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Beautiful Origami Lampshade for Paper Lovers -Chestnut by Studio Snowpuppe

If you’re looking for original-looking lampshades and you’re a paper lover too, then here we’re showing you a beautiful and eye-catching origami-inspired lampshades made of paper, which you’ll surely like them very much. We’ve recently seen them on Studio Snowpuppe website and we think they are great, adding a touch of originality to your home. Their passion for paper and light resulted in a charming collection consisting in a variaty of colorful paper origami lampshades. Designed by Kenneth and Nellianna, Chestnut is one of them, a lovely hanging lamp that will make you smile and bright up your living.

Very suggestive entitled, Chestnut, this lampshade was inspired, as you probably guess, by chestnuts, being folded from a FSC certified paper of the type Butterfly, which lasts in time. Its design resembles to an opened chestnut for the first time which looks very round and curved on the inside. Chestnut features strong angular folds outside and unexpected curved folds inside that play with the light.

Using the paper as material in different trendy colors and the fact that the hanging lampshade fits around a standard energy-saving lightbulb, Chestnut will provide a more natural, warm and colorful light. It is well-known the fact that the very popular energy-saving light bulbs spread a cold and not very nice light, but once the light filters through Chestnut’s paper, it becomes soft and cosy, suitable for using in a bedroom as the only source of light in the room or above the dining table. They can be easily cleaned by either using a feather-duster, blowing dust off or by using a vacuum cleaner at low power.

Check out also our previous post with cool origami-inspired decor ideas for a chic modern home.

Photos © Studio Snowpuppe

July 28, 2013
Unique Bench Design by Studio Nic Roex

Aiming to create products that excite and inspire, German Studio Nic Roex focuses on products, furniture and interiors distinguished by clear structures, clean lines and recognizable elements, shapes and techniques. Their functional designs involve actively people, making them feel part of the process. This unusual green and white bench we’re presenting you today is called E.B.B. and features an interesting design concept, which challenges preconceived notions of benches. A transparent green construction reveal the impossible -a bench with one leg instead of four, as it would be normal to have.

The unconventional design that gave up to the familiar and recognisable aspect (the four legs) of a bench draws attention and make the user curios to discover it and observe from every standpoint. E.B.B. bench’s form challenges and invites the observer to understand how it works. Unlike an ordinary seating piece, E.B.B. channels all its forces into one single leg with a firm metal base.

There are three steel parts made of distinct color shades, a combination between green and white which create somehow an optical illusion making you believe it’s suspended when looking from different angles. Thus, the challenge presented by this bench is one of balance. This original characteristic is highlighted and accentuated by the bench’s simple, irregular geometry, yet unique and catchy, that on the other side kept untouched the furniture item’s function. E.B.B is designed to be used outdoor, as it’s made of metal and acrylic, two materials suitable for this kind of environment. The acrylic provides the bench an attractive transparent look, but also is UV-resistant and does not fade in the sun. It’s dimensions are 150 x 80 x 55 cm

Photos © Simon Wald-Lasowski

July 27, 2013
Modern Building Construction Featuring SEFAR® Architecture Vision

Suurstoff, designed by Holzer Kobler Architects, consists in a building which will be constructed on the place of an old industrial complex. The SEFAR Architecture Vision is the company, which will take the job to transform the industrial complex in a modern one.

The new industrial complex Suurstoff will be located in a beautiful area from Risch Rotkreuz, Switzerland, and it will feature bilingual school, working spaces, childcare center and apartments, all in one large and exquisite complex place.

The best part is that all this facilities will be connected to the highway access, so that all the inhabitants can quickly have access to go to and out of town.

The interesting news was that the aesthetical and functional benefits will be obtained from good materials without changing the building conditions, as Dennis Clayton Matthiesen, associate at Holzer Kobler Architects said.

To create a unique design, the SEFAR Architecture Vision uses metal-coated material especially laminated one within transparent materials or glass, and by using these materials will result a modern and distinct design like a decorative glass partition wall systems, exterior and interior glass facades. By obtaining this fabric substrate, Architecture Vision succeeded to reduce the costs of the materials. We must say that the fabrics are available in six layers density and each of one can be coated with six different materials like Titanium and Gold, Aluminum/Copper, Aluminum/Copper and Aluminum.

The multi layered facade will create an unobstructed view and light transmission for the people who will live in this complex, and it will give them the possibility to reduce the using of the air conditional because of the thermal insulating qualities that will reduce the solar heat.

