Big Prototype

I love this table by Big Prototype as seen at BKLYN Designs - it would be perfect in our small apartment as a combination coffee/dining table.

Images via swissmiss.

Tsai Design Studio

Tsai Design Studio created this interesting bunk bed as the winning entry to the 2006 36sqm Challenge, a design competition that asked for solutions for large families living in small spaces (36 sq. meters, to be exact). The Nested Bunk Beds were inspired by traditional Russian Matriochka dolls, with five nested beds that can be pulled out for sleeping. The design went from concept to reality after being installed at an AIDS orphanage in Wellington, South Africa.

Via Designboom.

Peg Pencil by Yuta Watanabe

I enjoy the pegpencil reinterpretation of the leadholder and clothespin by Yuta Watanabe. Clean and simple, not much more needs to be said.

Nils Holger Moormann - Walden

The Walden (a reference to a story by Henry David Thoreau) is a great prototype by Nils Holger Moormann. Built to house precise functions, the Walden has a place for everything that you might need in your outdoor venture. The footprint is only 3'-6" wide by a little over 21' long - just wide enough to allow for two people to sit or sleep side-by-side in comfort.

plusminuszero

plusminuszero is a Japanese company headed by designer Naoto Fukasawa. The website description of the company really sums up the work:

It means neither plus nor minus;
it is necessity and sufficiency;
it is something you have never seen but somehow feel at home with;
it is a shape that is very normal yet fascinating;
It is the moment you realize, for the first time, that this is exactly what you have wanted.

The objects above are from plusminuszero's new collection: Coffee and Tea Maker, Toaster, Sliced Bread Dish, and Humidifier Ver.3.

Jim Hannon-Tan

I love the Clampleg by Jim Hannon-Tan. Besides being gorgeous, it allows you to make a table out of any surface. The heights are adjustable so if you have wonky floors like me, you can level your table.

Britt Ashcraft - Olo

Thanks to Morgan for reminding us about the Olo by Britt Ashcraft. The Olo is a 1.75" diameter flexible "nipple" that you can attach to the wall to display your favorite CD art. It's a nice alternative to keeping your CDs hidden in their jewel cases.

Studio Libertiny

Check out this "Bee Vase" by Studio Libertiny. The vase was actually made by 40,000 honey bees. Studio Libertiny created a mold in the shape of a vase that the bees then colonized. A quotation by Studio Libertiny via Dezeen:

I have been interested in contradicting the current consumer society (which is interested in slick design) by choosing to work with a seemingly very vulnerable and ephemeral material - beeswax. To give a form to this natural product it has occurred more than logical to choose a form of a vase as a cultural artifact. Beeswax comes from flowers and in the form of a vase ends up serving flowers on their last journey.

I like that Studio Libertiny calls the process "slow prototyping", which is a reference to the mechanized rapid prototyping technique in which (with the help of a computer) a physical product is created through a succession of layered cross-sections. The material used in rapid prototyping is often a waxy, plastic substance.

Via Designklub via Dezeen.

ID 360

The "Symbol" is an interesting, multi-functional piece of furniture by ID 360 that functions as a chair, a bench, a side table...It's sort of funny looking with all of its arms but I love that it does lots of things at once.

Judsons Guerilla Painter Box

Guerilla Painter Box by Judsons is a very cool self-contained outdoor painting box that can be kitted out with all the bells and whistles you need.

Muunto

Came across this shelving system by Muunto on Style Files, and I think it's fantastic! I love the organized chaos, and how each drawer/shelf/cubby has an obvious function. The system is super flexible, and you can add and remove storage types as you need. Unfortunately, the system isn't available in the States, but for any readers out in Finland - I'm jealous!

Mobelform

I love this couch/bunk bed from Mobelform. It's so much better than the old fold-out couch! I'm very attracted to the lights below, too, though I can't decide if I like or dislike the seaweed-esque fixture. Grabs my attention at any rate.

Klaus Aalto

Love the Take Out storage unit by Klaus Aalto. Besides being attractive, I love how utilitarian and functional it is. It would be great to store all my little doo-dads in various boxes and then to have the ability to transport an individual box to wherever I needed it to be.

Pepin Press

The Pepin Press makes a number of great resource books for graphic designers. We just picked up a copy of Structural Package Designs (left) for a project we are working on. And the Special Packaging Designs (right) book is a great companion book to the package design set. They both come with cds with .eps files of each container design.

Hofman Dujardin

Wow! This is an awesome idea...Dutch architect Hofman Dujardin came up with a fold-out balcony...so cool! When it's in its closed position, it becomes part of the exterior wall and acts as a window. Some mechanism (not clear how it works, exactly, nor am I clear on what the whole assembly looks like from the interior) allows the window/partition to fold down into a balcony. So cool. I want one!

Via Swissmiss.

Sternform

The Niklas by Sternform is a multi-functional, porcelain sphere that has many clever functions. It can be a lampshade, a fruit bowl, a flower pot and a birdhouse, among many other things.

Smoge

Smoge has a very interesting series of lights displayed at IMM Cologne this year - the fixtures have adjustable shades, so you can decide if you want to uplight or if you want to downlight. Two fixtures in one - clever!

Via Charles & Marie.

Lorraine Brennan

I've been meaning to post about this for a while - Lorraine Brennan created gold and silver plated limited edition spool vases, called "oh china". Does anyone know if it's real thread on the vase, or if it's just a ceramic imitation of thread? Anyway, I like the idea of giving a new function to an existing, banal household object.

