If there’s one thing that boomers think millennials absolutely love, it’s avocados. Avocados are the reason we don’t own houses, cars, or healthcare, according to almost every out-of-touch boomer I’ve ever met, which is why this avocado-inspired kitchen grater seems like such a wonderfully tongue-in-cheek kitchen must-have!

The Avo Multi-function Veggie Cutter is a nifty kitchen tool that lets you easily, efficiently, and ergonomically cut, slice, shred, and grate your veggies and fruits. The grater’s body is shaped like an avocado, with an area to collect all the sliced/grated food. Meanwhile, the avocado seed is like your grip for using the grater/mandolin, giving you a safe way to slice or grate your food without scraping your knuckles. You’ve also got multiple blade styles to choose from, for grating, slicing, micrograting, julienning, etc.

Designers: Comma Shaw, KK Lin, Zane True, Junjie Chou, David Lee, Juno Lee, Jesse WU

Although the avocado shape is a nifty design feature, it has a few standout benefits. The Avo’s bulbous base proves to be perfect for collecting all the sliced, grated materials. A built-in handle lets you grip the cutter while using it with the other hand, so it doesn’t move around… and when you’re done, you can wash and drain the cut veggies thanks to a sieve built into the side that lets you tip over to drain the water out.

Detachable blade cartridges let you choose exactly what kind of cutting/grating you need to do. You can slice veggies finely, julienne them into strips, grate them into fine strands, grind them into a fine paste or powder for hard aromatics, zest them, or even make wavy cuts to make waffle-style chips.

The avocado-seed safety holder comes with a pop-out plunger that grips the food from the opposite side and moves lower and lower as the food is grated. Rails on the side of the holder help you achieve a perfect linear motion too, so you never move in a slanted direction by accident. This ensures consistency and keeps your output looking perfect.

The Avo balances clever design with functionality really well. Its avocado-inspired shape is simply delightful to look at, while all the design details work together in synchronicity to give you a product with a delightful user experience too!

The post This Avocado-shaped Grater is Every Millennial’s Dream Kitchen Tool first appeared on Yanko Design.

For the past 10 years, PAD Studio has been conducting a study on the true environmental impact of low-energy homes. The studio has been studying the New Forest House for the past decade. The home is located within an 18.5-acre plot, which is situated adjacent to ancient woodland and heath, in the New Forest National Park. The building was carefully constructed to ensure that minimal disturbance was caused to the surrounding site, as well as the site’s sensitive landscape. The residence features the main house and a guest annex.

Designer: PAD Studio

The results of the decade-long study were quite interesting indeed. According to the results, the New Forest House is a 97% less expensive house to run as compared to a house built in accordance with 2021 building standards. The house utilizes 110% less energy as compared to a home powered by gas. The five-bedroom home is literally located in the middle of a forest. It has been built from timber, and has a rather simple design, allowing the nature surrounding it to truly shine through. The home also has a natural swimming hole and a self-contained guest annex.

The glazed elevations of the home feature timber louver shutters that maximize solar gain. The entire home has been topped with green roofing and has been amped with high levels of insulation to create a tight envelope. It is sealed and airtight, which holds the heat from the ground source heat pump, and has a mechanical ventilation heat recovery system. The home also features solar panels, thermal panels to heat water, and a rainwater harvesting system. The New Forest Home manages to be a net-zero home with carbon dioxide emissions that range from -2.46 to -0.76 annually.

The New Forest Home was built in accordance with the owner’s wish to have a home that lives within the landscape and supports the natural world. The green roof of the home functions as an ecological habitat. The swimming pond is a neat place for birds and insects to gather together, including the protected kingfisher. The thoughtfully constructed home is a beautiful and well-designed addition to the forest. It is tucked away in the trees and is surrounded by native grass, giving indoor-outdoor living a new and deeper meaning.

The post This timber net-zero home is giving low energy homes a new and deeper meaning first appeared on Yanko Design.

