I love a good tiny home! They are a space-saving and eco-friendly living solution that reduces the load on Mother Earth. They’re simple and minimal alternatives to the imposing, materialistic dwellings that seem to have taken over. And they’re also notable for their ability and gift to maximize the use of limited space. German builder Vagabundo has elevated this gift to a whole another level with the Vagabundo Flex – a two-story tiny home that can expand over two levels!
What makes the Vagabundo Flex super special, is the fact that it can be extended over two levels, owing to an automated lifting root system, that further enhances the convenience and comfort of this unique tiny home. Constructed on a sturdy steel platform, the Vagabundo Flex was built using timber framing, wood fiber insulation, and double-glazed wood aluminum windows that have been laminated with safety glass, and three-layer fir wood for the interior paneling.
The Vagabundo Flex’s innovative and unique design supports the roof in rising to an impressive height of 20.3 ft, in turn creating a spacious interior that occupies 300 square feet. Vagabundo’s ingenious solution is designed to ensure that bulky elements do not disrupt the aesthetics and beauty of the home. In fact, the bulky elements have been smartly concealed in the corners and tucked away in cupboards. The oak pillars have been installed upstairs, to provide safety redundancy.
The interiors of the Vagabundo Flex are modern, comfortable, and minimal. The tiny home has been amped with all the essential amenities, as well as massive panoramic windows and timber furnishings. The ground floor of the home features an open-plan layout, equipped with three folding doors that extend out to the outdoor terrace, as well as a lounge area, a modern kitchen, and a bathroom with a shower and an incineration toilet.
The second floor of the home showcases an expansive bedroom space with a porthole window and an additional nook which is excellent for people who work remotely. However, at the moment the Vagabundo Flex currently does not feature any safety railings on the stairs or upper level, creating potential safety issues for residents. The Vagabundo Flex is available for sale in Germany and within Europe with prices starting from €179,987 (about US$195,500).
Vietnamese studio H&P Architects has created a prototype for a floating home made of bamboo that is designed to withstand rising sea levels.
Named Floating Bamboo House, it aims to provide locals living in and around the Mekong Delta in Vietnam with a model for climate-resilient housing.
H&P Architects has created a prototype for a floating home made of bamboo
“Vietnam is one of the hardest-hit countries in the world by climate change,” H&P Architects founder Đoàn Thanh Hà told Dezeen.
“Floating Bamboo House is believed to provide a useful alternative for millions of poor households to create a stable and safe accommodation themselves, and adapt to the worst scenario of responding to climate change,” he continued.
It is designed as a model for housing that can withstand rising sea levels
Floating Bamboo House is a three-compartment home, with a square ground floor plan that measures six by six metres and a first-floor storey in its roof eaves.
Its exterior form is inspired by the vernacular Rông house, a traditional and rural Vietnamese building typology with a tall, steep thatched roof.
It is aimed at locals living in and around the Mekong Delta in Vietnam
It is made of locally sourced solid-cored bamboo pieces with a diameter of three to five centimetres and three or six metres long.
The segments are joined together simply with latches and ties to create the structural frame of the building.
It is made almost entirely out of bamboo
On its external facades, the prototype is covered with lightweight bamboo screens, woven bamboo sheets, leaves and corrugated iron.
Plastic drums attached to the underside of the house enable it to float. A septic tank, filter tank and water tank are also placed here.
The Floating Bamboo House has been designed for adaptation, with a door system that can open and close flexibly to provide shelter from adverse weather events.
Meanwhile, floor panels of the upper storey can also be removed, enabling the structure to be used as a classroom, library or communal meeting space.
Bamboo screens cover the exterior
The large roof of the structure allows building users to collect rainwater and harness solar energy to power lighting.
In the future, H&P Architects sees several of the houses coming together to form floating villages.
The ground floor plan measures six by six metres
“Floating Bamboo Houses [could be] connected with each other by floating playing grounds, vegetable-growing rafts [and] fish-raising areas,” the studio explained.
The project was self-initiated by Thanh Hà in 2015 using funding from a charity called Architecture & Social Responsibility (ASR) Foundation. It was then sponsored by Samsung Foundation of Culture in 2022 to participate in an exhibition at the Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea.