Trek 2000

I think these are some sexy USB flash drives, if there is such a thing. I like the simple, crystalline forms. These were designed by Genometri for Trek 2000.

Suck UK Key Bottle Opener

The Key Bottle Opener from Suck UK is a nice little piece of hardware for your cluttered life. A skeleton key...for beer.

Desu Design

This is the Either/Or Table by Desu Design. I love that it can be used both as a coffee table and as a side table. In New York City, where space counts, a multi-functional table works for me!

Via Design Milk.

Pompom Arkitekter, Cecilia Design

Coat hangers (called "Hang On") from Pompom Arkitekter in collaboration with Cecilia Design...I like the minimalist design, just one piece of metal that folds to make the hanger. Very nice!

Joana Ozorio de Almeida Meroz: The Ornamented Life

I came across Joana Ozorio de Almeida Meroz of The Ornamented Life via Style Files. Joana’s interest is in taking ordinary, everyday objects and turning them into little design vignettes. Shown are the Crackery Tableware set, the Lace-Drain, and the Flower-Power Screws.

Orikaso Fold Flat Products

Orikaso makes camping products that pack as a flat sheet and fold up in crazy ways into bowls, dishes and cups. I played with some at EMS the other day and the cup or mug is the most interesting piece. At less than $5USD per piece, they are a good buy and never take up any space in a pack.

The Sawfish

While this may sound like a pretty ridiculous idea, The Triton Logging Company is a company that specializes in harvesting underwater lumber. The underwater forests are created by flooding due to new hydro-electric dams built throughout the world. There are an estimated 300 million trees that are now underwater and waiting to be harvested around the globe, worth some $500 Million USD.

Their primary tool is The Sawfish, a proprietary hybrid of an Unmanned Underwater Vehicle a logging machine. It is real and is actively harvesting underwater forests in British Columbia, Canada.

Bravo for unconventional ideas.

Half Shark Alligator Half Man

The Alligator Lopper, by Black & Decker, is the sickest looking yard tool I have ever seen. It's a mini-chainsaw(!) with a jaw to grip and chop large branches or small logs.

Node 12050 Outlets

The NODE 12050 continuous plug outlet operates on the same principal as standard track lighting. The electrified strips make a continuous loop around the perimeter of the outlet and by inserting the plug into the outlet, the circuit is completed and your device receives power. Pretty neat and much nicer to look at than the standard duplex. Too bad they are only available in Japan.

Stormproof

When it comes to living in the Northeast, rain is always an issue. Waterproof jackets have come a long way since pvc coated fabrics. Waterproof and breathable laminates are the best choice for foul weather gear and they work great. Next time you visit an outdoor store, be sure to check out how complete the waterproofing is on any rain jacket. From taped and welded seams to little individual hoods for the zipper gates, you can be sure to stay dry walking around the city.

Above is the EMS Thunderhead II Jacket from EMS. I have always been a big fan of EMS gear, since I grew up in the Northeast and it was all over. Their gear is incredibly durable and the value cannot be beat. And while they do not command the premium of companies like Patagonia and The North Face, they actually build more usable details into their clothing and gear. Like the inside pocket on the Thunderhead Jacket for your ipod so you can control it from the outside pocket.

Shimano Dura Ace Components

Shimano is a japanese company that makes hardgoods for cycling, fishing and snowboarding. Their main market, and what they are known for best, is the line of cycling products.

The world class Dura Ace 7800 component set is just that: world class. Shown is the STI Dual Control Lever, which handles 1. braking, 2. two types of shifting styles and 3. perched or tucked riding positions. The lever is only one of 14 individual components in the set. Check them out the next time you are at a bike shop to see how well made they are.

Scot Laughton

This is an older piece from Scot Laughton, but I love it - a multi-functional bench/storage chest made out of birch plywood.

Fishing with Flair

Fishing will always be one of my favorite things to do. I've been spin casting since I was a little kid with my Dad and brother. And last year I got to learn how to fly cast out west. I have to say that fly fishing is a lot more fun. It's like driving a stick shift vs. an auto transmission (I actually can't drive stick, but I think that's what it would be like. If you can do all four of these things, let me know if I'm right).

Field and Stream Magazine put together a list of the Top 50 Fishing Lures of All Time. The fishing lure is another example of form following function, but with flair. The flair comes with good reason: fish like to eat flashy things. The Hula Hopper (left) and the Terminator T-1 Spinnerbait (right) are both really beautiful objects, suitable to be shown in a shadowbox on your wall.

Climb With Four Hands

Climbing shoe designers have brought a lot of innovative ideas to climbing footwear over the last couple of years. Mad Rock makes the Super Loco (left) and Hooker EZ (right). Both have the pointed down-turned toe box for squeezing toes onto dime edges with power on the foot thanks to the curved arch. They also have hooked heels (and toes on the Hooker EZ) that allow for one to crimp on their heel hooks. It's almost like having 4 hands. In the world of specialized footwear, climbing shoes offer the most creative and innovative designs to make new routes and moves possible.

Black Diamond Camalots

Black Diamond design and fabricate 'camalots', a type of active protection for rock climbing. The spring-loaded cams retract and expand into large cracks in the rock and serve as temporary anchors in the rock for lead climbing. they are an exceptional example of a beautifully designed object that serves a very specific and very important purpose.