveable. It helps us sync with our surroundings, reduces stress and anxiety, and allows us to be at ease.

Desinger: Jun Igarashi Architects

What Is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness allows us to be in the present, aware of what we are doing, and encourages us to pay attention to every decision we make. As per studies, mindfulness ensures an improved quality of life and provides plenty of health and mental benefits, and makes our lives better.

What Is Mindful Decor?

Mindful decor is not designed to impress others but allows us to look inwards, creating a sense of balance and harmony. One can create positive and balanced spaces that respond to the changing seasons with seasonal mindfulness. For example, bring in autumnal hues in the form of cushions, rugs, and bed linen during autumn and create a warm and cozy indoor space during winter. Here is how you can create an indoor environment that helps you feel comfortable and bestows a ripple effect of wellness within your home.

Designer: Grey Deco

Cut the Clutter

A cluttered environment is one of the main causes of stress and anxiety, while a clean, well-organized space helps us stay calm. Get into the regular habit of decluttering your home, donating, or getting rid of things that you do not use or if it does not serve any purpose. Try to reduce electronic clutter, keep visual clutter to a minimum, and ensure that all horizontal surfaces, pathways, and desks are clean. Segregate the storage into different categories and assign a dedicated space for the storage of each item to create a mindful and amicable environment.

Introduce Open Spaces

Consider a furniture layout that makes the space function better with plenty of open space. Opt for streamlined pieces of furniture instead of gaudy and flamboyant designs. This is one of the best ways to bring in an element of calm and spaciousness within the décor. Another advantage is that there is less to clean and maintain.

Designer: Hygge by Kate

Opt For Natural Materials

Go for natural breathable fabrics like cotton, linen, and wool and materials like stone and wood. Layering with textures creates a tranquil atmosphere, so introduce texture in the walls and through fabrics used for the upholstery, curtains, and bed linen. Rich textures offer comfort, relaxation, and some softness through the touch and can be introduced with soft fluffy pillows and throws.

Designer: Jaruška

Less Is More

Focus on the essentials and let your furniture and decor be functional and useful to spark joy. Fill your space with minimum pieces of furniture. Recently, there has been an appreciation for handmade, vintage, and expressive art. Make use of clever storage ideas and smartly hide the clutter. Introduce multifunctional pieces of furniture like bookshelves, hidden drawers, storage beds, and some storage baskets.

Designer: Hanna Kotona

Create Serene Zones

The spaces around the home should allow you to unwind and regain balance. In the age of technology, disconnecting from technology might not be possible, so make sure to design serene spaces like a reading nook, spruce up a couch, decorate your balcony, or create a pocket of peace with a meditation corner within your home. Avoid keeping electronic devices in your sleeping space, as it is the space for rest and rejuvenation. Plus, make a ‘me time corner’ where you can explore your creativity or pursue your hobby or workout space and transform it into your zen zone. Finally, address your children’s creativity and let the decor of their rooms reflect their tastes, hobbies, and preferences.

Engage Your Senses

Create a multisensory environment that engages all your senses, like sight, smell, touch, taste, and sound. Therefore, a mindful space emphasizes how things look and pays attention to texture and scents. For example, introduce fresh flowers, your favorite signature scent that can stimulate and transport you to happy places that evoke positive feelings. Likewise, try to create a spa effect in the bathroom with spa-inspired touches like candles, luxurious robes, and towels.

Earthy Color Palette

Colors affect our mood, so choose a cohesive color palette and the right colors according to the functionality of the space. Soft, neutral hues can calm the mind and create a bright, airy look. Choose a color that you are drawn to and that evokes happiness. Avoid vibrant and high-energy colors like red and yellow for the bedroom. Instead, opt for tranquil shades like light blue, grey, green, or lavender in a matte or satin finish. If you want to introduce a bold color, limit it to a single wall or an accent piece of furniture and accessories. Avoid using busy patterns.

