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Lovely Portable Fireplace Design for Outdoors and Indoors

Looking for an out-of-the-box solution this summer that brings in a minute the holiday vibe? Well, in today’s post we’re presenting you FARO, an extremely versatile fireplace that will transform your home ambience, creating a warm and inviting place. Even though many of us love grand fireplaces that create an impressive statement in our houses and apartments, portable fireplaces are a great alternative, becoming very popular in recent years. You can let them in a permanent location or move them wherever you want, even in the most tiny spaces.

This interesting fireplace concept is created by Japanese designer Ryosuke Fukusada in collaboration with Rui Pereira and Eco Smart Inc., being developed around the idea of bringing people together in a society where high-technology is expanding fast and people are becoming more individualistic. The element of fire have been throughout history a sacred symbol which have, among other meanings, a role in connecting people, to reignite the flame of face-to-face communication between them.

Small and compact, FARO is a as lovely as it’s functional. It’s playful and eye-catching design allows you to enjoy the mesmerizing flame in a matter of minutes both in ourdoors and indoors, through the use of an ethanol burner. Unlike other fireplaces, FARO was modeled after the traditional woodstove, this feature giving you the possibility to load it with firewood when you move it outdoors. It is made from clay screens, a hammered base and an iron stand. Relocate it with ease and create a unique atmosphere for gardens, courtyards, terraces, patios, pool decks, or for any indoor area.

Photos © Ryosuke Fukusada

May 7, 2013
Yin-Yang House, a Modern Vision for a Single-Family Home

Take a look at the Yin-Yang House characterized by wonderful serene environment with an accent on public family space. Located in a peaceful neighborhood in Venice, California, the fantastic 4700 square feet residence was designed by Brooks + Scarpa Architects and it totally meets the client’s needs. They wanted a house for raising a large and growing family with several children, with plenty of space for family time, but also for socializing with their friends. Having this objective in mind, the architects envisioned a beautiful airy, tranquil and relaxed environment, that eliminates the standard space distribution and provides the the inhabitants a great and improved experience on all levels: architecturally, environmentally, emotionally, spiritually and pshilosophically.

Facing the street, the Ying-Yang House is a two-story volume which appears massive, with a modern architecture. Large, welcoming open areas favours a subtly transition between outdoors and indoors, giving a feel of freedom and breeziness. A series of courtyards and other outdoor spaces surrounds the residence, being designed for entertainment. In this way, the owners can host many guests without the feeling of being overcharged. The outdoor spaces with a large swimming pool for sunny days are perfect social areas for teenagers and their friends. A 50 foot sliding glass door connects the main courtyard with the modern decorated living space. A minimalist wonderful kitchen plays an important role in the home design, having an open working area where the owner can chat with guests while cooking. The area features a dining place as well as a breakfast room that overlooks the courtyard and the guest room/kids playroom, establishing a visual connection while defining the separation of uses. In this way, the children can be observed by adults while they play outdoors or do homework in the office. In order to have larger spaces for socializing, the other rooms like bedrooms are made quite small and simple.

The architects used recycled materials in most of the cases like composite stone, bamboo, tile for countertops and bathroom finishes too. The house roof has a series of eco-friendly features to increase the performance of the house’s heating and cooling: green roof, blown-in cellulose insulation, radiant heating, 12 KW solar photovoltaic panel system which ensures shade from the sun, preventing it from becoming overheated.

Photos © John Linden via @contemporist.com

Project details:

Project name: Yin-Yang House
Location: Venice, CA
Architects: Brooks + Scarpa Architects, Inc. (architect) – Lawrence Scarpa, FAIA, Lead Designer, Emily Hodgdon, Ching Luk,
Project Team: Glen Lyons Contractor M & M Solar (Solar Engineering/Installation)
Size: 4700 square feet
Date: 2011

May 6, 2013
Comfort and Privacy with Abri-Boca Living Pod

Abri-Boca is the latest project of the young German industrial designer Philipp Süssmann showcased at Milan Design Week 2013, an original looking living pod characterized by adaptability and clever design. Combining knowledge of society, living space and nature, the Abri-Boca concept reflects the idea of flexibility in a continuously changing society and the idea of protection, which is the actual meaning of transformation in nature.

The unique shape of the furniture item and it’s pivoting mechanism caught our attention and we couldn’t help ourselves from sharing with you guys. Dedicated to relaxation, at a blink of an eye Abri-Boca can transform itself from an open state into more intimate and enclosed ones allowing users to rest as they were in an armchair or in a bed. Interesting to observe from every stand point, when looking at it in its open state, the minimalist design it has doesn’t betray at all the fact that what initially appears to be an unusual armchair, it becomes a cocoon-like place, creating a protective canopy over the owner. A comfortable mattress unfolds forming a larger resting area, whilst the curved wood components kept together when it’s in the open state, now reveals to create a beautiful wooden shell via a mobile module for more privacy and tranquility.

Photos © Philipp Süssmann

May 4, 2013
Fascinating Details and Hidden Beauty Revealed by Paul Foeckler’s Fine Art Wood Sculpture

In this post we’re presenting you a lamp design that goes beyond form and functionality. It’s a truly one-of-a-kind fine art sculpture handmade from a single piece of cypress wood of California by Los Angeles-based designer Paul Foeckler. This gorgeous illuminated sculpture ranks high in originality and is a very dramatic work in his great collection entitled Split Grain, which contains amazing pieces with intriguing forms showcasing the unique patterns, characteristics and contours of California Coastal Monterey Cypress.

