Category Archives: home

Airclad by Inflate

Posted on November 26, 2010 | 1 Comment

The London Based designer Inflate, which since 1995 provided inflatable temporary structures for events, is now opening the door of its market to the public, and we are very intrigued.

The concept, called Airclad, is basically that of a room that you can inflate when needed, and well… deflate when done. It could be used for various occasions. Expecting more guest than you can accommodate for? Want to be able to use that hot tub of yours, even on rainy days? Need a seasonal home? The Airclad is the solution. And not to worry, this is no improved tent. This is an actual room, with a solid structure made of wood and aluminium, insulation, etc. And it is also possible to include lighting and power points. It obviously needs a power source, but if it is used as a spare room or extension, the main house/building will provide for that.

It has many plus. On top of being easy to assemble and transport, it’s also super ecological. All the materials used can be recycled. And the fact that it can be re-used and transported for several occasions gives it extra credit in ‘green-ness’.

 


But as all things, it also presents a few ‘eeks’… Inflatable? Also quite fragile, to a certain extent. Anything sharp will obviously damage the structure. We’re sure there are ways to patch it up in case of such accidents, but still, probably not the best thing to find the room slowly deflating when relaxing in a hot tub.
And as all cool, green and practical products, it comes with a price: the average Airclad will cost £19,500. Quite an investment right? But when considering its multiple uses, such as a temporary extension, seasonal home, etc. it probably comes at a more reasonable price than all of those combined.

(Source: Tree Hugger and Airclad)

 

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Make and melt your tableware

Posted on November 24, 2010 | 1 Comment

Dishes, plates, glasses and cutlery is always something you never have enough off. And during large dinner parties, it’s always a challenge to accomodate a large number of guests with matching plates and glasses, without resorting to using paper plates and plastic cuts. Not so classy. But someone has finally found a solution, and it’s brilliant!

What if you could melt and make your own as you please? A design student cleverly came up with wax dishes that you can make on the go, melt again and remake.

The set, called Meltware, is made of 3 stoneware pieces: a spoon, a bowl and a carafe. Seems a bit limited, but it actually gives you a fair amount of possibilities, as it allows you to manage the size of the dishes you are creating. So bowls, big bowls, plates, side dishes, big spoons, small spoons, it’s all possible, and it’s all up to you.

What’s even better is the fact you can just melt the whole thing off for storage, so as not to clutter your cupboards with 25 plates!

It sounds like a lot of fun to do as well, even though a bit of practice is probably needed before managing to make whole sets that are pretty consistent. But still, a good buy for Christmas! And you can then show off at your dinner party, calling yourself a true designer. How cool is that?

But obviously a few precautions have to be taken, such as not serving hot tea in one of those, as you’re pretty sure that the whole thing will melt away. But otherwise, perfect for a cold buffet!

 

(Source: Co.Design)

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Posted in art, creative, design, drink, food, home

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A little gadget selection

Posted on October 6, 2010 | 1 Comment

We might be a little bit obsessed with design here at Baby. It’s not that most gadgets are particularly useful, but some are definitely very cool. And we are always amazed at how objects keep being redefined. Today we’ve stumbled upon some pretty cool gadgets that we like, all for different reasons.

First, there is Samsonite new baby: a suitcase that also works as a scooter. Or vice versa. Definitely something that could prove quite useful to businessmen whose lives are half-spent running from one airport terminal to another. We only wonder how practical it is to carry: the wheels, handlebars and all must be quite heavy. Well, we guess the whole point is to let it carry rather than the other way around, but probably not when stairs are involved.

Then there’s the 2 in 1 switch shaker, or how to make us even lazier. Press the button to swap between salt and pepper. But, we love the way it looks, and it would probably be quite fun to use!

At first, we weren’t sure what we were looking at. It looks a bit like storage of some sort. Turns out this is a pocket-sized, solar powered lamp. Perfect for camping in style, and no need for batteries!

