One of the most annoying smells I can think of are clothes that dried indoors and did not get any air circulation. That musty smell can be suffocating, even if the clothes were actually cleaned upon washing. Those living in houses or condo units that do not have proper airing space for wet clothes may be familiar with this smell. But what if you can have a drying rack that not only helps your wet clothes dry but also add a pleasing scent to it even as it’s not actually aired outdoors?

Designer: Seungbin Lee

This is the idea behind Air Blossom, a concept for an air drying rack for those living in single households that don’t have proper air circulation. It lets your clothes dry while getting rid of the musky smell that comes from drying indoors through scent filters that are part of the drying process. Aside from this fragrant innovation, the rack can also turn into a display when not in use. Clothes drying on a rack are not the most aesthetically pleasing sight but afterwards, you can turn the rack into a piece of art in the background of your space.

On the surface, it looks like a folding table when not used for anything. When you unfold it and lock it down, it turns into an air drying rack that can is able to rotate your clothes as they dry. There is a filter on the side where you can put your preferred scent so your clothes will not have that dried inside musty smell. When you fold it up and want to use it as a display, the “blinds” close together to form a photo or a painting. It’s unclear if the image and the scent can be customized or if you have to choose from the different options available.

The photo renders show the air drying rack in different pastel colors so maybe you can choose from the one that can fit your home. As someone who lives alone and barely does any clothes washing but maybe still needs it every once in a while, something like this can come in handy.

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You don’t need a tiny home to invest in some clever multi-functional furniture. Sure, it helps save money and space when you’ve got a product that serves different purposes, but then again, owning such cleverly designed products is cool too! In collaboration with the esteemed Taiwanese design brand, Unipapa, Medium2 Studio introduces the Flip Dual-Function Ironing Board Mirror, an ingenious solution that seamlessly integrates the functionality of a full-length mirror with that of an ironing board. This innovative fusion addresses the perennial household dilemma of storing bulky ironing boards while adding a touch of elegance to interior spaces.

Designer: Ping-Lun Chung, Fang-Yu Chen, and Yen-Ting Lin

While the concept of a dual-function ironing board mirror isn’t entirely novel, the journey from concept to commercialization for the Flip involved extensive research and innovation, ensuring its practicality for everyday use. The crux of its design lies in what they term the “adjustable span transition.” Balancing the requirements of an ironing board, which demands a broad span for stability, with those of a full-length mirror, which necessitates a compact span to minimize space usage, presented a unique challenge.

To tackle this challenge, they engineered a structure with an adjustable span mechanism. This ingenious feature allows the Flip Dual-Function Ironing Board Mirror to seamlessly transition between its two functions with ease. Whether you’re preparing for a crisp attire with the ironing board or checking your reflection in the mirror, the interconnected structure simplifies the operation, enhancing overall convenience.

One of the most notable aspects of the Flip is its simplicity and practicality. Storing an ironing board is no longer a bulky task but simply a matter of placing it back in its designated spot. This effortless integration of two household essentials into one sleek design epitomizes the ethos of practicality meeting elegance.

Designed for individuals who embrace a minimalist lifestyle and appreciate multifunctional, space-saving objects, the Flip Dual-Function Ironing Board Mirror is a game-changer. Its sleek aesthetic seamlessly blends into any interior decor while offering unparalleled functionality. Whether you reside in a compact apartment or a spacious home, the Flip adds a touch of sophistication while optimizing space usage.

The post This absolutely genius floor mirror flips over into an ironing board to save space first appeared on Yanko Design.

Smart technology isn’t a very new concept anymore but with the promise of holistic well-being combined with technology, designer Yoojin Chung takes a satirical swipe at the Western interpretation of feng shui with her ingenious project, “Capturing Qi.” This trio of digital devices, born out of Chung’s critique of the commodification of ancient practices, offers a whimsical take on harnessing positive energy in the modern home.

Designer: Yoojin Chung

Drawing on her roots in South Korea, Chung’s project serves as a playful commentary on how feng shui, an ancient Chinese practice rooted in the flow of positive energy or qi, has been repackaged into consumer products promising health and fortune. With a keen eye for irony, Chung transforms three iconic feng shui objects – the crystal ball, the wind chime, and the water fountain – into dynamic smart-home devices, all controllable through a smartphone app.

This series of devices blurs the line between tradition and technology, reimagining familiar feng shui elements through a contemporary lens. Each device, whether it’s the spinning crystal, the swaying wind chimes, or the flowing water, creates a visual illusion of energy flow reminiscent of the traditional objects they imitate. Equipped with Arduino circuit boards, these devices seamlessly integrate into the smart home ecosystem, offering users the ability to manipulate their surroundings with just a few taps on their smartphones.

Yet, beneath the whimsy lies a deeper reflection on the human desire for control and success. Chung cleverly infuses her devices with a sense of agency, suggesting that the more one activates them, the greater their chances of success. It’s a nod to our innate yearning for control over our destinies, even as we seek solace in ancient practices like feng shui.

What sets these appliances apart is the thoughtful nod to scientific aesthetics, drawing inspiration from 18th-century scientific apparatus like vacuum chambers. By infusing the devices with the trappings of scientific equipment, it invites users to reconsider their relationship with feng shui in the context of modernity. The wind chime, suspended like a scientific instrument, prompts contemplation on the subtle nuances of object placement and their symbolic meanings in feng shui.

