Furniture origami

For the person who has everything; I bet they don’t have this!! From fredflare.

Tableware from Seletti

Fun and functional, this porcelain tableware is a collaboration between Seletti's Selab and Allessandro Zambelli.

When not in use the modular dinner plates, salad plates, soup bowls and smaller bowls stack up to create buildings, complete with roofs. Take them apart and they are six table settings of square dishes perfectly suited for eating upon.

IARA

We may have been looking for the possibilities of life on Mars, but still there are places that struggle to provide clean drinking water to their natives on earth.
Designed to offer clean and hygienic water, the “IARA” by Brazilian studio Baita Design is an innovative system that collects rainwater to purify and transport it to the users in far off places. Filling the five outer bottles with dirty water, the new device utilizes the evaporation and condensation processes to purify water to be stored in an empty bottle located at the center. Moreover, users can employ plastic sheets or long banana leaves to increase the captor diameter and collect free and clean water from rain or dew at night. The IARA also features a rolling system with an ergonomic handle to transport clean drinking water from one place to another with ease.

City Coat Rack

One for every major city. Love them. From Radius Design

Place mats

How cool are these. Such a simple idea but they look great. Recycled paper place mats that have pop-up designs. Check out Delight for more options.

Puma packaging system

PUMA partnering with Fuseproject created this innovative, green packaging system.

Boxes contribute to millions of tons of waste each year. Fuseproject explored getting rid of them altogether by creating instead a a reusable bag to provide structure, thus using 65 percent less cardboard. The packaging also has no laminated printing, no tissue paper, and weighs less for shipping while also eliminating the need for a plastic retail bag. The rollout of the new packaging and distribution system is planned for 2011.
Millions of shoes shipped in this bag will reduce water, energy and diesel consumption in the manufacturing process by more than six percent per year. In summary: 8,500 tons less paper, 20 million megajoules of electricity saved, 1 million liters of fuel oil and 1 million liters of water will be conserved. During transport 500,000 liters of diesel will be saved and by replacing traditional shopping bags, the difference in weight will save almost 275 tons of plastic.
Way to go Fuseproject!!

Modern Art

I want this print called Modern Art by Craig Damrauer that was just released.

Space of Tape

I saw this story and was completely taken with it. An installation space made of clear adhesive tape stretched and wrapped between a scaffolding grid. The interior space is an amazing cocoon. By For Use/Numen.

The Lost In Sofa

The Lost in Sofa by Daisuke Motogi has little built-in slots in which you can stuff some goodies.

From the designer:
Things often get lost under the sofa. It’s ordinary for a coin which slipped out of your pocket, or a never-to-be-found remote to be accidentally found in between/underneath the sofa cushions. Maybe you’ll find a forgotten 10,000 yen bill that you once hid in there…

Sardana

Trees have pretty much escaped the attention of outdoor designers so far. However this year, the new buzz has been about creating specific designs that “hug” trees and transform them into furniture.
We have seen tree tables and tree pots in many brand portfolios. The latest in line is Sardana by Qui est Paul?. Made to resist extreme heat or cold, the design includes a bench that wraps around a matching oversized tree planter.
You can go wild with this as the brand offers it in no less than 13 colors, all UV resistant. It is up to you to opt either for colors that blend in to the scenery and make the tree the true star or go bold and make a statement with bright yellow, pink, or purple.

Tree Hotels

Remember when you were little and you wanted to live in your treehouse? Want that feeling of weightlessness and seclusion again, this time as an adult?
Take a Swedish adventure into the wilderness with the curious and odd vacation destination called Treehotel. Located in the small town of Harads, Sweden, Treehotel takes advantage of the natural surroundings and dense forests using them to serve as privacy for their sweet little getaway cabins nestles in the trees. Each small themed treehouse guestroom is suspended above the ground. Treehotel just opened this past July.

The Mirrorcube by Tham & Videgård Architects (Bolle Tham & Martin Videgård) is a lightweight aluminum cube covered in mirrored glass — you can see out 360 degrees. It has one double bed and you get there via a rope bridge.

The Bird’s Nest by Inredningsgruppen (Bertil Harström) was created to resemble a bird’s nest in which you are the eggs nesting inside! It has four beds (one double bed and two single child beds) and lots of privacy because of the branches on the exterior. You can access it from a retractable staircase.

The Cabin by Cyrén & Cyrén (Mårten Cyren & Gustav Cyren) has a double bed and views of the Lule River, It is accessed via a footbridge.

The Blue Cone by SandellSandberg has two levels. On the first is a double bed and in the loft, there are two single beds. To get to the Blue Cone, there’s a bridge from the mountain behind it.

A Room With A View by Marge Architects contains one double bed and offers spectacular views on three sides.

The UFO by Inredningsgruppen (Bertil Harström) has four beds (one double bed and two child beds). Who doesn’t want to sleep in a hovering UFO?

The Tree Sauna by Inredningsgruppen (Bertil Harström) is a 12-person sauna where you can relax amidst the refreshing scent of pine needles.
Are you packed yet?
What: Treehotel
Where: Harads, Sweden
How much: Depends on which room you book, but rates start at 3500 SEK (~$525)
Highlights: Being suspended above ground, taking a tree sauna, complimentary breakfast buffet, local seasonal activities
Design draw: Architect-designed treehouse rooms with different themes
Book it: treehotel.se

Bud Trap

BudTrap is a simple little device that attaches to your iPhone, iPod or other smart-device’s headphone jack that wrangles your earbud wires and keeps them nice and untangled. And, you’ll never forget your device again — now you can hang it on a hook by the door right next to your keys!