Tag Archives: andrea ponti

These eight conceptual chairs represent Hong Kong’s urban landscape and density

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Italian designer Andrea Ponti created a collection of furniture designs called ‘Shadows in the Windows. Comprising of eight colorful and clean variations, the collection captures and represents Hong Kong’s urban landscape through two symbolic elements – a window, and a seat. The intriguing collection was displayed at Superstudio Più during Milan Design Week 2017.

Designer: Andrea Ponti

Shadows in the Windows is meant to provide a sneak peek into the hustle bustle and powerful personality of Hong Kong. Each piece in the collection features a square-shaped window frame, as well as the structure of a chair. Ponti says that the window is the architectural element that best represents urban density – the exteriors of buildings are always enmassed by windows, and they create an opening into the interiors.

At first, the windows seem to be functional and practical, posing as sturdy grids and columns. Still, as you look closer, you realize they provide a glimpse into the lives of the people behind them, which is represented by the seat or chair element of the variations. The seat projects its shadow and contour over the window, portraying the story of the people living in the buildings. Clean lines, steel structures, and ABS seats define all eight variations.

Despite the familiarities all the variations share, they’re also quite unique, and each piece has its own different pattern, shape, and orientation. The pieces represent an interesting connection between the individual, product, and urban landscape while functioning as a metaphor for urban density.

The post These eight conceptual chairs represent Hong Kong’s urban landscape and density first appeared on Yanko Design.

Hyobodo Fuoco Side Table combines East and West craftsmanship and tradition

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Hyobodo Fuoco Details

Japanese craftsmanship is definitely at a different level. We see it woven into the everyday life of the locals, and we can see the items offering more ingenious ways to do things. There is something about Japanese design, art, technology, and innovations that are unparalleled in simplicity and beauty.

This is not another appreciation post for Japan, but the Hyobodo Fuoco perfectly captures Japanese aesthetics. Designer Andrea Ponti combined it with modern Italian manufacturing techniques and design. As a result, Japanese design is shown on the perfect proportion of the Fuoco.

Designer: Andrea Ponti

Hyobodo Fuoco Design Andrea Ponti

This side table features what Ponti described as precisely-cut edges and rounded corners. The craftsmanship of this piece of furniture is excellent and is made possible by CNC machining. The Japanese way of doing things is already incredible but combined with technology; it is way better.

The Hyobodo Fuoco side table is finished with a traditional Japanese lacquer coating. The result is a product that looks very smooth and elegant. The table set in vibrant red looks very bold and the ultra-glossy finish adds some character for drama. It makes another interesting conversation starter wherever you place the Fuoco.

Hyobodo Fuoco Side Table

The Fuoco can fit any home interior and the red paint makes it seem like a piece of art, but it really is just one minimalist furniture item. Its size is compact, but it burns like “fire” with the visual warmth and vibrancy it offers. Fuoco means fire in Italian and this table is a playful nod to traditions from both the East and West.

Both Japanese and Italian designs are well-loved by designers. They both show simple shapes but with an allowance for people to make customizations. The Hyobodo Fuoco is another proof that when you combine the old with the new, you can come up with something intelligent and pleasing to the eyes. Andrea Ponti knows that, and his latest furniture design gives the world something new and functional while maintaining a look that will last a long time.

Hyobodo Fuoco Living Room Table

Other creatives and designers have celebrated Andrea Ponti’s designs for their simplicity and intelligence. We recently shared the Hyobodo Fiume giving the traditional lunch box an exciting twist. There is the Mother Bracelet which is a minimalist health and fitness tracker. We also remember the AROMEO Sense’s IoT solution targeting all senses and those MOJU modular planters that allow you to plug and grow all sorts of plants.

Hyobodo Fuoco Design

The post Hyobodo Fuoco Side Table combines East and West craftsmanship and tradition first appeared on Yanko Design.

Hyobodo Fiume gives the traditional Japanese bento box an interesting twist

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Hyobodo Fiume Bento Boxes

Andrea Ponti’s creativity never runs out as he has ideas for almost everything. Even the seemingly trivial item like a food container, he can make it more interesting. While the rest of the world is still being encouraged to practice social distancing, some communities are trying to live in the New Normal and that includes holding house parties or hosting dinners at home.

In some countries, public gatherings are now allowed while indoor parties are proceeding but with minimum health and safety protocols. For those who want to start meeting up with family and friends in a safer way, you may want to consider bringing home-cooked food. It is time to rediscover the joy of sharing meals in a convenient, secure, and hygienic manner.

