Japanese architect Kengo Kuma created this beautiful inflatable tea house for the Museum für Angewandte Kunst Frankfurt. The structure's double membrane has built in LED lights and can also be used to for heating. The interior is large enough to hold nine tatami mats, an electric stove and a preparation room. An innovative setting for a traditional ceremony.
I like these simple holders by German design student, Nadia Schrader. Admittedly I do not know what they are made of or how they work (my German translator tool didn't work too well), but the idea and the presentation are very nice.
&Larry is a Singapore-based designer who created the 'Anything but Red' light from a variety of adhesive tapes as a commentary on the bureaucracy in his city. (via designboom)
French designer Guillaume Delvigne, the mastermind behind the clever DPI lights, also created 'Chapeaux pour Vase' as part of the 'In Dust We Trust' collection for Industreal. The glazed porcelain and glass are a nice combo.
'Plate U' coffee table, made from second hand plates and stainless steel, by Veli-Matti Tolppi.
Rafael Morgan is a Brazilian based designer whose work includes the thought provoking 'Light Drop' LED lamps and 'Hope Table' (based on a bottle bobbing out at sea). I've always enjoyed his work, but I also really like his website for the honest and straightforward descriptions he provides about his designs.
Dutch designer Janne Kyttänen created these beautiful lights through rapid prototyping. Inspired by a coneflower, the pieces are based on the the Fibonacci sequence. (images via yatzer)
Demakersvan plans to have their 'Light Wind' design go into full production this year. Inspired by the windmills of the Dutch countryside, this freestanding outdoor light harnesses the power of the wind with its 6 foot wide propellers.
Designer Jason Iftakhar uses the same compression machines found in recycling centers to create a series of cardboard benches called 'Raw'. (bottom image via designboom)
Hella Jongerius's 'Props' for Vitra are,"hybrids between a functional product and a character from the fantasy world of animal fables."
Sylvain Willenz's 'Torch' lamps combine the form of a flashlight with the diffused face of a headlight.
BLESS is the dynamic design duo of Desiree Heiss and Ines Kaag. I first saw their work (USB cable jewelry) at the Future Perfect in Brooklyn and have been impressed their designs ever since. Recently, the pair released their new 'Telescopic Chair'. (chair image via today and tomorrow)
A beautiful rug made from recycled blankets by Dutch designers Tejo Remy and Rene Veenhuizen.
Maxim Velčovský creates everyday porcelain objects, often with a humorous or quirky twist. I love his latest design for Qubus, a car-shaped candle holder called, 'Spirit of the East'.
Designers Sarah Kueng and Lovis Caputo are masters of cardboard. In 2006, they created the '72 Hour Hotel' (top) where users could rent one of their theme-based cardboard suites for as little as 15 minutes or as long as an entire night. As guests checked in they were given a suitcase filled with items relevant to the theme (i.e. magazines, a diary and a walkman for the Teenager Suite).
