Located in Bangkok, this rooftop home on top of a five-story building flexes its minimalist designer style with sleek lines and clean open spaces. The clean wooden lines and six-grid makeup create a warm and compelling space, despite the ultra-minimalist layout. Learn more about this sleek space on DesignBoom:
The very talented Eiko Ojala has a new series that speaks to climate change, and the feelings and perceptions around it. Based in Estonia, he has a very keen grasp on the perils of climate change, and the nuances of people’s perspectives. He paints a stark divide between the American South and the rest of the country, and the difficulty of addressing the issue in rural areas versus cities.
Not all environmentalists eat tofu: the hunters fighting climate change.
Using simple contrasting paper, and an extremely keen illustrative technique, his cut paper brings depth and introspection to the pieces. He accompanies each one with a thought provoking description. Via Behance:
Florida is drowning. Condos are still being built. Can’t humans see the writing on the wall?
What you know about the American south and climate change is wrong.
‘They chose us because we were rural and poor’: when environmental racism and climate change collide.
Why people in the US south stay put in the face of climate change.
What would Jesus do? Talking with evangelicals about climate change.
Talking about climate change in conservative places is hard. But we canβt afford not to.
Photographer and stylist Maria Svarbova has an enchanting series that showcasesΒ elegantly dressed ladies and synchronized swimmers in the desert, a juxtaposition that is as visually pleasing as it is anachronistic. Β We love the image of the repeated woman, it’s a strange and wonderful vision. Via Behance:
3D printing has evolved to a place where new devices and experiences can be imagined and designed out of all types of materials.
Take this beautiful little sound system, called the Ionic, designed byΒ Czech design studio DEEPTIME. Created using porous sand, the team set out to make a beautiful and highly functional sound system, and the resulting shell shape is the result of exhaustive planning and testing.
Creators Martin HΕeben and OndΕej ChotovinskΓ½ settled on the conch shape after finding its properties and form created excellent acoustics.
βdesign means looking for the form that reflects the nature and function of the product and builds on the benefits of the newest available technologies. we donβt want just to embellish existing standard solutions. instead, we employ organic shapes designed to enhance the sound qualityβ explains martin HΕeben. βwe find inspiration mainly in nature. all shapes in the natural world are functional in one way or another. youβll have a hard time finding regular cube or box shapes in nature,β adds OndΕej ChotovinskΓ½.
Limited to 1600 sets, you’d better be ready to shell out – no pun intended. Starting at $1000.Β
Architecture fascinates us, as you can tell by the dozens and dozens of posts we share about interesting, impressive, and wild structures found all over the world.
We tend toward a modernist aesthetic, but sometimes we come across architecture that pushes the ‘sleek’ concept a bit too far, into a realm of cold and sterile. Β We’re torn on this Hofmann House in Spain, which clearly embraces a very strong point of view, and has some very pretty elements.
Designed by Fran Silvestre Arquitectos and located in Valencia, we appreciate the exacting vision of the design, from the stark white exterior to the impressive roofline and unadorned overall feel.
The soaring and distinctive exterior shape has helped garner lots of press, and the home is even in the running for 2019 Building of the Year on ArchDaily:
But we’re left feeling that living or existing in the space would feel entirely foreign and devoid of emotion.
The home has an expansive use of glass, giving it a full view of the surroundings, and vice versa, a very un-private interior.
We’re equally unimpressed with the interior, which lacks any of color whatsoever, and also feels strangely uninspired, compared to the dramatic exterior.
We do find the infinity pool and veranda to be a very pretty space. And we’d jump at the chance to spend an afternoon there.
Overall, however, we find this ‘glass house’ concept to be a bridge too far for our taste.
We generally find the cold minimalism unwelcoming and much more fitting to a museum space than a family home.
What are your thoughts? Do these type of homes impress or repel you? Does architecture need to evoke a certain warmth to feel welcoming?
Either way, it provokes a conversation, which is why we will continue to be fascinated by architecture and the built environment.
Some of the world’s most famous architectural structures have been revisited by a gothic sensibility, exploring how they would change. We see buildings and monuments evolve from sleek minimalism into more complex forms and shapes. It’s a strange and interesting notion, created by NeoMam Studios. Via Yanko Design:
Fashion portraiture has evolved over the years, and these days, just about anything goes, in terms of lighting, art direction, and style. It’s impressive, therefore, to see a fashion photographer with a truly unique eye. Russian photographer Elizaveta Porodina has that eye, and her work is both colorful and full of movement. We’re fans of the way she obscures the camera with bubbles, fabric, and even smoke and mirrors. Her models are as diverse as her settings are. Really lovely work, via Fubiz:
The New York Times Style section always has an interesting take on fashion and culture in today’s society. Their latest column is titled “How to Dress Up”, and talks about the do’s and don’ts of different events, and ways in which to look fashionable and comfortable. We love the quirky illustrations/designs that accompany the article, by British duoΒ Cabeza Patata. They’re charmingly cartoonish, while also remaining distinctive and fun.