Designer: Andrea Ponti

Hyobodo Fiume Tiered Boxes

The Hyobodo Fiume is a modern take on the traditional Japanese food container called the ojubako. The latter is an important symbol of Japanese culture. It is a set of tiered boxes that hold food to share with people during special occasions.

The new design by Andrea Ponti takes after the urban landscape of Kyoto. Notice the shape of the Fiume is based on the map of the city. The square grid shows the Kamogawa river, which is also an important landmark in Kyoto. It is a unique mark for the climate and seasons in Japan.

Hyobodo Fiume Design

Each Fiume set features four stacked tiers, and each tier shows one of the four seasons in the country: spring, summer, fall, and winter. Each season is demonstrated by how the lines are placed. The “lines” are for the divisions of the square-shaped food container that comes with rounded corners.

The Hyobodo Fiume is specially handcrafted from cypress wood. It is convenient to handle, which is just what we need when there are family gatherings. You can choose from either the black or red version in two sizes. The traditional colors are used but are accentuated by a bright blue line which refers to the Kamo river.

Hyobodo Fiume Details

Hyobodo Fiume is all about food sharing and food organization. To host the perfect family gathering, you need to be prepared which means it goes beyond cooking. It includes planning, organizing, and even presentation. With Hyobodo Fiume, we hope more people will be inspired to plan for on-site or physical gatherings. It’s about time you and I open up to the world.

This Hyobodo Fiume isn’t the first kitchen or food-related design introduced by Andrea Ponti. We remember the Dune sand-inspired flatware and the Ommo series of tea brewing kits from years ago. This 2022, the Hyobodo Fiume enters the frame with a more chic yet convenient style that can remain a classic.

Hyobodo Fiume Food Container

The post Hyobodo Fiume gives the traditional Japanese bento box an interesting twist first appeared on Yanko Design.

Mother Bracelet never needs to be charged but requires you to get moving

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Mother Bracelet Image Render

Health and fitness bracelets are aplenty and we believe more will be added to the lot in no time. If we dare list down all the smartwatches and wearable devices that feature a host of health tracking technology, the list will be a long one. New devices will be introduced as times change, technologies improve, and the need for information further arises.

The Mother Bracelet is the latest to consider when you’re shopping for a new fitness tracker. It’s mainly a health monitoring device that is sustainable with solar power. It is powered by body heat and a solar panel so there is little chance the battery will go low. Japan company Medirom Healthcare Technologies tapped Ponti Design Studio to work on the design in partnership with Matrix Industries.

Designer: Andrea Ponti

Mother Bracelet Ponti Design Studio

The Mother Bracelet won’t require any charging. You just have to wear it and maybe bring the wearable device near the window to get power from the sun. The health bracelet works by showing information that matters to you. With this accessory, you can do activities that will empower health and improve your lifestyle.

Mother Bracelet Health Fitness Tracker

The energy revolution has started and the designer acknowledged the need to take advantage of sustainable power. The most accessible source of power is the sun but even without it, your body heat will be enough. More wearable products are also becoming more eco-friendly but not many are attractive. This Mother Bracelet, however, is something that you won’t mind wearing the whole day because of its stylish look.

Mother Bracelet

The Mother Bracelet lets you “bring health closer to you”. It also lets you monitor the health of a loved one which we believe is an awesome thing to do. Good health is important and it’s time for you and me to start thinking about it. There is no need to weigh the pros and cons as there are only benefits.

Mother Bracelet Health Tracker

Caring for loved ones, whether your family, friends, or even colleagues, is perhaps one of the noblest things you can do. You tell the people you know that you care about their health and welfare so you’d want to watch over them. With the MOTHER Bracelet, you can also track the health of other people so you can help them achieve their goals.

Mother Bracelet Image

The Mother wearable device isn’t just for your own personal use. Being health-conscious shouldn’t just begin and end with you. You should also help others by asking them to join you or help you with your goals. Getting fit is more fun together with friends who can also keep you in check. You need constant reminders and with this fitness bracelet, you’ll also have other people asking about your health journey.

The Mother Bracelet lets you be the caring family member or friend that you want to be. You don’t just use the fitness accessory for unnecessary talks or activities. You wear it and use it while exercising, working out, resting, or even when sleeping. It can work non-stop 24/7 measuring your sleep, activities, and calories burned.

Mother Bracelet Ponti Design

Mother Bracelet Health Fitness Tracking Device

The Mother Bracelet comes in two color variants: White and Black. MEDIROM Healthcare Technologies has already listed the device on its website. The company behind it said it can make the world healthier in three ways. First, it doesn’t require charging so you don’t have to remove it from your wrist, allowing stress-free health management. The bracelet offers more accessible health through mutual awareness of changes. With other people knowing about your progress or even non-movement, you can feel more motivated to get moving. The kind of awareness the Mother Bracelet requires develops compassion to make everyone around you and yourself healthier.

