Romanian studio Modul 28 renovated and expanded the rectory of a church in Transylvania, converting it into a guesthouse.
Readers were stunned by the extension, with one calling it a “very smart and humble project!” Another joked, “Cool trips to the loo aside, this is great!” adding that they “love the use of common materials in expressive ways.”
You can also subscribe to our other newsletters; Dezeen Agenda is sent every Tuesday containing a selection of the most important news highlights from the week, 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.
Designed by architect Christian Tonko, the MM01 tiny home was designed for two people who intend to use it as a holiday home, and a comfy base for outdoor activities in rural Austria. The home is quite compact but is amped with a thoughtfully-designed layout that maximizes space, while also fitting in a home office. The home measures around 215 sq ft, and is planned on one floor. This living space is divided into four equally sized sections – the bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and workspace.
The central space of the home is occupied by the workspace, and this section includes some seating as well as an office desk. The desk can be pulled out from the bed unit, as it is equipped with wheels. The space also contains storage units which also function as dividing walls, and a kitchenette. The kitchenette is amped with a dishwasher and washing machine, which can be closed up when not being utilized. Glass doors line the main space, and they can be opened to naturally cool the home, allowing the breeze to enter. Curtains have been installed to provide privacy when needed. The MM01 also features a well-sized terrace area, equipped with tables and seating.
The tiny home is called MM01 as a tribute to Malcolm McLean, who is said to be the inventor of the modern shipping container. The dwelling may look like a shipping container, but it is built from metal boxes, since they seem to handle the heat and cold much better, despite being equipped with glazing. Currently, we aren’t aware of the R-values, but the architect states that the home has good insulation, and is in accordance with local building codes.
“MM01 is named after Malcolm McLean the inventor of the shipping container on which the modules are based in terms of the standard dimensions and frames,” said Tonko. “They can be transported by standard trucks on the road. The whole structure including the screw foundations can be removed entirely and the site can easily be restored to its original state.”
US studio Feldman Architecture has created the Pebble Beach Residence to have a “distinctively northern Californian, mid-century feel” by including wooden surfaces and brightly lit rooms.
The project was created for a couple who wanted a weekend retreat that would “fuel their love of surfing and golfing”.
The Peach Pebble Residence features golf course and ocean views
They purchased a 1970s fixer-upper house in Pebble Beach, near Monterey, and tasked San Francisco’s Feldman Architecture with creating a comfy dwelling that supported the couple’s lifestyle and accommodated visits from family and friends.
The interior design was led by Raili CA Design, a studio based in Orange County.
Feldman Architecture drew upon Californian styles for the design scheme
The team drew upon Californian styles for the design scheme.
Among the reference points was Sea Ranch, the northern California community that emerged in the 1960s and is known for its nature-inspired modern architecture.
Earthy materials and hues help tie the home to the natural landscape
“The design team envisioned an extensive remodel that channels a distinctively northern Californian, mid-century feel,” said the architecture studio.
The exterior was re-clad in Western red cedar and dark metal siding. Concrete walls and steps were integrated into the landscaping.
The kitchen was relocated
New glazing was added to the north and south facades, expanding views toward the ocean and a rolling golf course, as the home borders the Monterey Peninsula Country Club.
New roof decks were added, offering additional opportunities to take in the scenery.
Bright rooms were incorporated into the interior
Within the home, the team added a small volume to hold a guest suite and reconfigured certain parts of the layout.
In the communal area, the studio relocated the kitchen and expanded the double-height space to create a bright and airy feel.
Upstairs, there is the primary bedroom and two additional bedrooms, along with a cosy loft.
Three bedrooms are upstairs
“A library and work loft overlook the main living space, creating a private yet airy nook tucked away from the hustle and bustle below,” the team said.
Earthy materials and hues help tie the home to the natural landscape. White oak was used for the floors and casework, and hemlock clads the ceiling and stairway.
“Casual, colourful and Malibu-inspired modern interiors brighten foggy days and sit in contrast with the understated, natural material selections,” the team said.
The project also involved renovating the garage, which now doubles as a surf shack and includes space for a golf cart. A mud room and laundry room were also created as part of the overhaul.
New roof decks were added
Other projects by Feldman Architecture include updates to a “quirky circular house” in Silicon Valley and a cedar-clad extension to a home in northern California’s wine country.
Mad Rabbit’s all-natural tattoo balm brings together a suite of natural elements that provide moisture to your tattooed skin, helping make it brighter. Shea butter, cocoa butter, carnauba wax, almond oil, Frankincense and lavender, simply and effectively, provide the nourishment your tattooed skin needs.
Also included is a textile project that explores perceptions of time and a dining table that reimagines eating as play.
