Innovative Windows by Fakro can Add Small Terraces to Attic Rooms We ran across these innovative window systems designed by Fakro, which can easily add a balcony or a small terrace to a room. The clever mechanism, found on Inhabitat, is described by the producers as follows: “The upper top hung sash (of the window) opens upwards, whereas the lower sash can be tilted forwards, allowing easy access to the balcony recess. When rotated through 0° to 45°, the sash is supported by an innovative auxiliary system which allows leaving the open sash in any position within this range. The upper sash can be raised up to 45°. Side barriers are integrated into the bottom sash and slide out during opening. When closing the lower sash, balcony barriers hide in the window, thus they are not visible above the roof.
Simple Ideas That Are Borderline Genius - 43 Pics Click Here For More Genius Ideas Build A Space-Saving Roll-Out Pantry that Fits Between the Fridge and the Wall I actually *had* to do this in my kitchen in order to allow the fridge door to open. I needed about 5" of clearance between the fridge and the wall, so I had a cabinet built that was 6" wide. As cabinet with full-extension slides I lose about 2" of the 6" width, but it meant I could have both a top and bottom section, and no stability issues. Works like a charm. Oh, and you know that useless space above the fridge - I designed a roll-out stemware holder. BTW - for those concerned about heat, there is usually very little on the sides of a standard fridge.
Beautiful Rug From Old T-Shirts In this tutorial, you can learn how to make a really cool rug, like the one pictured, from your old T-shirts! This rug costs no money because you can reuse some old T-shirts that you don’t use anymore . This project is a great way to put all of those colorful junior high track/soccer/rugby/quidditch shirts in use if you don’t want to donate them. Here’s what you’ll need: - 5-10 old t-shirts, depending on how big you want this rug (I used 5.5 for a small bedside rug) - a pair of scissors - needle and thread - sewing machine (optional) The hardest part about this was how long it took to be made, but it turned out to be cool enough so that I wouldn’t mind making another one.
Milan’s Vertical Forest Wednesday, 12 October 2011 GreenMuze Staff Milan’s Vertical Forest from Stefan Boeri Architects. The Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest) will be the greenest building in Milan when completed, which is one of Europe’s most polluted cities. Designed by Stefan Boeri Architects, as part of their BioMilano vision to incorporate 60 abandoned farms into a greenbelt surrounding the city. The Bosco Verticale building has a green façade planted with dense forest systems to provide a building microclimate and to filter out polluting dust particles. The living bio-canopy also absorbs CO2, oxygenates the air, moderates extreme temperatures and lowers noise pollution, providing aesthetic beauty and lowering living costs. Each apartment balcony will have trees (900 plantings are planned for the two buildings) that will provide shade in the summer and drop their leaves in winter to allow in winter sunlight. Visit: Via Inhabitat
Less is the New More: Making the Most of Small Spaces Good Design For Living in Small ApartmentsAs people migrate to smaller spaces, good design helps a lot. This is something they figured out in Europe long ago, that if you don't have a lot of horizontal room you can go vertical. Tumidei in Italy makes some of the nicest stuff, like this unit with lots of storage under the bed. This unit just raises the floor high enough for beds to slide under. This one looks a bit clinical, but has two single beds plus a pull-out double bed in between. None of this stuff is cheap, nor, as far as I can tell is it available in North America, but there are ideas here that demonstrate how people can share a space and still get a little privacy, a good place to work and a lot of storage in a very small envelope. Like this?
23 More Creative Bookshelf Designs EmailEmail Talking about shelves may sound boring, but it isn’t so! Those who saw our first selection of creative bookshelves know that they can be an entertaining part of any room. To show you just how cool the shelves can be, we put together another collection of modern bookshelf designs. Can you imagine any of the following examples in your place? 1. “This book shelf, which holds up to 15 pounds of books, screws directly into a wall stud and presto – you have an invisible book shelf! 2. “The Corner Industrial Bookshelf is a great conversation piece turning heavy iron piping into a modern urban look that will add a sense of history and character to any space.” 3. This unique solution lets you find your favorite book at night without waking up the whole family. 4. “With its cantilevered modules stacked upon each other at a single angled point, Equilibrium is a unique furniture piece that immediately catches attention by creating a sense of amusement and surprise. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
25 Simple Yet Awesome Gadgets and Accessories by vinayak mathur You know what they say, “less is more”, and these simple (yet awesome) gadgets are the perfect examples. 25. 24. 23. 22. 21. 20. 19. 18. 17. 16. 15. 14. 13. 12. 11. 10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. Square Funnel by Guo Bo, Xie Qiuquan, Wang Shuai, Zheng Jianwen & Yang Fukai Square Is Better The Square Funnel is a redesign of the typical kitchen aid that is used to transfer and pour liquids in a small-mouthed bottle. A research done by the designers showed that round funnels took a longer time to drain the liquid. Designers: Guo Bo, Xie Qiuquan, Wang Shuai, Zheng Jianwen & Yang Fukai
Lit design avec coffre de rangement Downtown Downtown. Voilà un nom qui fleure bon l’amérique. C’est justement le petit nom de ce lit design avec coffre de rangement. Finalement quand on regarde bien, qu’est-ce qui prend le plus de place dans une chambre ? Et oui, le lit, bien qu’indispensable pour dormir (ben oui, dormir sur le parquet, ce n’est pas très confortable… A moins d’être un moine Shaolin) est le meuble qui mange tout l’espace dans votre chambre. Alors, pourquoi ne pas exploiter au mieux cette surface qui, quoiqu’il arrive, sera toujours utilisée pour dormir ? Ainsi, vous bénéficiez d’un vrai lit design pour faire de beaux rêves, et en même temps d’un espace de rangement utile pour ranger tous les objets encombrants que vous ne savez jamais ou placer dans votre appartement (tels que les chaises pliantes, les fameuses rallonges de console extensible, couettes et oreillers… Bref tout ce qui prend de la place et qu’on ne sait jamais où ranger). Downtown, un lit design et pratique avec son coffre de rangement
Electrolux Treat by Amy Mon-Chu Liu Tree + Eat = Treat Treat is a seamless way of storing and managing the leftover food. It employs classic food storage techniques like vacuum sealing and modern remote mobile technology to ensure your food is always consumed fresh. The appliance has a clever and intuitive way of communicating its warning when the food is expiring. The Treat is a 2012 Electrolux Design Lab top ten finalist entry. Designer: Amy Mon-Chu Liu