I love the subtle sprout in the rear of this stool seat that playfully implies a saddle and also serves as a short handle or a place to loop your bag and sweater. THE BRONCO STOOL, designed by Guillaume Delvigne for super-ette. To view more by this artist, see his porcelain bowl that can be embroidered in this DV post. via Contemporist

The clean, minimal layout of the Cass Art packaging allows the stock and the paint medium to express the quality of the product. The result is a bold, textural statement about the unique performance of each paper pad. Lovely and inspirational! Designed by Pentagram. via The Dieline and Lovely Package

Beautiful identity work for the TextielMuseum and TextielLab in the Netherlands by Raw Color. Next to hosting exhibitions about textile and design at the Museum, the Lab produces and develops textile projects with contemporary designers and artists. The letters T, M and L overlap with different opacities and color combinations, and the design quickly becomes its own woven textile, especially when repeated. via Plenty of Colour

Once again, Ive disappeared, and perhaps youre wondering where Ive been. Well, my friends and I entered an international design competition and we were selected as one of twenty finalists for the Street Seats Design Challenge. The next week and a half will be very, very busy, because we are _building a full-scale bench_ to be installed on the Fort Point Channel of Boston! If you would like to see the bench in person, the opening day is SATURDAY, 4/27, FROM 1-3PM. You can vote on your favorite bench, enjoy tasty food trucks, and mingle with the benches designers. I hope to see you there! Here is our full bench description: "THE CHROMA BENCH was inspired by colors, patterns and materiality of the maritime environment. The seating surface is a contemporary interpretation of linear decking found on classic wooden runabout boats. The rear “billboard” of the bench was influenced by the vibrant water hues observed underneath the Evelyn Moakley Bridge. Triangular colored panels create an optical effect on the back of the bench. As walkers pass by, their direction determines what color is visible. This element of discovery will intrigue visitors and foster conversation about the piece. THE CHROMA BENCH is intentionally high-backed to protect from noise and wind, to make a “billboard” for the rear color feature, and to create an intimate sitting experience."

Soundmachines is an interesting instrument for translating and performing electronic music. It consists of three units resembling standard record players, which translate concentric visual patterns into control signals for further processing in any music software. The rotation of the discs, each holding three tracks, can be synced to a sequencer. Designed by The Product. via designboom

Beautiful wind maps from artists Martin Wattenberg and Fernanda Viegas. You can watch realtime data, or look up specific dates - the second map is from Hurricane Sandy. Check it out! via MocoLoco

For Paris Fashion Week, British fashion designer Gareth Pugh created these intricate ensembles by folding, shredding, and weaving trash bags. The line has a lovely combination of volumes, and its aesthetic is both architectural and a bit "goth" - inherent in shiny black outfits. via Dezeen

NOORDERPARKBAR is not only a fabulous-looking coffee bar; the freestanding cafe was entirely constructed from reclaimed materials purchased on _marktplaats.nl_, the dutch eBay. The resulting design was influenced by what materials the designers could find secondhand: wood, old windows and skylights. The final aesthetic is light and airy, with a playful framework of differently-sized components. Designed by bureau SLA and Overtreders W. The structure of this project (local resourcing) made it financially feasible, sustainable, and socially significant. During the building process, the designers interviewed all people involved in the project - almost one hundred people in the community who sold or donated construction materials. You can view the interviews here (Dutch only). via Frame

Sophie Blackall is the artist behind Missed Connections, a series of illustrative interpretations of missed connections ads. I love the way she interprets these often bizarre attempts to reconnect with a random stranger. The collection is available in book form, too. The artist was honored last year to design a poster for the New York MTA. Happy Friday! via Its Nice That

Chinese artist Li Wei stages scenes that are performative and surreal - defying gravity and reality. via Its Nice That

Smile Makers elevates sex toys from the realm of vulgarity to objects that are creative, attractive _and_ pleasurable. Honestly, I think these toys look wonderful with their playful color palette and intriguing forms - and most of all, the toys create a welcoming perception of sex play. Each product in the line is based on the stereotypes of "Fantasies", "Icons" of male sexiness that translate across most cultures. To further enhance their products, Smile Makers also has a Fantasy Man Generator. Hilarious! via The Dieline

Dear Disaster Cabinet by Jenny Ekdahl consists of more than 2,000 small veneered and painted wooden parts that each can be individually flipped, and it was inspired by the idea that creating images and graphs might aid a psychological recovery process. "Dear disaster cabinet is aiming to facilitate a process of recovery after natural disasters for the user to reconcile and regain trust in nature. The moveable structure is meant to give an outlet through which the user can express his emotions and personality and on which he can leave his own individual imprint. The patterns are based on water and waves, creating a tactile and rhythmic interaction with ever-changing images and underlying meanings." via Dezeen

So many delightful details in this exhibit space designed by Raw Edges for the Danish textile manufacturer Kvadrat for Stockholm Design Week. ‘The Picnic’ features a massive wooden construction of Dinesen Douglas Fir and a textile installation consisting of 1,500 straps made out of a selection of twenty different Kvadrat textiles. If you look closely, not only will you see clever product displays, but youll also see a log cabin nestled under a giant weeping willow. via Dezeen

THE CHROMATIC TYPEWRITER is a conceptual art piece by Tyree Callahan. The Bellingham, Washington-based artist modified a 1937 Underwood Standard typewriter, replacing the letters and keys with different colors and associated pads. Conceptual, of course, because it wouldnt truly be able to work with this set up, but inspirational nonetheless. Happy Friday! via Twisted Sifter

Im smitten with the simplicity of these colorful earrings by Daisuke Motogi. The appeal comes from the necessity of movement to truly appreciate the design and the application of basic color theory - and all from only three little circles! via designboom

Fedro, designed by Lorenza Bozzoli for Dedon, is a lightweight floor rocker with a colorful woven surface. The chairs birdlike form inspired its color schemes, all based on tropical birds of Latin American - the Flamingo, Colibri and Quetzal. I love the chairs fresh form and attention to detail in the weaving.

The words _dream house_ immediately came to mind when I first laid eyes on this project in Hiroshima, designed by Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP. On a site surrounded by high-rise buildings and bordered by busy streets, the architects maximized both natural light, nature, and privacy through the construction of an impressive two-story optical glass wall, made from 6,000 cast borosilicate glass blocks. The courtyard provides a barrier to the sights and sounds of the city, thanks to the density of the glass. The living room, dining room, and bedrooms open onto the courtyard, giving the experience of a private forest. Another smaller courtyard lines the rear of the house. The main courtyards shallow pool also serves as a skylight, opening up the homes entrance on the first floor to the courtyard above and reflecting watery patterns into the foyer. Magnificent. PS. Seriously, the bathroom sink and counter are milled from the same wood, creating a seamless, richly textured vanity. via Contemporist

Impressive sculptures by Tomohiro Inaba transition from dimensional scribbles into lifelike forms. The monotone palette lets your eye focus on volume, voids, and the play of light and shadow. via ring stools

woodum tote shou

hydroelectric power station

friday inspiration

fuse lamps

cork bowls

kork