We’re always fans of seeing the creative process, especially in series form, where you can follow a progression of a style and collection. Nicholas Baker is a designer whose prolific series on Instagram, #nickschairsketches, explores his wild and whimsical chair design.
With just about every material imaginable turned into a seat, Baker’s imagination is fully on display, whether or not any of these chairs ever get built. Follow his series on Instagram to see where the journey of #nickschairsketches goes. Via YankoDesign:
Great architecture can speak for itself, but when photographed just right, it comes alive in a way that adds a whole different dimension. These captures by photographer Nick Frank are great because of their clean composition, and the strong white blue contrast. Do we see some Calatrava in these photos? It seems like it, but the mystery of the subjects make them all the more appealing. Via Behance:
Munich-based photographer Robert GΓΆtzfried has traveled his country to find some of the most striking examples of pipe organs. Simply titled PIPES, the series shows a wide range of designs, many of them beautifully art-deco or ornate in style. Whether you like the music of this mainly church dwelling instrument or not, you have to admit, those are some nice pipes. Via Behance:
In the style reminiscent of Charley Harper, British illustrator Neil Stevens channels a mid-century design spirit in this series of postage stamps. Β The colors are bright and bold, and the animal shapes simplified to make geometric forms. Fun work,Β Via Behance:
Sony isn’t trying to compete with the Apple Watch in creating a feature-packed piece of technology. Instead, it’s new FES Watch U is embracing the black and white limitations of e-ink, but to beautiful effect, all for the sake of fashion. Using the companion Sony Closet app, you can snap or upload any image, and it will transform the watch face and strap to match your style. Or choose from the catalog of fascinating styles, which bleed from the round face to the thin flexible surface of the band.
The result is a watch that fundamentally changes it’s appearance at the touch of a button. It’s a very clever and trippy effect, and something we somehow find refreshing, in the era of ultra-expensive and feature-packed devices. Β It reminds of us the importance of individualism, and of artistic expression.Β Via DesignMilk:
Berlin-based Studio Rem has a new collection of house planters, with a frosted glass top that resembles a foggy forest setting. The globe-like design, called Nebl, makes your plants delightfully cozy and intriguing, and encourages the viewer to take a closer look. Β Metals and ceramic bases create a nice pedestal look, almost like the plants are a type of light fixture. And it’s a bonus that this design screams “moss and fog”. Via Yanko Design:
The pure and minimalistic design of Nebl represents the sense of peacefulness and calmness that strikes, when everything is wrapped in rich, grey quietness on a foggy day.
Nebl is an intuitive and innovative planter that salutes unity and simplicity. Nebel is the German word for βfogβ and this exact meteorological phenomenon is the main source of inspiration for designer Michael Rem. Nebl consists of two parts: A ceramic base in which the plant is placed, and a frosted glass that is placed on the base. The glass has two openings with different sizes, which makes it possible to place the glass either high or low on the base.
Located in Washington State’s Cascade Mountains, Tumble Creek Cabin is a sleek modern interpretation of a cabin, utilizing eco-friendly materials and technology inside and out. UsingΒ solar panels, passive solar strategies, and a Tesla Powerwall, the relatively large cabin manages to be net-zero, meaning it doesn’t rely on the electrical grid at all. Indeed, on some days it makes more energy than it consumes.
In addition, the house makes use of Cor-ten steel and reclaimed barn wood for construction. Large overhangs from the cantilevered roof create additional shade from the sun, reducing energy load. Designed byΒ Coates Design Architects, we think it’s a classy and responsible design that should inspire additional sustainable architecture. Via Uncrate:
We’re continually amazed at the way 3D software and digital rendering tools can create entire worlds from your imagination. There truly is no limit to what’s possible, and that makes for a very expansive canvas for artists and designers.Β Andres Reisinger embraces this freedom fully, and showcases some really beautiful and imaginative scenes in this series called Plastic Rain.
In it, big, airy, minimal spaces are adorned with geometric furniture and objects, feeling both dreamlike and vaguely familiar. A chaise lounge sits next to an enormous oblong window, looking out onto soft evening clouds. In another, a bed sits in the middle of an enormous airy room, with a circular skylight above, and a bold spherical sculpture peering in. The light, almost pastel color palette fit beautifully with the surrealist minimalism at play. Reisinger’s work seems effortless in this space. Via Behance:
