Design Favorites - August 2022
We had so much fun sharing our design favorites with you last month, we decided to bring it back! So, here are our top 10 design favorites for the month of August! We hope this triggers some inspiration or puts some up-and-coming designers on your radar.
gust! We hope this triggers some inspiration or puts some up-and-coming designers on your radar.
1. Forest Breeze Fan
Image: Pearl River Mart
Topping our list of favorites is the incredible KHJ Studio and their Forest Breeze fan. Artist Hyunjoo Kim combines traditional Hanji paper, bamboo, and maple wood to create these gorgeous fans. Kim’s inspiration for this design, and others, is drawn directly from nature; this fan emulates a tree, and each color represents a different season. Pink for Spring Cherry Blossoms, green for Summer, yellow for Gingko trees in the Fall, and white for Winter. We can only imagine how cool this material would look with some light behind it!
2. The Voice in Sight Suit
Image: Yanko Design
The Voice in Sight is a futuristic suit worn by humans in a (hypothetical) world where our atmosphere is no longer habitable. Scary, but with global warming this is a legitimate concern. The suit which is designed by Ku Jia-Yu, consists of a full-body robe and headgear with a bubble-like visor. As for features, the headgear has lights that illuminate as you speak, making it easier to understand what others are saying while protecting health. While this is purely conceptual, it does make you wonder what life would be like if we all wore a suit like this.
3. MINI Aceman
Image: Car and Driver
MINI recently announced a new concept car, The Aceman, and we are super excited about it for a few reasons. It is fully electric, and all upholstery is entirely leather-free and made from recycled materials. That’s not all--the interior tech is incredible. The car’s dashboard, as the company quotes, “serves as a stage for animated projections.” This makes for a more artistic and immersive driving experience. Also, the floating center console can be equipped with a wireless charging area or other components, making it fully customizable. All user interfaces are embedded in the car as well, allowing for a truly interactive experience. This car is not on the market yet, but we cannot wait to see it on the showroom floor one day.
4. Human Horizons HiPhi Z
Image: Motor Authority
Another automotive design that we have been oo-ing and ah-ing over is the HiPhi Z GT Sedan by Human Horizons. This car is loaded with state-of-the-art features, including AI in every touchscreen surface that speaks to passengers and controls lighting, seat functionality, even car fragrance! Additionally, this car features a robotic arm that moves on command with little to no noise. Talk about the future, this car is it!
5. KHALIL Design Textiles
Image: KHALIL Design
Earlier this year, we worked with the team at KHALIL Design to develop a multi-function demonstrator with their gorgeous, patterned textiles. KHALIL prides themselves on designing innovative textiles for a wide variety of application areas, including automotive. They are also very aware of the textile waste crisis, and are mindful when designing each fabric; ensuring that they are either recycled or upcycled. They are currently developing processes to turn textile residue and plastic waste into new materials. We loved working with them, and look forward to what lays ahead.
6. Sebastien Lagrange L-Ink Lamp
Image: Dezeen
French designer Sebastien Lagrange is recognized for his contemporary art pieces, and the L-Ink Lamp is among his most popular and has been featured on Dezeen and Haute Residence. This lamp is a cross between a lighting fixture and a poster, and is made with LEDs, magnets, and conductive ink. The LEDs illuminate when a magnet at the bottom right corner is folded up to another, connecting the start and end of a snake-like conductive ink trail to complete the circuit. Funny enough, it kind of looks like our Serpentine Bus, don’t you think?
7. Yukiko Morita
Image: Creative Boom
Speaking of lights, we can’t get over how cute Yukiko Morita’s bread lamps are! You can choose from a croissant, round loaf, square loaf, roll, or baguette. Morita has also designed a naan bread lamp. All of these lamps look crazy realistic, and there’s a reason for this; they are made from real bread! Morita usually purchases the baked goods from bakeries, and prefers to buy the bread that is about to go bad. His hope is to reduce food waste, while giving bakeries the business (she purchases the bread at the highest possible price). We never thought that food could be turned into lamps, but here we are!
8. Nick DeMarco
Image: Nick DeMarco
Okay, so this isn’t one specific design, but we love the works of designer Nick DeMarco. If we were to describe his design style, it would be surrealism meets function, meets pop art. He is truly multi-disciplinary, and has done everything from furniture to spoons. Some of our favorite designs of his are the Linked Table, Tims Couch, and Pinch Clip. We want it all!
9. Big Game Design BOLD Chairs
Image: Architonic
Speaking of funky furnishings, Big Game Design’s BOLD chairs are ahead of the game. Inspired by Bauhaus, these chairs are one continuous metal tube that is encased in polyurethane foam (which is made by a factory that produces socks). Some might question the comfort of this chair, but you only really know once you have sat in it. If you are in Paris, you can test drive this chair at Moustache, located at 17 Rue Beaurepaire in the 10th arrondissement.
10. Samira Boon Archi Folds
Image: Samira Boon
Rounding out our design favorites for the month of August is Samira Boon’s Archi Folds textile sculptures. These masterpieces are inspired by traditional origami, but instead of paper-folding by hand, the folds are woven via digital weaving technology. Archi Folds are meant for architectural applications, and present an interesting alternative wood, plaster, and other materials.
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