Tag: Furniture

Bench to Bedroom: Urban Furniture Turned Homeless Shelters

[ By Steph in Design & Guerilla Ads & Marketing. ]

Whereas London and Montreal have installed spikes on the sidewalks to keep homeless people from getting too comfortable, Vancouver offers a kind welcome with benches that transform into mini-shelters. A nonprofit called RainCity Housing teamed up with Spring Advertising to create the modified public benches in order to provide a covered place to sleep while simultaneously raising awareness.

RainCity provides specialized housing and support services for the homeless in Vancouver. This two-part project highlights the importance of RainCity’s work without a hint of the exploitation that’s often seen in homeless awareness campaigns, avoiding stereotypical images of derelict people and focusing on a solution instead.

The first bench, which reads ‘FIND SHELTER HERE,’ has a built-in roof that can easily be folded up when needed. The second features the message ‘This is a bench’ during the day. At night, glow-in-the-dark ink highlights the text ‘This is a bedroom.’

The Vancouver campaign is one of many thoughtful projects that meet at the intersection of activism and urban design. An open-source street store that’s easy to set up in any city offers free clothes for the homeless, and 14 thought-provoking ideas seek new ways to manage the issue of homelessness whether by meeting the immediate needs of people who live on the streets or providing more long-term transitional living spaces.

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Homeless Shelters: Creative & Convertible Urban Furniture

Regardless of your view of street dwellers or opinion on best solutions to these problems, suspend your judgment for a moment to take in these cool designs!
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Homeless Hotel: Radical Urban Retreat has No Rooms, Ever

You may have seen some strange and unique accommodations, but few hosts can boast something as unusual as this unreal room-free resort in Sweden.
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Parasite Tent Pods: Vertical Urban Wall Homes for Homeless

In cities around the world, people are feeling the effects of a weak global economy and homeless populations continue to rise. Taking shelter in cardboard …
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[ By Steph in Design & Guerilla Ads & Marketing. ]

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July 25, 2014
Free to Forge: Open Source 3D-Printed Metal Mesh Furniture

[ By WebUrbanist in Gadgets & Geekery & Technology. ]

Completed by a robot programmed to extrude material in midair, the world’s first fully 3D-printed metal furniture shows off a fresh range of possibilities for creating intricate structures and complex shapes on demand.

Employing Autodesk and an MX3D machine, Dutch designer Joris Laarman created the Dragon Bench (above) and other pieces (below) that illustrate the rich potential of metals using additives to harden as they are deployed.

With this “industrial robot [and] advanced welding machine we are able to print with metals, such as steel, stainless steel, aluminium, bronze or copper without the need for support-structures. By adding small amounts of molten metal at a time, we are able to print lines [horizontal, vertical and spiral] in mid air. The combination robot/welding is driven by different types of software that work closely together. This will eventually have to end up in a user friendly interface that allows the user to print directly from CAD.”

Within this series, currently on display at Friedman Benda gallery in New York City, are a set of organic (also 3D-printed) polyurethane chairs and table. Puzzle-piece parts are made first, costing around $ 50 – the components are assembled into a finished whole. The plans for these are also going to be made available online as free resources for anyone who wants to make their own – an easier, less material-dependent entry point for someone without access to their own metal-printing robot (at least as of yet).

The potential of this technology extends well beyond stand-alone objects – components for cars, buildings or other infrastructure could be generated using the same machines and techniques. Meanwhile, when it comes one-off custom works of either art or design, three-dimensional complexity is suddenly a much lower hurdle to overcome.