Our favourite is this phone: the Nokia E-CU. We don’t think it looks that great, with it’s crackled-skin-like case, and its strange shape, but we love how it works. Unlike any other phone, it doesn’t get its juice from a plug, but from heat. Just stick it in your pocket or on a heater and you will never run out of battery. And that’s also good news for the environment.

(Source: NotCot here and here, TreeHugger, Dezeen)

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Posted in creative, design, environment, green, home, transport

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The appliances of the future

Posted on September 23, 2010 | Leave a comment

Electrolux Design Lab held a competition, asking 1,300 industrial designers to come up with the electrical appliances of the future. On the brief, they stated that by 2050, a person, on average, would only have 35.2 square meters to occupy. Let’s face it,  that’s not a lot of space. It scares us a little bit. So the appliance had to be designed not only to be uber high-tech and potentially eco-friendly, but also to be very small.

Here are a few of our favourite ones:

Michael Edenius’ Clean Closet

Not only does it easily store and browse your clothes, it also cleans them using molecular technology. This is the end of water wastes and polluting detergent, hooray! We’re just a bit concerned about its size. It is definitely not taking much space, conforming to the requirements of the brief. But that also means that it doesn’t leave much space for the clothes themselves!


Matthew Gilbride’s Kitchen Elements

It’s an all in one kitchen, literally. These shelves are simply magical. They work as a fridge, a cooker, and… well, shelves. The best part? No doors and no wires, and they could even be solar powered. The whole white and minimal look will definitely appeal to the Apple fans.


Nicolas Hubert – External Refrigerator

At first view, it doesn’t really look like it would save any space. It’s pretty much the same size as current fridges. But it’s actually meant to be fixed outside a window. The sliding door makes it easy to access. It’s also good because it means at winter, it won’t need to run on power, and during summer, the heat generated can just draft away.

Ahi Andy Mohsen’s Eco Celaner – portable Dishwasher

It is, for sure, very portable. But most importantly, just like the Clean Closet, it is water-free, as it uses ultrasonic waves. What’s even better, it turns the food into reusable waste. Eco-friendly. Period.

We are so impressed by the ideas that have come out of this competition. Especially as we like when people focus on more than just looks, which tends to be the case far too often at the moment. Check out the other finalists on the website: there’s a virtual kitchen, a gooey fridge, a micro induction heater and a very strange washing machine.

(Source: Wired)

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Shenzhen’s Logistic City

Posted on September 14, 2010 | Leave a comment

We are in awe of Julien de Smedt Architects’ new project, and it’s definitely not for its looks.

They plan on building a city tower in Shenzhen standing 1,111 metres high. This will be gigantic! Just looking at the pictures gives us a bad case of vertigo. At the moment, the world tallest structure, Burj Khalifa in Dubai, is ‘only’ 828 metre tall.

Not only will the structure be ridiculously tall, but also self-sustained. Plants will abound in the tower: along paths, gardens, etc., working towards the re-forestation of the city. And as opposed to a standard skyscraper, the building will mostly be open, letting plenty of wind and sunlight to the core. The use of solar panels is still being debated, but wind turbines will be integral part of the tower.

And just like any city, it will have housing, stores, offices, and its own public transport network, with trams resembling roller coaster connecting levels.

And they haven’t forgotten water. Watering plants so high up would definitely require a lot of energy, hence why the top tier sections of the structure will be adorned with systems that will store and recycle water.

This project just seems great. We like that sustainability increasingly becomes a concern for development.

(Source: Inhabitat)

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Posted in creative, environment, green, home, Plants, transport

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Ikea’s Happy Inside

Posted on September 13, 2010 | Leave a comment

This Ikea commercial is simply adorable. A hundred cats were let loose for the night in the Wembley store.

This was a quite an audacious experiment. A hundred cats can probably do a lot of damage, and it probably wasn’t a piece of cake to control them. And what about chasing each and every one of them to make sure the store is cat-free in the morning?

