Yanko Design - Form Beyond Function

Droids on Roids is a team of programmers, so making their new office seem familiar made perfect sense to the designers at Mode:lina. Navigating the space is a lot like navigating the home screen on your phone! Icons placed on the black stripe that runs along the walls (that serves as a sort of status bar) as well as the doors serve as a visual code which allows employees and guests to identify the function of each space. Apart from looping in elements typical for mobile apps, the interior was also given yellow features, which together with lamps in a shape of a zig-zag located all across the office, correspond with the Droids On Roids lighting logo.

Because the team of programmers and other staff spend much more time together than just working, the new office is packed with places to eat, play and chill! The office’s corridors also feature islands with armchairs and special soundproof booths for moments when private time is necessary. There is even a nap room in a secluded area with a big yellow hammock and comfortable beds!

Designer: Mode:lina

My question to you is… if you knew your grating cheese could be this easy, fast, and fun, would you ever readily grate cheese any other way?

The Zyliss rotary cheese grater is fun, fast, and won’t end up grating your fingertips or knuckles. As hand-held as any regular grater, it comes with a rotating wheel/drum and handle that grates cheese in a continuous rotating motion (instead of the to-fro motion of regular graters), grating cheese twice or even thrice as fast. The wheel can be flipped for left-handed or right-handed use, and comes in two sizes, for hard and soft cheeses. Plus, the wheels can be removed for easy cleaning too. Although the grater was designed specifically for grating cheese, it’s known to work with chocolate too! *drool*

Designer: Zyliss

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Your butt’s gonna love this jet black loo with a built-in bidet! Sharp looks, top-tier technology, and a powerful flush. What more could you ask for in a toilet?

It’s called Clean Black and it’s all about powerful performance, bidet functionality, sanitation and remote operation. Users can control the heated seat, bidet, dryer and flush power directly from the matching touch-screen remote that also makes it possible to open and close hands-free!

The dark color masks unsightly stains and its smooth curves and near seamless shape make it easy to wipe clean. Not to forget, the self-rinsing bidet makes for a more hygienic experience.

Designer: Zhou Buyi

There’s evidence that Snapchat could be dying which means there might be room for a new moment-capturing service! Something like Snapshot could be a viable option with its tangible twist on image/video social sharing. This compact camera marries the physical and digital experience in an entirely new, fun way that can be taken and used anywhere. Its dual lens system makes 3D and image layering possible directly on the device. Users can easily insert emojis, text or any item between each layer. The donut-style design adds flavor and dimension into social sharing!

Designer: 2-LA Design

Coffee. The third most popular beverage in the world. However it’s physically undrinkable when it’s too hot, and shamefully undrinkable when it reaches room temperature… which is what happens with every cup that you store your coffee in. It starts off scalding hot, gradually reaches the perfect drinkable temperature for precisely 4 minutes, and then descends into a terrible, tepid, insipid excuse for caffeine.

The Ember mug however allows you to maintain your drink at the perfect drinkable temperature. It’s different from a thermos because a thermos simply slows down the cooling process, while the Ember allows you to choose a temperature and have your drink constantly at that temperature. Another con for a thermos/flask is that when you pour a boiling hot beverage in, it stays boiling hot for a prolonged period of time, making it undrinkable for longer. With the Ember, no matter what temperature your coffee is, it will rapidly cool down or heat up to the temperature you decide… making it, in the words of Goldilocks, “Just Right”!

Designed by Ammunition, the same firm that designed Beats by Dre’s line of products (before Apple bought it), the Ember’s design language is subtle, functional, and looks everything like what a coffee mug should look like. Concealing every bit of state-of-the-art technology within the mug’s body (to retain its minimal visual aesthetic), Ember comes with a 360° sipping lid with an air-tight lock. It even features a hidden display at the base that lights up when you set the temperature using a dial at the base of the mug.

The mug runs on a battery and charges wirelessly via a charging coaster. With a temperature range of 120°F to 145°F, the Ember works not just with coffee but with any hot beverage, bringing it to the right drinking temperature and keeping it there for you to sip over at your own comfortable pace. I’m thinking a nice warm and spicy mulled wine!

Designer: Ammunition for Ember

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Not to be confused with the Nest thermostat, that makes your house as cozy as a nest, the Nest Speakers by Donita Viktoria Salazar are named so because it revolves around the concept of one speaker nesting inside another.

Inspired by Matrioshka dolls that fit inside one another, the speaker consists of a small portable audio unit, and a larger speaker unit that stays put in a part of your house. The smaller speaker docks conveniently in the center of the larger speaker and uses this docking action for pairing as well as wireless charging.

The convenient design prevents you from misplacing your speaker, while also giving you two speakers in one. Ideal for people who love having music wherever they go, the Nest can be carried around, and can be used as a rather heavy-duty speaker at home, because home is where the music is loudest!

Designer: Donita Viktoria Salazar