Author Archives: Jay Alba

This clothing rack that steams + hangs your clothes for you is a must have for every millennial apartment!

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What does laundry for most young adults look like? First, you carry an overflowing hamper to the laundromat next to your apartment. Next, you stuff as many clothes as you can fit into one of the washing machines (without separating my darks and whites). Once the washing cycle finishes, you’ll pull out a handful of clothes to hang dry in your closet while throwing the rest in a dryer. In my case, I want to say that I separate my wet laundry because some of my shirts are too delicate for a tumble dry cycle. In reality, I do this to save an extra quarter on what I spend on drying the clothes that don’t fit on the hangers in my closet.

I am not the only person who takes similar shortcuts when doing laundry (otherwise, I wouldn’t have shared this story). In fact, the Sanute was designed for young adults like myself, whose closets double as a drying rack for their wet laundry. Or, like my roommate, whose drying rack basically functions as a holder for her dry clothes. As children, we are told to fold and put away our clean clothes after they finish drying. As independent adults with busy work schedules, many of us don’t mind leaving our clothes on the rack … at least, until our parents come to visit.

At first glance, the Sanute looks like it could be a heating unit that came with your apartment. However, it opens to reveal multiple slots on which your clothes can dry. There’s also a top drawer where you can place smaller items like your undergarments and socks. This closed-off design choice lets you present a tidy room for visitors who might not want to see your clothes dangling out in the open. With the Sanute, you don’t have to remove your clothes and hang them in the closet after they finish drying. The Sanute is your closet.

The Sanute is also a dehumidifier and an air freshener, allowing you to bring the fresh, clean smell of a laundromat into your living space. This multifunctional appliance would drastically improve the lives of its users, and it’s clear that the designers thought long and hard about the needs of their target consumers. To increase ease of usage, each individual slats can be pulled out to hang help you remove only what you want to wear that day, without messing up your remaining clothes. I can easily imagine having a Sanute in my apartment and how many quarters I would save by having a personal dryer. Perfectly millennial-friendly, don’t you think?

Designers: Kihyun Kim, Dahee Son, Yoomin Sun, Eungee Ko, Yoonhee Kim

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Sanute drying rack 2

Sanute drying rack

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Sanute drying rack 4

Sanute dehumidifier

Sanute air freshner

Sanute dryer

Sanute closet

This Adidas X Mr. Bailey Sneaker Dives Deep For Its Oceanic Inspiration

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Imagine a sneaker that was completely different from what you’ve seen in athletic footwear. Imagine creating an entirely new shape for this standardized product. What would it look like? Pulling inspiration from the marine mollusks, Mr. Bailey, a renowned foot/streetwear designer showcases a shoe unlike anything we’ve seen with his project, the Ammonite Superstar: Evolution of the Shell Toe.

At first glance, the Ammonite Superstar looks like a relic in a museum. When I first found this piece, I didn’t even recognize it as a sneaker. Several design cues help reinforce the parallels between the Ammonite shoe and its marine roots. The faded coloring gives the impression that the piece is a fossil, or at the very least, a piece of bone. Additionally, the shoe’s rubber sole – its most distinct feature – mimics the splayed segments of an octopus’s tentacles. Viewing the Ammonite Superstar from above, the warped sole looks like it was cut into stubby, fringe-like pieces. Flip the shoe over, and you’ll see that these rubber “fringes” connect, forming a circular chamber underneath the main body. It’s a unique visual and a memorable walking experience. (After all, what is a sneaker that can’t be worn?)

I, for one, would not have imagined that a deep-dive into footwear design would lead me to bookmark several ocean life documentaries to watch later. Even though I can’t integrate this unique piece into my wardrobe, I can appreciate it as a work of art. Visually, the Ammonite Superstar is a captivating, unconventional tribute to the mollusk species. It is a piece that appropriately honors its real-life inspiration and sparks curiosity in marine life.

Designer: Mr. Bailey and Adidas

 

Architecture-inspired workout equipment that balances your workout and your interior design!

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I was not an active person before 2020. If you, like me, never had a desire to work out, didn’t enjoy running, or were in terrible shape? Ironically, this mentality flipped in quarantine. I’m sure many readers have grown stir-crazy this past year and can relate to this newly spurred desire to exercise. We always want what we can’t have. Living in a small space, however, means limited options for workout equipment. Currently, my arsenal includes water bottles filled with sand and a yoga mat. Even if I could safely go to a gym, I hate exercising in front of other people, who are presumably in better shape than I am. These are struggles that many individuals relate to … and they are struggles that the Arch exercise equipment tries to address.

