We pretty much love anything that is solar powered. So, geeky as it is, we were very excited to hear that solar-powered WiFi has been born in Boulder, Colorado.
Lumin Innovative Products recently set-up a solar-powered WiFi access point in Boulder ? making it the first city in the US to have a solar-powered WiFi network. The LightWave AP-1000 takes 5 hours of sunglight to charge, and then emits WiFi for roughly 72 hours.
This isn’t exactly design news, but this product looks so efficient and useful that I thought it worth a mention here.
Soldius has unveiled a cool new solar-powered phone charger - perfect for those days where you are on the road and don’t have access to an electrical outlet. (Or maybe you do have access to an electrical outlet and you just want to conserve energy!) I can imagine this would come in really handy during camping trips, power-outages, and pretty much any instance where one needs to be mobile and off-the-grid.
Aswoon/Susan Woods Studio in Brooklyn designs and fabricates furniture and architectural additions for interiors and exteriors, as well as providing a platform for high-end artists and designers. The studio, located in the Brooklyn Navy Yard is providing furniture for this year’s Semi-permanent design conference in NYC.
Rooftops often go unnoticed as perfectly available and totally untapped potential spaces. In recent years, they have begun to gain some attention as good venues for solar panels and urban gardens, but the full spectrum of possibility has yet to be embraced. A group of four interns at McCall Design Group in San Francisco undertook a summer research project to explore the rooftops of the city and stretch the ends of the spectrum, calling attention to a forgotten urban landscape and topography.
Why settle for a boring round ceramic vase, when you can have a beautiful custom-made vase extruded from your own signature?
For a little dosh, Tjep Design Studios in Amsterdam will take a signature of your choice and extrude it in nylon to create an unique typographic form. Whether or not you stick flowers in it or just stick it on your table is up to.
Yes its a little pricey (1900 British Pounds to be exact) but I think …
“Never design anything that cannot be made,” was the principle guideline of Jean Prouv? (1901-1984), the French designer whose work is having its first U.S. museum exhibition at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art from August 14-November 27. Prouv? was originally a metalworker who went on to be a pioneer in prefab housing beginning in the 1950s. The MOCA exhibit will highlight three of Prouv??s prefab buildings through the photography of Lucien Herv?: the Glassmaking School in Croismare and the Aluminum Centenary Pavilion, both in France; and the Tropical House, originally in Africa.
The Tropical House (pictured above), which was first constructed in Brazzaville, Congo, in 1951, and restored in France in 1999, will be installed from October 4-November 27 in the courtyard of the Hammer Museum at UCLA. The house was built with lightweight steel and aluminum, in accord with Prouv??s commitment to utilizing advanced technology to create simple, light designs that could be mass-produced and shipped to French colonies in Africa, where they could be easily assembled.
As a kid, one of the greatest parts about building a LEGO house was that you could transform it over and over. As the characters in your make-believe world changed, the size and shape of your home could endlessly accommodate them. When you grew up, this kind of spontaneous renovation seemed limited to your imagination. But a new company in Norway is proving that even grown-ups can have a limitlessly flexible home.
Lovetann makes homes that stretch the conventions of modular design. The framework of each module is identical, framed in Hydro aluminum. The frame is then fitted with wall panels that can be customized according to the homeowner, with built-in features such as wireless networking, fireplaces, and floor-to-ceiling windows. Each home comes fully equipped with home entertainment systems and electrical appliances by Siemens.
A great way to recycle used bottles is to chop them in half and give them new life as other forms of kitchenware. These Mint Tumblers were once the lower halves of wine, water and soda bottles. Now they are a supercute set of glasses which will impress all who enter your kitchen.
These babies can be yours for $40 from Uncommon Goods
Via Treehugger
Sponge, the sustainable development and design network for students and young professionals, has just announced the winners for their international “Sustainable Lifestyles” postcard design competition. The competition was inspired by their successful bid for environmental action funding from the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). To celebrate the achievement, Sponge challenged designers of all ilks to create a set of four four-color, single-sided postcards which would serve as business cards, announcements and fliers for the organization.
