Yanko Design - Form Beyond Function

Imagine having sunlight in a windowless room. That’s probably the strangest way to begin a design post, but think about it… I’ve lived in a dingy hostel room for five years of my life, so yes, sunshine was an absolute luxury. Window is a part of Siyu Lou’s Elastic products that explores a new dimension to lighting. Designed to fit in one slim, long casing, Window allows you to have a window shaped ambient light on any wall. Just mount the casing and pull down on the bar at the base and a warm, illuminated screen unrolls like a curtain, but unlike curtains that block light, this one actually illuminates! Isn’t that unusually brilliant!? Looks like a prop straight out of a sci-fi film!

Designer: Siyu Lou

It’s difficult not to get excited by the Ropes headphones. Before I get into the hardware and design details, let’s appreciate how awesome Ropes is as a brand! Ropes, for one, comes from a co-creator of Beats by Dre, meaning you’re going to have a top-notch audio experience. In fact, Ropes is already picking up hype, especially with it being the earphones of choice for all USA athletes at the Brazil Olympic! ATARI’s also cashed in on the Ropes rolling stone, with the hopes to bring the earphones to gamers world over!

Okay, so what is Ropes, you ask? Only the most crazy-awesome set of Bluetooth buds ever! Ropes absolutely changes the earphone game, giving you much more control over your music. While the audio drivers guarantee beautiful rich audio, an equalizer app allows you to tweak your music and get the best out of your audio as well as hardware. Ropes comes with a pretty healthy looking amplifier unit that allows the earphones to be the audio beasts they are. The audio that comes out of the earpieces is not only powerful, it’s also near-lossless (because phones come with crappy sound cards that absolutely massacre audio quality). With the Ropes, you’ll feel like you’ve suddenly shifted from 360p to 1080p on YouTube, but instead with audio!

Ropes may boast of an absolutely beefed hardware game, but coming from a co-creator of Beats, Ropes nails it in the design department too. Its Bluetooth build immediately makes it a wireless hassle-free solution (it’s the first Bluetooth headset to come WITH an amplifier). The Ropes name comes from the way the earphones hang from the neck. A clever layout allows for beautiful wire-management, making the earphones hang from your neck with ease. Its wrap-around design ensures the earphones will never fall off your body no matter what you’re doing (if an Olympic athlete can wear and endorse the Ropes, you’ve got nothing to fret about!)

Even with all this going on, the Ropes are pretty slick looking. The amplifier hangs off the neck looking like a sapphire pendant. The red cables travel around the neck and into the ear, making the Ropes not just supremely secure and functional, but an absolute eye grabber too! Mark my words, guys… Next Big Thing!

Designer: ROAM Studio

Buy It Here: $119 $199

For over fifty years, Cedit – Ceramiche d’Italia has been renowned for material experimentation and stylistic research that have revolutionized ceramics. Working with many notable architects, designers and artists of the from different generations, they look to the future with these stunning original interior looks presented at 2016 Milan Salone Internazionale del Mobile, each with its own unique interpretation of the ceramic material.

Barbara Brondi & Marco Rainò | BRH+ (pictured above) define a collection that explores the texture of cement, obtained through different components mixture and superficial finishes. Defined by a wide spectrum of modular combinations between the single elements, enriching the slabs’ range with graphic patterns created by linear engravings, then grouted in stark hues, according to geometries derived by the patterns of handmade embroideries typical of the Italian tradition.

Franco Guerzoni transfers on large surfaces the painting style that identifies his body of work, achieving flat slabs characterized by articulate backgrounds, with movement obtained by superimposing and subtracting delicate matters and thick and fragmented pigmentations.

Giorgia Zanellato & Daniele Bortotto | Studio Zanellato Bortotto draw a sequence of visions inspired by the texture of different plastered walls, selected according to the different degree of wear and exposure to the corrosive elements, dictated by the stratification of substances, which are true to the time and tell the memories and the reflections of a given environmental context.

Giorgio Griffa gives breath to intense, calligraphic brush strokes, making his work recognizable, giving continuity to the definition of a visual code revealed by a sequence of expressive marks in which the chromatic component, watery and soft in its frequencies, gains a defining value.

Marco Casamonti | Archea Associati codes new chromatic color ranges to reveal the shining and iridescence typical of the metallic surfaces, by fixing in a precise moment the different stages of the metal’ passivation.

Matteo Nunziati interprets the surfaces of the textile yarn, making a specific reference to the fabrics decorated with stylized drawings, giving the ceramic surface new perspectives in terms of perceptive output and an unprecedented tactile experience.

Cooking, like any art form requires skill and passion. Passion comes easy, skill doesn’t… and when one has the skill, being limited by physical capabilities can be quite disheartening. Oneware is a set of kitchen apparatuses for one-handed people who still want to or need to cook. The name also has an element of inclusion in it, one kitchen and one soul!

Oneware is designed to eliminate the need for a second hand. The chopping board comes with spikes on which one can fix the vegetables or fruits. Cutting them becomes easier when the fruits/veggies are held in place. The Oneware also has a dish-washing mat made of a high-friction elastomer. The mat’s textures help hold the dish in place while one hand scrubs it vigorously. Pores in the dish help drain the water out.

I’ve come to appreciate inclusive design efforts like the Oneware. They are most definitely perceived as medical products, but most times they just require envisioning life through the user’s eyes. A simple feature or hack can help make a product or technology accessible to everyone, regardless of their abilities!

Designer: Lim Loren

Trunky. Bottom-heavy. Those are just a few symptoms of “cyclist bod”. Seriously, it’s a thing! This happens when cyclists fail to supplement their extreme lower body training with upper body exercises. This is particularly problematic for those who do long, multi-day rides or camp using their bike where they might not have access to extra upper body equipment.

Designer Boyan Rista recognized this very issue on a 3 month mounting retreat in the Balkans. Basically, his legs were looking fantastic while his arms were…. well… not! The solution: the 4 limb-powered Twicycle! Named for its dual gearing systems, it extends the opportunity for cyclists to work their upper body simultaneously as their lower body. In much the same way the rear tire is powered, the front wheel is geared to an innovative handlebar system that allows the rider to pedal with their arms while steering in addition to pedaling with the legs. For non-cyclists, the extra work might sound taxing… but for those in fear of cyclist bod, it’s a dream come true!

Designer: Boyan Rista [ Buy It Here ]

Stuart Baynes’ Printable Prosthetics pushes the boundaries of customized prosthesis by extending the range of activities for lower limb amputees to water sports. Unlike one-size-fits-all units, digital scans are applied to Grasshopper 3D printing tech to ensure comfort and worry-free functionality with each individual fit. The printed design consists of a rigid socket and flexible fin to aid in swimming and a structural sleeve that slides over the interior prosthesis, allowing the amputee to get to, into and out of the pool with little or no assistance. By increasing amputees’ accessibility to and enjoyment of new exercise, the design also promotes physical and mental health through independence.

Designer: Stuart Baynes

For people who cook a lot (professionally too), having the right kitchen layout is essential. One invests a LOT of cash to stock their kitchen with the best gear, often having to plan which appliance to buy, where to store it, etc. The Venue Kitchen takes all that heartache out of setting up a new kitchen because it literally is everything you need in one singular unit. It also adapts to usage, with the ability to be scaled vertically as well as horizontally. The unit’s countertop can rise and descend to fit your ergonomic needs and can even expand and contract sideways depending on how much space you need. retractable panels allow it to switch between a work-center and a dining table too! Just look at the image on top to see what all the Venue Kitchen squeezes into one singular unit! All it needs now is a person to prepare your meals for you!

Designer: Murat özbay