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WikiHouse: Open-Source DIY Architecture You Can Build

Design, ‘print’ and assemble your own WikiHouse using free open-source software and a local CNC mill to cut the parts, even iwith no prior building experience.
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Mobile 3D-Printed House Factory in a Shipping Container

Dutch architects DUS plan to build the first 3D-printed house alongside a canal in Amsterdam using a mobile 3D printer in a shipping container.
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Open-Source Street Store Offers Free Clothes for Homeless

Donated boxes of right-sized clothing can be a boon for those who cannot afford another choice, but this clever approach empowers people in need to choose …
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[ By WebUrbanist in Gadgets & Geekery & Technology. ]

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May 23, 2014
Pop-Up Portfolio: Mobile Furniture Folds Flat Between Pages

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Furniture & Decor. ]

It is not unusual to see art and design students walking around with portfolios under their arms, but few open up to reveal such creative results as these.

Inspired by campus folder cases, origami and pop-up books, Japanese designer Mariko Tsujimoto created this series of unfolding furnishings that deploy into surprisingly solid (if small) functional objects.

Set in vivid colors to distinguish their functionality, the set includes a chair, table, desk and bookshelf, each of which refolds automatically when the end pages are closed.

These quite literal portfolio pieces are just plastic prototypes for now, but rendered in a more solid material they could provide the conceptual groundwork for a full-fledged furnishing set.

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Flat Pack: 20 Creative Furniture Designs for Cramped Living

Without further ado, here are 20 more examples of incredibly compact and transforming furniture for cramped urban living.
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Resource Furniture: Convertible Designs for Small Spaces

Multifunctional and convertible furniture solutions from Resource Furniture unfold and expand in unexpected ways, fitting lots of function into tiny rooms.
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15 Flat-Pack Furniture Designs & Ideas for Saving Space

A pizza box that folds out into a desk? Flat-pack furniture is incredibly clever, saves space, cuts shipping waste and is fun to put together.
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[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Furniture & Decor. ]

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May 12, 2014
3D-Printable Connectors Make DIY Furniture Assembly Easy

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Furniture & Decor. ]

Leveraging the best features of available 3D printers and the materials they can print, this kit-of-parts approach opens up an amazing array of possibilities for do-it-yourself furniture construction.

Studio Minale-Maeda presented their Keystones system at Milan, using elegantly simple table and coat rack designs to show off the potential of this connective system.

Their core idea is that the larger wooden pieces can be flat-packed more easily for shipping. Customers can then complete the assembly process using included or locally-printed pieces. Still, the potential of this approach goes well beyond that system as such.

There is really no reason to limit the process to a ship-and-print combination. With a similar but open-source variant, would-be buyers could take off-the-shelf dimensional lumber and construct their own furniture effectively from scratch. Perhaps unintentionally, the simple and standardized shapes of the components shown here already suggest such potential implicitly – at most a few cuts would be needed for the table, if even that.

Regardless, the solution-as-presented is quite crafty, whatever its potential future might be – it leverages the strengths of 3D-printed plastic (rigidity with flexibility), uses strong triangular shapes for structural support (like trusses) and requires only the most basic tool to tighten the finished product (a screwdriver).

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Real 3D Sketches: 3 Furniture Sets that Draw on 2D Doodles

Like photo-realistic art in reverse, these three-dimensional objects are carefully crafted to look like rough-edged, hand-sketched representations. If the …
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Minimalist Wood Peg Furniture is Easy to Assemble & Store

Assemble your own custom set of furniture using no tools at all, then take it apart in minutes and hang it on the wall with StudioGorm’s Wood Peg set.
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Redefining Rustic Materials: 6 Modern Log Furniture Makers

Logs typically conjure images of remote cabins and plaid-clad workers felling trees. As these seven creative designers and craftspeople show, though, log …
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[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Furniture & Decor. ]

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April 23, 2014
Shape-Shifting Furniture: Interactive 3D Surfaces from MIT

[ By WebUrbanist in Conceptual & Futuristic & Technology. ]

The Tangible Media Group from MIT has developed an approach to responsive design in physical space that is both conceptual and plausible, futuristic yet already a reality.

Displaying their work this year at Milan, the group unveiled Transform, an extension of their amazing interactive inFORM user experience invention from last year.