Emma Creative Center
Institution:EMMA Creative Center School: EMMA Creative Center Course: Designers in Residence Tutors: Jiro Kamata, Romin Heide and Louise Bennetts
School statement:
“Designers in Residence is an international scholarship program of the City of Pforzheim granted to young design artists from the fields of jewellery, fashion, accessories, industrial and graphic design, among other disciplines.
“It is awarded annually in cooperation with Pforzheim University and the Design Center Baden-Wurttemberg.
“The jury accords three scholarships in total.
“From April to June 2024, the stipendiaries created their projects at EMMA – Kreativzentrum Pforzheim and at Pforzheim University.
“An exhibition summarises the results of their three-month scholarship period.”
Edible Playscapes: A Hands-On Dining Experience by Alejandra Alarcón
“Alejandra Alarcón is a Mexican interdisciplinary designer and artist based in Helsinki.
“Her practice explores the intersection of food and art, delving into social, political and cultural dimensions.
“Alejandra holds an MA in Contemporary Design from Aalto University, her work has been exhibited at Museo Universitario del Chopo, Helsinki Design Week and Dutch Design Week.
“Her project Edible Playscapes: A Hands-On Dining Experience explores eating as play to positively transform the Western dining experience without the use of cutlery.
“By reimagining the dining table as a playscape, it empowers individuals to explore with their hands and reflect on our dining rituals.”
Student:Alejandra Alarcón Course: Designers in Residence Tutors: Jiro Kamata, Romin Heide and Louise Bennetts
Topographies of Delusional Immortality by Elisa Lutteral
“Elisa Lutteral is an Argentinean artist based in New York with an MFA in Textiles from Parsons, The New School for Design, and participation in the Sakata Orimono residency in Japan.
“Lutteral’s work has been exhibited at Talente in Super Gallery, L Space Gallery, Picture Theory Gallery and PTM Contemporary, in various locations including CDMX, Laguna Mexico, Vienna, Munich and New York.
“Topographies of Delusional Immortality delves into the symbolic representations of power and the constructed landscapes that echo humanity’s patriarchal obsession with permanence and defiance of time.
“Through an alchemical fusion, rigid structures transform into fluid and malleable forms.
“This transformation invites viewers to reconsider what is deemed valuable and permanent.”
Student:Elisa Lutteral Course: Designers in Residence Tutors: Jiro Kamata, Romin Heide and Louise Bennetts
Thread of Time by Simon Rogalla
“Simon Rogalla completed his MA in product and wood design at the Angewandte Kunst Schneeberg and soon became an independent designer.
“In addition to combining different areas such as fashion and furniture, the principles of adaptability and sustainability play a recurring role in his work.
“Thread of Time translates the principles of scout furniture into contemporary design using only rope, without nails, screws or glue.
“As soon as the knots are untied, the objects disintegrate and their former identity becomes unrecognisable.
“The project emphasises the importance of material and connecting elements for sustainability and questions our understanding of object, ownership and time.”
Student:Simon Rogalla Course: Designers in Residence Tutors: Jiro Kamata, Romin Heide and Louise Bennetts
Partnership content
This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and EMMA Creative Center. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.
This device is so cool-looking, I almost don’t care what it actually is.
But I’ll explain. If you’re an industrial designer, when you hear “deflectometer” you probably picture the machine that tests how far a material will deflect; you may have seen one in a chair factory. However, to civil engineers, a deflectometer is an object you tow on a trailer. This type of deflectometer is filled with weights and sensors, and fancy software lets it evaluate, inch by inch, the road surface it’s traveling over. They look like this:
Danish engineering startup Measure invented a new deflectometer technology that uses lasers rather than weights. They reckon their solution is more accurate and requires less adjustments and recalibrations than the incumbent design. To turn their tech into a physical product, they turned to Eskild Hansen Design Studio, an ID consultancy.
“Based in Denmark like us, we designed Measure’s first product. The Measure Deflectometer is the world-first self-contained deflectometer and can be installed in any vehicle to provide high-resolution deflection measurements. This piece of equipment helps to understand structural condition of the roads, ending up being critical while deciding how to best maintain or repair road network.”
“As this was Measure’s first product, we aimed for the design to make a bold statement and embody their innovative spirit.”
“Drawing inspiration from consumer electronics, we crafted a sleek profile using sheet metal to evoke an industrial aesthetic while maintaining a modern and approachable feel.”
“Designed for a fast and limited production, the Measure Deflectometer has been manufactured locally. A complex and thrilling exercise combining modern shapes, simple assembling and low-cost tooling.”
“The Measure Deflectometer was meticulously designed with manufacturability as a top priority. We opted for low-volume production methods such as CNC machining, sheet metal bending, vacuum forming and 3D printing.”
“Despite this, the final result is uncompromising; it looks and feels like a product produced in mass quantities.”
Check out more of Eskild Hansen Design Studio’s work here.
Here’s a unique take on an under-desk trolley, which offers storage, a little extra worksurface for your desk, a bag hook, and an extra seat, in a pinch.
The C9 Trolley is by Washington-based Watson Furniture, who writes:
“Its steel tray can easily convert from a storage hub into a convenient side table or a desk extension, ideal for spontaneous meetings and team collaborations. Beyond storage, it doubles as a practical seat for quick discussions or shared workstation tasks. The C9 Trolley brings mobile storage out from under the desk and into the open plan.”
The tray can lock in the upper position, so you can use it as a tow handle.
The file access seems a bit inconvenient, but perhaps it’s good enough for rarely-accessed reference stuff.
Made of steel, the C9 is available in a variety of powder-coated finishes.
As powerful and as useful as our smartphones might be, they can also be stumbling blocks not only for productivity but also for mental health. Incessant notifications and the fear of missing out (FOMO) add to the stress and anxiety of the modern world. Of course, ditching your smartphone is no longer an option these days, which is why several designs try to meet the problem halfway, many utilizing minimalist interfaces or drab gray screens to limit our smartphone interaction. Those, however, only solve one part of the problem, leaving many people still unused to taking breaks or relaxing. This concept design for a smartphone accessory tries to do exactly that, keeping your phone safely away from your reach while also helping you get into the habit of taking good breaks from time to time.
Designer: Jeongmin Ham
The most basic strategy people use to avoid distractions from their phones is to put it away, either at a distance or inside a drawer, creating some friction or obstacle to getting the phone instantly. While it can be an effective strategy for some, it’s also a missed opportunity for the smartphone to do something, well, smart. Short of using it as a timer, which can also lead to temptations, it can perhaps be utilized for some other function while keeping its normal distracting features at bay.
FIKA is a concept design for an accessory that does exactly that, keeping your smartphone from distracting you but also putting it to good use in training you to take breaks and use those breaks wisely. It is pretty much a cage or enclosure where you put the phone in, blocking complete use of the device except for a small circular window to a part of the screen. This is the only place where you’ll be able to see the phone’s guidance on how to take a break properly, somewhat like guided meditation apps that have become quite popular these days.
The idea for FIKA is to not just simply put your phone away to avoid distractions but also to develop good habits of taking breaks. And while different people take breaks differently, not everyone has an idea of how to do so properly, so FIKA can suggest certain actions like breathing exercises. Over time, the reminders and the case might not even be needed anymore, as you would have developed the habit and willpower to do it on your own.
The concept design sadly leaves a lot of questions unanswered, like how one will be prevented from just fishing out the phone without some locking mechanism. It also doesn’t mention how the circular window actually works, whether it is just a hole that leaves a part of the phone’s screen exposed or if it’s a touch-sensitive surface that “passes” touches through to the phone inside. Still, the core idea is interesting enough to warrant further thought, especially in an age where people’s mental and physical health has been in decline due to smartphones and overworking.
People have different tastes when it comes to furniture, even something as functional as chairs. There are those that look for comfort while there are those that just want something they can sit on when working. There are people who look for highly aesthetic chairs that can fit into their space while there are those that like to look for more experimental kind of chairs.
Designer Name: Liam de la Beyodere
If you’re the last kind of person, this chair concept might be right up your alley. The Push Fit Chair uses frosted injection-moulded polycarbonate plastic for its parts. When you push them together and assemble it, you get a chair that sports a crystal-clear aesthetic. The idea is for light and colors to flow through the chair and lets it cast different patterns and shapes on nearby surfaces.
You can also remove the backrest part of the chair if you want to just have a stool type of furniture. You can also put the backrest on the side so you get a side table along with your chair. There is also space under where you can store items like books and knick knacks. If you put the full chair with the chair/side table together, then you have a more complete set.
Chairs made from polycarbonate plastic may not seem the most comfortable but based on the renders, you get something really pleasing to the eyes. And of course, we love multi-functional and modular things here, so that’s another bonus fro the Push Fit Chair.
Rival Chicago design events NeoCon and Fulton Market Design Days must start working together for the benefit of the city, an organiser of one of the fairs has said.
The two events, both geared towards the contract furniture market – furniture meant for commercial installation – take part over the same few days in early June.
Design Days is a fledgling flair just a few years old but is supported by a number of marquee brands such as Herman Miller, Knoll and OFS that have recently moved over from NeoCon, which has been running for nearly six decades.
