Tag Archives: A’ Design Silver

The Nefer perfume comes in a hauntingly beautiful skeletal bottle created through 3D printing

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Getting its name from the Egyptian word for beauty, the Nefer perfume bottle embodies sheer elegance on the inside and out. The bottle’s design is derived from the curved lines of the female figure (possibly as an ode to the ancient Egyptian Queen Nefertiti), and comes with an organic skeletal design that could only be fabricated using 3D printing. In fact, Nefer’s design reminds me of Ross Lovegrove’s 3D printed line of fragrances, created in collaboration with Formula 1.

The bottle’s intricate design comes with a sculptural exterior and an interior that contains the liquid fragrance. Given that 3D printing isn’t a conventional form of mass manufacturing (and also removes various design constraints), it made sense for the Nefer to showcase a luxurious bottle design that used 3D printing in a bid to look eye-catching but also exclusively limited.

As large as the bottle may look visually, it holds a mere 90ml (3 fl.oz.) of liquid in its inner chamber. While under most circumstances I’d call that wasteful, the more fitting characteristic term here would be opulence.

The Nefer perfume bottle comes in a decorative box that uses a combination of black and rose-gold to create an eye-catching visual contrast. Open the lid and it reveals the highly alluring bottle on the inside, set within a specially formed inner chamber with the bottle’s negative form, allowing the bottle to snugly fit inside it. Ultimately the bottle doesn’t come with any branding of its own, although designer Amr Ibrahim Mousa believes that the bottle’s iconic design is enough to serve as its visual branding.

The Nefer perfume bottle is a Silver Winner of the A’ Design Award for the year 2021.

This clever set of modular poufs can transform into any kind of furniture for your small apartment

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Tango Modular Multifunctional Pouf Furniture

Designed as a response to an increasing need for modular furniture for smaller apartments, the Tango Multifunctional Pouf transforms into practically anything you need, from a set of benches to a couch, a lounging sofa, and even a mattress. The award-winning poufs are shaped like triangular extrusions that are attached together by a layer of fabric (sort of like a cushion-version of a Toblerone bar). This connecting fabric acts as a hinge, allowing the triangular poufs to be folded and rearranged. Together, two sets/strips of these triangular pouf modules make up a wide range of furniture-types, giving you a design solution that’s versatile, interactive, and incredibly fun to look at!

Tango Modular Multifunctional Pouf Furniture

The Tango Multifunctional Poufs were designed by Polish designer Ryszard Manczak and were even presented in prototype form at an exhibition at the Temporary Museum for New Design in Milan, as well as the NYCxDESIGN event in New York. The name Tango stems from the phrase ‘it takes two to tango’, hinting at how two pouf sets can come together in a variety of ways. The poufs are made using soft recycled foam on the inside covered with a layer of coconut fibers. Finally, they’re clad in a layer of wool fabric, giving them their soft, fuzzy, and warm exterior. Their foldable nature makes them easy to store and transport (thanks to their smaller footprint), however, once they’re in their desired location, they fold out into a variety of fun possibilities, helping turn your small apartment into an a-party-ment!

The Tango Multifunctional Poufs are a Silver Winner of the A’ Design Award for the year 2021.

Designer: Ryszard Manczak

Tango Modular Multifunctional Pouf Furniture

Tango Modular Multifunctional Pouf Furniture

Tango Modular Multifunctional Pouf Furniture

Tango Modular Multifunctional Pouf Furniture

The Una Corda is an award-winning ‘nude’ upright piano that shows you the magic underneath the hood

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Unlike most upright pianos that use a robust wooden casing to create acoustic reverberation, the Una Corda ditches it all for an exposed design that results in a much softer-sounding note that’s gentle to the ears. “In the course of researching piano acoustics, I decided to strip the piano from any and all unnecessary features, invent a new, softer soundboard, and to build a piano by the strict principle of form follows function“, says David Klavins, who was commissioned to create the Una Corda piano for renowned pianist and composer, Nils Frahm.

The piano’s name Una Corda translates to “One Cord” from the piano’s one-string-per-note construction. The outer frame for the Una Corda is made from stainless steel, within which sits its exposed double-layer soundboard. The playing experience is far from just auditory and tactile, it’s incredibly visual too, as you literally see how the hammers hit the strings when you press any of the 88 keys. Instead of the aggressive ‘twang’ of an upright piano, the Una Corda has a gentler, sweeter sound that can be made even softer thanks to the presence of modular felt panels that can be added between the hammers and strings to dampen the sound even further.