Ponti Design Studio MEDIROM Healthcare Technologies

The team behind the Mother Bracelet is also releasing a Software Development Kit (SDK). This is so more app developers can integrate MOTHER data and use them in their apps. This kind of data customization to fit apps is important for developers. This allows them to use healthcare data whenever and wherever necessary.

Mother Bracelet Render

Mother Bracelet Design

The post Mother Bracelet never needs to be charged but requires you to get moving first appeared on Yanko Design.

This sleep aid device calms you down with ambient and relaxing lights, sounds, and fragrances

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The effectiveness of a design can often be measured by how many senses it influences. Multisensorial products work much better at engaging humans, and giving us a much more memorable product experience (there’s an entire TED Talk by Jinsop Lee on it you should definitely check out)… which is why the AROMEO Sense is much more than just a simple night-light, or a white-noise machine.

Designed to help you either relax or focus by engaging multiple senses, the AROMEO Sense uses a combination of light, sound, and aroma therapy to bring down your stress levels. With a simple interface that comprises just three buttons, the AROMEO Sense lets you choose between Sleep, Relax, and Focus modes that work at different times of the day depending on the need of the hour and the activity. The Sleep mode uses melatonin-boosting lights, sedative aromas, and gentle sounds to lull you into a state that helps you drift off easily. The Relax mode works better while you’re meditating or just unwinding after a rough day, with light that help guide your breathing patterns, gentle fragrance, healing sounds to lower your stress levels. The Focus mode helps guide you into a state of wakefulness and awareness, with cool blue lights that stops your body from producing melatonin – the sleep hormone.

The AROMEO Sense’s IoT solution helps target all senses, with its main-hub functioning as a waterless aroma-diffuser and a light-halo around the hub to give your room a wash of ambient light during the day or night, while the app functions as sound machine. The waterless diffuser runs on scent-pods that you simply plug into the device. You can choose your own blend of pods, curating the fragrances you want the AROMEO Sense to disperse, and the same freedom extends to the ability to choose your own soundscapes and light-hues. While the device comes with a ridiculously simple three-button interface, its companion smartphone-app lets you dive further into the device’s functions, choosing your music, blending scents, creating light-gradients, or even designing automated schedules for the AROMEO Sense based on your daily routine… or if you’re looking for something less hands-on but equally effective, you can simply command the AROMEO Sense using your smart-home setup by telling your smart-speaker or phone’s voice-assistant to calm you down, put you to sleep, or power you up!

Designer: Andrea Ponti

Click Here to Buy Now: $99 $198 (50% off). Hurry, only 5 available exclusively for our YD readers!

AROMEO Sense: Smart Sleep Aid and Stress Buster

Aromeo Sense is an all-in-one solution that integrates aroma, light, and sound therapy so you can sleep better and de-stress.

It’s like having your aroma diffuser, mood light, and music app working in sync. The result is a multi-sensory experience.

One-Press Experience

Simply turn on the device and choose from Sleep, Relax, or Focus modules. You can also use AROMEO App or your smart home device to control AROMEO Sense.

How It Works

Meet Aromeo Pods

The Science

Each Aromeo Sense preset module synchronizes the sense of smell, vision, and hearing. The three sensory stimuli work like different notes in an orchestra to produce a song. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts because it creates a holistic experience.

Click Here to Buy Now: $99 $198 (50% off). Hurry, only 5 available exclusively for our YD readers!

This autonomous flying taxi cocoons you for comfort-laden morning office commute

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Given the exploding population of humanity that doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon, the only avenue left for casual travel is in the air. Commercial airlines have taken the gauntlet for decades, and the next avenue is private air travel in flying taxis. Now that times have been unprecedented this year due to the ominous COVID-19 pandemic, Italian designer Andrea Ponti has designed the idea of concept electric flying taxis that’ll be autonomous. The vision is to create a safe mode of air travel for China’s greater bay area (nine cities and two administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau) for starters since the pandemic has pushed travel and tourism against the wall. A personalized means of commute for inter-city transit, making sure there’s minimal contact during travel.

The all-electric flying taxi derives inspiration from Hong Kong’s popular bird of prey – the black Kite. Hence, Andrea has understandably named his concept the Kite. It has a quadcopter-like propulsion system similar to that of drones with entry to the plush interiors from a single rear door. This drone-like flying car is designed to comfortably transport four people to their destination – sans any traffic congestion or fear of getting infected by the coronavirus. Step inside the interiors and passengers are embraced with private jet-like luxury and of course social distancing to keep up with the norms. There are infotainment systems to keep track of things like current weather, distance to the destination, or perhaps a collection of your favorite movies. Under the seats, there is storage for keeping your belongings like bags or briefcases, and for people who have constricted time, there are retractable trays for working or having a quick snack before arriving for an important business meeting.

