Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Upside Down and Backward: Unusual Home With Airy Features

Posted: 13 May 2014 08:00 AM PDT

glass doors opening to courtyard

Designing a house that is both upside down and back-to-front is quite the engineering feat, but Carter Williamson Architects did just that, and quite admirably. The original structure was an 1880s workers’ terrace that begins at one street and then falls two stories to a different street at the rear. For this redesign, the architects decided to flip the home’s entry to what was formerly the back of the house on the lower street.

exterior courtyard and steps

upside down back to front house

The stairs at the front door lead up to a courtyard set between the house and the studio. With clever arrangement of the living spaces, the architects were able to make good use of every square inch of space. The living areas stretch luxuriously along the entire considerable length of the lot.

outer door floating staircase

kitchen

The light, bright, luxurious living spaces are offset by lovely details like a delicately floating staircase. The floating stairs are in a double-height volume that is bathed in light. The exceptional staircase leads up to the sleeping rooms which are minimalist and full of light thanks to skylights and large windows.

floating staircase

master bedroom ensuite

In the master bedroom, a large, swooping wooden loft dips into the main volume of the room and houses the master restroom. It is a detail unlike any other.

large white room

pops of color

Although the home’s interior is mostly white to maximize the sense of space, there are a few pops of vivid color here and there. They draw the eye and add another playful element to what is, essentially, quite a playful home already.

Temporary Body Art is a Map to Cooking a Masterpiece Meal

Posted: 12 May 2014 06:00 PM PDT

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Rolling up your sleeves to get to work in the kitchen just got a whole new meaning. The “I Tradizionali” project from designers Marina Cinciripini and Sarah Richiuso is a series of culinary temporary tattoos that help you remember just what it is you’re doing in the kitchen.

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Combining traditional recipes that are passed down through generations with the more contemporary sight of forearm tattoos, the series lays out in a graphic format which ingredients are needed and in which order. Rather than referring to a cookbook or trying to remember Grandma’s famous artichoke recipe, you can simple look at your own skin.

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Each tattoo comes in a four-pack, and each tattoo comes with an attached shopping list. A perforated line between them lets you take the list shopping with you. Then when you get home, slap on the temporary tattoo and you’ll know exactly what to do with those ingredients.

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In keeping with the modern tattoo theme, the ingredients on the temporary tattoos are illustrated in a simplified graphic style. The images are not unlike those that you would see on actual tattoos. Although the instructions are meant to be temporary helpers, we have to admit that having a favorite recipe permanently rendered on your arm would be an exceptionally stylish way to display your love of all things culinary.

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Phone-Shaped Chair is a Quiet Place to Sit and Have a Chat

Posted: 12 May 2014 02:00 PM PDT

phone shaped chairs

The sheer number of cell phones present in our everyday lives means that we hear others’ conversations more than we would care to. It also means that your own conversations are often overheard more than you might think. Dutch designer Ruud van Wier created a chair that could help all of us regain a bit of privacy in our constantly-connected world.

phone chairs

The Firstcall Chair is shaped like an old-fashioned phone handset, immediately forming a visual connection between the chair and its purpose. The “earpiece” and “mouthpiece” provide an upper privacy enclosure and armrests, respectively.

privacy phone chairs

Although it’s described as a place to sit and make short phone calls, the soft cushions would make it easy and appealing to sink into the chair and lounge while you chat. The chair comes in a variety of colors for €3,650 (just a bit over $5,000 US). Its most likely applications wold be in noisy airport lounges or public meeting places where privacy is difficult to find.

phone call privacy chair

A second, and perhaps more important, function of the chair is to remind us to sit down and take time to pay attention to our conversations. Rather than walking around and multitasking while we talk (and, consequently, subjecting everyone around us to our conversations) why not sit down and take a few moments to really focus on conversing and making a human connection – even if it is through technology?

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