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LURVIG for Pets: IKEA Debuts its First Line of Animal Furniture & Accessories

17 Oct

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Furniture & Decor. ]

Made to be compatible with other IKEA furnishings and fixtures, this new first-of-its kind pet collection has something for all your favorite furry friends.

The 62-piece collection was designed by Inma Bermudéz and aims to fill a market gap with quality, aesthetically pleasing but affordable pet products.

Some of the objects extend existing uses, helping customers save money and space, like kitty-scratching materials that attach to existing IKEA table legs or puppy beds that slot into bookshelf systems already on offer. A number of the products are designed to pack flat and fold away when not in use.

The designs reflect extensive research into pet needs and behaviors, including a bed designed to be stuffed with old clothes, blankets and towles to help dogs feel comfortable and familiar around their human family.

Aside from pet sleepers and carriers, the LURVIG line features an array of brushes, bowls, leashes, bag dispensers spanning eating, playing, sleeping, traveling, walking.and other cat and dog activities.

Perhaps the biggest surprise in this stellar new collection is that no one at IKEA thought to do this sooner — thankfully, now they have.

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Furniture & Decor. ]

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Floating Tent: Pole-Free Inflatable Structure Pops Up in Minutes

17 Oct

[ By SA Rogers in Design & Products & Packaging. ]

Camping season may be just about over for the casual fair-weather enthusiast, but in any case, here’s a fun piece of gear to add to your Christmas wishlist. Have you ever gone paddle boarding or kayaking, and wished you could just sleep out on the water? Or maybe you’ve fantasized about living in a houseboat, but owning one is a bit impractical. The ‘Shoal Tent’ by SmithFly is like a cheaper, more casual version of heavy-duty floating fishing tents, and it’s way easier to set up.

Noting that 70% of the surface of the Earth is covered in water, the Ohio-based outdoor goods retailer offers an inflatable floating raft with a tent topper that lets you sleep out on the water, and requires no poles to set up. You just use a pump to fill the three raft body air chambers and tent frame with air to make the world “your waterbed.”

Since the tent floor is inflated, your air mattress is built right in, and it features a 6” drop to keep you dry, along with heavy-duty waterproof fabric and sturdy #8 zippers. The top and sides attach with velcro, so you can get in and out easily if you need to (no struggling to position the door just right.)

The tent features an 8’x8’ footprint and can sleep people up to 6’3” tall, with the same standing room height in the center. It packs down to a burrito-roll-style bag and comes with a patch kit and manual foot pump. At 50 pounds, it’s not exactly lightweight, but depending on your plans, it’s probably worth it. It’s currently on pre-order sale at a discount for $ 1274.15, with an MSRP of $ 1499.

[ By SA Rogers in Design & Products & Packaging. ]

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Nice Slice: 30+ Sculptures & Illustrations Created with Cut Paper

17 Oct

[ By SA Rogers in Art & Sculpture & Craft. ]

Hand most people some paper and an X-acto knife and ask them to make art, and at best, they’ll produce some cartoonish shapes spattered with blood. But these twelve artists are producing some of the world’s most impressive papercut art, whether by laboring over astonishingly intricate tapestries for months at a time or making use of clever minimalism for a surprisingly big impact.

Sea Creatures by Kiri Ken

Sea creatures and other natural subjects become the slightest wisps of paper in these extraordinarily delicate and detailed paper cuts by artist Kiri Ken, who shares her work on Twitter. The creatures often become something slightly unnatural in the textures and lines Kiri applies to their various parts, sprouting mechanical objects or patterns that look computerized.

Nature Scenes by Pippa Dyrlaga

Each teeny-tiny feather on a kingfisher’s wing, each scale on the body of a goldfish, is cut out with seemingly endless patience and unfailing accuracy in works by Yorkshire-based artist and printmaker Pippa Dyrlaga.

Anatomy by Ali Harrison

Ali Harrison’s versions of human organs are quite a bit prettier than the real thing, each one given surprising depth and heft despite being cut out of ordinary sheets of paper. The artist designs each one and then laser-cuts them so they can be reproduced. She sells them in her Light and Paper shop.

Endangered Species Cut-Outs by Patrick Cabral

Wolves, elephants, pangolins, tigers, pandas and more are rendered starkly in black and white cut paper against a black surface, each layer of their lace-like faces and bodies cut by hand. Manila-based artist Patrick Cabral donated half the proceeds from the sales of each of these endangered species to WWF Philippines.

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Nice Slice 30 Sculptures Illustrations Created With Cut Paper

[ By SA Rogers in Art & Sculpture & Craft. ]

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KISS & Mark Up: 10 Bizarre KISS Branded Products

16 Oct

[ By Steve in Design & Graphics & Branding. ]

KISS and its hustling frontman Gene Simmons continue to raise the rock music merchandising bar, licensing thousands of products ranging from banal to bizarre.

KISS my buns? Only if they’re KISS Super-Spicy Chili Tomato meat buns, because one would naturally expect KISS-branded steamed meat-filled buns to be… Hotter Than Hell! Partnering with Japan’s Circle K Sunkus convenience stores (strange things really are afoot at the Circle K) to promote KISS’s late-2013 Japanese concert tour, these frighteningly lava-like buns cost $ 1 each and were packaged in one of five collectible paper wrappers: one for each band member plus one more featuring the entire band.

The buns are embossed with the well-known KISS logo and their odd grey coloration comes from edible bamboo charcoal. Inside, super-spicy habanero chilies add a fitting dose of demonic heat. Sorry, Red Hot Chili Peppers, looks like Gene Simmons & Co stole your thunder. Kudos to Rocketnews24 for reporting on this weird but tasteful marketing gimmick.

KISS Gene Simmons Inflatable Tongue

What’s cosplay without prosthetics and what’s a Gene Simmons Demon outfit without a KISS Inflatable Tongue? In fact, forget the cosplay and outfit, just go with the tongue – always a winning strategy (unless your name’s Harvey Weinstein).

This official KISS product supposedly inflates to 3 times its original size… think The Grinch but MUCH more disturbing. The package also bears a cautionary “Warning: Choking Hazard” blurb though were not sure if the user or the usee is at risk… maybe both. If you dare, check out this video from Scott Vs Box as our hero, Scott, unboxes the tongue.

KISS Matryoshka Nesting Dolls

Does Putin know about this? Never mind, he’s probably got an autographed set of his own. KISS Rock And Roll Nesting Dolls take the classic Russian Matryoshka concept to a very strange universe indeed. One wonders what goes through the minds of the aging babushkas employed to hand-craft these “stunning glossy” dolls, though it’s probably not the extended version of “Beth”. Offered by The Russianstore, est. 1992 – just after the fall of communism. Thanks, Yeltsin.

KISS Frozen Ice Bars

You’ll have to go all the way back to 1980 (and all the way to Australia, no less) to find KISS Ice Blocks, “a frozen thunderbolt of refreshing flavour”. Manufactured by Peters Ice Cream, the way-cool bars did NOT feature the face of “Cat Man” Peter Criss, who had been fired from the band before KISS left for their hugely successful KISS Monster Tour of Australia and New Zealand.

Instead of Cat-Man Criss, Eric “The Fox” Carr peers out from the 10-pack box. As for the ice bars themselves, they feature bands of frozen cola, raspberry and lemonade. Yum! Check out a make-up-free Paul and Gene plugging the bars in this short (1:22) official video from Peters.

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Kiss Mark Up 10 Bizarre Kiss Branded Products

[ By Steve in Design & Graphics & Branding. ]

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A New Spin: 125-Year-Old Windmill Turned into a Towering Guest House

14 Oct

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

From barns and sheds to windmills, rural farm structures have a habit of falling into disrepair when they cease to serve their old functions. In Suffolk, England, one such old structure has found new life as a guest house.

Beech Architects saw the stump of an old windmill on the site as an opportunity to expand the living space of the main farmhouse nearby. At 60 feet tall, the spacious structure now houses two bedrooms, a dining/kitchen area and bathroom.

On the top, where the cap and sails were lost decades ago, a new viewing pod was installed to provide panoramic views of the surrounding countryside. Though architects designed the addition, the homeowner acted as the builder and hired subcontractors and suppliers for specific tasks.

“The design objectives were to reinstate the lost cap structure and restore the redundant and crumbling windmill to its former landmark status via contemporary design interventions,” said the architects.

The cap and entry diverge from the historical aesthetic of the main structure, but also serve to illustrate what parts of the building are original and which have been added. The curved form of the cap uses a special timber rib system that also provides strength and stability, helping it resist wind forces at its exposed and elevated location.

Everything about the project was complicated by curves. New cladding had to be custom-fit to the exterior. Inside, the lack of straight lines made structural retrofits challenging, and also resulted in a series of rounded furniture and fixtures. A series of staircases spiral up each floor to the final fourth level with the viewing platform.

The building has won a variety of accolades, including awards from the 2016 National Roofing Awards, Structural Timber Awards and a nomination for an RIBA Regional Awards 2017.

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

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Trippy Tiles: Optical Illusion Installation Will Mess with Your Brain

14 Oct

[ By SA Rogers in Design & Fixtures & Interiors. ]

Looking at this picture, it seems pretty obvious that something is seriously wrong with the floor… right? And yet, as we should all know by now, things aren’t always as they seem, no matter how hard our brains try to reconcile the fact that a flat surface can look so believably sunken on one side. It’s kind of hard to wrap your mind around the fact that the effect is achieved simply by warping the shape of the tiles as they’re applied to the floor.

The new entrance floor at Casa Ceramica #Manchester now try and process that this floor is actually flat!! #tile #floorporn #decorporn #decor #tileporn #architectureporn #tiles #trippy #tilelove #love #lookbook #lovetiles #largeformat #largeformattiles #decor #design #detail #designer #decorporn #illusion #instagood #interiors #innovation #illusionist #ihavethisthingwithtiles #ihavethisthingwithfloors #roomdecor #roomforinspo #lovetiles #architectureporn #alice #aliceinwonderland

A post shared by Casa Ceramica Tile Company (@casaceramicatiles) on Feb 25, 2016 at 11:46pm PST

Casa Ceramica Tile Company created the illusion for the entrance to their own showroom in Manchester, UK. People must have had a hard time believing that the tiles are really flat from initial photos posted to Instagram and Twitter, because the company posted subsequent photos and videos of the installation process, saying “Like our entrance floor made from tiles #sorrynotsorry.”

They are actual tiles pic.twitter.com/7HvTqz9jHP

— Casa Ceramica (@casaceramica) September 22, 2017

Apparently, the illusion only works from one direction, and when visitors are exiting the building, it looks like a normal tile walkway.

Here’s how to navigate our floor! #tiles #Manchester #Lovetiles #Illusion #Aliceinwonderland #CharlieAndthechocolatefactory pic.twitter.com/fn8kV2Wcz9

— Casa Ceramica (@casaceramica) September 22, 2017

Unsurprisingly, the illusion blew up on Twitter and became something of an internet sensation. You might dig through the company’s website or Instagram hoping for more optical illusions, but it looks like most of their work is pretty standard. Maybe this project will get them some fun commissions.

[ By SA Rogers in Design & Fixtures & Interiors. ]

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Playful Kirigami: Touch-Activated Paper Animals Pop into Action

12 Oct

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Products & Packaging. ]

Acting out scenes from storybooks or animating real activities, these deceptively simple-looking, folded-paper toys leap, bounce, roll and hatch into action when played with.

Japanese designer Haruki Nakamura was inspired by the ancient art of kirigami, a variation on origami that involves cuts as well as folds, but takes it to the next level with his playful animals.

The specific behaviors of the toys often follow the natural reactions of a given animal, like an armadillo rolling itself up for protection when threatened.

Combining kirigami with karakuri, the art of mechanical puppets actived by touch, led him to these neat hybrid creatures that one can poke, prod, press or drop into action.

In some cases, the activities are innocent and entertaining, like a turtle popping into its shell or a chick hatching from an egg. Others are humorously sinister, showing wolves in sheep’s clothing or a tortoise being eaten by an alligator. For now, alas, these works are only available in Japan.

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Products & Packaging. ]

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Picnic at the Border: Artist JR Hosts Bi-National Meal at a Giant Table

12 Oct

[ By SA Rogers in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

At one small point on the United States-Mexico border, where two towns named Tecate are separated by a fence, residents of both countries sat down to the same picnic at a gigantic table printed with ‘The Eyes of the Dreamer.’ This new event, held on October 8th, comes just weeks after the artist rolled out a massive 65-foot-tall photographic installation of a toddler peering over the fence from the Mexico side.

Thanks to all the daydreamers that joined us yesterday ? #PicNicAtTheBorder pic.twitter.com/Y2H1ZJOf4w

— JR (@JRart) October 9, 2017

“GIANT PICNIC at the border today in Tecate … people eating the same food, sharing the same water, enjoying the same music (half of the band on each side) around the eye of a dreamer … we forgot the wall for a minute …” says JR in a Facebook post.

Amazing souvenir of the picnic at the border … @chopemdownfilms pic.twitter.com/pCL0iHkh5E

— JR (@JRart) October 11, 2017

Picnic-goers sat down to the same meal at one big table for the single-day installation, which was apparently pulled off with the help of a sympathetic border guard. A band played, with some of its members sitting on the U.S. side and others on the Mexico side.

