Around The Home

Whatever you personally think of flat pack furniture, it appeals to many people. Thanks to a combination of availability and affordability, it's become insanely popular for those who don't want to spend a fortune on unique pieces for their home. It's these unique pieces we tend to cover here at Gizmag, and the Stratflex Collection from Wintec Innovation offers a form of flat pack furniture that is anything but banal.  Read More

Not so long ago, a smoke detector and possibly a wall-mounted thermometer and/or barometer were generally the extent of indoor monitoring devices for the home. But a number of devices are appearing designed to increase our knowledge about the environment in which we spend most of our time. Joining the likes of Netatmo’s Urban Weather Station and the Lapka personal environment monitor are CubeSensors, small sensor-packed wireless cubes designed to “measure everything that can be measured about indoors.”  Read More

As we've discussed many times previously here on Gizmag, having enough space to live well in big cities is a costly endeavor. Residents are increasingly being squeezed into smaller apartments in order to make room for everyone who wants to live in these urban hot spots. This makes multifunctional furniture more of a necessity than ever before, and a variety of designers are eager to make it their niche.  Read More

There's a smartphone-operated device available to control pretty much every area inside the home these days, so it makes sense that smart devices should extend beyond four walls to manage outside spaces as well. The team at 22seeds have developed just such a system, known as Greenbox – it uses local weather data to determine and set customized plant-watering programs.  Read More

Good news for lovers of things that look like books but are not books: the Lumio LED lamp we wrote about in January has bulldozed through its US$60,000 Kickstarter target, nosing ahead of $450,000 with 7 days of the campaign remaining.  Read More

Multi-purpose furniture is a great way to keep clutter to a minimum in cramped confines. A new couch concept from designer Matthew Pauk called the Slot Sofa is designed to maximize available space with a hideaway dual ottoman and coffee table.  Read More

According to research undertaken by Neato Robotics, in addition to chair/table legs and under furniture, the biggest pet peeve of those undertaking vacuum duties in the home is getting close enough to room corners and edges. Add tangled cords and pulling/pushing around a heavy, noisy box to the equation and the idea of a robotic device taking care of all matters related to floor cleaning is a very appealing one indeed. The Silicon Valley company has just unveiled what is claimed to be its smartest and most powerful robot vacuum to date in the shape of the XV Signature Series.  Read More

Upcycling is an often overlooked method of creating something worthwhile and usable from things most people would happily bin. Thankfully a select few designers are taking the practice seriously, and incorporating it into their work. One of the best examples comes from Andreu Carulla, the Spanish designer behind The Stooler, a simple tool which enables almost anything to be turned into a chair.  Read More

Chuck is a flexible shelving unit by Natascha Harra-Frischkorn that can be considered either functional art or artistic furniture, depending on your point of view. The idea behind Chuck is a set of shelves that can be adapted to its owner's changing needs, with the six shelves literally able to be bent and shaped to your whim.  Read More