Designers: Meg and Sean

Invite Nature

Foster a connection with the natural world with plants and other natural elements that reduce stress and have a decorative appeal. Some of the best plants include snake plants, English ivy, Boston fern, and succulent plants, as they impart warmth and style, eliminate toxins, and improve concentration. If you don’t want to commit to a green thumb, decorate the space with artificial plants. Mimic the feeling of bringing the outdoors with a biophilic or nature-inspired decor. This can be achieved using tropical wallpapers, natural stone textures, a small waterfall, etc. As nothing is symmetrical, invest in furniture pieces having rounded edges.

Designer: Hodsoll McKenzie

Good Lighting

Blur the indoor and outdoor boundaries and bring in maximum sunlight, as it is important for our bodies. Note that sunlight can uplift mood as it increases serotonin levels in the brain, which also helps one to be calm and focused. Open the windows and cross-ventilate the spaces so that the stale indoor air is continuously replaced by fresh outdoor air. When the sun is strong, install sheer curtains so light can filter in. Rearrange the furniture so that it does not block any natural light. If you are working from home, have your desk near a window. Incorporate a warm ambient glow with 2700 kelvin color temperature as an atmospheric glow of dim lighting makes the space feel restful. Note that white cool blue light is above 3000-kelvin temperature.

Designer: Marco d’Aviano Gottschalk

Invest In Comfort

Instead of focusing on aesthetics, go for furniture pieces that are comfortable to use and easy to maintain. Some finishes, like leather, get better with age and are perfect for the couch and lounge chairs. Also, luxurious materials like wool carpets offer optimum comfort and come with a soft and cozy underfoot.

Designer: Josefin Krook

Make Space for Good Memories

Let your home be a reflection of who you are. Surround your home with family photos, travel photos, and sentimental keepsakes reminding you of all the good times and strong relationships. Create a gallery wall with souvenirs, artwork, or powerful thoughts.

So always be in the moment, surround yourself with things you love, and transform your home into a cheerful personal oasis for the mind, body, and soul. Before buying home decor items, ensure they serve a function or a purpose.

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May 30

Parametric design tool Self allows anyone to create their own furniture

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American designer Marvell Lahens has launched an app at NYCxDesign that enables everyday people with no professional training to design a piece of furniture and have it produced and shipped to them within three weeks.

As a parametric design tool, Self allows users to manipulate a 3D model before sending it off to be digitally manufactured using a CNC mill. Currently, the system is in its beta version and restricted to creating a side table in either steel or plywood.

But Lahens says the same logic could soon be used to make a variety of different furniture and homeware pieces from various machinable sheet materials in a bid to democratise the design process.

Red steel table on a black backdrop
Parametric design tool Self launched at NYCxDesign

“That ability to tell someone ‘I designed that myself’, there’s a sense of pride and ownership to that that we don’t get with a lot of things anymore because everything is so mass commercialised and produced,” he told Dezeen.

“You have the same thing as 10 million other people, so there’s this lack of connection to the things that you own.”

Using parametric algorithms, the Self app sets certain constraints for what the furniture piece can look like, which Lahens describes as shape parameters.

Parametric design tool Self by Marvell Lahens
The beta version allows users to design a side table

In the case of the side table, users are restricted to dimensions of 18 by 18 inches as well as four different leg configurations and six powder-coat colours for the steel version.

But users can have free reign over the tabletop, moulding it into a vast range of different shapes by adding up to 10 points to a polygon and moving them around as desired.

For those who prefer more guidance, there is also the option of picking between two pre-set shape types – one organic, one geometric – and then adjusting the radius of these shapes and the number of points.

Blue steel table on a black backdrop
The table is then CNC-milled from either steel or plywood sheets

“You have to kind of meet people where they’re at,” Lahens said. “When I first started working on this, I involved a lot of other creatives and it was more like: here’s a blank canvas, design something.”

“And that’s just hard. It’s even hard for designers,” he added. “So for the average person who wants to feel involved, you have to give them a starting point.”