I often found an « angel » that helped us make the impossible possible … The picnic today was clearly forbidden and yet possible… pic.twitter.com/YzjJ4fatfH

— JR (@JRart) October 9, 2017

JR is well known for these black-and-white photographic installations, which are put up all over the world, often without official permission. The subjects of his portraits are usually everyday people who live in the area. The TED Prize winner says he aims to use art to “turn the world inside out.”

[ By SA Rogers in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

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Not Your Dive Bar’s Pool Table: 13 Modern Game Furniture Designs

12 Oct

[ By SA Rogers in Design & Fixtures & Interiors. ]

Most game furniture looks like it belongs in a musty basement smelling of spilled beer and body odor, but high end tables for billiards, foosball, ping pong, shuffleboard and other popular indoor games are made to fit right into luxury environments, sometimes even complete with plated gold details. Some are even works of art in their own right, doubling as sculpture, while others bring games that haven’t changed much in decades a little more firmly into the current century.

Ping Pong FM Interactive Table Tennis Jukebox

This ‘fun musical take’ on table tennis by English designer Mark Wheeler lets you choose a song to set the tempo of your game, and the song only keeps playing as long as you manage to keep the ball in play. Drop it, and your game is over. “Usually music listening experiences are strictly about being as true to the original recording as possible. But why can’t listening to a record be as playful and interactive as a live performance?” says Wheeler.

Luxury Game Tables by Adriano Design

A gold-plated crystalline foosball table is among the ‘luxury’ game options offered by Adriano Design, an Italian-based company operating as both ‘Calma e Gesso’ and ‘TECKELL.’ The Cristallino comes complete with 24-karat-gold plated players – because what else would the owner of a $ 10 million estate put in their game room? Other offerings include the ‘Filotto’ pool table and the Lungolinea ping pong table, all made in the company’s signature crystal-clear glass. They even produce child-sized ‘Angolo’ foosball table models for kids, which spare no stylish details.

Isamu Noguchi Chess Table

Considered a seminal work of early organic modernism, Isamu Noguchi’s chess table is technically a functional sculpture, presented along with a set of game pieces Noguchi also designed. It debuted at ‘The Imagery of Chess’ in 1944, a show organized by Marcel Duchamp and Max Ernst. The table was put into production in 1947, but only a few dozen examples exist. One was auctioned in Los Angeles in 2016, selling for over $ 100,000.

Woolsey Shuffleboard Table by Sean Woolsey

Long, narrow and sleek, the Woolsey Shuffleboard Table by designer Sean Woolsey features a rift-sawn white oak top finished with epoxy resin and solid black walnut legs, which hide leg levelers. The table comes with 4 white and 4 black pucks, lots of shuffleboard salt and a magnetic wall mount for the pucks when not in use. Prices, unsurprisingly, start at $ 10K.

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Not Your Dive Bars Pool Table 13 Modern Game Furniture Designs

[ By SA Rogers in Design & Fixtures & Interiors. ]

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Huge Color-Coded ‘LEGO House’ Designed by BIG Now Open in Denmark

11 Oct

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Offices & Commercial. ]

Designed by architects from BIG, the new LEGO House is itself huge: a 130,000-square-foot ‘experience center’ welcoming people of all ages to play with and appreciate this ubiquitous toy.

“It has been a dream for me for many years to create a place that will give our visitors the ultimate LEGO experience,” said former president and CEO of LEGO, Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen. A mesmerizing set of drone videos below show the building under construction and upon completion.

“With LEGO House, we celebrate creativity and the strength of learning through play. When they play, children learn the basic skills that they need, such as creativity, collaboration and problem-solving abilities.”

Located on the company’s main campus in Billund, Denmark, the building looks like it was made of 21 supersized blocks. Inside, differently colored zones denote different functions — red areas are for creative skills, blue for cognitive skills, green for social skills and yellow for emotional skills.

The venue includes paid attractions as well as experiences that are free and open to the public. Approximately 250,000 guests are expected annually, with around 2,500 visitors on peak days. Fans of their visit can take home something tangible from the experience as well:

The LEGO House opened its doors to the public in late September, coinciding with the release of a 744-piece kit of the building itself.

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Archive for the ‘Creativity’ Category

LURVIG for Pets: IKEA Debuts its First Line of Animal Furniture & Accessories

Floating Tent: Pole-Free Inflatable Structure Pops Up in Minutes