The result is an instrument that’s a piano in theory, but challenges the long-set notion of what a piano should look and sound like. Known for combining classical with electronic music, Frahm even added a combination of microphones and pick-ups to the piano, giving it much more flexibility and range than any normal upright or grand piano. Skip to the 4:30 mark in the video to hear the Una Corda in action. It really sounds less like your traditional piano and almost like a cross between an electronic piano and a celesta!

The Una Corda is a Silver Winner of the A’ Design Award for the year 2021.

Designer: David Klavins for Nils Frahm

This minimal fan’s stripped down design is crafted from sustainable materials to last for generations!

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It’s that time of year again– it’s getting hot and the fans are coming out. Finding the right fan for your living space means finding one that’s practical and blends in with the rest of your furniture and architecture. As consumers, we tend to make a lot of stylistic compromises for the sake of practicality, which leads to products getting discarded before they reach obsolescence. Inspired to create a standing fan that’s not white, plastic, and likely to end up on the sidewalk come September, design group Ttato built Aura.

Minimal by conscious design, Aura’s build was stripped down to its bare components: cage, propeller, base, and motor. Built to be a home appliance that can be used throughout the year, Aura was specifically built for optimal functionality. Constructed with materials that were selected for their sustainability, durability, and beauty, Aura exudes a sophisticated air and follows that through with detailed functionality.

Aura’s rotor blades, for instance, were formed from the overlaying and bending of birch and ash veneers, lengthening the rotor blades’ lifespan while celebrating the craft of woodworkers. Then, the aluminum frame is coated with powder and designed to be lightweight and easy to assemble. The three legs of Aura are carved from solid ash wood and can be easily dislodged so that Aura can be transported anywhere. Designed to outlast and redefine our relationships with household furniture, Aura is in it even for the long winter.

Named after the mythical deity that represents ‘the gentle breeze in the early morning,’ Aura was built to move large quantities of air at low speeds. Aura’s built-in controller allows users to choose from five different speeds and outfitted with a swivel and tilt function, users can adjust the direction of airflow as well. During the winter, Aura can be used to move the cooler air from the floor to the ceiling by tilting the fan upwards so the rotor can draw in cool air and the blades can propel the warmer air back down towards the floor.

Designer: Ttato Design

Aura’s minimalist design merges a slim build with a wide area for an elegant addition to any living space.

Aura’s powder-coated aluminum frame is lightweight and durable.

Coming in an array of different colors, Aura has the right look for your space.

By turning the fan upwards, the rotor draws in the cool air and propels the warmer air to the ground.

The 5-speed controller comes with summer and winter modes.

Aura’s 5-speed controller allows users to adjust the strength and mode of the fan’s airflow.

Nanosensors in this bionic plant can instantly detect impurities and toxins within water

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Inspired by the Flint Water Crisis, the Argus is a bionic plant that can instantly detect irregularities in water quality, catching them long before they become a problem for residents in the neighborhood or district. Argus is the brainchild of MIT Media Lab-graduate Harpreet Sareen, who realized that plants have the ability to play a pivotal role in helping us know more about our environment. Sareen realized that plants are constantly sampling water, and if there are any impurities in the water around us, plants end up absorbing them too – making them perfect for helping catch any toxins and impurities in water years before they end up having irreversible effects on the humans and animals living in the area.

Sareen developed a special concoction of nano-sensing materials (DNA-based biosensors and carbon nanotubes) which he then injected into the plant. These nano-sensing materials inside the plant produce or turn off fluorescent light when they encounter any impurities, effectively turning the plant into an electricity-free water monitoring system. An inexpensive camera setup can detect these fluorescent signals, showing results in 15 minutes to 2 hours, offering a cost-effective and time-sensitive way to detect hard-metal toxins and chemicals in a given area’s water supply.

Argus is a Silver Winner of the A’ Design Award for the year 2021.

