Hasta La Ideas

We’ve all been there, staring at a blank page at a complete loss on how to get started on a written project. The dreaded writer’s block makes it feel like our brains are all dried up, but all it really needs is a little nudge to get the creative juices flowing again. That can sometimes come from a fidget toy or, more often than not, a favorite tool that stimulates our senses, especially our sense of touch. That’s the kind of experience that this retro-style keyboard wants to offer, presenting a modern keyboard that looks like a classic typewriter yet also has the elegance of a luxury item, giving both your eyes and your fingers a feast to get that brain running again.

Designer: AZIO

There’s actually no shortage of computer keyboards that lay claim to the title of “retro” or “classic, but many of them heaps on embellishment after embellishment to the point that the design becomes showy and distracting. The keyboards become more like decorative pieces to show off rather than functional tools to help you get the job done with as little friction as possible.

AZIO’s new collection of retro mechanical keyboards tries to strike the balance between minimalist design and detailed retro aesthetics. Inspired by the design of classic typewriters, it shaped the keys into concave circles encased in what looks like polished metal. The keys have a rather sizable gap between them, allowing the backlight underneath to shine through the spaces and give the keyboard a distinctive yet gentle glow.

The retro keyboard, however, goes beyond simply trying to mimic a typewriter. AZIO opted to use premium materials for both the frame as well as the surface of the keyboard itself, mixing aluminum with wood or leather. These materials are already a sight to behold, but their textures can also stimulate the skin. You don’t need to reach for a fidget toy or any other object when you can just glide your finger across the luxurious materials of the keyboard instead.

Of course, this is a mechanical keyboard, so it comes with all the benefits that this kind of device entails, from a solid, tactile typing experience to the satisfying clicky sounds that each key makes. The overall design is distinctive yet subtle, giving your eyes something nice to look at without taking your mind off the task at hand. It’s a tool that is a pleasure to see, touch, and use and doesn’t get in the way of you creating your next big writing masterpiece.

The post Retro mechanical keyboards offer a tactile experience to inspire creativity first appeared on Yanko Design.

Local architecture studio Bench Architecture has topped a Brooklyn brewery with a pizzeria and bar outfitted in a “colourfully tactile palette” including a wall of aqua-blue tile.

In East Williamsburg, Lala’s Brooklyn Apizza shop is located above the Grimm Artisanal Ales brewery – a converted automobile shop that opened in 2018 and was also designed by Brooklyn-based Bench Architecture.

The second-floor pizzeria consists of a large open space flanked on either side by a pizza kitchen and terracotta-clad bar, while a series of bi-fold doors lead out onto a rooftop terrace.

“A colourfully tactile palette was used to frame two poles of the space,” the studio said.

The space sits on top of a converted autobody shop

At one end of the interior space, a pizza oven is surrounded by light green Portuguese tile, while a white mosaic tile was used to clad the oven itself.  A bar counter topped with moonstone and wrapped in corrugated wood frames the oven, with a small service window lined with the same moonstone placed to the side.

Across the space, a service bar was wrapped in fluted terracotta tiles and topped with a dark grey Mexican Cantera stone counter.

A wall of aqua-blue concrete tile sits behind the bar, extending along the space and outside onto the terrace.

Magenta-pink curtains line the back wall and a wood-slatted ceiling connects these two bars, which the studio refers to as “nodes”. The two countertops were designed to have contrasting materiality.

“These ‘rough’ and ‘polished’ nodes are unified by a curved wood-slat ceiling and magenta curtain which accent primary surfaces as well as soften the acoustics of the space,” said the studio.

An angled mirror was placed above the curtain and spans its width to visually connect the interior space to the terrace, according to the studio.

Outside, the terrace is flanked on both sides by walls of light pink and blue tile, with a Cantera stone floor covering the entirety of the space.

Simple wooden picnic tables populate both the interior dining area and outdoor space, with shelving and a rack of firewood dispersed around them.

Bench Architecture expanded upon similar themes it used for the brewery and taproom on the ground floor below, which opened in 2018.

Similar red-hued curtains line the space and a corrugated metal-clad bar was placed along the building’s front windows to provide space for brewery production.

A series of pendants hang from the ceiling, which marks an original mezzanine design for the space.

“A grid of hanging pendant lights create a ‘ceiling’ to the space, which outlines the extent of the original mezzanine design for the room, which was superseded by the rooftop extension,” said the studio.

Bench Architecture is a Brooklyn-based architecture studio founded by David Bench in 2020 that specializes in residential, retail and event spaces.

Other interior projects recently completed in the Williamsburg area include a residential loft that doubles as a performance space and a Kith store featuring a brick silo at its centre.