But the final result is just dazzling. The concept is great, and the ad is beautifully made. We think the shots are amazing, but it’s obviously only a minute out of a whole night of cat fun (or not?). The cats look so playful and comfy, making us wish we were one of them.

We never thought Ikea stores looked particularly homey, as hard as they try, but this commercial definitely changed that. Well, at least until we set foot in one of them again. We say this is a success for the brand!

(Source: Trend Hunter)

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Upcycling plastic bottles into pretty bowls

Posted on September 8, 2010 | Leave a comment

We love these bowls by Artist Gülnur Özdağlar. They are elegant and delicate. And surprisingly enough, made from plastic bottles.

However, this is no traditional recycling, but what Özdağlar calls upcycling. She explains that she substitutes the physical value lost during the process with labour and artistic value.

She has called the collection Tertium Non Data, a latin phrase that means the third is not given. It’s also an alchemic term referring to the process of combining to distinct elements to produce a third one. In this case, the two bottles turning into a very nice fruit bowl.

All this arty and alchemic talk seems a tad complicated to us though. And we just think it’s some very pretty and impressive recycling art.

(Source: If It’s Hip, It’s Here)

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Playhouse by Aboday

Posted on September 1, 2010 | Leave a comment

Indonesian architects Aboday have designed the bestest house in the whole world. Its main asset is a slide that connects the kid’s bedroom on the second floor, to the kitchen downstairs.

We think the concept is brillant, and are a bit jealous we didn’t get to grow up in a house just like that. On top of that, the house is beautiful. The architects have played on texture rather than colour, by keeping the concrete bare, but working it differently so that there are nuances in the grains, and it’s very luminous.

The slide makes it obvious that the house is designed with a kid in mind, but we think it looks like it would need a lot of babyproofing. The stairs definitely look dangerous: they seem pretty sharp, and there’s no banister to prevent falls. And all that concrete is pretty, but would probably results in plenty of bumps and bruises.

But all in all, this house is still pretty ace, and we might be grown ups but we would definitely make full use of the slide if we lived there.

(Source: Dezeen)

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Mosquito killer radio

Posted on August 26, 2010 | Leave a comment

This campaign amazes us for two reasons.

First of all, this is a brilliant product! This radio station, Magic FM, uses a special frequency that kills mosquitoes. So goodbye hunting them down with horribly smelly insecticides. Hello to peace of mind, knowing you can enjoy some tunes without a ‘zzzzzz’ ruining it for you.

The campaign itself is also pretty cool. It’s simple and easy on the eye. And the conversation between the mosquito and the radio, using references to some classic songs is clever and amusing.

Unfortunately for us, this is a Romanian station. And we’re not really sure it works online. Their website, where it explains it all, is in Romanian, so it’s all gibberish to us. And it only works on mosquitoes. What about all those others flying and crawling creatures?

(Source: Ads of the World)

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The latest ‘thrilling’ developments in robotics

Posted on August 25, 2010 | Leave a comment

A few decades back, we all thought the 21st century would be filled with flying cars and robots. And by the end of the 90s, we all realised the world would not look like in  the 5th element anytime soon. But let’s not lose hope, we are slowly but surely getting there.

We’ve all heard about the flying car. It might be a bit pricey but give it a couple of decades and everyone will be flying to work.

We now also have our fair share of robots, although most of them are pretty pointless. The last in date is a robot fish. We don’t really know who would want such a thing or why, as real fish probably are 1. cheaper, 2. easier to care for, 3. more ‘entertaining’. And let’s face it, fishes are quite boring. But at least they are alive.

There’s also this creepy insect-like robot, called Phasma. It is the first robot to move that quickly and eagerly, a cause for excitement in the scientific field, but it’s more likely to give the creeps to the rest of us. It moves just like a spider trying to escape the hit of a shoe… It’s would definitely cause terror rather than awe in a public environment. Let’s just hope it will never turn against us.

(Source: Trendhunter and Ubergizmo)

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