Dezeen School Shows: tactile toys that take cues from architectural features and a clothing line that references alternative subcultures are included in Dezeen’s latest school show by students at Plymouth College of Art.

Also included is a yacht with a sustainably designed interior, and fabric informed by water-based outdoor activities.

Plymouth College of Art

Institution: Plymouth College of Art
School: Plymouth College of Art
Courses: BA (Hons) Interior Design & Styling, BA (Hons) Fashion Design, BA (Hons) Textile Design and BA (Hons) 3D Design Crafts
Tutors: Heather Martin, Cathryn Bishop, Emma Gribble and Gayle Matthias

School statement:

“Radical and revolutionary, contemporary design has the power to both redefine our everyday lives and solve urgent global issues.

“Staff and students from the Arts University Plymouth are pushing the boundaries of aesthetics to affect real-world change.

“Whilst good design shows how form solves problems or conveys complexity in beautiful ways, it simultaneously fosters a way of thinking about our world as a shared experience.

“Our community of artists, designers and makers address the constantly shifting territories of contemporary design, considering the breadth of design thinking alongside material and digital practices in establishing new approaches, forms and possibilities.”

Waives and Waves by Kirstin Taylor

“Taylor uses the traditional craft of Passmenterie to express her vision.

“She combines pattern creation using the ordered and repetitive processes of weaving and sewing with the less predictable results of hand dyeing techniques and micro pleating.

“The effect, when also using less conventional materials, encapsulates her experience of water-based outdoor adventures.

“Waives and Waves elevates the everyday in our homes, adding compelling finishing touches.

“Taylor wants you to be able to add your own flourishes that enhance and adorn your surroundings in a multiplicity of colourful and tactile ways.”

Student: Kirstin Taylor
Course: BA (Hons) Textile Design
Tutor: Emma Gribble
Email: kirstin[at]sewit4.me.uk

La Collina Gardens by Isabelle Clarke

“This in-class brief involved expanding the company La Collina Gardens through the building in which they’re based.

“Clarke researched trends within the retail sector focusing on the meaning behind flowers with the aim of incorporating floral elements into the design.

“Clarke worked closely with live clients in order to understand their systems, needs and wants and applied these to the design to produce a practical outcome.”

Student: Isabelle Clarke
Course: BA (Hons) Interior Design and Styling
Tutor: Cathryn Bishop
Email: isabellegraceclarke[at]hotmail

Pure Couture | Fashion-inspired Charter Yacht by Ellie Marshall

“Marshall’s project investigates sustainable luxury design for charter yachts. The scheme uses designer fashion brands Louis Vuitton and Balmain to influence the concept, resulting in a unique and unconventional scheme.

“The textiles have been inspired by Louis Vuitton’s collection and include bold colours, floral designs and a mix of textures.

“The focus of the design is on the upper deck, which the guests will use frequently for socialising.

“Existing furniture will be used to reduce waste and costs while focusing on the finishes to ensure sustainability.”

Student: Ellie Marshall
Course: BA (Hons) Interior Design and Styling
Tutor: Cathryn Bishop
Email: elliemaemarshall[at]gmail.com

Core, Mental Health Hub, for Plymouth Options Livewell Southwest by Zoe Shakesheff

“Shakesheff has taken a strong interest in the use of colour theory and how it affects people and the scheme of a room due to different connotations.

“In this module, Shakesheff created a Mental Health Hub with the aim of promoting health and wellbeing in the community, which provides people with a safe, welcoming space.

“Due to their interest in colour theory, Shakesheff applied what they’d learnt into the final design of the hub along with incorporating a variety of natural materials and plenty of natural light.”

Student: Zoe Shakesheff
Course: BA (Hons) Interior Design and Styling
Tutor: Cathryn Bishop
Email: zoeshakesheff[at]gmail.com

Rethinking Funeral Homes by Rachel Hicks

“People somehow overlook the interior spaces of funeral homes, despite the fact that we will all eventually need to visit one during some parts of our lives.