As a graduate of the MA Contextual Design program at Design Academy Eindhoven (DAE), Chung joins a cohort of designers pushing the boundaries of traditional design paradigms. Her work exemplifies the program’s ethos of challenging conventional norms and exploring the intersection of culture, technology, and design. In an era where ancient practices collide with cutting-edge technology, Yoojin Chung’s “Capturing Qi” serves as a poignant reminder of the ever-evolving nature of design and its role in shaping our lived experiences.

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Since time immemorial, candles have been used to track time, with the burning of the wick and the disintegration of the candle being used to calculate minutes and hours. Seokoo Yeo’s ‘Candle Go’ brings back that particular feature, but in a unique format. The Candle Go is a wax-warming apparatus that uses disc-shaped candles, melting them almost like a timer. The wax melts radially, sort of like hands of a clock, while gravity allows the candle disc to rotate. The result is a candle experience that’s distinctly unique, allowing you to visually measure time passed. Yeo designed the Candle Go to help you track goals and time spent being productive (sort of like a wax-based Pomodoro timer). At the end, the disc melts away to reveal a medal that rewards you for time spent pursuing your goals.

Designer: Seokoo Yeo

What the Candle Go explores so beautifully is a new way of burning wax. Traditional candles feature a standing design, with a vertical wick that lights at the top, gradually moving downwards as the wax melts away. Historically, markings on the side of the candle would then tell how much time had passed, helping people track minutes and hours. The Candle Go doesn’t do that – instead, it mounts a flat disc of wax on an axis, quite like a vertical CD player of sorts. Rather than having a wick on fire, the Candle Go uses a warming element that melts away parts of the wax in a radial style. The melted wax creates a weight imbalance, getting the disc to rotate on its own. This clever technique uses gravity to its advantage, allowing the entire disc to melt at the end. You can easily track the time just by staring a the shape of the disc. It visually represents a pie-chart of sorts, allowing you to easily and intuitively understand ratios and fractions, therefore figuring out how much time has passed.

The melted wax gathers in a chamber at the bottom, ensuring your tabletop doesn’t get covered with melted wax (the way you’d otherwise face with regular candles). There’s no fire involved too (which could be a safety hazard), although the candle does emanate a warm light that is diffused by the natural properties of the wax.

Once you’ve exhausted your candle disc (and received the reward inside), simply load another disc to keep tracking your goals, and the amount of time dedicated towards achieving them!

The post One-of-a-kind ‘Candle Disc’ tracks the passage of time by melting wax in a different way first appeared on Yanko Design.

For casual or even regular beer drinkers, how or where you drink it is not that much of a priority. The important thing is to have a preferably ice cold glass or can and just drink it straight or casually while talking to friends or just relaxing at the end of the day. But for beer connoisseurs, there are a lot of factors that may go into their enjoyment of their drink of choice, particularly the glass that holds this amber liquid.

Designer: Nendo

For draft beer drinkers, the Kuro Label variant of Sapporo is a particular favorite. And Japanese design firm Nendo has come up with the perfect glass to savor and maximize the flavor and aroma of this variant and probably other draft beers that you will drink out of it. The Perfect 3Way Glass is an assymetrical creation that has three different mouthfeels that you can use and get three different experiences with the beer.

The front and back part of the glass is the “straight side” which is where you should drink the beer first. The beer should trickle down to the center of your tongue and straight to the back of your mouth, giving you the initial crisp finish of your drink. Then you can move over to the left side that has a curvaceous finish to fill your mouth with a “mellow, rich aroma and bouquet of liquid” since you’re drinking from a wider rim. Lastly, go over and drink from the bulbous shape on the right side which hits the middle of your tongue and control the flow of the beer.

If you’re like me, you probably will not remember to drink the beer in that order and will most likely just gulp it down any which way I want. But the asymmetrical design of the glass will definitely catch my interest even if I may not be able to distinguish the different flavors and aromas on each side, being the casual beer drinker that I am.

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Whenever I pass by the appliance sections of department stores, I am always drawn to the SMEG display, even though I know I will probably not be able to afford any of their stuff. I like the retro aesthetics of the brand that they are able to bring to all their kitchen appliances. I also have no need (and never will) for a baby monitor but this project that imagines what a SMEG baby monitor would look like is still pretty interesting.

Designer: Priyanshu Maiti

The designer studied the design aesthetics and applied it to this project that asked them to create a concept for a baby monitor. The target market is Western and European parents and caretakers belonging to the upper middle class, which is basically SMEG’s market for their kitchen appliances. In keeping with the retro theme, what he came up would fit right in with the other products in their line since his inspiration was their other appliances anyway like the mixer and coffee maker.

The final render shows a baby monitor with a sophisticated but simple and playful look. The design looks like a toy rocket with pastel colors which will make it attractive to kids even though they’re not the target audience for this. When it comes to the features, it has the usual ones that you would need from a baby monitor like the camera, charging port, SD card slot, control buttons. They didn’t really expound much on the features since this is more for the design and aesthetics of the product.

As I said, I really don’t need a baby monitor. But this would be useful for those who need something aesthetic and at the same time something that would help keep their mind at ease when it comes to their children’s safety. Well, at least, we have an idea of what it will look like if ever SMEG does venture into products outside of their kitchen appliances.

The post SMEG baby monitor concept shows off a cute, retro aesthetic first appeared on Yanko Design.