The photography is by Nicholas Venezia

Project credits:

Architecture and interiors: Bench Architecture
Construction manager: Bench Architecture
MEP: ABS Engineering
Structural: Becker

The post Bench Architecture tops Brooklyn brewery with tile-lined pizzeria appeared first on Dezeen.

Honda introduced the UNI-ONE personal mobility chair for people with lower limb immobilization at the end of 2022. The Segway-like version for people who want an advanced electric wheelchair contraption with flexible movement capabilities will officially debut at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas, next month, with a VR application twist.

The Japanese automaker will leverage the self-balancing personal mobility device (mostly intended for the disabled) for a seamless virtual reality world, which they are calling the “Honda Extended Reality (XR)” experience. The idea of fusing the real-world riding on the UNI-ONE with the virtual world environment sounds like a winning proposition, and Honda doesn’t want to let go of the opportunity.

Designer: Honda

The SXSW attendees will get the opportunity to get first-hand exposure to this unique VR experience from 10-13 March at Honda’s booth #729 at the SXSW Creative Industries Expo at the Austin Convention Center. This amalgam of two different technologies is directed towards solving the hardware limitation of a comprehensive metaverse reality that is otherwise only limited to the visual input and confined to a limited space. According to Hirokazu Hara, vice president of New Business Development, at American Honda Motor this will expand the “joy and freedom of personal mobility into entertainment applications.”

Hirokazu further added that the never-before thought of combination will elevate the multimodal immersive experience three-fold. The self-balancing tech dubbed Honda Omni Traction Drive System (HOT Drive System) and the advanced sensors on the 154 pounds UNI-ONE (permitting movement and tilt in any direction) will leverage a new VR and AR entertainment. This will shoot the extended reality technology and application development possibilities to another level, inducing the interest of early adopters more than ever before.

For instance, racing through a track on a virtual planet with lesser gravity than on Earth will be possible on a hands-free device capable of going at a top speed of 3.7 mph. The rig will combine the visual input from a VR headset and the freedom of movement to make the user feel as if racing on a real track in an alien landscape. The fact that Honda is vesting so much interest in this possibility with the UNI-ONE speaks a lot about how the future is going to pan out in the Metaverse world. According to Honda the extended reality (XR) technology will be perfect for malls, theme parks, or any other indoor or outdoor entertainment hubs with a lot of open space to move around.

The post Honda UNI-ONE wheelchair finds innovative use in VR worlds as extended reality mobility experience first appeared on Yanko Design.

We’ve selected five job roles in furniture and product design available on Dezeen Jobs this week, including positions at Boss Design, Kibre and A Work of Substance.

Senior FF&E designer at Kibre

Kibre has a vacancy for a senior FF&E designer with experience in project management to join its London design studio.

The role’s key responsibilities include the creation of design concepts and the ability to present clearly to clients and investors, as well as overseeing the procurement of all furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E).

View more jobs in London ›

FF&E assistant at Nebihe Cihan Studio

Nebihe Cihan Studio is hiring an FF&E assistant with proficiency in AutoCAD and Adobe software to join its studio in London.

Design talent and knowledge of materials, products and suppliers are essential assets for this role.

View more jobs in FF&E design ›

Graduate furniture development role at Boss Design

Boss Design has a vacancy for a graduate furniture development role for its team in Dudley, UK, on a three-month paid internship with the possibility of progressing into a permanent full-time position.

The studio’s portfolio includes the Atom office furniture collection, which was created by designer Simon Pengelly to be used in flexible workplaces.

View more jobs in furniture design ›

Senior product stylist at Kingfisher

Kingfisher is looking for a senior product stylist to join its team in Templemars, France.

Besides being fluent in English and French, the perfect candidate would have an educational background in design and have a good eye and knowledge of product colours and materials.

View more jobs in product design ›

Product designer/industrial designer at A Work Of Substance

A Work Of Substance is seeking a product designer/industrial designer with experience working with raw and natural materials to join its team in Hong Kong.

The firm was shortlisted for interior designer of the year in Dezeen Awards China 2023. Its recent projects include a residential landmark called the Ravine and a sustainable logistics centre for Goodman Westlink.

View more jobs in Hong Kong ›

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

The post Five roles in furniture and product design featured on Dezeen Jobs appeared first on Dezeen.

Turns out, you can make a nifty bench out of just a single slab of aluminum…and two discarded Mac Pro towers.

The Mac Pro Bench, by the subversive creative collective Caliper, was created for a pop-up in Manhattan for clothing brand Hidden. It is, obviously, a one- or two-off.

If anyone has a line on where to pick up discarded Mac Pros, do tell.