A one-room hotel kitted out with a miniature nightclub and twin dwellings with labyrinthine staircases informed by MC Escher are among the guesthouses featured in our latest lookbook.
Guesthouses are accommodations for travellers, including cabins, rental cottages and private rooms, sometimes located in close proximity to permanent structures such as homes or offices.
Despite their temporary nature, guesthouses can feature distinctive designs created to be remembered for longer than just during their occupants’ stay.
From a bird nest-style retreat in Namibia to a micro dwelling in South Korea, here are eight guesthouses with impactful interiors from across the globe.
Spanish studio Lucas y Hernández-Gil sought to honour the original architecture of this eighteenth-century building, which was renovated to feature decorative doorways and original arched ceilings.
Nestled in a wine-growing town in Spain’s Extremadura region, the guesthouse takes visual cues from its site, with hues of deep red and pale green that nod to the town’s natural terrain and surrounding vineyards.
Prefabricated in New York, Den Cabin Kit is a flat-packed kit-of-parts for a steeply pitched cabin that is designed to be assembled in a few days.
Cabin-design company Den Outdoors created the structure to cater to a guesthouse, study or yoga studio. Slanted wooden walls and a single triangular window create a cosy atmosphere inside.
The Nest at Sossus is an off-grid guesthouse in Namibia with a thatched facade informed by the amorphous shape of bird nests.
Thatching also features on the interior, which South African designer Porky Hefer created with bulbous protrusions and built-in furniture to mimic the stacked components of a nest.
Pieces include a sunken Chesterfield-style sofa upholstered in oxblood-coloured leather.
Shenzhen-based Studio 10 designed a pair of guest rooms in Guilin, China, which take cues from the optical illusions of the seminal Dutch graphic artist MC Escher.
Called Dream and Maze, the rooms feature colour-coded arched doorways and disorientating anti-gravitational staircases built within a seven-metre-high structure with a pitched roof.
“The challenge was in keeping the balance between the practical need of a hotel suite and the illusionary, spatial effect we wanted to achieve,” the studio told Dezeen.
Catalan studio Aixopluc filled a guest apartment above its offices with modular furniture that can be assembled using DIY techniques.
Named after an Arabic word describing a place for both guests and for storing goods, Alfondac features various exposed appliances and living areas amalgamated into one space.
“This iteration is an exploration of the potential benefits of having different activities and their smells – shit, lavender soap, pee, escudella [a type of Catalan stew], incense, linen sheets after sex, hyacinth flowers, baby’s poo and half-full glasses of Priorat wines – coexist rather than being segregated,” said Aixopluc.
Nuwa is a tiny guesthouse in northern Seoul that measures under 30 square metres. Local studio Z_Lab renovated a traditional Korean home, known as a hanok, to create the apartment out of a single room.
A porthole window inserted next to the bed provides views of the surrounding garden, while a sunken bath and walnut and stone accents define the rest of the space.
Hailed by its designers as containing Tokyo’s smallest disco, this one-room hotel in the city’s Kagurazaka neighbourhood features a miniature nightclub with a bright red interior, a curved bar and an illuminated dance floor.
Hotel brand Trunk collaborated with design studio Tripster to create the interiors within a traditional 70-year-old geisha house. Living spaces are characterised by muted palettes, including a tearoom with tatami mats arranged around a sunken fireplace.
Architecture studio Mar Plus Ask designed a pair of guesthouses in the Mallorcan mountains to celebrate the craggy boulders that jut through their walls.
The Olive Houses are off-grid dwellings created for solo creatives as a silent refuge. Sloping cave-like walls were rendered exclusively in blush-pink stucco to complement the pale green shade found on the underside of an olive tree leaf.
“To us, the [boulders] became a piece of art – suddenly the house was more about sculpting its backdrop and being its lightbox,” explained the studio.
“The treetop walk in Hamaren Activity Park offers all nature lovers, regardless of age, disability or physical limitation, a new perspective on the natural landscape of Fyresdal,” said EFFEKT.
“It has been incredible to collaborate with the skilled Maserati team once again to create these designs, inspired by my passion for classic cars and my appreciation for personal detail,” said Beckham.