“Hicks’s project aims to end the taboo within this industry of work, creating a place where people feel less worried and anxious.”

Student: Rachel Hicks
Course: BA (Hons) Interior Design and Styling
Tutor: Cathryn Bishop
Email: rhickscornwallinteriors[at]gmail.com

Pause Lifestyle Store by Eden Parnell

“The idea behind this multifunctional store was to create a community space for women going through menopause, where they could talk to others going through similar experiences and shop for products to help ease their symptoms.

“Parnell’s design includes a retail space on the ground floor, a café on the second and a yoga/meditation studio/workshop space on the third.

“Parnell was tasked with developing a customer profile and producing concept boards, elevations and visuals, as well as branding for the project.”

Student: Eden Parnell
Course: BA (Hons) Interior Design and Styling
Tutor: Cathryn Bishop
Email: eden[at]semidisposable.com

Planet Kataie by Katie McMillan

“McMillan is a fashion designer and garment maker with a highly colourful and fun visual aesthetic.

“Their work uses textural fabric manipulation – giving it a sense of freedom and playfulness – that is underpinned by strong technical skills.

“The concept originated from the concepts of nostalgia and escapism and has evolved into a combination of distinct elements, fusing rave and festival wear with a utilitarian vibe.”

Student: Katie McMillan
Course: BA (Hons) Fashion Design
Tutor: Heather Martin
Email: kaemcmillan[at]gmail.com

Reclaimed by Nature by Zoe Stephens

“Stephens is a fashion graduate with a strong sustainable and ethical approach to their work.

“Inspired by Cornwall’s fading industrial heritage, their graduate collection ‘Reclamation’ explores the temporariness of human-made versus the timeless force of nature.

“Mixing both hard and soft aesthetics, Stephens challenges the traditional view of femininity by incorporating utilitarian features into their designs.

“Adopting a ‘nothing new’ stance, sustainability remains at the core of this collection through the use of reclaimed materials.”

Student: Zoe Stephens
Course: BA (Hons) Fashion Design
Tutors: Heather Martin
Email: zoeolivia1806[at]gmail.com

Welcome The Freaks by Rudy Downing

“Downing’s work as a designer aims to explore human connectivity and its impact on both ourselves and others.

“The concept came from a quote from their colleague stating – ‘We’re just a bunch of freaks running around throwing up tents’.

“This led Downing to explore what actually makes us ‘freaks’ through the use of distortion and embellishment within their designs.

“People are a huge part of Downing’s life. They have built a community around them of people they care about and their project reflects their importance in the designer’s life.”

Student: Rudy Downing
Course: BA (Hons) Fashion Design
Tutor: Heather Martin
Email: rudyjacca[at]btinternet.com

‘Play + Work = Plork’ by Tyrone Anthony Vera

“Vera’s work responds to the act of play through the use of architectural forms, taken from primary photographs of buildings that have been interpreted through a variety of materials such as rubber, foam, jesmonite and fabric.

“His investigations have led him to respond to the senses of sight, touch, smell and sound.

“Vera invites the audience to interact with the forms by stacking and connecting using a variety of methods from magnets to velcro.

“His work is about the sensory experience when engaged in the act of play. The forms have been fabricated in a variety of materials to evoke different sensations when being held.”

Student: Tyrone Anthony Vera
Course: BA (Hons) 3D Design Crafts
Tutor: Gayle Matthias
Email: tyrone.a.vera[at]gmail.com

Partnership content 

This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and Plymouth College of Art. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

The post Plymouth College of Art spotlights 10 student design projects appeared first on Dezeen.

I love a beautifully-designed lighting fixture because I truly believe a really great one has the ability to illuminate a space – both literally, and metaphorically. Besides the physical light that it quite obviously emits, a well-designed lighting fixture can add manifolds of personality and charisma to a room. They can function as sculptural pieces, that are an extension of your personal taste and preference, truly exhibiting the richness and niche-ness of your curation capabilities. And one such stunning lighting design I recently laid eyes upon is the Vestige Lamp.