Designer: Harpreet Singh Sareen

LED door handle can light up to help people evacuate in an emergency, and can self-sanitize too

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Razeto and Casareto have been designing and manufacturing locks and door accessories since 1920. To mark 100 years in the industry, the company set out to usher in a revolution in the world of door handles and developed the Ossh, a door handle that does more than just open doors – it communicates with you too. Relying on a patented cable-free power system, the Ossh door handles have LEDs inside them that illuminate to act as ‘signage’ of sorts. Just simply by looking at a handle, you can tell if the door is locked or open, and the LED’s different colors can even transform into a wayfinding system, allowing you to color-code doors to let people know what’s on the other side or even help them during emergencies. Moreover, the handles are also capable of self-sanitizing, using a combination of purple LEDs and Esi – a permanent antimicrobial anodic protection coating.

Ossh is a multifunctional door handle system featuring a variety of safety and management applications. Lighting up in critical conditions Ossh can even help direct people to safe escape routes. Ossh is available in kits: Stand Alone, for privacy; Wired, for fire doors; and Wi-fi for domestic and commercial setups. Ossh even features Esi – an antivirus, antibacterial, and antifungal technology that uses silver ions for sanitation. Tested and certified to kill coronavirus, the combination of Esi and the ultraviolet LEDs help sanitize the environment and the hand while opening the door.

The Ossh multifunctional door handle is a Silver Winner of the A’ Design Award for the year 2021.

Designer: F.lli Razeto & Casareto SpA

This observation tower features a coffee bar that hovers above the clouds for a rare view of Da Lat!

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Sweeping the city in a sea of clouds, Da Lat is considered one of Vietnam’s most romantic cities and named to suggest, “City of Eternal Spring.” Year-round, clouds cover the majority of Da Lat’s landscape and enhance the city’s elusive charm, giving rise to unique, quirky, and statement architectural structures. Conceived and built by VHA Architects, Flowers of Clouds or The Tower Flower is one such observation tower and garden space that blossoms above the city bringing travelers and residents to the top of the clouds for a bird’s eye view of the city below.

Characterized by its rolling hills coated with pine trees, marigold, and mimosa flowers, Da Lat’s distinct beauty is singular. The Tower Flower, an observation tower molded into the shape of a flower in the early stages of blooming, sings an ode to those rolling hills of Da Lat with terrace gardens and biophilic design principles. Designed to be a coffee boutique bar as part of a larger resort complex, The Tower Flower’s spherical frame features facades that mimic flowers blooming with rich orange corten steel modules that form the structure’s large petals.

Twisting throughout the building’s interior, a winding ramp emulates the flow and curve of a river to allow the surrounding landscape and interior garden to gradually appear to each guest and visitor. Inside the coffee boutique bar, visitors and residents can enjoy views of the surrounding landscape as well as the structure’s interior garden that pays tribute to the Lotus flower, the symbol for pure beauty in Buddhism.

The Tower Flower is supported by a steel frame structure and reinforced concrete to ensure the structure’s stability and longevity. Perched atop the clouds at a height of 600m2, The Tower Flower’s roof terrace also features a flourishing garden that overflows from the roof. Hanging over the structure’s rim and merging with the clouds, the thriving garden creates a striking colorful display against the city’s optic white moat of clouds.

Designer: VHA Architects

Swept over in clouds, Da Lat’s foggy landscape lends itself beautifully to unique architectural structures that pay tribute to the land.

Stationed atop a surrounding water moat, The Tower Flower blossoms as a lotus flower would on a still pond.

Inside the building’s coffee boutique bar, guests can enjoy views of the surrounding landscape and interior garden.

A winding ramp gradually leads guests through the botanical structure’s interior, emulating the flow of a river and slowly opening up to the terrace garden.

Corten steel frames stylized into the shape of petals mimic the structure of a lotus flower, the symbol of pure beauty in Buddhism.

Enveloped with inverted V-structures, the building is stabilized with varying steel frames.

Perched above the clouds of Da Lat, The Tower Flower offers a bird-eye view of the city below.

This multi-level cat tower balances the joy of a McDonald’s PlayPlace with interior-friendly aesthetics!

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Cat towers have given cats reign over their homes for as long as they’ve been around. Whether they’re draped in plush carpeting or stripped down to a minimal hardwood design, cat towers provide a place for cats to relax and nap the day away or run and play until they’re ready for a nap. Designed by Hitomi Otake, the Neko Goten Cat Tower combines the labyrinth nature of a Mcdonald’s PlayPlace with the artful craftsmanship of a handmade piece of wooden furniture.