July 26, 2013
Wuhan Greeland Center in China to Become the Fourth Tallest Building in the World

Meet Wuhan Greeland Center, a stunning architectural masterpiece that is developing in this moment in Wuhan, China. Striving to create comprehensive, high-performance, forward-looking designs that not only exhibit timeless and enduring qualities, but also aid society, sustain the environment and inspire people to make the world better, Adrian Smith +Gordon Gill Architecture envisioned this impressive tower scheduled to complete in 2016. When it will be finished, Wuhan Greeland Center is likely to become the China’s third-tallest building, and the fourth tallest in the world.

After the famous Burj Khalifa from Dubai (828 metres), the upcoming supertall skyscraper Kingdom Tower (1,000 metres) and Azerbaijan Tower ( 1,050 meters), the Wuhan Greenland Center in China will reach to 606 meters (1,988 feet) and will features 119 storeys which will host a a 45,000 sm five-star hotel, 200,000 sq.m. of offices, 50,000 sq.m of luxury apartments and condominiums, and a 5,000 sq.m, 27-meter-tall private club with exceptional views at the tower’s penthouse level. Its oustanding design was conceived through a holistic, integrated approach that emphasizes symbiotic relationship with the natural environment. A tapered body, softly rounded corners and a domed top five this skyscrapers a magnificent, futuristic appearance.

This unique, aerodynamic shape is created for aesthetic reasons, but also to reduce vortex action and wind resistance that usually build up around supertall towers, and also to diminish the structural material used for its construction. It includes a series of sustainable features such as energy recovery, a high-efficiency lighting system, greywater recovery system, daylight-responsive control system and water-concerving low-flow plumbing fixtures. Its sculpted interior public spaces reflects the conical silhouette smooth curved glass facades. They feature fluid lines and a neutral blue-gray palette that recalls that reflective exterior glass. Here are some amazing pictures. Take a look!

Photos © Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture

Project details:

Services: Architecture, Interior Design, Master Planning
Client: Greenland Group
Function: Mixed-use
Facts: 119 stories, 606 m height, 300,000 sm area

July 25, 2013
Unique Sofa Design with Icelandic Lamb Wool and Antique Reclaimed Oak

With a vast experience manufacturing commercial, residential and hospitality furnishings for renowned luxury brands, including case goods and accent items, New York City based furniture design and fabrication company, SENTIENT, is distinguished by their expressive creations boasting of originality and creativity, and with a high quality of craftmanship. Take for example the Long Wool Sofa designed by the SENTIENT chief design officer, Nersi Nasseri.

He took two different materials and ingeniously combined them, resulting in a unique furniture piece in terms of form , functionality and color. By doing that he transformed a slab of wood and some sheepskin wool into one of the most interesting and catchy sofa. Its one-of-a-kind design with genuine and splendid features that instantly draw attention.

To create the “Long Wool Sofa”, the designer used 100% Antique Oak lumber, Icelandic Lamb Wool, pocket springs, two layers of foam and one layer of Dacron. Measuring 6” – 8”, the Icelandic sheepskin wool has a chaotic, long and wild appearance, yet soft, which makes it very inviting and comfortable. An array of warm beige, brown and golden colors delights your eyes creating a natural look, while the nail holes from the Antique reclaimed oak gives the sofa a more distinctive rustic character. This combination is amazing and looks very fashionable in the same time. Here are some pictures with it.

Photos © SENTIENT Furniture

July 24, 2013
Innovative Mirthe Collection of Outdoor Furniture by Tribu

The best outdoor furniture collection for the summer is without doubts the Mirthe collection dining and sofa designed by Tribu. In this collection, the designer Fabiaan Van Severen creates elegant and simple furniture pieces, with clean and simple lines so that can be fitted perfectly in your wonderful landscape. He purposely chooses for its furniture items materials entirely recyclable, which are the best for outdoors use, like powder-coated aluminum robust and lightweight.

The dining table has a soft, smooth and light design, impression that is given by the top curved edges and the legs of the table, which which is fitted at 90 degrees into the table creating a unique and splendid design.

The sofa set is stunning. The sofa has a cozy and fashionable design and is extremely comfortable. Maybe you’re wondering what is innovative at Mirthe Sofa. Well, its design has a distinct and modern water-resistant material where the cushions is extraordinarily well done and kept in a white-varnished aluminum shells and the water can not penetrate into it. It’s essential to mention that the cushions are made by nautical water safe material which comes with different color tones so that you can choose what you want in order to create your own design, but also it comes with white nautical Skai® leather. This sofa has all the comfort exactly as an indoor sofa; it actually has an extra thick UV and also has an open cell structure, allowing air to circulate freely inside and outside the cushions. This sofa is perfect for lying down in the garden and relaxing while enjoying the view, read a book, or drink tea with your family and friends.