The winners are Dave Chiu and Alexandra Deschamps-Sonsino, a pair of Masters students in Interaction Design at the Interaction Design Institute Ivrea in Italy. Their card set, entitled String Me Along, offers a “how-to” guide to leading a more sustainable life. The postcards function as a marketing tool for Sponge, but also embody sustainability through re-use as a mobile (see photo below). Each card has a simple list of things you can do, like using a travel mug or writing on both sides of your paper. By stringing the cards together in a mobile, you create an “interactive, visual, public reminder of your contribution towards sustainability.”
If you are a fan of Modern design, and you are in the market for a trailer home, then the stars are aligning for you, my friend. Who knew even five years ago that there would be so many affordable and stylish prefab mobile homes available in 2005? First there was the Retreat House, now the Breckenridge Perfect Cottage.
Designed by architect Christopher Deam, this minimalist single-wide trailer home has 400 sq ft of living space and sells for just $45,000! The trailer has one bedroom, a full-sized bathroom, an open kitchen, and comes with built-in storage and entertainment units. The front of the structure is composed of four large sliding-glass doors that are outfitted with blinds for sun-control and privacy.
It appears that Breckenridge is doing some serious market research on these puppies - so if you like this style of mobile home and want to see more of it, get thee to Breckenridgeparkmodels
The Danish furniture and gift company, Skagerak Denmark, uses wood, brass and steel to create pieces that reflect old shipbuilding traditions. The company holds strict policies around sourcing wood to ensure legal timbering and trade, utilizing primarily FSC-certified teak, nyatoh and oak.
In their most recent line of home accessories, Skagerak has taken inspiration from the wood-paneling in car interiors that adds a feeling of luxury to the overall design. These salt and pepper shakers are made of stainless steel and wrapped in a wood panel, bringing together the traditional shipbuilding materials with a clean, modern aesthetic.
You could have an ordinary hooks-on-the-wall coat rack like everyone else, or you could shell out for this fabulous Tree Coat Hanger from Swedese. Both will hang your coats, but only one will give you a faux-forest in your living room.
Available for $800 from the sfMoMA store, in white lacquer, black lacquer or birch veneer.
What structure is simple to erect, easy to move, and will keep you cozy on the windy Kyrgyz steppes? If you answered “Yurt” , you are correct!
Not just for Mongolian nomads anymore ? the traditional Central Asian yurt has been updated by a company called Pacific Yurts, who have revamped it into an economical and efficient contemporary mobile dwelling. The compact shape of the yurt and lightweight tensile structure means that the dwelling is highly efficient in maximizing strength while minimizing use of materials.
When the SARS scare sent waves of fear around the globe, hygenic face masks became a must-have accessory faster than the iPod. But plain white just doesn’t do for the face mask what it does for the iPod, which is why Samira Boon became an instant hit when she designed colorful, designer masks donning animal snouts and muzzles.
Her reputation as the mask designer has kept her afloat on the surface of design trends, and she has just been profiled in the new online Ping Magazine out of Japan. A native of the Netherlands, Boon lives and works in Japan, where she gets much of her inspiration from local culture.
Ping covers Boon’s upcoming line of felt vases, a collection of wide, winding piece that wrap around several narrow glass containers. They come in multiple colors and become rather interactive works of art as you choose what to display in each empty tube.
One of the great virtues of modern design is simplicity. Adrift Mobiles achieves this beautifully with their line of bamboo and wood veneer mobiles. The designs are delicate and organic looking, available in five different variations, each with a silhouette suggestive of its name, like “flight,” (below) which looks like a trio of water birds, and “flow,” which resembles a whirlpool. Mobiles aren’t just for the baby’s room; these slow-drifting creations could lull even the most caffeinated adult into deep relaxation.
If you’re lacking in space and gardening skills (like me), Flowers in a can is the answer to all your houseplant woes. These cheery canned flower kits are as easy as they come: just pop the top, add water, and presto - you have a cute little canned plant.
Elecrolux Design Lab is currently accepting submissions for their 2005 student design competition, held this year in partnership with designboom . The theme of this year’s competition is “Imagine the Home in 2020,” and calls for appliance designs to suit the home of the [nearish] future.
Elecrolux Design Lab is an offshoot of the Swedish electrical appliance company Electrolux. For the past three years, Electrolux has sponsored the competition, which challenges students to envision the ideal appliance of the future. The projected year has grown progressively more distant?In 2003, it was 2010; last year, 2015, and this year we’ve jumped to 2020.