Designer: Ross Gardam

Australian designer Ross Gardam drew heavy inspiration from Brutalist design and created the Vestige lamp. The eccentric yet stunning-looking lamp is composed of blocky geometric shapes that have been made from cast crystal glass. The lamp was created as the result of a collaboration between the brand Ross Gardam and artist Peter Kovacsy, whose sculptural work is inspired by the remote wilderness of Western Australia.

The Vestige lamp features a simple silhouette that has been created from an upright rectangular block that has been merged with a hemispherical shape, which brings to mind the image of Brutalist architecture. Bubbles in the glass provide a speckled texture when illuminated – this is an attempt to celebrate the lamp’s unique materiality.

“Intentionally ambiguous, the brutalist-inspired sculptural form reveals its archetype when illuminated,” said Ross Gardam. “Vestige celebrates the allure, texture, and volume of glass.” The Vestige lamp was designed for tabletop use, so it’d make a great addition to your workdesk or the side table next to your bed. The exquisite lamp comes in one translucent finish and is mounted onto a raw aluminum base that is accompanied by a cone-shaped dinner. Overall, the lamp has a rather geometrically intriguing form with a translucent and ethereal aesthetic that gives it that extra oomph factor. The Vestige lamp is probably one of the prettiest lamps I’ve seen in a while, and truly believe would make an excellent addition to anyone’s home. “The cast glass is maximized in scale and volume amplifying the radiance. This unique table lamp uses the delicacy of lit cast glass to not only astound but to create a small moment in time for wonder,” the studio concluded.

The post Brutalist-inspired stunning tabletop lamp is the perfect addition to your bedside table first appeared on Yanko Design.

Sometimes it’s the small things that can have the biggest impacts because they’re taken for granted until they snowball into a catastrophe. Small pieces of trash thrown haphazardly gather to become mounds of garbage that block drains and cause floods. Even the way we clean our clothes, unbeknownst to us, can actually kill our seas and oceans in the long run. That’s the unfortunate side effect of having microplastics in the textiles we use, too small to distinguish from the wastewater we drain out of our washing machines. Fortunately, we now know better, and companies like Samsung are lending a helping hand to make sure that our personal hygiene won’t be causing harm to the planet for generations to come.

Designer: Samsung

Given how essential they are both to our comfort and our style, we take for granted what mass-produced clothes are made of. Unfortunately, the synthetic textiles used in many of them actually shed small pieces of plastic or microplastics in our wash. Of course, we simply drain the dirty water like any other, and these microplastics find their way into our oceans, along with the other bits of broken-down plastics from the garbage we carelessly throw away.

Now that the microfiber cat is out of the bag, eco-conscious people are moving quickly to clean up the mess, literally and figuratively. Since it will be next to impossible to immediately change the textile that produces these microplastics, the most efficient solution would be to stop laundry machines from spitting out these minute particles in the first place. That’s where Samsung’s new Less Microfiber Filter comes in, promising to capture as much as 98% of these microplastics before they even hit the drain. The company says that this mass is equivalent to eight 500ml plastic bottles per year if the wash is used four times a week.

The filter is designed with a rather minimalist aesthetic and can be mounted on top of any standard washing machine, not just Samsung’s. The box itself is made from recycled plastics and is shipped in sustainable packaging. It’s also engineered to be long-lasting, maintainable, and convenient to use, requiring cleaning about once a month only. The filter works in conjunction with Samsung’s new Less Microfiber Cycle mode launched last year, which attempts to reduce the shedding of microplastics during washing.

Samsung’s filter, which is available only in South Korea and the UK for now, isn’t the only solution available today. What makes this launch important, however, is the acknowledgment of a major appliance maker of a problem that very few people are aware of. As one of the biggest washing machine manufacturers, it also has an equally big responsibility in righting this wrong, and the filter is a nice and admittedly stylish first step in that direction.

The post Samsung Less Microfiber Filters stop our laundry from destroying our oceans first appeared on Yanko Design.