It incorporates redesigned furniture and fittings including an oak framework of shelving, bio-polymer flooring, acoustic baffles made from biomaterial and lowered tables and Genius Bar.
According to the brand, it represents an evolution in its retail design thinking with more of an emphasis placed on accessibility and sustainability.
Apple unveiled the AirTag in 2021, leaving a lot of people confused why it wasn’t designed like conventional existing device trackers. Most trackers from Chipolo and Tile have one thing in common – they’re designed to be slim enough to fit right in your wallet. Apple’s AirTag, on the other hand, was like a bulbous disc that was too thick to slip into your wallet or attach to your passport. While the AirTag still remains a crowd-favorite, its design does leave something to be desired – quite like how iPhone users sorely missed the 3.5mm jack for years after it was unceremoniously snatched from us.
Meet the AirCard, the tracking device that Apple wishes it made. At 2.2mm slim, the AirCard is about as thick as your credit card, and fits right in your wallet. It’s compatible with Apple’s Find My network, works globally, and has a stunning 2.5-year battery life, outshining the AirTag significantly. Moreover, its built-in alarm is almost 2x louder than the AirTag, it has built-in anti-stalking features, and if that wasn’t enough, the AirCard also doubles as an NFC business card that you can tap on other devices to share your contact details (extremely handy if the person who finds your wallet needs to contact you)… and even works as an RFID blocker while in your wallet, protecting you from digital theft. Let’s just say, the AirTag has a LOT of catching up to do.
What’s immediately striking about the AirCard’s design (aside from that perfect name), is exactly how much it crams into a device that’s just 2.2mm (0.09 inches) thick. About as thick as 1.5 credit cards, it’s pretty impressive that the AirCard has a tracking device, battery, speaker, NFC module, and an aluminum RFID-blocking enclosure. The card comes with transparent detailing on one side, revealing the impressive architecture underneath (maybe a hat-tip to Nothing), along with a QR code that lets you personalize your AirCard and leave your contact details just in case someone needs to return your lost wallet to you.
Its slim design makes the AirCard perfect for all applications where a tracking device would prove handy. You could slide it into your wallet, pockets in your clothing, attach it to your gadgets, slip one into your backpack, your passport, or even in the glove box of your car. The AirCard is IPX6 waterproof, which means it can withstand splashes without any problems, making it great for even using it outdoors with your camping or swimming equipment.
Pairing the card is fairly traditional. Given its compatibility with Apple’s Find My network, the AirCard can easily be configured within the Find My app on your phone. Once paired, you can track the real-time location of your AirCard right on any Apple device through Find My, and even summon it by ‘ringing’ it. A 105dB tweeter emits a loud alert sound when you ring the AirCard, helping you easily locate it when you’re in its vicinity. You can set a perimeter for your AirCard too, allowing it to alert you if it gets too far from your phone… and if someone is maliciously using an AirCard to stalk you, the AirCard sends you a notification, letting you know you’re being tracked.
The AirCard’s makers also operate a proprietary platform called sherr.it, where you can set your own custom message using the QR code on the card. If you ever lose your wallet or your AirCard, anyone who finds it can simply scan the code to receive your details, which they can then use to contact you – marking a novel lost-and-found feature that’s missing from the AirTag as well as from most other tracking devices.
Things get a little more interesting when you go beyond simply the AirCard’s tracking features. Given its business card-like proportions, the AirCard also functions like a business card too, with an NFC module that lets you tap to share contact details with anyone. Working sort of like Apple’s newly announced NameDrop feature, you can just bring your AirCard close to any smartphone and it instantly sends your virtual business card to them. When the card’s sitting in your wallet, however, it works as an RFID blocker to protect you from digital theft. Simply place the AirCard in front of all your other credit/debit cards and it prevents them from being scanned without your permission.