Andrea says that Kite will land on docked platforms at the designated location that have charging ports to juice up for the next flight. To make sure the landing is smooth, the flying pod has retractable all-weather skids. The flying taxi has a contoured design to keep the drag down and ensure that it is energy efficient for long flight durations. For now, the idea seems quite feasible as flying cars are already knocking down the doors, literally ready to transform the way we commute!

Designer: Andrea Ponti

Modular planters that let you plug-and-grow all sorts of plants!

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Deriving its name from ‘mojura’, the Japanese word for modular, the MOJU planter is a set of modular plug-and-grow planters for indoor plants. It features a two-part design, with a base that holds water, and a switchable upper for the soil and the plant. The MOJU’s die-cast aluminum base remains static while the recycled polycarbonate upper comes with a variety of designs to suit everything from succulents to regular plants and even creepers of multiple volumes and sizes.

The two-part design doesn’t just create an attractive visual contrast, but also lends features to the planter. A static water-holding base allows the planter itself to be self-watering as the soil (which comes in contact with the water bath) draws moisture from below on its own, requiring little to no human intervention. The modular upper allows you to conveniently choose the kind of planter you want based on the plants you have and the visual aesthetic that would suit your house the best!

Designer: Andrea Ponti

Machine Learning for Life’s Mundane Tasks

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The latest work from Andrea Ponti, UNO is a smart AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) robot that harnesses the power of machine learning to execute a variety of tasks so you and me don’t have to! The autonomous system features a modular build that presents endless customization opportunities for employers, individuals, and companies.

For example, a secured compartment allows for the delivery of items between short distances while another module equipped with cameras, sirens, and lights transforms it into a device for remote security and surveillance. No matter the job, it’s designed to adapt and perform functions more efficiently and accurately over time. Equipped with an array of sensors and signals, it can navigate on city sidewalks and public paths all while collecting and analyzing inputs at all times.

Designer: Andrea Ponti for Logic Robotics

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“Aesthetics meets functionality in Uno’s versatile design. Its rounded lines make it very safe to touch. LED head and tail lights show its direction, while the front opening protects the main navigation laser,” Ponti told Yanko Design.

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The top aluminum tray can house different modules for a range of purposes. For example, the Porter module turns Uno into a delivery robot ideal for small areas. Available in two versions – with or without folding doors – Uno Porter can carry and deliver a variety of small objects, such as documents and medications.

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Other additional modules allow Uno to perform a range of functions including day and night time surveillance, thanks to night vision cameras, and transporting fresh foods or goods that require certain security, thanks to QR code and fingerprint readers.

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Automatic and opportunity battery charging ensures continuous operation with no manual intervention: when the battery reaches a predetermined level, UNO will finish its current job and then go to its charging station.

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Chai Looking so Fly!

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ommo

Tea is something you associate with a timeless beverage that has stood the test of time. For thousands of years, tea’s been consumed, and loved, and most definitely it has a rich history. The Ommo series of tea brewing kits ensure that tea consumption has a rich future too! Their quirky yet calming reinterpretations of how tea should be brewed is sure to grab your fancy.

What’s beautiful about these designs are that they don’t just look simple. They’re quite intuitive to use too. You’ll never use a teabag ever again!

Designer: Andrea Ponti

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Torus is donut-shaped and can cling to any cup. It is accompanied by a case that can contain up to three different diffusers and can be used for dry storage of loose tea.

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Koma has a round base and a long stainless steel-trimmed handle which offers a comfortable grip and allows to stir the tea. And the brushed steel cover opens and closes at the touch of a finger to easily fill and empty the infuser.

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The Super Suitcase

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Traveling doesn’t just require a container on wheels anymore. These days, we need and expect all the bells and whistles whether its a built-in phone/laptop charger or scale. Introducing, FLOATTI… luggage with all that and more. In addition to the handle-scale and USB chargers for phones and laptops, the design also introduces some other truly innovative features. Use its digital trackers and mobile app to keep a remote eye on important objects. Ensure your belongings aren’t damaged with its one-of-a-kind wheel suspension system that absorbs the impact of bumpy surfaces. The coolest feature of all is a smart-handle that works in tandem with your phone. Hold your phone in one hand and control it with the touch-sensitive handle. Use it to make calls, control he camera, change music tracks and more!

Designer: Andrea Ponti

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