At first glance, the functionality of the Arch is difficult to place. It looks like … well, an arch (with a stool place in front of it). The product is perfect for fitness in a small space, like my living room. Honestly, the structure could blend into the background – which in this case, is a good thing. The Arch uses resistance bands instead of weights, which take up less storage space while still providing an effective, strength-building workout. It’s a great entry-level workout appliance for exercising newbies like myself. Additionally, the Arch also offers dumbles as add-ons for people who want a more intense workout. The Arch also has a companion app. It’s a great educational and motivational tool to help users try out the different exercises available with the Arch structure.

The product is built specifically for workout needs during quarantine; its slender frame takes up limited space, allowing it to fit into almost everyone’s lifestyle – from beginners to pros. The guiding principles behind the Arch reimagine how society views health and fitness. We tend to equate bulging muscles with peak physical fitness, but in reality, those standards are unrealistic and not necessary for the general public – we’re not bodybuilders, after all! The Arch, on the other hand, encourages users, like me, to set their own fitness goals, instead of comparing themselves to the buff, childhood crushes they still follow on Instagram (also me).

Designer: Gesa Oeljeschläger

 

This reusable taphouse in Denmark was designed to be moved and rebuilt for future buildings

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In the coastal town of Køge, Denmark, a new taphouse has just been added to the Braunstein Brewery. However, with climate change and rising ocean levels threatening to change the structure of coastal communities, who knows how long the taphouse would exist? Within the next decade, Køge’s architecture may have to change completely to withstand the changing landscape brought on by climate change. With that in mind, the architects behind the Pakhuset Braunstein taphouse designed a building that would be easier to dispose of. What does that mean? Well, typically, when a building has to be taken down, it is usually demolished, leaving tons (literal tons) of debris behind. The Pakhuset taphouse, when its time comes, can be disassembled. Unlike traditional buildings, made of concrete and other inflexible materials, this taphouse is made with removable parts, which can be easily disassembled and repurposed.

How does this work for sustainability? For one, upcycling the taphouse’s components instead of dumping them in a landfill would significantly lessen their environmental impact. Two, the materials involved in their creation, such as sustainably forested wood, would last longer than other construction materials, stretching each component’s lifespan. Breaking down a building into its separate parts will be more time-consuming (and expensive) than demolishing it, but ultimately, it’s a long-term investment. Instead of creating new buildings from scratch, you already have existing pieces ready to go. The taphouse is also easier to maintain because each component – the modular windows and removable bolts and screws – can be easily replaced.

Aesthetically, the simplicity of the taphouse’s design adds to its charm. With its unfinished wood and steel structures, the design embraces a work-in-progress look. It’s almost like getting a sneak peek at the foundation underneath a traditional building.

The concept behind this design could be one of the future pillars of sustainable architecture. However, we’ll have to wait to see the next stage of the taphouse’s life (a.k.a. the disassembly) and if it leads to mass adoption of recyclable architecture.

Designer: Adept

Disney, Vodafone and Fuseproject create a smartwatch that safely connects your child to the digital world

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How many of you have younger siblings that you feel have access to technology and a digital world that didn’t exist when you were growing up? The opportunity for the younger generation these days is endless but the general feeling is they don’t quite grasp the responsibility that goes along with interacting with it. For instance, the smartphone provided (for emergencies) but gets ‘lost’ regularly, because they don’t understand how valuable/expensive that device is. They didn’t pay for it, after all. They also spend most of their free time on Social Media, which, like all internet communities, has its “good” and “bad” qualities. this generation is growing up in a completely different landscape, one that is too vast and overwhelming to guide them through.

Neo smartwatch might be the tool they need. The product offers a safe way for kids to interact with smart-technology, with some parental supervision. The Neo watch has similar features to our smart-watches (snapping pictures, sending text messages, calling family members, etc.), but in a product that is easy for children to use. The watch’s display is a 1.2-inch touch screen, which is large enough for their not-quite-nimble fingers. Most functions can be controlled with the push of one button (located in the top corner), making it even easier for your child to use. The watch is also angled at 45-degrees, which provides a more comfortable viewing angle and reduces wrist strain. “The smartwatch’s durable and ergonomic design is coupled with an angled watch face that improves the viewing angle for the user, reducing strain on the wrist. The angle also provides a comfortable and natural way to use the front-facing camera. By tilting the screen at a 20-degree angle, we remove the need for problematic over-articulation of the arm, offering a more comfortable movement for viewing and interacting.”