If there’s one, singular caveat with the AirCard, it’s the fact that it doesn’t come with a replaceable battery. The AirCard’s slim design means its lithium battery is fused in place, offering a commendable 2.5-year (30-month) lifespan, as opposed to the AirTag’s 1-year lifespan. However, when the AirTag’s battery finally gives out, you can still use its NFC business card and RFID-blocking features forever. It stops being a tracking device, but it still retains two core features, ensuring it never becomes obsolete. If the tracking feature IS important to you, the makers at Rolling Square will offer you a 50% discount on your next AirTag if you ship the old one back (after 30 months since your purchase).
This exhaustive laundry list of features really sets the AirCard on a completely new level, elevating it way above Apple’s own AirTag. The AirCard outperforms Apple’s tracking device both in design (with its slim, wallet-friendly form), as well as function (with its QR code, NFC business card, and RFID-blocking features), while boasting the same $30 price tag as its competitor (while it’s on early bird discount). You can grab your own AirCard (or a set of 2 or 4 AirCards) on its Kickstarter page, where it’s gathered almost $1 million in funding from nearly 15,000 backers, with shipping in August. Like I said… Apple better be really afraid!
British studio James Gorst Architects designed a non-denominational temple complex that is marked by timber-framed pavilions in rural Hampshire, UK. The timber-framed pavilions are connected by cloistered walkways. Nestled in the village of Rake within the South Downs National Park, the temple was created for some quiet contemplation, and to build a spiritual connection with the landscape.
White Eagle Lodge commissioned the James Gorst Architects for the project. The White Eagle Lodge is a non-denominational multi-faith spiritual organization. They wanted a building that is defined by “peace and simplicity”, and focuses heavily on sustainability. The structure includes a rotunda temple, prayer chapels, a library, and a meeting space arranged around a courtyard garden.
“Our aim was to create a balance between the landscape, building, and interiors, to form one coherent and harmonious design, exploring the relationship of the architecture to the spiritual context,” said James Gorst Architects associate Steve Wilkinson. The temple includes a series of orthogonal pavilions that are connected via a cloistered walkway. The various rooms have been arranged to build a smooth progression between secular and ritual spaces, with the entrance foyer in the east, and the main temple space in the west.
The heart of the entire structure is the Rotunda temple. It has multiple entrances facing the north, south, west, and east, in an effort to welcome visitors of all faiths, and from all corners of the world. The double-height space features a pendentive – a vaulted constructional device that enables the dome to be placed over the square plan. Clerestory windows run through the upper story of the temple, allowing natural light to pour in from all sides. The internal walls have been provided an exposed dogtooth brick finishing, amped with bespoke ash joinery.
Outside, the architects teamed up with landscape architects McWilliam Studio to create a series of gardens and two reflection pools at the east entrance of the temple. “[The] reflection pools animate the east facade and offer a moment of pause and meditation, while the central courtyard is sized to mirror the internal footprint of the temple,” the studio said.
Innovation makes technology accessible. The camera used to once be too big to carry – it’s now the size of your thumbnail. Telephones used to be bound by wires – they now fit in your pockets, and a video production setup used to occupy an entire room – but RØDE puts it in a 6-inch X 6-inch device that sits on your tabletop. As impressive as that may sound, it’s also the audio company’s first-ever foray into video production… and it’s set to change how gamers, streamers, podcasters, and online event organizers work.
The RØDE Streamer -X combines a professional 4K video capture card, audio interface, and control surface into one simple, small, streamlined device that gives you complete control over your content creation setup. Building on the company’s line of podcasting equipment, along with its dominance in the audio industry in general, the Streamer-X aims at channeling a new demographic of content creators, for whom video is just as important as audio. The Streamer-X lets you capture 4K video and even switch between video sources, while managing audio inputs. MIDI controller-like buttons on the device let you cue effects or music, and two intuitive knobs let you control mic and headphone volume, condensing an entire range of production equipment into something that occupies about the same amount of desktop real-estate as Apple’s Magic Trackpad.
The Streamer X forms a crucial interface between your recording equipment and your computer, allowing you to easily manage production thanks to its small, intuitive design. The rear lets you hook up HDMI sources, supporting 4K30 video and up to 4K60 pass-through, along with studio-grade audio inputs for XLR microphones and instruments, headsets, etc. (and even connectivity for wireless mics) with an ultra-low-noise, high-gain Revolution Preamp built-in. In short, all your expensive professional-grade equipment plugs right into the Streamer X, which then hooks to your workstation to connect to your production software.
