Hasta La Ideas

German brand Neff’s new range of built-in home appliances was designed to offer users greater flexibility in their kitchens, says head of design Ralf Grobleben in this exclusive video produced by Dezeen for the brand.

The Neff Collection can be customised to let users tailor the appearance of their appliances according to personal tastes, as well as allowing them to select the way in which they operate and interact with them.

“The kitchen is the most individual room in your home,” Grobleben said in the video. “With our new solution Flex, the idea was to give people the opportunity to choose how to operate their appliance and to choose the colours in their kitchen.”

The Flex Control feature offers users the option to operate their appliances either via touchscreen controls or via a new device called Twist Pad Flex, a pocket-sized dial that provides a haptic experience when cooking with the brand’s appliances.

The magnetic dial can be placed onto the appliances in the collection, such as ovens, hobs and coffee machines, which instantly recognise its presence and respond to its movements.

When the dial is not in use or is removed, the appliances automatically revert to touchscreen control, making them easier to clean than an appliance with buttons and dials.

Flex Control allows different residents of the same home to control their appliances in various ways according to personal preferences.

“You can decide if you use it via a touch, via one knob or two knobs, on the left or on the right-hand side,” Grobleben explained.

Flex Design is a selection of trims and panels for Neff appliances that come in a variety of colours including Brushed Bronze, Deep Black, Metallic Silver and Anthracite Grey.

The trims and panels can be changed without the need to reinstall the appliance and can be easily swapped to offer maximum customisation.

“Often design is made just for one person or just one target group in the kitchen,” Grobleben said. “And we said no, there are different people inside of a household and we want to give these people the ability to choose.”

Flex Design is compatible with Neff’s signature Slide & Hide oven, a space-saving oven with a door that can be fully hidden underneath the appliance when open.

The oven, which celebrated its 20th anniversary last year, is known for being used by contestants on The Great British Bake Off television show.

“We try to find solutions that always give some kind of positive surprise to people,” Grobleben said.

With the Neff Collection, the brand aims to expand the lifecycle of its products to enable users to update their appearance and functionality in line with changing tastes.

“We are doing design in a different way. We are doing it for the long term,” Grobleben explained. “With Flex Design, you don’t have to throw away the whole appliance, you can just change the colour if you want.”

Partnership content

This video was produced by Dezeen as part of a partnership with Neff. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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Central Saint Martins graduate Luke Talbot has created a portable charger that can be hooked up to rental bikes to allow people experiencing homelessness to charge their phones for free.

On display as part of the Design Transforms exhibition at CSM during London Design Festival, MyPowerbank was designed to slot onto the chain of any Santander bicycle – rentable bikes provided by Transport for London – parked in one of the 800 docking stations across the capital.

Talbot‘s product takes advantage of the fact that, without having to pay to take out one of these bikes, their chain will still move when pedalling backwards. This can power up the tiny pedal-powered generator contained in the portable charger.

The electricity generated in the process is then stored in MyPowerbank’s internal batteries, with around 25 minutes of pedalling equating to one full phone charge.

While most homeless people own a phone, Talbot conducted interviews with people sleeping rough across London and found that many struggle with finding a place where they can actually charge the device.

This can restrict their access to crucial digital services, from texting and banking to applying for benefit schemes.

“When they started bedding down at night, becoming rough sleepers, a phone was their biggest priority because without that everything is so much harder,” he told Dezeen.

“Every facet of our daily life revolves around the convenience of what a phone can do for us, from Google Maps to transferring money to messaging our friends, which keeps us sane,” he continued. “They’re just so life-or-death crucial.”

The project was born out of Talbot’s research into how urban infrastructure, often designed to make life hard for homeless people, could be hacked for their benefit.

In particular, his design was inspired by the blow-up homeless shelters of American artist Michael Rakowitz, which are inflated using buildings’ hot air vents.

“I really fell in love with this idea of having this city that was designed against a certain group of people to segregate them socially, taking what the city gives away for free and using it against itself,” he explained.

MyPowerbank works using an integrated dynamo like the kind commonly used to power bike lights, which turns kinetic energy from pedalling into electric energy.

A small gear at the back of the device is designed to slot onto the bike’s chain, while an internal magnet clips onto the metal frame.

“The chain spins that gear, the gear spins the dynamo and the dynamo charges the two lithium-ion batteries inside,” Talbot said. “The thing I like about it is that it’s not new fancy tech, it’s actually really old tech that’s been reformatted for a new purpose.”

Talbot’s working prototype features a 3D-printed shell, finished in the same navy blue as the Santander bikes’ frames so as not to draw undue attention, while instructions are printed in UV ink so they are legible at night.

He built the dynamo from scratch using a Youtube tutorial and the two batteries, which each hold up to four full charges, are reclaimed from old powerbanks.

After being named one of the winners at this year’s MullenLowe NOVA Awards, Talbot is now using his prize money to help make the design production-ready and cut down on the pedalling time needed per charge.

With components being sourced in bulk, he believes the powerbanks could be manufactured in collaboration with a charity or NGO for as little as £3 and distributed by homeless shelters to those who are most in need.

“Hopefully there’ll be a circular repair system behind that so if it’s broken, they could give it back to the shelter and the shelter would send it back to whoever ends up running it,” Talbot said.

Other standout projects from this year’s London Design Festival include a traditional West African bench reimagined as a giant game of Oware, a handbag made from bacterial leather and a furniture collection crafted from a single car.

Design Transforms was launched as part of London Design Festival and is on show at Central Saint Martins’ Lethaby Gallery until 15 October. See our London Design Festival 2023 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks that took place throughout the week.