NeoCon takes place yearly at The Mart in Chicago. Photo by Gillian Fry
“I think both sides know that there’s something that needs to be discussed,” Fulton Market Design Days (Design Days) development director Rob Tivadar told Dezeen.
“But nobody’s sitting down and trying to hash anything out.”
NeoCon is located at The Mart, a massive two-block-long structure with 25 storeys and more than 250 showrooms, as well as offices.
Fulton Market is just a mile away, and by contrast consists of a strip of showrooms intermixed with restaurants and anchored by new buildings with multiple tenants such as the stepped, SOM-designed 800 Fulton Market building.
Both events have social components, with NeoCon hosting a number of events for registered attendees, many of whom pay for their badges, while Design Days has no central event but this year hosted several activities, including screen-printing t-shirts.
NeoCon involves hundreds of showrooms at The Mart. Photo by Gillian Fry
Tivadar also runs Oetee, a studio that builds out showrooms and retail installations and has been working with brands inside and outside of NeoCon for decades.
His work with Herman Miller, which previously had a showroom in The Mart, led him to work on build-outs in Fulton Market, and he has since become involved with the promotion of the district as a whole, helping to lead the Design Days event and liaising between the 35 brands at Fulton Market.
He said that more interest has come to the Fulton Market area as Herman Miller and Knoll – both part of the same company since a 2021 merger – and OFS pull away from The Mart – a move that he sees as motivated by the more public-facing nature of Fulton Market.
But he said he hopes that the two organisations can find a way to work together.
“We’re moving into new real estate that [NeoCon] have no stake in – so we understand that it’s definitely not what they would like because we’re taking business away from them,” said Tivadar.
During Design Days this month, most people walking between the showrooms on Fulton Market had NeoCon badges – and Design Days offered a shuttle service between The Mart and Fulton Market completely on its own initiative.
Some brands outside of either camp, such as furniture outlet Luminaire, hosted events during the week to capitalise on the huge influx of design enthusiasts – though many visitors could be heard wondering aloud why NeoCon and Design Days had not collaborated to organise a city-wide festival.
While cooperation has been lacking so far, Tivadar is optimistic.
“I’m hopeful that over the next couple of months we’ll get closer to having some sort of discussion about what the future looks like,” he said.
And while the loss of several marquee American brands might be painful for The Mart, NeoCon itself is still growing.
A report by NeoCon said more than 50,000 attendees and 12 new showrooms took part in this year’s fair.
Fulton Market Design Days just had its second year and is backed by brands such as Miller Knoll. Photo courtesy of Oetee
While NeoCon did not respond directly to questions about potential tensions between the events or confirm any potential collaboration with Design Days, a spokesperson struck a positive tone in comments to Dezeen.
“We had a fantastic NeoCon 2024 with strong attendance and high energy and engagement that extended throughout our beautiful city,” The Mart’s Lisa Simonian said.
“As we begin to plan for NeoCon 2025, we will be reaching out to potential new local and global collaborators to explore innovative ways to further enrich and evolve the NeoCon experience for the international design community.”
“We look forward to these conversations and sharing more updates in the coming months once we have had a chance to connect with these potential new partners.”
Tivadar said that brands at Fulton Market hope that the city can move towards “more of that design week feel” and argued that a more official, city-wide design week in June would also benefit NeoCon.
“I think the only way for that to happen is for all of us to sit down and say ‘hey, how do we make this something that’s beneficial for everyone in Chicago?'” said Tivadar.
Design Days and NeoCon take place on the same days in June. Photo courtesy of Oetee
In 2020, a group of local designers tried to put together a Chicago Design Week. It did not take off, though the city is a host to other major events in the architecture and design calendar, including the Chicago Architecture Biennial.
Tivadar pointed to the growing popularity of the 3 Days of Design festival in Copenhagen, which also takes place in early June, as another reason for collaboration.
“Us not being a unified front here, we’re definitely going to be losing some ground somewhere to [3 Days of Design],” he said.
“Moving forward, I think it’s better if we all sit down and talk about what the path is moving forward.”
According to Tivadar, this path should include bringing more local designers and community-oriented events into the fray.
“June in Chicago is the best time in Chicago, right?” he said. “We are a beautiful shining star of greatness right in the middle of the country. And so I think there’s hope on the horizon.”
NeoCon 2024 took place from 10 to 12 June 2024 at the Mart, 222 Merchandise Mart Plaza, Chicago, USA. Fulton Market Design Days took place from 10 to 12 June at various locations in the Fulton Market District, Chicago. For more events, exhibitions and talks in architecture and design visit Dezeen Events Guide.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
