Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Fully-Functioning LEGO Keyboard Reclaims Discarded PC

Posted: 15 Mar 2014 08:00 AM PDT

LEGO Keyboard reclaimed 1

Lego engineer Jason Allemann of JK Brickworks found a computer at the side of the road and decided to repurpose it into a fully-functioning keyboard using mostly Lego components. The electronic elements of the discarded keyboard still worked, so Allemann replaced the keys with Lego bricks that preserve all of the practicality and ease of use of the original.

LEGO Keyboard reclaimed 2

Marked with numbers, arrows and sometimes clever symbols (the caps lock key is topped with an actual cap, and a sewer manhole cover represents ‘delete’), the new Lego keys are easy to recognize for their intended purpose. The trickiest part was building a frame that aligned the new keys perfectly over the original membrane.

LEGO Keyboard reclaimed 3

This was accomplished with a grid of Lego Technic connectors and axles, moving parts that can be integrated with standard Lego to build complex engineering models. JK Brickworks previously made a Da Vinci flying machine from Lego parts, as well.

Fun Office Storage Trays Do Away With Useless Bottoms

Posted: 14 Mar 2014 06:00 PM PDT

nendo outline trays

Most people who have a desk also have lots of stuff on that desk: pencils, paper clips, rubber bands, and other random officey stuff. Traditionally, putting all of that little stuff in trays on your desk has been a great way to keep it all corralled. But how often do you actually pick up those trays to move them?

bottomless outline trays

The designers at Tokyo-based design firm Nendo thought about the desk tray design and realized that there wasn’t a great reason for it to have a bottom. Its function is to keep things together and stop them from going wild across your desk, but they just sit there. In response to this epiphany, they designed the Outline Tray.

nested outline tray

The Outline Tray is exactly as it sounds: just the borders of a tray with no bottom. It still performs exactly the same function, but with less material. The three different sizes of trays can be arranged atop a desk just like art frames, or even nested within each other for a unique storage setup.

outline trays

Beyond just the aesthetic (and novelty) qualities of the bottomless trays, there are some very practical aspects of the Outline series. When dirt inevitably gets trapped in the corners, all you have to do is lift up the tray – no digging into that impossible-to-clean spot where the corners meet the bottom. Maybe more importantly, picking up thumbtacks no longer has to involve stabbing your fingers by reaching into the pile – just pick up the tray and carefully pick one up from the side of the pile.

Glass Farmhouse: Modern Residence in a Rural Setting

Posted: 14 Mar 2014 02:00 PM PDT

Glass Farmhouse Oregon 1

It’s unusual to see modern structures set against wide stretches of pasture, desert and other rural settings, but the contrast between the rugged landscape and the sleek, clean lines of the architecture makes for a striking sight. The Glass Farmhouse by Olson Kundig Architects, located in a sparsely populated area of Northeast Oregon, is a notable example.

Glass Farmhouse Oregon 2

The small house was conceived as a glass box floating atop the surrounding wheat fields. While it is, in practical terms, a farmhouse, its only resemblance to the more traditional structures associated with this term is the shape. The architects borrowed from the local vernacular of barns for the home’s silhouette and roof.

Glass Farmhouse Oregon 3

Glass Farmhouse Oregon 4

Opening up to the south, the home faces both the mountains and the sun, adapting to both the cold, snowy winters and the hot, dry summers. Roof overhangs and a light shelf prevent the inside from gaining too much heat in warm weather. Large operable windows make it possible to open the home to the fresh air when conditions permit.

Glass Farmhouse Oregon 5

Glass Farmhouse Oregon 6

The modernity of the home is especially arresting from afar, when it is seen beside an adjacent barn with the snowy mountains in the distance. At night, it looks like a softly glowing lantern.

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