MINI Citysurfer Concept

Mini skipped the car business entirely at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show and rode a new path to miniaturisation with the Citysurfer Concept electric scooter. Conceived as a last-mile solution for urban commuters, the folding two-wheeler enables the motorist to park the car and scoot to the office through dense (bicycle-friendly) city traffic.

The Citysurfer’s electronic bits, including a lithium-ion battery pack, are mounted inside the weather-resistant body work. A rear-wheel hub motor, operated via a thumb throttle, can propel the scooter as far as 15 miles and to a top speed of 15mph. The scooter includes charging cables for a conventional household outlet and a 12-volt automotive socket. When completely discharged, the electric motor simply switches off and disengages, and the journey continues on leg power. via BBC Autos

Silver Rings by Alice Florizelle

Saint-Petersburg based designer Alice Florizelle creates lovely silver rings using a lot of metaphors in a small sculpting forms. Check her collection below

BENCHMA(R)C by Klaus Geiger

Old is gold, as proven by German designer Klaus Geiger, who took a few of Apple’s Power Mac G5 and turned them into a series of stylish, modern furniture. Called ‘BENCHMA(®)C, the innovative collection features desks, moving cabinets and other storage compartments. Geiger was inspired to create the series as he felt that the “designs were too good to be disposed”, so he decided to add wood and glass to re-purpose them. via

The Domsai terrariums by Matteo Cibic

The Domsai pots designed Matteo Cibic, which look like little space creatures, come in a few different shapes and colors. The domes feature little holes on their bottoms to let fresh air in, and the designer reminds owners to water the plants (according to him, they only need a few drops of water a week to live in these conditions) and to keep them out of direct sunlight in the summer.

Marine Coutroutsios

Marine Coutroutsios creates compelling paper artworks which catch the eye and mesmerize. Marine moved to Sydney from France in 2012 and brings a European outlook to her interpretations of Australian life. Encounters with exotic flora and fauna have sparked Marine’s imagination. Represented by online gallery of Australian artists Art Pharmacy "Marine works through her ideas in multiple sketches, then carefully cuts out each individual element using a scalpel. This is an intricate process, with each work usually talking many hours to produce.", says The Third Row. Her works can be purchased on The Third Row website.

Here is Marine's Series of Australian Birds

Sputnik-5 by Maxim Scherbakov

Maxim Scherbakov of design studio Plan-S23 (with Alexey Galkin) created the Sputnik-5 coffee table so that small plants or herbs can grow inside it. The structure and the name of the table is inspired by the Soviet satellite that first took living objects into space and returned them safely to Earth. The designer states: “The table acts as a watchman of a plant bursting from the aperture of the marble surface.” The table is actually built up from a series of components, each of the elements can also be used independently as decorative pieces.

My Whale

"My Whale" is a site-specific installation by Tundra for a renovated ship "Brusov", laid up on Moscow river and turned into an art-cluster.

There is an impressive space at the front of the ship, with panoramic windshield and hexagonal pattern on the vaulted ceiling, remained from the 70-s, the time, when “Brusov” was constructed in Austria. Standing there gives you the feeling of floating through the reflections of the Krymsky bridge lights on the river, inside a giant whale head. Looking through its eyes, listening to its songs that flow across the brain made of hexagonal cells by the wires hanging down here and there. With some light and sound we brought this whale to life.

http://vimeo.com/108384374

Visuals by Alexander Letcius, Alexander Sinica and Sergey Lubashin; Sound by Klim Suhanov and Semyon Perevoschikov of D-Pulse; Production by Bulat Sharipov; Shot and edited by Alexander Sinica.

Growing Book

The concept of Growing Books was created by two Australian who have decided to give life back to old worn books. Cacti and other plants take place into books’ hearts with a hard cover, entirely protected from the water of the spraying. A nice initiative to discover. via

Alex Chinneck: Take my lightning but don’t steal my thunder

Master of illusions Alex Chinneck’s latest mind-boggling public art installation is on show in what must surely be the spiritual home of his craft; one of the busiest piazzas in London and its theatrical hub. His floating building follows on from a sliding house, upside down house and many other puzzling optical illusions. Called Take my lightning but don’t steal my thunder, Alex says: “The titles are born from a kind of daydreaming. Everything we do now is extremely planned and co-ordinated. And I don’t feel like an artist anymore. A title is a rare opportunity to do something which feels slightly bohemian!”

As for the thinking behind Take my lightning but don’t steal my thunder, Alex muses that “there are things which always come together but are always slightly apart.” In terms of the building itself, “the shape of the crack was reminiscent of the lightning bolt. It’s a very cataclysmic scene.”

Read more on It's Nice That

Magpul Ronin Motorbike

A few years ago the folks at Denver, Colorado-based Magpul gave us the Ronin concept bike, based on the American-built Buell 1125R. As rarely happens with concepts from smaller shops, Magpul is turning the Ronin into a limited edition production bike.

In keeping with its namesake, Magpul is only producing 47 Ronin bikes, one for each of the 47 Ronin Warriors from Japanese lore. Additionally, each bike will have one of the warriors’ names engraved on it, and on the bike’s toolkit. The bikes will be released in staggered series pricing out around the $40k USD mark. The earlier releases will be slightly less expensive, as the final five will each be a completely bespoke design. For more information head over to the bike’s official website.

text via Highsnobiety

http://vimeo.com/96428318

Neklesa

I am pretty hyped to present you the digital printed scarf created by our awesome interior design editor Anna Neklesa. Check her website and the video below

http://vimeo.com/106253525

"Cause you can't break me" The short commercial video for NEKLESA based on the concept of a pure feminine strength and inner power what leads us forward no matter what.