To amplify the workings and how it helps the children, the studio explains, “An easily-accessible and tactile elastomeric button is strategically positioned at the top corner of the screen and serves as the primary action button for all of Neo’s basic functions: taking pictures, answering calls, gaming, and more. A child is also able to hold this button down for 5-seconds to trigger the “quick call” function, contacting family members from a circle of trusted contacts. A built-in speaker and microphone enables communication with family members using VoIP for calls, and chats, both one-to-one and in a group.” During my childhood, I played with quite a few toy versions of real products: an Easy-Bake oven, Barbie-branded flip-phone, you get the idea. The Neo smartwatch serves the same purpose, but for a new generation – one that would benefit from a supervised introduction to digital technology.

Designer: Fuseproject for Vodafone

Click Here to Pre-order!

How were these sustainable stools made? By upcycling old bicycles.

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My brother is eight-years-old, and unlike me, he is a natural when it comes to biking. Over the summer, he and my family went biking every weekend to break from the monotony of quarantine. Like my brother, many bikers make the max joy out of riding their bikes. However, with every growth spurt, you have to buy a different bike each year to accommodate your changing habits. So, what happens to the older ones – the ones that are no longer being used? You could sell those bikes on Facebook Marketplace/ eBay or any other online market, however, that’s not always an option for old bikes. Sometimes their chains rust, preventing them from being used for their intended purpose. The frame is still in good condition, but it’s not a bike anymore. And so, it gets thrown out.

Instead of creating more waste, the 2 Stools from 1 Bicycle project makes use of what’s already there. It creates a product that everyone can use and would be less inclined to throw away. A stool is like a clothes hanger, it is something that you don’t necessarily think about, but it is a product that adds convenience to your daily life. Also, thanks to the stools’ unique aesthetics, you won’t want to give them away. Usually, stools have a symmetrical structure, but these are different. Their slanted legs create an unusual shape and remind me of the original bike-frames they were taken from. One stool has three legs; the other has four. Similar to my poorly plucked eyebrows, these stools are sisters, not twins. The seat itself is made from recyclable cork, so even though it doesn’t come from the original bike, it is still in line with the project’s sustainability mission.

The concept of this product allows people to take a sentimental object and give it a new life. Don’t give away your bike second-hand or let it gather dust in your garage … repurpose it and continue to make memories.

Designer: Hyemin Kim

These intuitive portable speakers come with detachable headphones that keep the music always ‘on’

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Here is an organizational problem that music lovers face: not knowing where to put their bulky headphones when they aren’t wearing them. As someone who recently bought her first proper pair of headphones, I relate to the struggle. Most of us are used to tossing my earbuds carelessly on your nightstand, leaving them in your jeans pocket, or finding them on the carpet at the end of the day. The headphones, on the other hand, took up more space and were more expensive, so I’m more careful about where I store them. But, I have the same problem that inspired the Talking Heads Speaker: no clear space to set my headphones down neatly. Until the designers at LeapX thought: What better place to keep your headphones than next to your portable speaker? (Obviously, true audiophiles have both!). You might as well keep your audio gear in one place. And then, the designer found that few things sparked joy the way that the image of a speaker wearing a pair of headphones could.

This was the beginning of what would turn into the Talking Heads speaker. The portable speaker/mount changed to a spherical shape instead of a boxy one. Now, the product truly looks like a head listening to music. However, the Talking Heads speaker offers more than just a pleasing, humorous aesthetic; the device has practical uses too. First of all, the speaker’s spherical shape allows you to slip the headphones on and off without stretching out the headband. Secondly, two devices are connected and will let you switch between listening through the speaker and the headphones. You don’t have to press any buttons: just pick up or set down the headphones on the speaker/mount, and the devices will automatically switch audio outputs. It’s almost like they are reading your mind. Finally, the speaker/mount doubles as a wireless charger for the headphones. I can’t review the LeapX speaker based on audio quality, but its design gets a 10/10. I appreciate how a delightful sight gag evolved into a product that truly made its users’ lives a bit easier and more organized.

