Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Serene Concrete Monolith is a Secluded Paradise in the City

Posted: 21 Nov 2012 10:00 AM PST

People who wish to live in the heart of the city often have to give up certain luxuries, one of which being the feeling of one’s home being a totally private retreat. The Breeze House by Artechnic gives that feeling of a private retreat despite its location directly in the midst of Toky0, one of the busiest cities in the world.

The Breeze House achieves its feeling of seclusion by a twofold method. First, the rather unremarkable concrete exterior becomes a part of the scenery rather than standing out and looking distinct.

Secondly, the home includes a sort of buffering zone. The monolithic exterior walls hide a void – a pillow of space that insulates the interior home from the city on the outside.

According to the architect, this configuration creates a space that is somewhat like a peaceful private beach enclosed by a tall rock cliff.

Once inside the home, the space is surprisingly open, sunny, and airy. The concrete used in the exterior walls is carried on into the interior, coupling with metal and wood to create a modern, minimal space.

The home features multiple stories with multiple individual living units. Because the architect did not want the second and third floor apartments to face the street, he created light courts between each unit, providing lovely exterior views for each unit that do not include any views of the street.

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Invisible Bookend: Will People Buy a Product Sight Unseen?

Posted: 20 Nov 2012 04:00 PM PST

The effect is certainly visually interesting, like a little slight-of-hand for your shelf, but the story of the sales pitch is where the real mystery unfolds. How does it work? Like a magician, its designer is not telling.

Paul Cocksedge is asking – and perhaps will also end up answering – a larger question of how much we need to know about something before we are willing to offer up our hard-earned money for it.

"The idea is it's not about the object," said Cocksedge. "It's all about the fact there's not anything interesting about the design, it's just a great functional object." Which begs the question: isn’t the mystery itself interesting? The explanation of the trick?

You can count this author, for one, as a (potential) skeptic – though the idea does provide good food for thought. After all, we don’t demand to see the inner workings of an iPhone before we buy it, so how much is enough information to make a judgment call? The obvious guess: a hidden piece of metal lies below the line of books and can be extended to accommodate more, while the last volume in the row is merely a fake that keeps the rest from falling … but perhaps it is not that simple after all.