Tag: Inspiration

Francisco Paco Martinez has seen some big changes in his life. Though born in Mexico and trained as an architect, he now lives in Japan, where he works as a carpenter/craftsman. From his studio in Saitama, outside of Tokyo, Martinez runs classes in traditional Japanese hand tool use and furniture building. What most caught my eye is this unique workbench in his shop: Martinez built this low-tech height-adjustable workbench out of Cypress.

Supermarket produce bags have a short usage life. Japanese housewares brand Marna makes this little folding gewgaw to extend their utility. You pop it open, then it provides the structure to use produce bags as a mini trash bag: Or you can use it to bag sauce:

To stay warm in a cold space, you can either heat the entire space, or save money on energy by throwing on extra layers. But there is no opposite money-saving tactic for staying cool in a hot space.Sony engineer Kenji Ito aims to change that. He invented the Reon Pocket, Sony's wearable personal air conditioner. It's essentially a tiny heat pump that creates temperature differentials using semiconductors. It's worn at the base of one's neck, and a metal plate resting against the skin transmits cool. While it won't change your body's core temperature, the device can cool your local skin temperature by an astonishing 25°F / 14° C.

This unusual outdoor chair was designed by Loic Cao, Tanguy Caversaccio and Lola Jutzeler, of Swiss architecture firm SAGA. The Transat is a fixed piece of street furniture developed with Vitra and the Chair of Landscape Architecture at ETH Zurich, installed in the Botanical Garden of Lausanne. Its minimalist structure, straight lines, taut geometry, remains a sculpture un

Edge band trimmers are typically fiddly plastic things. But Japanese manufacturer Star-M's No. 4960 is a chunk of steel with a beefy handle. Though the handle looks like cast iron, it's actually ABS. The handle size and the 7.3 oz weight of the tool help to provide stability throughout the cut.

For their first EV, the Luce, Ferrari decided to tap an outside design firm. Guess who they got:The design of the Ferrari Luce was entrusted to LoveFrom, the design collective led by Sir Jony Ive and Marc Newson. Introducing a team from outside the Ferrari Design Studio led by Flavio Manzoni invited a new perspective and cross-fertilisation, enabling a new design language to be introduced. LoveFrom was given the creative freedom needed to define the design direction of the project from the outset, translating this design language into an authentic Ferrari experience.

Doorways and windows with curved architraves present a challenge for fabricators. How do you cut the molding profile along the curve?Australian firm McKay Joinery solves this with an impressive jig that they fit over their shaper:

This stainless steel garden hose and reel is by Hataya, a Japanese company that specializes in making reels. Though the internal hose is vinyl, the cladding is stainless steel, which prevents UV from breaking the vinyl down over time. But perhaps the most clever feature of the reel is the little captured guide ring encircling the hose. This ring rides between two tracks, and prev

To secure cargo, shippers can use bracing and straps. Those require connection points, and take time to install. A far faster method is to use what are called dunnage bags. These come in different sizes and are essentially giant balloons, placed between objects and filled on-the-spot with compressed air.

Last year we spied a teaser video from industrial designer Michael Mahle. As a student at Bauhaus University, Mahle had developed an all-wooden system of connectors for flatpack furniture. No metal, and no glue are required.Now Mahle's company, nurholz, is up-and-running in Germany. Here's a better look at his novel connection system: