Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Kit Makes Anything You Want From Stuff You Already Own

Posted: 13 Mar 2013 04:00 PM PDT

Creative types and design enthusiasts tend to have all kinds of spare interesting objects hanging around the house. But figuring out what to do with all of that cool stuff can be a problem, particularly for those of us with limited DIY skills.

Loose Joints is a project from design school graduate Joscha Weiand that lets anyone create furniture, storage or nearly anything else imaginable with objects they already own.

The Loose Joints set consists of simple wooden poles and white plastic connectors that are about the size of dice. These components are mass produced but can be used to create completely unique objects that are purely yours.

Joscha Weiand has created plenty of fantastic inventions with the kit already: pendant lights, clocks, chairs, tables, and storage objects, to name a few. Most require several sets of poles and connectors to complete, but the only limit to what you can create is your own imagination.

Using the poles, connectors and any number of objects already on hand, the kit allows you to let your creativity take over. The set is like a grown-up version of kids’ building toys, but the result is useful as well as fun.

Metal Mesh-Clad Desert Home is a Castle Fit for the Sun King

Posted: 13 Mar 2013 10:00 AM PDT

The scorching urban streets of Phoenix, Arizona are the setting for this dramatic home and studio. The Xeros Residence – “xeros” is Greek for “dry” – was designed by the architects at Blank Studio.

The home site is at once challenging and ideal. The challenge comes from its very narrow layout; the lot is a mere 50′ X 250′. However, the lot sits at the end of two dead-end streets, directly next to the North Phoenix mountain preserve.

The utterly magnificent natural surroundings directly informed the home’s features. A layer of woven metal mesh protects the home from the harsh sun on one side, while an opaque wall blocks out the intense afternoon sun from the west.

Coming into the home’s lower level requires passing behind the metal mesh screen, entering into a kind of informal forecourt from which you can travel down to the studio space. A separate exterior metal staircase takes you to the upper level where the residence is located.

The home’s interior is every bit as impressively unique as the exterior. Deep tones contribute to a feeling of peace and tranquility while ample views of the stunning surroundings give the interior a natural splendor.

Test-Tube Chandeliers for Hanging Lights, Colors & Plants

Posted: 12 Mar 2013 04:00 PM PDT

Most fixtures are finished works when you buy them – with some notable exceptions, like plant pots and decorative jars or other clear glassware.

That is essentially the starting point for Pani Jurek, who arrays minimalist single and double hole-punched rings for you to suspend from your ceiling that you can fill with whatever you want.

His photographs demonstrate a few clever options, like colored liquid and greenery, but the sky (or at least the roof) is the limit – you could add sand and earth from distant travels or whatever you want to these intentionally empty vessels.

Be sure to check out rope lights (not what you kitsch holiday kind!) and other alternatively-styled lighting fixtures and conceptual products at GangDesign, and for sale alongside test-tube creations over at Etsy.

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