A home that makes the Smart car, standing side-by-side, look like a SUV. No, an 18-wheeler.
“Micro-Compact Home” [m-ch] was inspired by Japanese tea houses, yes, the Smart car and first class air travel. They are lightweight, modular, mobile and very minimal 2.65m (roughly 77 sq ft). That equates into a 266 x 266 x 266 centimeter cube ‘Home,’ Imagine that? It’s not for the claustrophobic, a dwelling non-the-less, for one or two people. This is not a tent, a trailer, but a home, in a super compact design.
The tiny cube provides a double bed on an upper level and working table and dining space for four to five people on the lower level. The entrance area has triple use: it functions as a bathroom and drying space for clothing, in addition to a lobby. Costing $80,000 USD, this little prefab integrates state-of-the-art technology into its compact design, boasting a sound system, flat screen TV, and temperature controls. It requires no furniture and all storage space is cleverly concealed within the structure of the dwelling. (more…)
“The brain is a category buster.”
-Elizabeth Phelps, American Cognitive Scientist,
2007
GRAVITY FREE is a truly unique multidiscipline design conference. Each year we pick a theme. Then we select 22 of the most passionate designers, design thinkers and innovators on the planet from 20 different design disciplines to help us explore the theme. The result: an experience like none other—a remarkable cross-fertilization of ideas and inspiration that only happens when such a remarkable variety of design influences interact.
GRAVITY FREE covers the waterfront of creative disciplines. Speakers come from architecture, retail display, storytelling, experiential environments, urban planning, customer experience, product design, information architecture, exhibit design, aerospace, interior design, theme environments, production design, illusion, molecular gastronomy, automotive design, technology and media, museum design, brand management… in fact, ANY area that offers something new and important. No break out sessions. Everyone has the same experience. (more…)
If you like Eames, a collectors item, a childs toy resurfaces.
During the early 1940s Charles and Ray Eames developed a successful technique for molding plywood into three-dimensional shapes, which led to the creation of a variety of furnishings and sculptures. The Plywood Elephant, in particular, has attained legendary status among collectors. Designed in 1945, this piece requires complex fabrication methods. Only two prototypes were produced, both of which were subsequently displayed in an exhibition at the New York Museum of Modern Art. Today only one known model remains in the possession of the Eames Family.
Charles and Ray Eames were fascinated by elephants. Many images of these gentle giants are found in Charles’ photographic documentations of Indian culture and the circus world. The Plywood Elephant was designed as a toy for children, but also as a striking sculptural object that makes a statement in any environment with its vigorous curves and delightful character. There is a playful charm in the way that the Eameses used juvenile motifs to create a vibrant, cheerful idiom that appeals to adults as well as children.
June 17, 2007 marked the 100th birthday of Charles Eames. To commemorate this occasion, Vitra is producing a limited Anniversary Edition of the Eames Plywood Elephant. Designed in 1945, this piece attained legendary status in spite of the fact that it never went into production.
The 2007 Anniversary Edition of the Eames Plywood Elephant is strictly limited world-wide to 1000 pieces in each of two versions, natural maple and red stained maple. The serial number of each Plywood Elephant is engraved on a small aluminum plaque. DA is sorry this post is so late in coming. Check with Vitra to see if any are still available.
the problem and the solution
These stairs are beautiful. An artform. No 5 inch stilettos or alcohol allowed. This is a very clever solution. You have to wonder who conceived of the problem in the first place…
Title: Stair
Object: Stair
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Client: Private Residence
Design: Gabriella Gustafson & Mattias Ståhlbom
Date: 2006
via TAF