Break It On Down

Let’s be honest, there’s kinda this unspoken understanding that products that are made for efficient transportation will usually reflect it in their design… and not always in a good way. The Complect coffee table is a union of simple home assembly and high quality construction that merge to create a practical flat-packing table without sacrificing...

All in One, Two Three, Four

This puzzling design by designer Sanjin Halilovic isn’t your average shelving unit. It is, however, a modular furniture collection that become a table, chair, or lounge when broken down from the completed arrangement. The set’s four elements are constructed of wooden plaques fixed together with drvofix adhesive and finished in acrylic mat...

The Lunar Effect on Faucets

I am totally captivated by the Luna Faucet! It is such a super sexy curve that has the audacity to compete with the crescent edge of the moon! And guess what, it succeeds in its efforts and is quite a design inspiration. Available in polished chrome and brushed Steelnox satin nickel finishes, I’ll be picking up the faucet and shower combo...

Pushy Handle

Unlike traditional door handles, the UltraLatch doesn’t twist or turn. Instead, this functional hardware simply pushes or pulls to open an interior door, making it possible for small children, physically challenged adults, or anyone who’s arms are full to enter and exit safely with a mere 1/2 inch push or pull. Inspired by the auto gear...

Book Review: The Industrialization of Design, by Carroll Gantz

A focus on industrial design can make a book reviewer feel a little like a middle child. ID books will appear in the architecture section, occasionally in graphic design and sometimes even in the art section. Rarely is industrial design given focus in the United States. Carroll Gantz's The Industrialization of Design is the first history...

Salone Milan 2011 Preview: Danish Design at MINDCRAFT11

Macro Cubes by Bente SkjøttgaardThe essential, defining character of Danish design lies in 'intangibles' such as superior craftsmanship and practical value—in a word, quality.MINDCRAFT11 highlights these fundamental attributes, both in terms of the exhibition's depth and breadth, where "a new generation of Danish craftspeople interpret and...

Fishtnk Designers Felt a Connection

The Double-Dip Bench, by Toronto-based design firm Fishtnk, features a felt cushion woven through slats in the frame to provide hanging storage. The pouches have a measure of adjustability, though of course the overall collective depth is fixed; lengthen one pouch and another grows shorter.We also dig some earlier Fishtnk pieces...Their experimental...

2011 Northeast IDSA Conference: REGISTER TODAY!

Four days left until the 2011 Northeast IDSA Conference kicks off at RISD this weekend, April 8-9! Don't miss this opportunity to hear keynote addresses from President of RISD John Maeda on transforming education through design and Scott Wilson (MINIMAL/TikTok+LunaTik) on entrepreneurship in design. This year's "Design 4" theme asks designers...