What could possibly be cooler than secret compartments? Ok, maybe secret passageways, but we'll have to save those for another post. The Kai Table, designed by Naoki Hirakoso and Takmitsu Kitahara, is an incredible object constructed almost entirely of secret compartments.
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Designer Brendan Ravenhill's last creation, The Wall Clamp, is one of those brilliantly-obvious ideas that I wish I would have come up with: A C-clamp that screws onto the wall, turning any flat object into a shelf. … read more
Who wouldn't wanna participate in a movement who dub themselves an "Open Source Laboratory for the Development of Sustainable Furniture?!"
Dosuno Design is a collective that maintains, "We as industrial designers have been privileged to recieve a great education, and we feel it is our personal responsibility to give back to the community. In this case the return comes in the form of our intellectual capital which we push forth to develop low cost furniture solutions that anyone can manufacture for themselves."
And give back they have! They've release a PDF including step-by-step instructions for creating three original pieces of DIY furniture from scratch.
I don't buy a lot of how-to books these days. It's not that I dislike reading, but rather I tend to go to web for most of my instructional needs. Sometimes, however, I come across a book that looks so amazing that I just need to get it. That's how I felt when I discovered DIY Furniture: A Step-by-Step Guide by Christopher Stuart. It's now at the top of my reading list; I plan on ordering a copy ASAP.
When my neighbor, Gina, moved in next door, a standalone porch swing appeared on our shared patio. The thing was at least thirty years old, and had been outside for just as long, and showed the wear of snowy winters, blazing hot summers, and all the rainy days in between. Not that it was likely much to look at when it was new.
It was, in every way, an eyesore.
But, my goodness, if that thing wasn't useful. I'm sure I sat on it a good fifty times more often than she did. I took to enjoying my breakfast on it, and built a little morning routine around sitting outside, reading the week's New Yorker before I started my day. I used it to prepare for my bike rides: changing shoes, making adjustments, etc. And my friends and I would eat dinner out there, and watch thunderstorms. Boy, it was ugly, but it made me appreciate my patio, and got me out there frequently.
Then, Gina did the unthinkable: she got married, had a baby, and moved away. And, with her, away went the porch swing. And though I love my current neighbor (Hi Jillian!), she brought no shared furniture to the arrangement.
So, I figured it was time to make some outdoor seating of my own. For inspiration, I turned to the most iconic of mid-century bench designs, the Platform Bench by George Nelson (1946). It was created from easy-to-find 1x6" cedar decking, making it quite inexpensive to build, and safe for outdoor use.
Wanna make one, too? Okay, here we go.… read more