These shape parameters can be co-created with different designers to give users different visual languages to work with. In the case of the side tables on display at NYCxDesign, this was American artist Norman Teague but Self has also worked with others including VSCO co-founder Greg Lutze.

The challenge in designing these starting points, according to Lahens, is balancing the freedom of the user with the need for the final piece to fulfil its intended function such as standing up or holding weight.

“What’s interesting for me right now is to design the infrastructure or design the constraints so you can’t make something bad,” he said. “What do we trust people to fuck up but not really fuck up so it can still be a functional thing?”

This sets the tool apart from an AI image generator like Dall-E, which gives the user complete freedom in formulating their brief as it does not have to produce a functioning real-life product and thus generates hugely variable results based on the skill of the briefer.

Parametric design tool Self by Marvell Lahens
Users can alter the shape of the tabletop

Ultimately, Self’s user-driven design process produces a 3D model that can be fed directly into the CNC mill in Lahens’ Chicago studio. For a fixed price, the final side table will then be sent off to the user within three weeks.

With accessibility as a guiding star, Lahens is also exploring the possibility of having the pieces manufactured by local maker workshops across the US, with adaptive pricing based on their size and material use.

“So you’d have full visibility,” he said. “If you make an adjustment and the piece gets X amount bigger, therefore the material costs X amount more.”

White steel table by Greg Lutze with Self
Previously the brand also collaborated with artist Greg Lutze

At NYCxDesign, Teague‘s Self-made side tables were on display alongside various computers, where visitors could trial the software’s beta version and even send their final design off for production.

“One of the happiest moments I’ve had is seeing a child as young as seven unboxing something they’ve designed and that moment of connection when they’re like: holy shit, I made that,” Lahens said.

New York design week hosted a number of other experimental furniture projects this year.

Among them were “improvised chairs” created in only three days, a satirical sofa that turns into a life raft and a collection of flowery armchairs made from unglazed terracotta.

Design if your Self was on show at Sommwhere on Ludlow from 20 to 21 May 2023. For more information about events, exhibitions and talks taking place as part of NYCxDesign, visit Dezeen’s 2023 guide to the festival.

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May 30

Dezeen Agenda features black timber pyramid by David Adjaye

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kwaee pavilion by adjaye associates

The latest edition of our weekly Dezeen Agenda newsletter features a black timber pyramid designed by David Adjaye for the Venice Architecture Biennale. Subscribe to Dezeen Agenda now.

Ghanaian-British architect David Adjaye has created a pointed structure crafted from blackened wood that was shown at this year’s Venice Architecture Biennale.

The form was given the name Kwaee pavilion which means forest in Twi, a dialect of the Akan language spoken in Ghana.

Furnishing utopia
Public furniture design exhibition in Brooklyn highlights “public access not private excess”

This week’s newsletter also included an exhibition of public-orientated design created for New York design week by Jean Lee, Piero Lissoni’s opening of a New York architecture office and Dezeen’s launch of a competition in collaboration with Bentley Motors that challenges designers to reimagine the future of luxury retail.

Dezeen Agenda

Dezeen Agenda is a curated newsletter sent every Tuesday containing the most important news highlights from Dezeen. Read the latest edition of Dezeen Agenda or subscribe here.

You can also subscribe to our other newsletters; Dezeen Debate is sent every Thursday and features the hottest reader comments and most-debated stories, Dezeen Daily is our daily bulletin that contains every story published in the preceding 24 hours and Dezeen In Depth is sent on the last Friday of every month and delves deeper into the major stories shaping architecture and design. 

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May 30

Nanyang Polytechnic presents 10 student spatial design projects

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Render of an outdoor green area with wood booksehlves

Dezeen School Shows: a kindergarten that encourages outdoor play and a ceramics studio designed to make visitors connect with their emotions are included in Dezeen’s latest school show by students at Nanyang Polytechnic.

Also included are an intergenerational cultural space designed for people to play chess and an art education centre focusing on entrepreneurship rather than academia.