1,000 independently-mobile squares shift up and down to shape bowls and surfaces – with even more such ‘pixels’ of a soft material the same technology could be applied to chairs and couches, too.

The morphing surfaces in play can be manipulated in all kind of ways, from passively sensing your mood (and changing shape accordingly) to responding directly to commands, gestures, movements or remote control. Their approach grows out of a notion that we increasingly take for granted: computers are moving into everything, not just dedicated laptops or handheld devices but everyday objects all around us.

This last video shows where it all started, with inFORM, a “Dynamic Shape Display that can render 3D content physically, so users can interact with digital information in a tangible way. inFORM can also interact with the physical world around it, for example moving objects on the table’s surface. Remote participants in a video conference can be displayed physically, allowing for a strong sense of presence and the ability to interact physically at a distance.”

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Dynamic Shape-Shifting D*Haus Rotates to Follow the Sun

The D*Haus is a residential architecture concept based on a mathematical formula that morphs and rotates according to the time of day and the season.
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Flexible Interiors: 13 Shape-Shifting Small Apartments

Transforming furniture and living pod systems help make the most of a small space, but when entire rooms shape-shift in unexpected ways, the results can be …
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It’s Electric: 14 Fun and Interactive Conductive Designs

Electronic functions aren’t just limited to gadgets anymore – they can be extended to everyday objects, architectural surfaces, paper, clothing and …
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[ By WebUrbanist in Conceptual & Futuristic & Technology. ]

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WebUrbanist

April 21, 2014
Flintstones Furniture: 15 Designs Made of Stone and Lava

[ By Steph in Design & Furniture & Decor. ]

Evoking the primitive furniture of mankind’s cave-dwelling days, these tables, chairs, stools and desks feel massive and monolithic, yet many are surprisingly lightweight. Some are hewn from heavy boulders, some carved from soft volcanic rock, and others made of materials like wool, wood and concrete.

ONYX Sofa with Volcanic Lava and Carbon Fiber

This hybrid sofa is part raw volcanic lava, part ultra-sleek carbon fiber. The ONYX sofa by Peugeot Design Lab in collaboration with designer Pierre Gimbergues features lava sourced form ‘the Auvergne,’ a landmark dating back almost 11,000 y ears. The aesthetics echo the bodywork of the Peugeot ONYX supercar, while the material choice is meant to invoke the ‘robustness’ of the car brand’s history.

Living Stones Wool Furniture by Stephanie Marin

They may look like enormous river rocks, but these ‘Living Stones‘ are actually soft and comfortable poufs made of wool. The oversized pebbles come in various shapes and sizes suitable as floor pillows, loungers and footstools.

Natural Stone Table

A ragged, rocky edge lends a sense of gravity to this natural stone table by Lex Pott. The variation from the raw natural finish to the smoothed-out table legs on the other side tells the story of the Belgian bluestone table’s creation, from the rock quarry to the final polishing of the finished product.

Mt. Etna Lava Transformed into Experimental Furniture

An unusual series of sculptural tables consists of volcanic volumes held together by brass pegs and straps, visually and symbolically invoking Mt. Etna and the cultural history of its surroundings. ‘De Natura Fossilium‘ aims to “bring both the landscape and the forces of nature together as facilities for production,” actively using the lava from the volcano in various manipulated forms.

Rock Pendant Lamp

Handmade from natural stone, this pendant lamp seems to defy gravity, dangling from the ceiling with just two thin wires. In fact, the Aso San lamp by German designer Daniel Stoller is made of basalt lava and much lighter in weight than it looks.