The outdoor dining has more options that included an armchair, a side chair or a bench, that can be placed in small places like a balcony or other part of the outdoor space, so that you can combine all the furniture pieces in order to create a lovely design and a splendid outside for your home.

Photos @ coshliving.com.au

July 24, 2013
High-Tech Giant Umbrellas Improve Al-Masjid al-Nabawī Mosque’s Natural Micro-Climate

Located in Al Madinah, Saudi Arabia, Al-Masjid al-Nabawī is one of the largest mosque in the world, the Islam’s second-holiest mosque built by the Prophet Mohammed. Over the centuries, Al-Masjid al-Nabawī was enlarged, though it couldn’t kept pace with the increasing swell of Hajj pilgrims who gather each year in its courtyards. Millions of pilgrims congregate in the two interior courts belonging to both the old mosque and the new, traditionally designed buildings in Medina al-Munawwarah.

Just imagine a little bit how it looks like its surrounding area when the time of pilgrimage arrives. Although in recent years the traditional time of pilgrimage has been in the cooler fall and winter months, this period is changing progressively according to the lunar calendar and the summer months when temperatures are extremely high returns, exceeding 120 degrees F. These marble-floored spaces can be punishing for those millions of pilgrims who gather here, so these open plazas had to be efficiently climatized.

To such an exceptional situation, there had to be an exceptional solution and German designers, SL-Rasch, in collaboration with SEFAR Architecture came up with an ingenious way that improved the mosque’s natural micro-climate without destroying its architectural character. In November 2010, they completed the plantation of a forest of giant foldable sunshades, each being almost 20 meters tall. They were the largest umbrellas built up to that time and are really something unseen. The members of the Medina Haram Piazza project, as it was named, include general contractor Saudi Binladin Group (SBG), customer Saudi Arabian Ministry of Finance, architect SL-Rasch, German umbrella manufacturer Liebherr and Japanese manufacturer Taiyo Kogyo.

The stunning umbrellas work together to constitute the convertible shading roof of either of the mosque’s courts, having a total of 143,000 m2, which is larger than the floor area of the mosque itself. To have the expected result and provide pilgrims with optimal shade and environment, the high tech sunscreens are made of a special material named PTFE fabric, which satisfies the rigorous standards required by the customer and resist the aggressive UV radiation. Besides that, the material has an extremely high tensile strength owing to wind load, colorfastness, fire resistance, maximum flexibility, as well as effective shading and appropriate light transmission.

Regarding the light that passes through them, this extra tough PTFE fabric is a sand-colored one due to some good reasons. Additionally, the umbrellas feature elegant columns and oriental patterns made from blue PTFE ribbons, applied to the underside of the umbrella. The result of this solution? The ambient temperature created by the transclucent sunshades was decreased with at least 8 °C. Like blooming flowers, they all are programmed to open and close simultaneously in minutely delayed sequence to avoid collision between their moving parts. This procedure takes three minutes, offering a fascinating scene to watch.

Photos © Sefar Architects

July 23, 2013
Foldable Roof System for the HVB Forum by the SEFAR® Architecture TENARA® Fabric

Over a century, the HVB Forum, which is located in the heart of Munich, Germany, was the place of banks and financial institutions, but now it is a fashionable place with an open air atrium, where are held business events.

This challenging and futuristic change was possible because of the work of SEFAR® Architecture TENARA® Fabric. The HVB Forum concept was completed in 2006, and the group included architects like Guido Canali and Gilberto Botti, Munich, Germany and engineer/fabricator Clauss Markisen Projekt GmbH, Bissingen, Germany.
The main point of the Forum is the atrium place. Here, the owner wanted to keep the natural light which is entering only from the opening above.

So the SEFAR® Architecture TENARA® Fabric solution, creates a comfortable, modern, unique and safe space that can cover on a bad weather and be open-air when the weather is lovely, being a nice retractable, folding roof system. This lovely roof covers the 3,400-square-foot courtyard and facilitates light transmission. The secret which strengthens this roof consists of the material that they used to built this incredible folding and flexibility roof. The material was a high-strength expanded Fluor polymer woven, and it is Fluor polymer-coated. This material is the best because it will keep apart the mildew, while stored and it will not crack it. Also, this foldable roof system allows 38% light transmission so that all the sun light comes in the courtyard and surrounding office windows.

The HBV Forum is a place where the past and modern building design is combined so beautiful, and the roofs provide a nice and advanced utility with protection from inclement weather and visual appeal.

Photos © SEFAR® Architecture

July 23, 2013