Nanyang Polytechnic

Institution: Nanyang Polytechnic
School: School of Media and Design
Course: Spatial Design
Tutors: Matthias Low, Kenneth Yeo, Sean Lim, Larry Seow, Jayden Sim and Gabriel Tan

School statement:

“This course challenges students to design unique, impactful and highly experiential products and interior spaces with interactive digital solutions through user and emotion-centred design methodology.

“They gain a solid foundation in developing impactful product and interior design solutions for an interactive experience and explore the latest technologies through creative design processes, learning to develop user- and emotion-centred designs.

“This course has been superseded by a new course Experiential Product and Interior Design.”

Four interior renders of a wood and grey interior by a Nanyang Polytechnic student

Oasis Studio by Brendan Yong Jie Hao

“My design concept is to bring the workplace into a public space where people are able to perform their work and enhance wellness together.

“The space provides companionship, which can take care of physical and mental fitness simultaneously while working.

“It gives positive energy to people’s lives by reducing stress levels and improving concentration levels.”

Student: Brendan Yong Jie Hao
Course: Diploma in Spatial Design
Email: brendanyong2001[at]gmail.com

Four render images by a Nanyang Polytechnic student of an intergenerational chess space

The Little Canto Proj by Chloe Pek Zhi Qi

“The Little Canto Proj is a redesign space for people to relive the culture of Chinese chess and heritage through the community, bridging one’s generational barriers through experiences.

“It provides a new fresh intergenerational space through the interactive, seeing and technological engagement.”

Student: Chloe Pek Zhi Qi
Course: Diploma in Spatial Design
Email: chloepzq912[at]gmail.com

Four renders of a park by a student at Nanyang Polytechnic

Sonora by Teo Jia Wei

“Sonora is about improving and rethinking the possibilities of a kindergarten to let children naturally choose to play in nature rather than in front of screens.

“With the ever-growing use of advanced technology, more kids are learning to use phones and gadgets to aid education. Some even lack social skills and feel more comfortable online.

“This project is an opportunity to return to a time when technology is not so apparent and allow children to realise the potential of having fun outside.”

Student: Teo Jia Wei
Course: Diploma in Spatial Design
Email: jiaweiteo29[at]gmail.com

Four renders of an interiors project by a Nanyang Polytechnic student

Integrate by Jordan Ng Jun Wei

“Integrate aims to encourage and foster connectivity between wider society and people with special needs, autism or mild cognitive disabilities.

“It encourages connection by providing opportunities to interact with each other through a collaborative art activity.”

Student: Jordan Ng Jun Wei
Course: Diploma in Spatial Design
Email: jordanngjw[at]gmail.com

Four interior renders of an arts education space

A Calling by Zenn Lim

“A Calling is a place that seeks to alter the belief that academic achievement is not necessary for success.

“This is a place where our students can learn through art and design, developing a personal style by enabling students to become entrepreneurs through research and exploration to empower them.”

Student: Zenn Lim
Course: Diploma in Spatial Design
Email: zennlim53[at]gmail.com

Four renders of a of a healing therapy space by a student at Nanyang Polytechnic

Amble by Goh Li Ying

“Located in the heart of the central business district, Amble is a recreational space focused on healthy eating and environmental sustainability. It hopes to create a space for office workers to break away from the ‘concrete’ jungle.

“The space was designed with the intention of deviating from the concrete box with a unique organic structure.

“This allows the space to be in a continuous flow where many zones are linked in some way, allowing technology to flow through.”

Student: Goh Li Ying
Course: Diploma in Spatial Design
Email: gohliying07[at]gmail.com

Four renders of interior spaces by a student at Nanyang Polytechnic

Moor by Gan Miao Zhen

“The intent is for the space to allow young adults to build skills and become job-ready with a Google course while exposing them to work experiences in which they share knowledge.”

