Posts from — January 2010

The folks at OTOTO have one of the most refreshing websites I’ve seen in a while. Constantly playful, fun and enigmatic is what I’d deem their website to be. The main page features pencil drawings of scattered planets with a black star-filled background. Clicking on each planet will allow you to traverse to different sections of their site.

So what exactly is OTOTO? NO, it’s not a distant cousin of Berjaya’s Sportstoto number forecasting agency. In short, Studio OTOTO is a product and industrial design house started in 2002 by Ori Saidi and Daniel Gassner. Situated in Tel Aviv, these folks are constantly at it when it comes to creating new products to be sold in designer stores throughout the world. Read more about them in detail at the official OTOTO site.

Here’s a highlight of some of their uber funky products:

The TeaSub

I’d like to think that this crazy clever idea was inspired by the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine. A tea diffuser shaped like a submarine with an opening at the front of the sub to stuff your tea leaves is just pure design genius. ‘We all live in a Yellow Submarine, a Yellow Submarine…’

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Found this clever innovation via photojojo – a guide on how to create your very own cork photo coasters. Now you have the chance to get downright personal and have pictures of family members on separate coasters, one for each to call their own. Another great idea would be to use contemporary motifs/designs which you can usually find in magazines to turn out some chic coasters! Wow your guests with your one-of-a-kind designs Here’s the complete step by step guide from Photojojo

A humidifier may not be required in this humid part of the world but I just had to write about this item simply because of its stunning simplicity and the elegance that is so profound in its design.

Meet the Mast humidifier, made from Hinoki or Japanese Cypress, it requires no electricity (woot! it’s a green artifact!) and is bacteria resilient. How does it work? Water is absorbed from the base/hull and is diffused through the delicate cypress fins. Plus point – an aromatic lemony scent that is au naturalle.

Designed by Shin Okada, found via Mocoloco

Maths and stats. At Uni, I’d steer clear of the Maths Faculty because I always found the folks there rather strange and aloof (no offence to Maths grads. Maybe it was just my Uni. Feel free to be offended only if you were from the University of Queensland). However, here’s a Maths Faculty that I’d damn well want to visit someday.

These 3D designs are the works of H&B Design Studio – a firm that focuses on interior design, product design and architectural design projects (more images after the jump). The firm was established by Hasan Deniz (architect) and Burcu Gürsaf (interior designer) in 2005 and has worked on a wide range of design experience consisting of commercial, public, cultural and educational interior design. While functionality in spatial and product design is a priority, a conceptual approach depending on dynamic and innovative principles of creation has been considered as the means to achieve inventive design.

Here’s what Burcu said to me in his email on the Al Father – Faculty of Maths and Stats project:

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What can I say? This concept of an overhang vanity with an oversized mirror works marvelously to create a stunning effect. View the original post from Oliveaux here.

I have to say, this is a simply stunning concept and you don’t really see many homes adopting something similar. It just has such a regal feel to it. Simple design ideas always create the biggest and most memorable effects. This is no exception.

imagesource: Oliveaux

This has got to be one of the coolest lamps ever. The sleek lamp shaped like what its named after – the Jellyfish – has RGB LEDs internally that can generate up to 16 million different colours. The unique thing about the Yantouch is its central touch interface which controls the lamp’s colours and brightness.

The Yantouch comes fitted with an ambient light function where only the underside of the Jellyfish structure is lit to provide groovy mood lighting with variable colours and transition fade features.

The following video sums up the Yantouch in all its glory:

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I remember how much fun it would be going to the shopping malls and have my parents allow my brother and I to sit and play with other children at the Lego section where they would have a huge circular table with a deep pocket in the middle where all the Lego pieces would be stored. For each seat, there would be a flat Lego grid in which you could anchor the foundation of your lego pieces on (build area).

Casey868 posted a marvelous instructable on the first day of this year detailing a step-by-step guide to making your very own Lego table made from PVC pipes! Having looked all over for a Lego table for his children and not being able to find one, he decided to build his very own using PVC piping for the framework and a wood top for the table surface.

A step by step guide to building this table, after the jump

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I came across this on gizmodo (yes, this is my favourite tech site… I’ve been following every bit about Google’s Nexus One here) – a telling of how Pyrex, the ultra durable glass bowls we’ve all come to love at, came about.

Here’s the story of its origin:

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These are what I call ‘aha!’ inventions and I simply love this. It’s called the Rambler Socket – designed by Meysam Movahedi – a solution to the mess of having to get cable extensions to power up far away appliances. The Rambler socket stores the extension within the wall and from the outset, takes up the footprint of a regular power socket. This retractable extension is pure genius but the sacrifice required here is a deep wall and some hacking if you’re to install it in an already built home.

Nevertheless, this could be revolutionary and developers might incorporate the Rambler into new homes if it takes off.

via gizmodo

Great for healthfreaks who weigh themselves after their daily jog. Not so great for the party guests. I don’t think this little innovation was made for socialites but more for the everyday Janes and Joes. In fact, think about the times when you’ve told yourself you need to weigh yourself today… and never end up doing it. A mat like this would be perfect – just place it at the entrance to your place and never miss a weight check again.

I’m not going to rave about this because I don’t see great value in it but I wanted to share this rather quirky piece with you guys having come across it via gearfuse. A depressing or motivating tool? You make it what you want it to be.