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Flintstones Furniture 15 Designs Made Of Stone And Lava

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Flat Pack: 20 Creative Furniture Designs for Cramped Living

Without further ado, here are 20 more examples of incredibly compact and transforming furniture for cramped urban living.
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10 Creative Counter & Surface Material Designs & Ideas

Why settle for traditional counter and surface materials when you could have illuminated gemstones, sea grass in clear resin or bright, fun Missoni patterns?
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Minimalist Wood Peg Furniture is Easy to Assemble & Store

Assemble your own custom set of furniture using no tools at all, then take it apart in minutes and hang it on the wall with StudioGorm’s Wood Peg set.
Click Here to Read More »»

[ By Steph in Design & Furniture & Decor. ]

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WebUrbanist

April 3, 2014
Transforming Furniture: Fitting 5 Rooms into 640 Square Feet

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Fixtures & Interiors. ]

With a mostly-open floor plan tucked into 60 square meters of space, the design challenge was to effectively fit the functionality of five rooms into the footprint of two.

The De Rotterdam project by star architect Rem Koolhaas, a Netherlands native and head of OMA, is the biggest building in the country but, being all about density, sports some of its smallest apartments as well.

A series of convertible furniture designs by Clei Italia makes it possible to expand side surfaces into dining tables, hang spare chairs on the wall and turn both desks and sofas into beds on demand.

The project’s developer, Wim De Lathauwer, explains that the Dutch are used to thinking in multi-functional terms – making the most of every inch (or rather: centimeter) of available area.

The approach not only to makes these small apartments livable for singles or couples, but also to allow the units to support surprisingly large gatherings and overnight guests as well. The living room and kitchen combination becomes a bedroom, dining room or office as needed.

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Floating Islands Add 100,000 Square Feet to Downtown Seoul

Beyond merely extending solid ground like most downtown-on-the-water expansions, this project creates new mobile infrastructure right out on the waves.
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20-Hour House: How to 3D-Print 2,500 Square Feet in 1 Day

Combining ancient earthen-architecture approaches and cutting-edge robotic technologies, this contour crafting process promises a revolution in how we address …
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Room in a Box: 10 Pieces of Clever Transforming Furniture

From tetris tables to sofa beds on steroids, shelves that fold down into seats or that double as decor and much much more.
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[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Fixtures & Interiors. ]

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March 21, 2014
Cubicle Typography: Unique Desks as Office Furniture Font

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Graphics & Branding. ]

One of the most dreary aspects of daily life in a cubical farm is the relentless sameness that pervades each office pod – perhaps it would help if each workspace were different, easy to assemble and simple to recycle.

This Fold Yard typography of Benoit Challand has a touch of whimsy to be sure, but it also suggests a way to break out of the box by customizing each station at a given place of work.

Who knows: these quickly-customized corrugated cardboard cubes (joined with modular plastic pieces) might be a good recipe for helping employees feel less like a hive of drones and more like individual workers with independent value and personal flexibility.

About the creator: “Ben is a creative image maker focused on digital art, 3D illustration and typography” – his work includes CGI retouching and digital drawings, with a background in motion design (animation). He has done typographic and other work for major brands as well as creating a number of neat independent projects.

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Double-Duty Desks: 14 Adaptable Office Furniture Designs

These desk designs go beyond a mere flat surface with private cubbies, space-saving designs, modular construction and looks worthy of an art gallery.
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Chalkboarding: Applied Art of White & Black Typography

A Brooklyn-based artist applies her outstanding typography skills to ephemeral chalkboard creations that bring to mind the lost art of intricate sign painting.
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Modern Workspaces: 9 Pieces of Creative Office Furniture

Who says you can’t have fun at the office? These unusually clever office furnitures prove that even desks, chairs, and bookshelves can be weird and fun.
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[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Graphics & Branding. ]

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WebUrbanist

March 19, 2014
Pop-Up Parks: Brackets Turn Scaffolding into Furniture

[ By Steph in Design & Furniture & Decor. ]

Scaffolding is ugly, and steals valuable sidewalk space from city residents – but with a simple kit of parts that fit onto the frame with brackets, it transforms into an instant pop-up park. The Kit of Parts by Softwalks includes fold-up chairs, planters, counters, light reflectors and decorative screens that snap right onto scaffolding to create impromptu public spaces that encourage congregation and conversation.

