Hasta La Ideas

In the past couple of years, Japanese design philosophy and principles have been discovered by the rest of us, and since then they have slowly but surely taken over the world. There’s something about products with a Japanese touch that instantly makes you feel at ease. They have a sense of warmth and tranquility to them, one that spreads in the space that they’re placed into. There’s something surreal and relaxing about Japanese-inspired products, that just makes you want to introduce some minimalism into your life.  And we’ve got you covered with a collection of innovative Japanese designs – from wearing aids to stationery! Whether you’re looking for a lovely levitating pen or a Japanese rubber gear that helps people relearn to walk after an accident– these beautifully designed products are all you need to introduce some Japanese functionality, practicality, and peace into your daily life!

1. The Levitating Pen 3.0

The Levitating Pen 3.0 does complete justice to its name. The pen seems to be suspended in its holder at a 23.5-degree angle and is designed to be a luxurious and grand writing instrument that features a Schmidt ballpoint cartridge, which makes the pen rigid and also super easy to hold.

Why is it noteworthy?

When done writing, you close the pen’s magnetic cap with a satisfying click and position the pen in its holder that has been magnetized to keep the pen floating in that position. To add to the fun, a simple twist leaves the pen spinning in its place for a good 20 seconds, allowing you to interact with the pen on a whole new level!

What we like

• The pen is super fun to interact with
• Relatively easy to hold and write with
• Spinning the pen in certain intervals can be a stress buster

What we dislike

• We wonder how ergonomic or comfortable the pen would be to use for longer durations of time

2. The Lightbone Floor Lamp

Designed by FÄRG & BLANCHE for Oblure, the Lightbone Floor Lamp is inspired by a bamboo forest on a trip to Japan, and features an interesting and unique focal point – the connection point between the spherical glass globes and the wooden sections, which also gave birth to the name of the lamp.

Why is it noteworthy?

You can place the lamp next to your sofa, or place multiple Lightbone Floor Lamps to create a cluster of lamps that look like a miniature and imitation Japanese bamboo forest.

What we like

• Is available in custom color options, so you can create a lamp or group of lamps that perfectly match the interior decor style of your home

What we dislike

• No information on how to replace the light bulbs once they die out and need to be changed

3. Mecricco Catch

Designed by Plus, these interesting elastic page-turning aids are called Mecricco Catch, and they help you turn your paper products with ease. The page-turning aids have an outer rib, that allows you to hold the paper firmly, while the inner rib ensures that your fingers don’t slip while you’re flipping.

Why is it noteworthy?

The elastic page-turning aids feature a concave curve at the bottom, that lets you freely move your fingers as you flip. It has been equipped with holes as well, to provide ventilation, so your finger has some room to breathe.

What we like

• This is useful for those who have some sort of exquisite nail job that you need to protect even as you flip money or paper

What we dislike

• If you have gone entirely digital, then this is something that you probably don’t need

4. Tri Light

This stunning lighting fixture is called the Tri Light, and is a modular sculptural light inspired by the Japanese shoji. What is the Japanese Shoji? It is a door, window, or room divider in the form of a paper screen, used quite popularly in traditional Japanese architecture.

Why is it noteworthy?

The Tri light features an interesting honeycomb-like structure that directly drew inspiration from a shoji. It is designed to be expanded and configured in different configurations and customizations.

What we like

• The lighting design can be divided into multiple zones, allowing each zone to be configured to radiate different light strengths and temperatures

What we dislike

• No personal customization options in terms of materials and colors
• Unsuitable for homes and spaces with smaller footprints

5. The Futto

Designed by Yoshihiro Yamada, the Futto is a rather odd-looking yet ingenious wearable rubber gear that helps your muscles relearn to walk after an injury, or for the elderly.

Why is it noteworthy?

It “replaces” the muscles that you use for walking and strengthens the weak points that may need some support, as guided by a specialist like a physiotherapist. It is not a replacement for rehab exercises but it will be able to help strengthen your walking muscles.

What we like

• Helps to “straighten” your posture by creating abdominal pressure from the corset, while the rubber stabilizes the lower limbs and stretches the spine
• Not heavy to wear

What we dislike

• Can seem weird to onlookers if taken out of context
• The aesthetics can be improved

The post Top 5 innovative + impressive products to bring the best of Japanese design to you first appeared on Yanko Design.

The latest edition of our weekly Dezeen Agenda newsletter features Jony Ive’s redesign of a 50-year-old turntable. Subscribe to Dezeen Agenda now.

Former Apple chief design officer Jony Ive has redesigned audio brand Linn’s Sondek LP12 turntable to mark its 50th anniversary.

Ive and his new studio LoveForm carried out an array of “respectful and gentle” tweaks which included a change to the primary button, new hinges and a new badge.

This week’s newsletter also included an interview with BIG’s Bjarke Ingels, an off-grid research station in rural Kansas and RIBA’s shortlist of the UK’s best affordable housing of 2023.

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. 

The post Dezeen Agenda features Jony Ive’s redesign of a 50-year-old turntable appeared first on Dezeen.

Local studio LaRue Architects and interior designer Kelle Contine renovated a home that it originally designed in the Rollingwood neighbourhood of Austin, adding a bedroom that cantilevers over the back terrace.

