Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Caffeine Chemistry: Steampunk Glass Balloon Coffee Maker

Posted: 08 Mar 2014 08:00 AM PST

Steampunk Coffee Maker 1

It looks like something from a mad scientist’s laboratory, with a heating element furiously boiling water inside a glass bulb. But the liquid this strange-looking device ultimately produces isn’t some mysterious chemical concoction – it’s coffee. Made of hand-blown glass, Café Balão by industrial designer Davide Mateus is based on the design of traditional vacuum-style immersion coffee makers.

Steampunk Coffee Maker 2

Siphoning (or vacpot) coffee makers feature two chambers where vapor pressure and vacuum produce coffee. Vapor from boiling water in the lower chamber forces the water into the upper chamber, which contains the coffee grinds. When the coffee has finished brewing, the heat turns off and the pressure in the lower vessel drops, enabling gravity to pull the brewed coffee into it.

Steampunk Coffee Maker 3

Vacuum-style coffee makers were popular from the mid-19th century through the mid-20th century, and though it was considered to complicated for everyday coffee making, it was prized for producing an exceptionally clear brew.

Steampunk Coffee Maker 4

The method may be complicated, but this design of this particular siphon brewer certainly isn’t. It consists of the two glass vessels, a wooden handle and base, an immersion heater, and cork plugs – the ideal coffee maker for the steampunk kitchen. 

Smelling Safe: Anti-Mugging Jewelry Makes You Stand Tall

Posted: 07 Mar 2014 06:00 PM PST

posturaroma mugging prevention necklace

Traditional methods of warding off muggers – pepper spray, self-defense classes, whistles – work well, but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. That’s the concept behind this bizarre neck accessory. It encourages women to improve their posture and walk with their heads up, habits that have been shown to keep muggers away.

The idea is that if a woman walks hunched over or with her head down, a mugger will take that body language as a sign of weakness. Some studies suggest that walking with more confidence can keep women safe, and the PosturAroma necklace, designed by a group of University of Amsterdam students, works on that principle. The weird furry necklace has an accelerometer on the back near its clasp. The necklace can sense when the wearer is hunching or walking with her head down, and corrects the posture with a spritz of aroma.

anti-mugging necklace

 

The small burst not only makes the wearer aware of her posture; it also signals the brain to feel more confident by using aromas associated with a feeling of security: strawberries, lemongrass, or mandarin peel. The design is a concept at this point, but it’s still a great reminder that the way we – women and men – carry ourselves has a lot to do with how the world perceives us: weak and easily picked on, or strong, confident, and definitely not a future victim.

Writer’s Shed: Relaxing Modern Backyard Retreat

Posted: 07 Mar 2014 02:00 PM PST

Modern Backyard Writer Shed 1

A relaxing getaway conducive to creative thinking is just steps from an author’s back door with this lantern-like design tucked away in a fenced London garden. Designed by British studio Surman & Deane, ‘Writer’s Shed’ feels simultaneously cozy and wide-open thanks to its small footprint, wood stove, and glazed front wall slightly shaded by a vertical cedar screen.

Modern Backyard Writer Shed 2

Modern Backyard Writer Shed 3

The architects responded to the author’s interest in children’s literature and mythologies by creating a space that acts as “a haven in the city; a fairy-tale hut at the bottom of the garden where the client can retreat and immerse himself in his work.”

Modern Backyard Writer Shed 4

It may be accurate to call it a shed based on its size, but it’s not lacking in comfort and amenities. One wall is entirely covered in bookshelves, and a vintage desk is tucked into one corner. The interior is painted white to reflect all of the daylight that comes streaming in through the large north-facing skylight. A glazed sliding door leads out into the garden.

Modern Backyard Writer Shed 5

Cedar was chosen for the natural aging process it goes through as it’s exposed to the weather, deepening its beauty. The chimney, vertical log storage on the small veranda and cedar shingles give the mini retreat the feel of a woodland cabin.

Comments system

Disqus Shortname