A product that resolves a problem while adding to the aesthetic appeal of your work setup, that’s the definition of a truly useful product design. While the market is flooded with abundant headphone stands, having the stand just lie in wait is a waste of precious desktop space! The dual functionality of this speaker+ headphone combo is intuitive in approach and hence is a worthy addition to every desk setup!

Designer: LeapX

LeapX Talking Heads

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This futuristic modular light fixture is a chandelier you can assemble to suit your interiors!

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Even though we’ve been told not to look directly into bright lights, I promise you can’t stop gazing at this beautiful glowing fixture. When I came across the Scintilla X Crosset X Sheppard light collection, I felt like I had been transported into a dystopian future or a luxury spaceship. The design of the fixtures conveys a distinct, futuristic aesthetic with minimal design cues. The individual pieces look a bit like a cross between a diamond and an ice sculpture, two images that connate luxury in the eyes of the world.

A unique quality of this lighting fixture is the customization of its design. The images below show off different configurations of the Scintilla lights, which essentially create various shapes and silhouettes using one modular piece. The pieces can hang loosely like dangling icicles, attach as a halo shaped like a four-leaf-clover, or connect in other ways to suit your style and living space. Your only limitation is your imagination – take these individual shapes and create an artistic shape to give your space an eccentric look or use singular lights individually, creating spot/accent lights to create a cozy yet comfortable space.

The Scintilla fixture is so minimal, yet it is the first thing you notice when you walk into a room. Christmas is coming up right now and one thing is for sure, these lights are in my bucket list!

Designer: Max Leishman

Click Here to Buy Now!

This adorable humidifier + figurine clears up congestion while sparking joy!

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Even living in Southern California, the winter season gets cold enough that my nose gets congested. This means I lie awake at night, trying to train myself to breathe through my mouth since my nose is too stuffed to take in air. Every season, I think about how I should buy a humidifier for my room since the congestion is such an inconvenience. Yet, I don’t. Instead, I will microwave a cup of water and hold it under my nose while watching Netflix.

Since I move frequently, I try not to purchase bulky appliances that I will either have to lug around with me or leave behind. A humidifier would not be the largest item I could own, but it would take up a fair amount of space. For this reason, if I were to purchase one, I would prefer one that was as small as possible … something like the V-CUUB mini humidifier.

Of course, the main draw for this product is not its practical usage. The V-CUUB mini humidifier is downright adorable. If I saw this online or in a store, I probably wouldn’t have realized its real purpose until after I bought it. Figurines like this one can simply exist to spark joy, and that would be enough. By happenstance, the V-CUUB suits my needs more than other humidifier products: it’s small, making it incredibly easy to store in my apartment, and would be something I could take with me on moves.

Designer: Kimparks Lab

Click Here To Buy Now

 

This bird-inspired projector’s rotating beak is your space-saving home theater experience!

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FUFU electronics 1

As a movie-lover who also lives in a small apartment, I have limited space (and funds) for a TV monitor. I have been browsing through options for portable projectors because, in addition to bringing the charm of a drive-in movie, it would fit more easily into my cramped lifestyle. When I saw the Beak laser projector, I was intrigued by its sleeker, cylinder design, as it was such a departure from the boxy-silhouette I expected from similar products.

As the name suggests, the Beak projector from FUFU pulls design inspiration from birds, particularly the toucan, which can neatly tuck its head and long beak against its neck. This is not a new concept: many technological devices draw from animal traits and physicality. In this case, the toucan’s beak helped improve the usability and convenience of the projector. In original designs, the projector’s “skull” needed to fully rotate, which is why the creators settled on the curved shape. However, the projector also needed a mirror so that the refracted image could show right-side-up on the ground. This need for a mirror became the inspiration for the Beak projector’s shape.

I appreciate this design choice as someone who would want a product that was as compact as possible. The Beak projector does not look smaller than comparable devices. In fact, I could probably find other projectors with similar dimensions and weight. The key difference though is that the Beak’s narrow, tall frame makes it easier to store. I could keep it on the corner of my desk or nightstand, and it wouldn’t take up as much surface area as a typical box-shaped projector. Intriguing design + innovative inspiration makes this projector a must-have for your needs!

Designer: FUFU

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