Inspired by the interaction with urban environments that’s fostered by sidewalk cafes and by the sturdiness and ubiquity of scaffolding (or ‘sidewalk sheds’), the designers came up with a few essential components that make for a comfortable resting place. Leaving scaffolding up for long periods of time can have a negative effect on businesses, communities and sidewalk culture, and Softwalks saw an opportunity to change that.

The pop-up park kit can’t be ordered by just anyone, and there’s a reason for that: the designers don’t want people potentially interfering with active construction sites in a dangerous way. But lots of scaffolding is ‘passive.’ The Softwalks team found that in New York City, when businesses fail the mandatory 5-year facade inspection, they sometimes leave scaffolding up for a long time to avoid having to do expensive repairs. In one case, scaffolding remained in place for 12 years.

The design team identified an ideal site to install the parts for the pilot project, ensuring that there was plenty of room for pedestrians, and plan to make the kit available to cities for use at special events, street festivals and for temporary installations.

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Simple Brackets Make DIY Furniture Dreams Come True

Designing and building custom furniture might seem out of reach for most people, but these creative DIY brackets let you turn boards into whatever you need.
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Scary Scaffolding: 24 Dangerous Construction Sites

Scaffolding has strict safety guidelines… but the rules aren’t always followed. Here are 24 construction sites that you don’t want to be working on.
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Leisure in the Sky: 13 Elevated Railway + Rooftop Parks

In cities where highways and high-rises have taken up virtually every square foot of real estate there is to be had, lush parks, pedestrian walkways and bike …
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[ By Steph in Design & Furniture & Decor. ]

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WebUrbanist

February 25, 2014
Off the Wall: 14 3D Graffiti Sculptures, Furniture & More

[ By Steph in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

Flat paint on two-dimensional surfaces springs to life in surprising ways in these 14 graffiti-inspired projects ranging from sand sculptures to entire apartment buildings. Street art’s impact on visual culture expands into furniture design, architecture, art installations, 3D printed works and fantastical digital animations that envision graffiti moving through space like living organisms.

The Hive Apartment by ITN Architects

Built for an architect and street artist, the facade of this Melbourne house fittingly includes built-in graffiti made from precast, four-meter-tall concrete letters spelling out ‘The Hive.’ The lettering is a load-bearing part of the building, making for a striking transition between the modern house and its old brick tailor shop neighbor.

Large-Scale Graffiti Sculptures by Zeus

London-based graffiti artist Zeus brings his art into three dimensions with a variety of large-scale sculptural works including tags that protrude from walls and cars.

Graffurniture

Street graffiti moves into the living room with coffee tables, side tables and chairs marrying tag style with baroque furniture traditions. Designer Luis Alicandu is a former tagger who has since turned his creative urges into a passion for industrial design.

Digital 3D Graffiti Animations

These 3D graffiti creations by ‘Graffiti Technica’ are totally digital, but watch the videos to see incredible animations that bring street art to life in a novel way, cruising through the air like alien organisms.

Graffiti Analysis Series by Evan Roth

Here’s a totally different way of looking at making graffiti three-dimensional: a sculpture that captures a tagger’s movements as they work. Designer Evan Roth created this piece, CAP, algorithmically by motion-capturing the writing of street artist CAP in the 1983 documentary Style Wars. The piece is made of chrome-dipped ABS thermoplastic.

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Flexible Paper Sculptures Bend Reality + Warp Perceptions

Li Hongbo’s sculptures look like fine ceramic at first, but they are far more layered than they appear. This talented artist excels in the unexpected.
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Banksy Art: Street Graffiti, Paper Drawings & Wall Stencils

Some of the many works of prolific street artist Banksy in the media of graffiti, stencils, and drawings.
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Lessons in Graffiti: Math Symbols Make Street Art Equations

Simple black-outlined, white-filled, faux-three-dimensional shapes that render urban happenstance into something with a humorous sense of mathematical order.
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[ By Steph in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

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February 20, 2014