Posted by admin on Jul 25, 2011 in
Design and Home,
technology 
Concept Shed might sound like a brand that just creates cool looking prototypes and drawings and never delivers, but that’s not the case. The funky looking Audio Armchair you see above is a fully working model that you can purchase, albeit for an undisclosed price- probably custom made from their Cornwall headquarters ( a UK brand- w00t!).
I don’t have a huge a mount of info about the Audio Armchairs, but the picture really does speak for itself- an elegant looking chair in a deliciously bright colour. There are three shades (as far as I know), called lemon, aubergine and tangerine, and all are 100% leather. They look like they’d be amazingly comfy and squashy to sit in, and speakers are hidden in the wings of the chair. There’s also a seat sensor (perhaps so it turns on when you sit down?) a built in MP3 player and it’s completely button less, so I guess you alter the volume by leaning in the seat.
I like how they have reworked the classic Chesterfield armchair to make it highly modern and desirable, and if I had a spare windfall lying around I know I’d be calling up Concept Shed and ordering a pair (in aubergine, naturally).
Tags: Audio armchairs, Concept Shed
Posted by admin on Jul 2, 2011 in
Design and Home,
random 
Climbing is great physical exercise, but it’s not the prettiest of sports. Those ugly shoes, the crampons, the hi-vis jackets (if you’re outdoors).. it’d great for the heart but not so much for the mirror. Japanese design agency Nendo decided to reclaim this sport and has created a beautiful looking climbing wall, complete with rectangular mirrors and vintage looking photo frames. This is no ‘concept mock up’, this is their actual work for the ILLOIHA fitness club in Japan.
The theme used was the idea of “becoming beautiful through movement“, and Nendo merged elements from Tokyo’s high fashion district (such as the picture frames, bird cages, mirrors and vases) to create a unusual looking wall that still gave a fulfilling fitness experience. Not only did they succeed in beautifying the traditional climbing wall, but Nendo also hoped to inspire newcomers to the gym to try something they might not otherwise have thought about. Read more…
Tags: fitness climbing wall, LLOIHA OMOTESANDO, Nendo
Posted by admin on Apr 11, 2011 in
Design and Home 
Upcycling is a popular trend nowadays, but I think that Coffin Couches may be pushing the boundaries of taste. The couch you see above is created from a real life coffin– unused, thankfully. Los Angeles based company Autumn created the Heretic Coffin Couch using Italian black leather and there’s a limited run of three on sale (still available).
They’re not the only ones to have gone the coffin couch route (perhaps just for the pun element?) as the brand Coffin Couches also exists, upcycling flawed coffins bought from funeral directors. Health and safety laws prevent the resell of coffins to the public so the company was able to buy the coffins at a cheap rate, reupholster them and sell them on;- such is the apparent demand that they even have themed SPORTS coffin couches, for individuals who are Lakers fans till death do they part (sorry). Read more…
Tags: Coffin Couches, Heretic Coffin couch
Posted by admin on Dec 26, 2010 in
Design and Home,
random,
Theatre and Art,
Yum 
Growing up I was always told not to play with my food, a lesson that clearly wasn’t drummed home to the artists involved in the International Food Design Society exhibition. They created an exhibit which used food as the basis of exciting and innovative artworks, everything from edible coffee cups to a skintight bird feeding suit to let you get all Mary Poppins with pigeons.
I like the thinking behind the event, as food shouldn’t be something static which is consumed- let’s evolve the edible! Why not have chocolate jewellery for diabetics or sugar stirrers (oh wait, we have those).
This exhibition was show in London last month, and saw a collective of artists worldwide get together and display their best pieces. I’m in love with the ‘cheese sharpener’ (see bottom image) which easily allows you to add artistic cheese garnishes to your food with minimum effort. Other cool ideas were shown- isn’t the chocolate calorie counter cool? Pull off a piece of choccie and the calories are (scarily) inscribed upon the slice- it’s a whole new way to think about portion control.
The Human Bird Feeder Outfit
Read more…
Tags: Food Design, International Food society
Posted by admin on Dec 19, 2010 in
Design and Home,
geekery,
technology 
I love art but lack any modicum of talent in this field. You want proof? My high school art teacher almost cried at my depiction of still life oranges, and her sighs of despair still haunt me to this day. I tend to credit anyone who knows their way around a paintbrush with a huge amount of awe, and I hold these sculptures by artist Franco Recchia in high esteem. I first discovered his work on ChipChick, and am so impressed with what he has created. Franco has taken old computer parts- everything from the hard rive to the cardboard packaging- and turned it into futuristic style cityscapes. His work includes the Manhattan landscape, Pittsburg and Boston, and I’m hoping he’ll turn his attention to Britain next.
Read more…
Tags: Agora Gallery, Franco Recchia, Technology Art
Posted by admin on Nov 21, 2010 in
Design and Home,
random 
I have doodled pretty much my whole life. From the moment I could hold a Crayola I was busy coloring in sheets of paper, the walls, anything I could reach really, much to my parents chagrin. As I got older I moved away from walls and onto textbooks, illustrating the margin with badly drawn cartoon figures modelling fashions. As an adult I still doodle constantly, as it’s something I literally can’t stop. I’ll leave a meeting full of ideas, notes and crazy ass flowers in the margin of my notebook. I’ve seen a fair few doodle friendly designs, but this duvet is definitely my favourite. Read more…
Tags: Doodle duvet