While most video production decks are inundated with knobs, buttons, sliders, and controls that seem daunting to the beginner, the Streamer X boasts a simplified interface that lets you configure and control your setup. Large, backlit keys let you easily control audio and video even in low-light settings, with dedicated controls for mic and headphones levels, and large audio and video mute buttons. The Streamer X also boasts four SMART pads that can be tailored to your preferences, with the option to access up to 64 through bank switching. These pads can be programmed to initiate audio playback, apply voice FX, and send MIDI messages to your computer. This means that you can execute any keyboard shortcut with a single press of a pad, making it incredibly convenient for tasks such as changing slides during a presentation or switching scenes in your streaming software.
The rear offers a look at all the input and output ports on the Streamer X
Simply put, the $399 Streamer X helps you differentiate between an amateur and a professional video setup. RØDE designed this product for YouTubers, Twitch-streamers, gamers, deejays, podcasters, vloggers, independent media, cinematographers, and online presenters, giving them all a quick, professional way to manage all their recording equipment. The Streamer X lets you connect to 2 computers or mobile device simultaneously with the dual USB-C interfaces, and compatibility with the free UNIFY software lets you perform advanced audio routing, mixing, and configuration. At its price point, it doesn’t break the bank either, which means you can splurge on expensive recording equipment instead, vastly enhancing the quality of your output. The Streamer X also makes for a perfect tool for amateurs looking to get their grasp on professional-grade video/audio production.
I spend a major chunk of my day on my desk, typing away to glory. Most of the time I also end up eating my meals on it! And binge-watching on Netflix as well. And I’m sure that’s the case with most of us, since working from home became the new norm, and our home offices became our new hang-out spots. But having a great desk is important! Simply a ‘good’ desk won’t do either. A great desk helps us work comfortably and effectively. It puts us in the right mindset, helping us achieve our daily productivity goals and checkmark all the tasks on our to-do list! Not only should our desks be clean, but they should also sport an ergonomic and functional design! And good looks are a bonus. And finding a desk that does all of the above can be a Herculean task. But worry not, I’ve found the perfect desk for you – the Arqus Desk.
Italian studio Orlandini Design designed the Arqus Desk for Narbutas. The Arqus Desk is a part of the Arqus Collection, and it was designed to be a counterpart to the heavy and bulky furniture that we see in corporate offices and executive workspaces. The Arqus Desk is marked by light lines and distinctive metal legs and showcases a lighter and subtler type of furnishing in office spaces.
“My goal was to update the executive area and the related furnishing elements, by maintaining the representative importance but conferring it with lightness and dynamism,” said Orlandini Design founder Folco Orlandini. The “expressive” metal legs and the optionally asymmetrical desktop shape signify and capture the manager’s ability to adapt and adjust to changing circumstances, and skill to look at situations from different perspectives and angles.
The Arqus desk is available in an L-shaped version, equipped with a fixed pedestal to the right or left of the desk, which contains shelves and drawers for easy and efficient storage. The elegant desk is made from veneered chipboard and is 96% disassemblable, and recyclable according to Narbutas, making it a rather convenient and eco-friendly furniture piece.
Local studio BHY Arquitectos has completed an all-white infill house with painted brick on a narrow lot in Buenos Aires, Argentina that features multiple courtyards and patios.
BHY Arquitectos completed Casa Vedia in 2023, maximizing a 138-square metre (1500-square foot) lot with a house that measures 240 square metres.
BHY Arquitectos designed the house in Buenos Aires
Located in the Nuñez neighbourhood, the project sits between two party walls and is only 16 metres deep, so the team needed to build up. However, a double-sloped roof diminishes the scale and helps the three-story house fit into the residential environment.
“The main aspiration was to integrate the interior spaces with the exterior in a very small lot, optimizing the quality of the interior spaces,” Javier Bracamonte told Dezeen.
A white access gate is made of folded sheet metal
In addition to painted brick, the exterior has all-white details, which creates a unified look for the street-facing facade.
Also in white are the foldable, perforated sheet metal lattices that provide security and projection on top of the DVH thermal glass windows.
