Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Playful Animal Footstools Keep Your Feet Warm + Friendly

Posted: 29 May 2014 02:00 PM PDT

petstools

If you have a choice between using a completely mundane piece of furniture and having fun with a cute animal-like home accessory, which would you choose? Designer Hanna Ernsting definitely chooses the latter with her line of adorable footstools that look like playful animals.

playful animal footstools

The Petstools series consists of four animals: an elephant, a pig, a sheep, and something which may be an anteater or perhaps a goat. Ernsting imbues a cuddly sense of personality into each of the stools, making them look almost like pets just begging to play. Besides being completely adorable, the Petstools fold over your feet to keep them warm.

elephant petstool footstool

Perfect for kids or fun-loving adults, the Petstools all come with removable, washable wool covers. The designs turn a boring utilitarian home accessory into a cute and playful companion that can bring a smile to your face every time you kick back and put up your feet.

Interlocking Cardboard Blocks Let Kids Build Intricate Forts

Posted: 29 May 2014 08:00 AM PDT

customized buildies castle

Telling kids about engineering is kind of like trying to explain quantum physics to your goldfish. But show a kid how to use engineering in a  fun way and they’ll never forget those “lessons.” Product designer Brian Lilly came up with a beautifully simple and effective way to teach kids the finer points of engineering through something every kid loves: building forts.

buildies building blocks

buildies customizable building blocks

Lilly’s invention is called Buildies. The main part is big blocks that look like giant-size Lego bricks. They have protruding bumps on the top and matching cavities on the bottom, allowing them to interlock safely. Strips of “mortar” have cutouts that hold the blocks together to further stabilize structures.

castle

nighttime fort

Roof modules come with the kits, which is important for the defense of any good fort. The roof pieces can also be used in novel ways – building drawbridges, ship hulls, ramps, or whatever else strikes your fancy. The blocks come in a rather dull grey, but this is an intentional design choice. Lilly wanted to make the blocks gender-neutral so builders of any age and gender would feel like the blocks were made just for them. They are infinitely customizable with markers, stickers, wallpaper – whatever is available.

cardboard buildies blocks

kool-aid man

Because there are no rules or patterns, Buildies can be made into anything at all. They could even be helpful for students or adults who want to build temporary custom furniture without spending an arm and a leg.When you’re done building, every block can be folded down and stored flat. As if we weren’t impressed enough with the idea and the execution, the sight of a makeshift Kool-Aid man breaking through a wall totally won us over. Unfortunately, the Kickstarter project fell just short of its goal, but hopefully Lilly will find another way to bring this product to shelves because we can’t wait to build a castle in the dining room.

Environmentally Reactive Hat Defends Wearer From the World

Posted: 28 May 2014 06:00 PM PDT

environmentally reactive hat

Reacting to the world around you can be a delicate situation even for the most outgoing of people. How do you react politely to a person who is speaking too loudly? How do you express unhappiness (and shield your sensitive eyes) from a sudden bright light? Designer Sangli Lin developed a playful way to interact with the world without having to utter a syllable.

fashion expressive wearable hat

Li’s Expressive Wearable project uses clothing and accessories as more than just fashion – they are communication tools. The hat displayed here is equipped with a number of sensors that detect objects in close proximity to the user, loud noises, and bright lights. At the presence of any of these annoyances, the hat reacts immediately.

The proximity sensor reacts by unfolding a fan from the neck area that encourages the encroacher to back off. Loud sounds cause fans to swoop down over the wearer’s ears, and bright lights bring fans down over the eyes. These reactions don’t necessarily deter the actions that caused them, but they do convey a very simple non-verbal message: the wearer does not appreciate what has just happened.

reactive hat

Li points out that the wearable is not a “smart” device; it is simple and intelligent only in the sense that it displays the wearer’s personality and preferences. The designer poses a difficult but sensible question: is the use of this type of technology gentle and modest, or does it convey a sense of arrogance on the part of the wearer?

Wood Scraps Become Lovely Recycled Eco-Friendly Furniture

Posted: 28 May 2014 02:00 PM PDT

1 gradient table

It’s amazing what can be done with materials that some people view as trash. Designer Eli Chissick saves scraps of wood veneer from the floor of a carpentry studio, then carefully repurposes them into beautifully crafted furniture. His Gradient table is a wonderful example of his work, displaying many different types of “scrap” wood arranged in a gradual color gradient.

2 gradient table

Ten different types of wood are used in the unique table, arranged from darkest to lightest. Chissick’s process preserves the natural grain and beauty of each individual piece of wood.

eli chissick recycled wood gradient table

Chissick, a talented designer, artist, and carpenter, designed an entire line of furniture based on the idea of saving wood scraps and giving them new life. Every piece of furniture in the “Wood-con-fusion” series is a one-of-a-kind work of art with its own unique personality.

eli chissick recycled wood gradient table

The series of rescued wood pieces come from Chissick’s passionate belief in sustainable design. He sees the beauty and potential in what others would think of as waste, transforming each piece into a new material that is then made into high quality and inimitable furniture.

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