Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Ethereal Staircase Floats Between Apartment’s Dual Levels

Posted: 09 Apr 2014 08:00 AM PDT

oslo floating staircase

A unique staircase is the centerpiece of an apartment remodel in central Oslo, Norway by Haptic Architects. The apartment is in a 19th century building and consists of a main level living area and a mezzanine/loft level. The mode of transport between the two is remarkable.

floating staircase

The powder-coated steel staircase is suspended from a wall and ceiling beam overhead. No part of the staircase touches the floor beneath, making it appear to almost float in the middle of the room.

floating staircase oslo apartment

Wooden treads are the only solid-looking part of the staircase; the white supports blend into the background. The stair risers are left open to further the illusion of a barely-there staircase.

hanging steel staircase oslo apartment

At the bottom of the floating steps, a piece of wooden furniture sits nestled against the wall. This acts as the bottom of the staircase; people stepping onto and off of the stairs use the wooden furniture as a transitional space.

window seat storage staircase end

The wooden furniture piece is not only a lovely way to begin and end a remarkably beautiful staircase; it also functions as a window seat and as storage for the residents.

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Hand-Made Plastic Vases Look Like Elegant Blown Glass

Posted: 08 Apr 2014 02:00 PM PDT

plastic blow vases

If you’ve ever seen a glass blower at work, you know just how involved and complex the process can be. The results that it produces, however, are spectacular. The same things are true of Studio Ruben der Kinderen and these oddly beautiful blown plastic vases.

der kinderen blown plastic vases

Dutch designer Ruben der Kinderen uses ordinary materials to make extraordinary functional art pieces. He starts with a plastic (PET) tube which he briefly warms and softens in a toaster oven. He then attaches a bicycle pump and fits the bottom of the tube into a base that will hold the finished vase.

The next step in the process is really fascinating to watch. His DIY home-brewed contraption holds the base steady as der Kinderen pumps air into the plastic tube. The plastic expands and takes shape in a way similar to that of blown glass.

BLOW vases

When finished, these DIY vases look nearly as elegant as any designer glass vase. Der Kinderen was inspired to create the vases by the fact that most of us are unfamiliar with the manufacturing processes that go into making the objects we use every day. This project gives valuable insight into how a product comes to be a product. The unique vases can be purchased on Etsy.