Striking simplicity, raw lines, authentic texture of the wood, this minimalist work plays ingeniously with the material, precision, color, shape and light. It illuminated contours make it interesting to observe in detail. Nothing is left to chance. More than 80 hours it took the designer to accomplish the light sculpture, each piece being carefully hand selected, cut and divided to get a particular shape. Paul Foeckler was not afraid to experiment with the most intriguing ones, with the aim to design fascinating and artistic lamp design.

Finished with 3 layers of UV protecting clear urethane, the wood slices are drilled and are placed around a glass core and a rubber grommet that holds them around the glass. A white LED (3000k) disperses a warm light that follows the outline of the wood capturing wonderful patterns from all angles. The minimalist sculpture features also 3 meter black cloth cord from Germany with a Leviton switch 14”. The bottom has attached to it a felt base for a scratch-free surface in order to complete the item. Great design; we think it goes amazingly in both modern and rustic settings, what do you think? Share your ideas with us in our comment section bellow.

Photos © Paul Foeckler

May 3, 2013
Cool Optical Illusion – Colorful Glass Tables by Sebastian Scherer

Simple, yet ingenious, that’s how can be describe in few words the following concept of German designer Sebastian Scherer, which impresses through color, surprise and clarity. He designed a unique series of coffee tables called Isom combining glass, geometric lines and amazing optical illusion that will simply inspire you with its dazzling presence. 10mm sheets of strong coloured glass are interestingly glued together with UV adhesive, resulting hexagon-shaped tops that lay on three vertical rectangles appearing to form rhombuses when looking down at them because of the edges of the base pieces.

Various depths of color are reflected on the cut surfaces because of the layering effect of the glass, evoking the illusion of isometric cubes if you look from certain angles. It allows the light to pass through the material, unobstructed and unobscured, creating this beautiful effect of “transparency”. Very modern looking thanks to this geometric design and the choice of color hue, the coffee tables are design objects and pieces of art at the same time. They are charming, simple and elegant. They can be used on their own or in group mixing the colors up for that cool optical illusions they create. Isom is available in blue, green, grey, and bronze glass, in two sizes, 60 cm in diameter, 25 cm high, and 120 cm in diameter, 35 cm high.

Photos source @journal-du-design.fr

May 3, 2013
Creative and Unconventional Way to Display Your Plants by YOY Design

With the aim to create a new story between objects and space, spatial designer Naoki Ono and product designer Yuki Yamamoto from Tokyo based design studio YOY Design envisioned a creative flower pot that was presented at Milan’s Design Week 2013 among other interesting items. “Book” is a great alternative to standard flowerpots you already know and use, that’s not only a space-saver, but also has an aesthetic value thanks to its unconventional design for such purposes.

As its name suggests, “Book”, the item has the shape of a book with an expresive title “The Life of Plants”, without being a book in the true sense as you might believe at first sight, but a stylish flower pot to cultivate and display your beautiful flowers and plants. Made of PMMA and PVC for waterprooﬁng, the minimalist and elegant cover pages can be opened, allowing you to see the soil inside and make it stands stably. Creating the illusion of a book, it can be easily integrated among other real books on your bookcase or used isolatedly on your table.

Photos © Yasuko Furukawa

May 2, 2013
Small 450 Square Feet Apartment Design in Hong Kong

This time we’re presenting a small 450 square feet apartment located in Central Hong Kong, in an old tong lau building, which includes small spaces like this one designed for commercial and residential purposes. Tastefully and smartly designed by Urban: Design & Build , the small apartment design is clean, minimalist and displays an harmonious and cozy color blend which makes it welcoming and airy. Although it has a tiny surface, the apartment is very stylish and reveals a good space distribution.

The open plan layout is enhanced by a creative placement of furniture pieces that emphasize comfort and functionality, and make the most out of the apartment’s limited square footage. The living room, bedroom and the office are practically in the same area, only the bedroom and living room are separated by a freestanding floor-to-ceiling shelving placed between a sofa and a bed. The interior is sprinkled with dark tones of color, creating a nice strong contrast which give a balance to the entire décor that pays tribute to modern design.

A great option in addition to a TV set is a projector that here descends from the ceiling when you want to enjoy home cinema experience. A decent open kitchen where the owner can enjoy cooking and dinner shares the same space with the hall and a huge wardrobe integrated in the wall. Here are some inspiring pictures, enjoy!

Photos © Urban Design & Build Ltd.

May 1, 2013
QWERTY Sofa Bed Concept Inspired by the Computer Keyboard

The current work of Italian architecture and design studio ZO_loft is QWERTY SOFA, a creative sofa bed concept, which draw attention thanks to its cool design very similar to the well known image of the computer’s keyboard. While maybe many of us experienced an uncomfortable resting place on the keyboard at some point, after long hours in front of the computer, designers from ZO_loft wanted to bring “a pinch of irony in our daily life” and imagined a furniture piece especially for relaxing that features an unconventional surface: individually adjustable “keys”.

What does this mean exactly? Well, the sleek-looking QWERTY Keyboard Sofa can be configurated to suit any number of sitting positions thanks to micro electric motors that adapt the height of every single cushion (key) to your everyday life’s needs using a remote control. It can be used as a comfortable sofa or you can easily enable its bed function. So, the separate cushions that are linked to a stainless steel frame allow through specific sections to add some extra back support, or to create a prop to lay your head on or a makeshift table for a laptop. Its unexpected design with the keyboard motif captivates you and it’s simple presence add personality and originality to any room. Do you like it?

Photos © ZO-loft

April 29, 2013