Featuring concealed storage areas and tucked-away hideouts, Neko Goten was designed on the basis of understanding the behavior of cats with acute attention to what makes them really purr. On the left side, Neko Goten’s staircase brings cats to alternating jumping perches where cats can leapfrog before heading up to the tower’s plastic hemisphere that hovers above the entire play area. Below the staircase, a hideout offers a covert place for cats to rest without bother. Then, the center section of Neko Goten features a hive-like resting area that’s stationed atop a hollowed-out carpeted ring reminiscent of a hamster wheel, where cats can either rest, scratch, or knead until a cat nap’s in order. Finally, the right side suspends a four-tier platform chain ladder for cats to climb up and down, resting periodically on one of its round bases to perch and observe the goings-on of their home territory.

Constructed with the skills of furniture craftsmen, Neko Goten was built with wood coming from Japan’s Fukui Prefecture. Developed primarily for use in Japan’s rental homes, Neko Goten’s handcrafted design of oakwood and cedarwood fits into public spaces and private homes alike. Once Neko Goten’s large stature wiggles its way into the living room, cats won’t hesitate before clawing away and climbing to the top.

Designer: Hitomi Otake

The cat tower’s center resting place was handcrafted to echo the look and feel of a beehive.

Suspended from the tower’s right-side wing, a four-tier chain ladder allows cats to climb and slink their way up or down, while a carpeted hollowed-out ring provides a scratching post for cats.

Hovering above the entire play area, a plastic, transparent hemisphere provides the coziest resting area for cats to perch and keep a watchful eye over the tower.

Quirky-looking furniture uses a virus-inspired pronged design to stack and stick to one another!

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I’ll admit, the word ‘virus’ probably gives you a bit of anxiety. It definitely isn’t associated with any pleasant experiences, although designer Andrea Cingoli is trying to make the word virus sound less scary and more harmless. In an attempt to have us get over our fear of microorganisms, Cingoli’s furniture borrows from the very design of the virus. Meet Oleg, a series of multifunctional furniture with ‘spike proteins’ that allow them to be stacked in multiple ways!

Oleg aims at rebuilding our association and relationship with viruses. Rather than associating its shape with something bad, Oleg showcases how the almost naval-mine-like furniture can be used and arranged in multiple ways. The spiky exterior of the furniture looks unapproachable, but that’s also negated by the Oleg’s use of a playful yellow along with the black to create a colorful furniture arrangement. The spiked exterior allows the Oleg to be oriented in many ways. Individual modules can be placed on the floor as the spikes work as a pair of legs, or they can even be stacked one on top of the other, allowing the spikes to interlock into each other to create fun and quirky cabinet arrangements! It looks eye-catching no matter how you orient it, although you may want to be careful if you’ve got a pet (especially a cat) in the house!

Oleg is a Silver Winner of the A’ Design Award for the year 2021.

Designer: Andrea Cingoli

This truly foldable chair folds into the size of a backpack!

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Folding furniture has been the norm in my home – living in a tiny home as I did. While there is a certain ease of usage and modularity that comes with having foldable furniture – going from a living room to an open floor plan in minutes, Edoardo’s design gives it a twist that’ll make it easier for you to actually carry the chair on your back without sacrificing on the material used (I’m talking about you, fabric camping chairs!)

The Lu chair gives this simple and popular idea a modern makeover, make furniture foldable and transportable easily. And this is the best foldable chair I have seen so far! The Lu chair folds without effort and can be carried around very easily. A lot of designs we see are foldable but even after folding not easy to carry around or takes too much time to fold. Made up of plastic, this makes the mechanism work perfectly. As Lu explains, “Many times we find ourselves having to put away objects, perhaps to make room, perhaps to clean the house and sometimes even to take them with us, but above all for furniture of a certain level it is always very difficult. This is where “Lu chair” was born, a dining chair suitable for different types of target, from the most elegant and sophisticated with an eye to detail but also to a younger, fashion-conscious audience. The design is innovative and elegant at the same time and the name “Lu” derives precisely from “luggage” because of its ease of being resealable and transportable wherever you want.”

Speaking of folding, it folds up like a backpack or into a small size that fits into a box! The backrest and the legs fold and join/closed with a rubber strap that also doubles as a handle. In that sense, this is a truly foldable chair.

Designer: Edoardo Accordi