LaRue Architects originally completed the home, called Rollingwood Modern after the location and style, in November 2015.

After the original owners sold the house, the new clients returned to LaRue Architects for a renovation with Kelle Contine Interior Design (KCID) that was completed in 2022.

The 6,700-square foot (620-square metre) house sits on a 0.65-acre (2,600-square metre) hilltop site that affords views of downtown Austin’s growing skyline.

“The inspiration for this home was a simple farmhouse feel with gable-like forms incorporated with the lower roof wrapped around the courtyard to connect the separated farm volumes,” the team told Dezeen, referencing the cantilevered “boxes” that jut out from the perimeter of the building.

The exterior is wrapped in vernacular charcoal gray Lueders limestone, contrasted with smooth stucco and horizontal metal panels to create “a recipe that roots the building in the surrounding landscape, while introducing a timeless modern edge”.

The house is organized in an H-shape. This form creates a shaded entry courtyard – that features a custom “AMOR” metal neon sign that was inspired by Robert Indiana‘s “LOVE” sculpture – on one side of the house and a protected pool area on the other.

The living core runs parallel to the pool with the adjacent primary suite cantilevering above the sloping grade.

The primary suite is “the closest part of the residence to the city, allowing the bedroom to essentially float among the treetops,” while looking out at the skyline.

The guest suite sits below and opens onto the lawn, while the additional bedrooms are located on the top level, taking advantage of the steep gabled roof.

On the other side of the pool, the game room opens to a covered entertaining terrace that features Thomas Heatherwick‘s Spun Chairs.

“Our team aimed to achieve an environment that offered a completely different feeling than the previous home for the new homeowners,” said LaRue Architects.

One of the most significant changes was the kitchen remodel, led by KCID’s studio director Erin Judge. The updated kitchen features new navy and walnut cabinets and dramatic Diamante Nero quartzite countertops, as well as delicate pendant light fixtures.

The primary bedroom also got a makeover with a dimmable halo, built-in headboard and rich finishes.

“There was a heavy focus on nature and earth tones within the colour palette while mixing matte textures and metals for a more eclectic and collected aesthetic,” Judge said.

The design centres around the fireplace artwork – Marilo Carral’s “Abstracto en Otono,” which the owners purchased in San Miguel de Allende – that is flanked by two Cova swivel lounge chairs.

The spaces also include little surprises like a disco ball, custom record player, and lacquer “Peaceful Buddha Neon” piece by Risk.

“Small touches in each room through wall coverings, feature light fixtures, and unique details really help liven up each space,” the team said.

Recently, LaRue completed a copper-clad lake house in the Texas Hill Country with a facade designed to patina over time as well as a revamped cabin on a nearby lake.

The photography is by Chase Daniel.

Project credits:

Architect: LaRue Architects
Builder: Greg Reynolds, Reynolds Custom Homes; Interior Updates in 2021 by Shoberg Homes
Landscape architect: Landwest Design Group
Interior Design: KCID

The post LaRue Architects renovates sprawling hilltop Austin house appeared first on Dezeen.

To date, no human being has been intentionally killed by a humanoid robot. But companies around the world are working hard to achieve this inevitable future. Our main question is, what will these robots look like, what will the last thing we see be, as they squeeze the life from our human forms? Will they at least be aesthetically pleasing?

It depends on which company’s robot comes to dominate the market, and right now it’s too early to tell. We’ve got Tesla’s ugly Optimus ‘bot:

Then there’s Sanctuary AI’s prettier Phoenix ‘bot:

And the latest addition, Chinese company Fourier Intelligence’s GR-1. Last year, their prototype looked like this:

This year came a paint job and the streamlining of some components:

Now the company has revealed some renders of what the finished GR-1 will look like. (I’m guessing someone on the design team owns and loves a Dyson vac.)

This red button on the back is, I hope, a kill switch. And the green things along the spine are, I hope, delicious candies that are freely dispensed.

Fourier Intelligence is in the business of manufacturing physical rehabilitation equipment, and the robot is intended, the company says, to be deployed in healthcare facilities. “GR-1 could be a caregiver, could be a therapy assistant, can be a companion at home for the elderly who stay alone,” Zen Koh, CEO and Co-founder of Fourier Intelligence, told EuroNews. The company hopes to have a completed prototype in two to three years.

“In an era of advancing digitization, there has been a renewed fascination with pixel nostalgia,” writes Italy-based footwear designer Andrew Kostman. “While brands like Loewe and Vuitton have embraced this trend in clothing very recently, no one has yet succeeded in creating a truly unique sneaker that captures the essence of this movement.” Thus Kostman is taking a swing. Here are his Pixel Rider kicks, made from injection-molded XL Extralight, a durable foam that’s three times lighter than EVA:

“It’s a true blast from the past, bringing back memories of those exciting moments when digital magic was just beginning to take shape. As a footwear designer and a proud child of the ’90s, I’ve always wanted to capture that unique feeling in a sneaker.”

Just 2,500 pairs will be made, and Kostman is taking preorders now. Three colorways are available: Vulcan, Bubble Gum and Milky Way.

Pixel Riders run €235 (USD $264) a pair.