The living room looks out onto a glazed courtyard
On the street front, a white access gate is made of folded sheet metal, creating a sawtooth texture along the sidewalk. A small garage holds the remainder of the street front.
Inside, the house is organized around two courtyards and two patios.
Juliet balconies overlook the courtyards
An entry courtyard provides access to the public ground floor, where a living room, dining room and kitchen look out to a second glazed courtyard that is located diagonally across the lot.
The second floor – which follows the interior-exterior profile of the lower level – contains the primary suite and two secondary bedrooms, with Juliet balconies and thin metal railings that overlook the courtyards.
A double-height ceiling characterises the office space
The top floor contains a small flexible space that connects two patios, accesible through sliding glass doors.
“The light roof ends with a strong slope towards the front, giving scale to the access patio,” the studio said.
The slope also creates a double-height space that opens the second-floor office space to the top level.
The arrangement of the courtyards and patios allows for cross ventilation
The arrangement of the courtyards and patios allows for cross ventilation throughout the house and brings light all the way through the interior spaces.
For the interior materials, the studio said that it used a “synthetic” approach.
“The flooring of the entire house, both inside and outside, is made of natural stone to maximize the connection.”
Meanwhile the kitchen features natural oak veneered wood to give the house warmth and provide relief from the white walls and fixtures.
White walls feature throughout Casa Vedia
The studio was founded in 2016 by architects Javier Bracamonte, Julia Hajnal and Gonzalo Yerba.
In a similar all-white house in Buenos Aires, studio Colle-Croce used steel to span the lot and open as much interior space to the exterior, expanding the residents’ space in a compact infill lot.
Mercedes-Benz has revived the experimental fiberglass-bodied C111-II from the 70s as a flashy new electric concept. Stunning to the core, this two-seat hypercar has a very dramatic look on the outside and inside. Just like the ultra-futuristic Vision AVTR, this one christened Vision One-Eleven has the modernized version of the wedged profile in the form of a rounded roofline and rounded flared fenders.
The concept was revealed at the Mercedes’ “Design No.5” creative event, bearing the same bright orange hues sported by the 12 experimental C111 vehicles. One look at this four-wheeled damsel and it comes as no surprise the mind behind this creation is none other than Andrea Bruno, Lead Exterior Designer at Maserati.
The front and the rear of the One-Eleven have a sci-fi feel with an array of LED headlights that illuminate the road ahead and the middle section beams custom messages for other drivers to see. Move to the back of the vehicle and you’ll see similar panels. The side profile is nailed down with a cool dual-ridge diffuser and ambient blue lighting along the rear wheels.
Aerodynamic tuning is at the heart of this machine by the German automotive giant. There are three air intakes behind the headlamps, windshield at an angle of 70 degrees and dual air vents to optimize the aerodynamic performance at high speeds and on tight curves. Additionally, the electric motor housed at the rear is intelligently fed by the cool air directed via the vents behind the doors. Downforce is achieved with the large spoiler that further optimizes how the car sticks to the tarmac.
Just like the half-a-century-old predecessor, One-Eleven has swanky gull-winged doors. On opening them, the retro-inspired interior reveals itself. There’s an ultra-wide digital display just like on the front grille, topped by an F1-styled yoke steering wheel and the spacecraft-inspired bucket seats trimmed in silver diamond quilting and orange leather crafted from recycled material. According to Mercedes, the concept can drive forward in two different modes – Race and Lounge. The former has a better HUD view for clear vision while the latter reconfigures for a laid-back arrangement for driving comfort.
One-Eleven comes is propelled forward with a fully electric powertrain employing a single axial-flux motor. Yes, that’s the same technology used in Koenigsegg’s Quark electric motor. This motor is better than the radial-flux motor since they have way better tech for peak performance and efficiency without compromising the mechanical operation. Although Mercedes hasn’t revealed any tech specs of the concept, still loaded with this advanced electric motor, the ride should outperform most competitors. As an added perk, the compact size of the motor frees up space for storing luggage.
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built-in. In short, all your expensive professional-grade equipment plugs right into the Streamer X, which then hooks to your workstation to connect to your production software.