Student: Gan Miao Zhen
Course: Diploma in Spatial Design
Email: mzgan2002.gmz[at]gmail.com

Four renders of interior lounge spaces with stone surfaces

Beginnings: Nature’s Reclamation by Wong Shi Yuan

“This project aims to challenge the views of ‘an end’ – an alternative to lifeless hospital wards. End-of-life care can be a deeply emotional and challenging experience.

“The design is a minimalist open space surrounded by nature where end-of-lie patients can feel a sense of belonging and connection, free from the rules and restrictions that can make hospital visits so difficult.

“It is a place where patients can live life to the fullest, surrounded by family and friends, and enjoy the moments that matter most.

“It is not a place to die but rather a place to find comfort, joy and peace during life’s most challenging moments.”

Student: Wong Shi Yuan
Course: Diploma in Spatial Design
Email: Imwsys1[at]gmail.com

Four renders in an interior care home by a student at Nanyang Polytechnic

Care Studio by Law Yi Xuan

“This project is about creating a safe environment for seniors with Alzheimer’s disease.

“It is not only about physical safety measures but also involves creating a mentally safe space where those with the disease can stay engaged with their community and keep active.

“As the number of people affected by the disease continues to grow, it’s more necessary than ever to know how to create a safe space and enhance what you do to become a more effective caregiver.”

Student: Law Yi Xuan
Course: Diploma in Spatial Design
Email: alyxexuann14[at]gmail.com

Four interior renders of a grey-scale pottery interior

Pilgrimage of the Spirit by Joshua Liu Kai En

“The pilgrimage takes people on a journey to experience the rollercoaster of emotions experienced by those suffering, finding hope and empowerment through pottery and ceramic making.

“It also serves as a beacon and a reminder of the inner strength we possess to overcome challenges with heart and boldness.”

Student: Joshua Liu Kai En
Course: Diploma in Spatial Design
Email: milanumoo[at]gmail.com

Partnership content

This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and Nanyang Polytechnic. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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May 30

How an innovative wireless charger concept also functions as a tiny smart display

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Wireless chargers are becoming more common, and there is also a growing number of designs for these accessories, some of them more interesting than others. Despite the different appearances and functionalities, all these chargers often become practically useless the moment you remove the smartphone from its surface. Some might look interesting and pretty on your desk or bedside table, but they remain passive objects that offer nothing more beyond decoration. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t any room for improvement, especially when it comes to adding additional though unrelated functions. This design concept, for example, gives the wireless charger something else to do when nothing is charging on it, allowing it to provide added value in a way you might not have expected.

Designer: Jerry Kong

The earliest wireless chargers all came as flat horizontal pads because devices are required to stay still on a specific area right above the wireless charging coil. While the technology still remains limited that way, the introduction of magnets, courtesy of Apple, afforded a little more flexibility. You can now have chargers that are inclined at an angle or even raised a little above the base because they can hold the smartphone in the correct position all the time. What hasn’t changed, however, is that the charging surface remains flat and that this flat area remains unutilized when nothing’s charging on top of it.

The Dino Charger changes the formula a bit by adding one small component to the charger. The charger itself looks a little typical, just a pill shape with one end chopped off to provide a flat surface for a phone to latch on. When that phone isn’t there, however, you will be able to see a small circular display in the middle of the area, and that is where the charger’s other life begins.

The screen is around the same size as a circular smartwatch, and it functions almost like one as well. Despite its small screen real estate, it can easily show a few pieces of data through icons and images, like the weather, battery levels, and, of course, the time. It can even show a Bitmoji (or Apple Memoji), though the exact use of that function is left up to the imagination. Of course, this circular display will be useless when there’s a phone charging on top, but it’s possible for the phone itself to provide those functions while it’s charging.

The Dino Charger concept doesn’t drastically change the wireless charger’s nature, but neither does it take anything away from it by adding an orthogonal feature. It’s a simple redesign that turns what looks like a normal and boring wireless charger into an exciting multi-functional device, one that can potentially add value to your digital life without taking up additional space.

The post How an innovative wireless charger concept also functions as a tiny smart display first appeared on Yanko Design.

