Interior Design
Here's an interesting piece of interior design. Challenged by a client to refurbish a tiny studio apartment in Paris, architect Betillon/Dorval‐Bory was asked to pay special attention to lighting due to the limited daylight available in some parts of the apartment. Its response was unusual, to say the least. High-performance lighting was installed at one end and, in one sense, deliberately awful lighting at the other. Named Appartement Spectral, the design breaks every rule in the book, yet the effect is striking – and it's all down to street lighting. Read More
SkyHouse: The NYC penthouse with an 80-foot slide
Even someone who lives in a penthouse in Lower Manhattan may feel the need to “keep up with the Joneses,” to some extent. One way to impress New York City's penthouse-dwelling elite is to choose a location which affords particularly stunning views, while another is to select only the finest interior furnishings. The SkyHouse penthouse renovation by architect David Hotson does both, but ups the ante with the addition of an 80-foot (24-meter) slide which sprawls throughout the interior of the home. Read More
Pop-Up Office re-invents the workplace with reclaimed pallets
Thanks to the prevalence of powerful laptops and cloud-based infrastructure, dreary office cubicles can increasingly be jettisoned in favor of dynamic spaces which encourage collaboration and innovation. The Pop-Up Office installation by Dubbeldam Architecture and Design is an example of this, delivering an office space concept which seeks to re-invent the workspace for the Post-PC era using reclaimed wooden pallets. Read More
Magnetic Spirit shelving system creates practical, adaptable art
The Magnetic Spirit shelving system is a concept design from Benoît Bayol and Christophe Bricard. Lying somewhere between carpentry and Cubism, it uses a patented magnetic fixing system to allow the creation of different layouts – and to change the layout at will depending on your mood at any given time. Read More
Designed to house the personal library of Mexican diplomat Antonion Castro Leal, the Castro Leal Library in Mexico City won first prize in the institutional category in the 2012 Mexican Association of Interior Designers' AMDI Awards. And looking at the interior shots, it's not hard to see why. Read More
For an idea that has yet to make it to Kickstarter, a remarkable amount of work has gone into Tetran - a modular system possibly best described as LEGO for furniture. Tetran consists of a variety of standardized modules, blocks and cushions that can be fitted together to create just about any item of furniture you can think of, or even room-filling amalgamations custom designed to suit the user's personal needs. Read More
Salone Internazionale del Mobile has been showcasing the latest in home-furnishing design from Italy and around the globe since 1961. This year, Gizmag was lucky enough to be in Milan to preview the best the show has to offer. Our top three exhibits range from innovative design and ecological use of materials to wish-list outdoor kitchens. Here's a look what we consider the best of the fair, from three top Italian companies – Campeggi, Tao and Foppapedretti. Read More
The Mercedes-Benz brand name holds up well in any company, so it's not surprising that is being extended into other luxury markets. This time last year we were writing about Mercedes' first luxury helicopter, and the big news from the Milan Furniture Fair is that Mercedes-Benz Style has presented a furniture collection and it will be sold worldwide via exclusive furniture stores, showrooms and interior design stores from October 2012. Read More
The Allochroous is the Dream Boat category winner of the 9th Millennium Yacht Design Award (MYDA), an international competition for yacht designers around the world. Conceptualized by beginner entrants Ezgi Aksan and Ambra Ceronetti, Allochroous is a futuristic representation of what their dream yacht would be. Drawing upon innovative technologies, the key feature behind the concept is that the yacht is able to transform its functionality. The vision was to create a sustainable yacht that is ideal for enjoying a summer concert at sea. Read More
OdMEx concept: the billboard house that generates an income
Last year we looked at Adzookie (now Brainiacs From Mars), which will turn a house into a (house-shaped) billboard and pay the mortgage for a three-month period. As part of the "House Prototype" Design Competition for Baanlaesaun Fair 2011, Bangkok, Thailand-based design firm Apostrophy S (or 'S) has come up with a similar - yet different - advertising-centered housing option. Instead of turning a house into a billboard, this proposal turns a billboard into a house. Read More