Digital printed scarf Size: 136x100 cm 100% silk Dry clean only Made in the UK

Concept Anna Neklesa, Paulina Cheese Director of photography Paulina Cheese Postproduction Anna Neklesa, Paulina Cheese Model Olga Parmenova Hair and make-up Nina Aleshina Original music by Vienna Ditto

LDF - The First Law of Kipple

Our interior editor Anna promised us to make a little coverage of London Design Festival. Meanwhile we found an interesting installation of Dan Tobin Smith. Entitled 'The First Law of Kipple' in reference to Phillip K Dick's 1968 novel 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep'—that later went on to inspire Blade Runner—the installation features thousands upon thousands of objects swamping the studio on every flat surface, arranged (with great appeal to the OCD-inclined) in a stunning spectrum of colours. Much like the fictional post-apocalyptic world that is haunted by plastic 'kipple,' the objects swarm all throughout the exhibition space—following viewers up stairs and into the toilet cubicle. Read more on Core77

Zero - concept son of Vespa and Segway

Barcelona-based studio Bel & Bel wanted to merge two of their favorite things, Vespa scooters and Segways. Thus, they created the Vespa Segway. Making the popular self-balancing personal vehicle look like a Vespa, it definitely captures the hearts of Vespa lovers who want to take it just a little slower.

VHS Skateboards by 5Boro

"New York City skate label 5Boro have added a set of throwback skate decks to their repertoire, following on from their pack of decks in collaboration with Brooklyn’s Smith Street Tattoo Parlour. Inspired by the artwork adorning VHS tapes in the early ’90s, the crew have issued eight decks whose artwork will be instantly recognizable to almost anyone born before 1990. The full set of decks are available now over at the 5Boro webstore." text by Highsnobiety

Apple Watch

Apart from new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus release Apple did a new step in wearable technology (right after Pebble kickstarted it as a true indie pioneer). Meet Apple Watch hence not iWatch, that is a true piece of engineering genius. Coming in two sizes and expecting in earlier 2015 Apple Watch "Apple has added a navigational tool called a “digital crown” which is the dial (normally found on traditional watches to adjust time) to zoom or scroll. The digital crown also acts as a home button when pressed to return or exit out of apps. The screen is still touch-enabled to swipe through the screens of an app or draw. It can also recognize between taps and clicks by detecting force.

Apple Watch comes with Siri, shareable heartbeat and animated and customizable emojis.

The watch also works as a “comprehensive health and fitness device” with its equipped heart monitor, gyroscope and accelerometer. It comes with a three-ring activity monitoring system to remind and encourage the wearer to be more active to reach daily goals.

Apple will open the WatchKit SDK for third-party developers to create functionalities on the Apple Watch. Upcoming third-party features include tapping to check in to an American Airlines flight, tapping or waving the clock to unlock your room at SPG hotels and Nest thermostat control from the watch." text via TNW

Modular Furniture by Sebastian Errazuriz

The "Explosion" is a piece of furniture by young designer born in Chile Sebastian Errazuriz. Each piece of solid wood is mounted on a rail system connecting it to the following, allowing for lateral movement. You must visit and explore his portfolio full of conceptual art, designs and furniture

Cliff House concept by Modscape

Living on the edge has never been so close until we found this Cliff House concept designed by Australian architects at Modscape

From the website: "A five storey modular home clings to the side of a cliff in this conceptual design by Modscape. The Cliff House is a design response for Emma and David, a couple who approached Modscape to explore design options for a holiday home on an extreme parcel of land they own on the south-west coast of Victoria. Inspired by the way barnacles cling to the hull of a ship, a concept was developed for a modular home to hang off the side of a cliff as opposed to sitting on top of it. The home is visualised as a natural extension of the cliff face rather than an addition to the landscape, creating an absolute connection with the ocean. As the design itself would make conventional construction prohibitive, the concept utilises Modscape’s modular design and prefabrication technologies to deliver a series of stacked modules that are anchored into the cliff face using engineered steel pins. Entry to the home is through a carport on the top floor, where a lift vertically connects you through each of the descending living spaces. Internally, the living spaces feature minimalistic furnishings to ensure that the transcendent views of the ocean and the unique spatial experience of the location remain the integral focal point of the design."

Wearable Drugs by Aroha Silhouettes

Canadian design studio Aroha Silhouettes makes necklaces out of the molecular structures of drugs. This allows people to wear a representation of their preferred narcotic around their neck.Founded by Tania Hennessy, the Designer Drugs collection includes a six narcotics—from stimulants such as dopamine and LSD, to caffeine and tobacco.

M.A.S.S. Electric Bikes by Philippe Starck + Moustache

French designer Philippe Starck teams up with Moustache Bikes on M.A.S.S., a collection of four four electric two-wheeler bikes presented at Eurobike 2014. The collection is an acronym for the four types of bikes designed for the expo: mud, asphalt, sand and snow. Each comes each equipped with technological specifications that offer users a unique experience in the various riding conditions from which they are named. Complementing the bike collection is a line of custom-made accessories including glasses, gloves and a backpack, alongside a range of helmets done in collaboration with Giro.

via HighSnobiety

Shelves by Mat Brown

"A few days ago, UK industrial designer and jeweler Mat Brown shared with the Reddit community his ingenious idea for a set of resin inlaid chestnut shelves. Starting with a cracked piece of chestnut wood he mixed standard resin with some mysterious glow-in-the-dark powder he bought on Ebay which he used to fill in the gaps. And voilà, instant glowing furniture with unknown side effects. Seriously though, they look amazing, and you can see his fully detailed tutorial over on his blog. Brown also makes lots of funky jewelry which he sells over on Etsy." text by Colossal