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May 30

Japanese "Balloon Funerals" Send Cremated Ashes Into the Sky

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In space-tight Japan, the dead are cremated. But while urns take up less space than a coffin, even urn-sized graveyard plots are expensive, and a tombstone will set you back about ¥1 million (USD $7K-plus). Thus a company called Balloon Kobo invented a convenient, low-cost and poetic way to dispose of ashes, following a rather creative sort of funeral.

The company grinds the cremated ashes into a fine powder, then somehow gets these inside a balloon. The balloon is then inflated with helium to a diameter of 2 to 2.5 meters. At the funeral, family members simply release the balloon into the sky. The balloon travels upwards for about three hours, rising into the stratosphere. The reduced air pressure causes the balloon to triple or quadruple in diameter, and somewhere between 10km and 50km above the ground, it ruptures, releasing the ashes, which are in theory carried around indefinitely by the wind.

Logistically speaking, it’s convenient. The funeral can be held anywhere you can find a free 10m x 10m patch of ground, as long as there’s no power lines or skyscrapers within a 45-degree angle in any direction. It’s relatively cheap, at ¥240,000 (USD $1,700). And you don’t need government or municipal permission, as the ashes are scattered so high that they’re effectively nobody’s problem.

The company claims environmental friendliness; though they don’t say what the balloons are made of, they say that they’ll decompose. And the key ingredient of human ashes, they note, is environmentally harmless calcium phosphate. So it’s not a bad way to go, particularly if you like to fly.

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May 30

Form Factor Fun for Lightweight, Rechargeable Visibility Safety Lights for Pedestrians and Cyclists

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As Volvo can attest, Sweden is known for safety-promoting design. Something else the country is known for, but less discussed, is darkness; being that far north, some regions barely get a few hours of daylight during winter. Hence the existence of Bookman Urban Visibility.

“Bookman draws on the heritage of Swedish safety-conscious brands but also finds inspiration in the traditions of minimalistic, functional Scandinavian design and innovative technology,” the company writes. “And, coming from the land of polar nights, with 24 hours of darkness, each product must live up to the highest standards.”

The company has designed a line of small, simple, waterproof and rechargeable illumination sources that help cyclists and pedestrians be seen more easily at night. The forms are fun and varied, as if you asked an ID class to wrap LEDs in a variety of shapes:

Eclipse, $30

Block Light Front, $25

Lightstick, $25

Lightstick Kids, $25

Curve Front Light, $45

Curve Rear Light, $45

You can see more of their stuff here.

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May 30

Sphere office chair by Okamura

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Sphere chair by Okamura

Dezeen Showroom: Japanese office furniture brand Okamura is launching a chair made using recycled fishing nets salvaged from the ocean.

Launching at Chicago design fair NeoCon 2023 in June, the Sphere chair features a “3D physical fit shell” with a kinematic structure that adapts to the contours of the user’s body, enabling long sitting periods without discomfort or fatigue.

Sphere office chair by Okamura
Okamura’s Re:net material is used for the upholstery

The chair’s upholstery is made from Okamura’s Re:net material, which is made using recycled fishing nets taken from the Japanese ocean. The chair itself also has a high level of recyclability, according to Okamura.

To maximise comfort, the chair’s seat depth, reclining tension and armrests are intended to be easily adjusted.

An ankle-tilt reclining function also helps to ensure that the user’s posture is kept in a natural position whether upright or reclined.

Sphere office chair by Okamura
The chair’s “3D physical fit shell” is designed to adapt to the natural contours of the sitter’s body

“The Sphere chair is a modern and innovative seating solution that caters to the needs of today’s workplace,” said Okamura.

“Regardless of their body size or shape, Sphere is dedicated to providing unrivalled comfort and support to its user.”

Sphere is also available with a fixed armrest with an angled surface to facilitate using a smartphone or tablet.

Product: Sphere chair
Brand: Okamura
Contact: chicago@us.okamura.com

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