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Promotion: Spain’s IE University has launched a Masters in Architecture that has been specifically designed for global architects who are “committed to sustainability and social impact”.

Taught in Madrid or Amsterdam, the IE University programme will qualify students to become architects in Spain and other European Union countries.

The university has designed the Masters in Architecture course for practitioners who already have international profiles but are also particularly “committed to sustainability and social impact”.

Spread over ten months, the full-time, in-person programme is taught in English and consists of three core elements.

Dutch architect Ben van Berkel of the Amsterdam-based UNStudio leads the final thesis project, while the architectural design and building construction modules are led by Spanish architect Fuensanta Nieta.

The third element is the three-course sequence design management module, which was created to arm students with business training and entrepreneurial thinking within the fields of architecture and design.

“These courses will help students formulate their own career plans and will give them the tools to implement it,” said IE University.

During the course, students will get the opportunity to travel to Amsterdam and work closely with the team at UNStudio.

Each year before the programme starts in September, IE University will award one incoming student the UNStudio Merit Scholarship.

This will grant the recipient up to 30 per cent of their full tuition fees while studying, and the possibility of completing a paid internship of no less than three months at UNStudio after graduation.

“The scholarship is awarded to an outstanding applicant who shows special promise as a student and future professional in architecture and related fields,” said the university.

“We architects have a key role to play in building a sustainable future,” added the dean of IE University School of Architecture and Design David Goodman.

“That’s why we need to join forces to have the greatest impact. And the aim of the new Architecture Professional Licensure is to work in that direction – to train young architects and designers with an international profile who will create a more sustainable, beautiful and just world for all,” said Goodman.

For more information, visit the course on the IE University website.

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for IE University as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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We’ve selected five opportunities at top design studios that are available on Dezeen Jobs this week, including positions at Zaha Hadid Architects, MVRDV and Herzog & de Meuron.

Head of urban studio at MVRDV in Rotterdam, Netherlands

MVRDV is seeking a dynamic leader with a primary focus on strategy, business development and the oversight of projects for its urban studio in Rotterdam,

The Dutch studio completed the planning and design of an exhibition space for Van Gogh Homeland Biennale 2025, aiming to draw more attention to the landscape and environmental issues in North Brabant.

View more roles in the Netherlands ›

Project communications manager at Herzog & de Meuron in Basel, Switzerland

Herzog & de Meuron is looking for a project communications manager to facilitate the communication between the studio and external partners, clients and media.

In a collaboration with PBDW Architects, the Swiss studio transformed a 115-year-old power plant in Brooklyn, New York, into an arts centre named Powerhouse Arts.

View more roles in Herzog & de Meuron ›

Senior architect at Partisans in Toronto, Canada

Partisans has an opportunity for a senior architect with seven to fifteen years of experience and advanced design software skills to join its team in Toronto.

The studio designed a guest and pool house named Fold House, in Hamilton, Canada, which replaced a previous house destroyed by fire. The building features an undulating roof of compression-bent oak.

View more roles in Partisans ›

Project administrator at Zaha Hadid Architects in London, UK

Zaha Hadid Architects has an opportunity for a project administrator to provide administrative services and support to its project teams in London.

Zaha Hadid Architects completed Jiangxi River Bridge in Chengdu, China, which features two symmetrical steel arches.

View more roles in Zaha Hadid Architects ›

Interior designer at David Chipperfield Architects in Berlin, Germany

David Chipperfield Architects is hiring an experienced interior designer to join its Berlin studio.

In 2020, the architecture studio completed a five-year renovation of Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, which was originally designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.

View more roles in David Chipperfield Architects ›

See all the latest architecture and design roles on Dezeen Jobs ›

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If you’re looking for a cozy and comfy nature retreat then you may want to consider the Adventure Whare Retreat. Designed by Studio Well, the Adventure Whare Retreat is located in Castle Hill Village, New Zealand. The spacious and impressive home is a traditional A-frame structure with a modern and contemporary twist. It perfectly merges with its alpine surroundings, while also prioritizing practicality and sustainability. The home is designed to offer a sanctuary of peace, shelter, relaxation, and connection.

Designer: Studio Well

The exterior of the home is inspired by the traditional A-frame hut. The home is surrounded by trees and nestled in greenery. It provides ample shelter and privacy while flaunting a roof with timber-framed glazing that connects the retreat with the native bush reserve. The intriguing cloaked form of the home ensures that it is well protected from the weather. As you enter the home, you are welcomed by a warm and open space marked with exposed timber structural elements and cork flooring.

The entrance holds a mudroom that stores wet gear and flat-roofed bedroom wings which in turn provide privacy and relaxation. The retreat is the perfect culmination of warmth, simplicity, and minimalism. It is well connected to nature and serves as a unique and simple dwelling to reside in. Natural materials and green tones define the entire space.

The Adventure Whare Retreat was designed as a space for recharge and reprieve for the entire family. The family enjoys adventuring and exploring local mountains, and forest regions, hence the home is a calm and peaceful shelter for them. The exposed timber theme has been maintained indoors and outdoors, which supports an outdoor lifestyle while allowing a serene connection to the surrounding landscape. The materials selected are not only chosen for aesthetics but also to handle the rigors and moodiness of the climate. Ultimately, the Adventure Whare Retreat is an excellent escape from hectic city life and a safe haven in the wild outdoors. The interiors are welcoming and warm, but well-equipped and spacious. It allows you to disconnect from urban life and connect with rural life in a safe, comfortable, and cozy manner.

The post Adventure Whare Retreat Is A Traditional A-Frame Hut With A Modern Twist To Let You Comfortably Enjoy The Outdoors first appeared on Yanko Design.