In most grocery stores, you get ten cents back when you bring your own bag or a discount for reuse. In countries that are less blase than the U.S., you have to buy a bag if you don’t bring one?a surcharge for wastefulness. While both of these tactics are worthy incentives to forestall a plastic-wrapped planet, you may be most motivated by a bag so cool you’ll never forget it at home. Susan Bijl’s New Shopping Bag is just the ticket.
The …
Create an ode to one of the best girl bands of all time in modern wood side tables! Or if you are not an ESG fan, spell out EGG, SEE, GEESE or whatever your heart desires! Why this company only makes these shelves in the letters E, S &; G, I’m not sure, but the mystery is definitely part of the appeal of these cute tables.
Each side table is $550 from Lekker Home Furnishings
Via BLTD
I just can’t get enough of the hunting lodge faux-trophy thing. This ghost antler coat rack is especially awesome because it is about as elegant as you can get (for imitation deer antlers) and it is functional to boot!
Designed by Seattle artist Erich Ginder, the antlers are made from cast resin, and will set you back $230 from Velocity Art and Design.
Via BLTD
Modernseed, the baby store run by two modernist moms (and savvy businesswomen) offers “All Things Modern for the Mini,” both online and on-site at their storefront in Oakland, CA. There is much to see at Modernseed, including furniture, bedding, clothing, and toys for budding style mavens and miniature modern designers. One feature of the company you might not notice if you are merely shopping is the Modernseed Birdhouse Design Competition, which has just completed its second year.
The design competition has two categories: kids and adults. The 2005 winner in the adult category was the “Nest Modern Birdhouse” , which redefines green building by providing birds with recycled material for their nest. The body of the birdhouse is made with reused plywood scraps and held together with stainless steel hardware. The roof is an old book that has been coated in waterproof shellack to protect it from the elements. The interior of the book has been left intact, so that from the inside, birds can tear out the pages and use them in the nest.
Having people over and you don’t want to resort to tacky (and bad-for-the-earth) plastic plates and cups? Time to check out Bambu Veneerware. This disposable bamboo dinnerware is sturdier and more efficient than plastic dinnerware, and a hundred times more classy.
Unlike flimsy plastic and paper plates, Bambu Veneerware won’t buckle under hot, wet, or heavy foods. The 100% organically grown bamboo is highly renewable, with a rapid growth cycle of three to five years (most hardwoods have a …
One side effect of our growing power demands is the Urban Heat Island Effect, which results in elevated outdoor temperatures and pollution from power-generated heat radiating off of asphalt and concrete.The problem is particularly noticeable in Los Angeles, where air conditioners alone generate enough power to raise the city’s temperatures.
One solution to the problem: plant more trees around your house. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) has established the “Trees for a Green LA” program, to teach Angelinos about maintaining trees, and offer free trees to residents. Shade trees not only cool down homes, they also generate oxygen and limit soil erosion.
These days I’m feeling a little forlorn that I’ve moved away from the golden state, and thus missed CA Boom, which just wrapped up last night in Santa Monica. Fortunately the event is being thoroughly covered by Land + Living, Treehugger, and Mocoloco, so check out those sites for the latest reports.
On Treehugger I just spotted this wonderful Modern-Shed, which has got to be the most affordable pre-fab dwelling in existance. Designed to function as backyard storage space, an office, small art studio, or even a guest bedroom, it can be easily assembled in a weekend. There are three basic models which range in price from $5700 - $7800. What a steal!
I will be living in one of these until I buy my first house.
Perfect for those moments when really wish you were somewhere else. Designed by Jason Miller, each Daydreams Mirror contains a tranquil nature image printed onto the reflective surface. When viewed, the printed image and reflection combine, transporting the viewer into an imaginary environment.
I’ve seen these puppies in the flesh, and they are really quite beautiful - whether you are looking to get away, or just bring a little bit of the great outdoors into your personal space.
Available for $399 from …
Greentea Design sells
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cabinets and antique pieces from China, Korea and Japan.
Their furniture is crafted
from salvaged woods
that were reclaimed from
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