Stackable planters allow you to create a modular ecosystem within your home

My greatest pleasure, and also my greatest regret, is coming across designs that make me go “Why didn’t I think of that?” Chris Ference’s Elevated Planter is one of them.

The Elevated Planters are a series of planters with toothed bases. Made from anodized aluminum, these planters can easily be stacked one above the other, simply by getting the teeth/grooves on the base of one planter to lock onto the upper rim of another planter. The metal construction ensures a secure, strong fit, and the modular nature of the Elevated Planters allow you to build yourself a vertical jungle, so you can expand your garden without requiring a large space for multiple planters. The metallic planters come in a variety of sizes and colors too, giving you the freedom to mix and match your set, based on the plants you have (or intend to buy/grow). The grooves on the base of the planter allow you to explore a variety of arrangements, and you can even stack them on the edge, so that the upper pots don’t end up obstructing the growth of plants in the lower pots. Each Elevated Planter even comes with a drainage hole at the base along with a rubber plug to block it off, just in case you keep planters indoors.

The Elevated Planters were developed as a personal concept while Chris was practicing model-making using cardboard and paper. The concept evolved further as he began sketching and exploring forms, concepts, layouts, and details. Chris is currently working with a sheet metal manufacturer to bring the Elevated Planters to life.

Designer: Chris Ference

A modern-day thermostat inspired by your smartphone’s UI design!

gif

Home appliances are vital elements of any household. So it’s important for them to be intuitive and easy to use, without much hassle on the part of the user. Keeping this in mind, Chris Ference designed the Slide Thermostat. Upholding the philosophies of minimalism and familiarism (described by designer Nick Baker as the combination of a familiar interaction with an incongruous object in the effort to create a more unique experience) he wanted to create an everyday appliance free of unnecessary elements and parts, one that also has a familiar feel to it. Ference wanted to break it down to basic movements and intuitions.

Created from aluminum, and featuring an OLED panel protected by a plastic faceplate, the Slide Thermostat looks like a matte white capsule, that must be attached to the wall. You operate it using a sliding motion, quite similar to using a smartphone or any other smart device. Mimicking such a familiar action, which we practice every day, he created a thermostat that everyone should be able to use effortlessly.

The magnetic slider allows you to easily control the temperature. Moving it to the right increases it, whereas moving it to the left reduces it. The screen displays warmer color tones towards the right and cooler tones towards the left. Simple, sleek and convenient to use, the Slide Thermostat is the kind of home appliance we would love to have in our homes.

Designer: Chris Ference

This article was sent to us using the ‘Submit A Design’ feature.

We encourage designers/students/studios to send in their projects to be featured on Yanko Design!

An Incentive to Save Your Money!

hammer_bank_layout

Many of you will be familiar with the proverb, ‘Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves’, and with this comes the need for a place to store said pennies. Whilst many will resort to a characterful Piggy Bank, or a container of sorts, why not add an element of playfulness? Well, that’s exactly what the Hammer Bank has been designed for.

Designed on the philosophy of Familiarism; the idea of connecting familiar product interactions with new experiences, this hammer-like money-bank encourages destruction! Not only does this bring an element of excitement to the product, but due to its one-use nature and inevitably destructive end, it introduces the incentive to save… and not repetitively dive into the savings!

Aside from the ‘X’ shaped coin-slot on the top of the device, it features an uninterrupted, unibody form, giving it a satisfyingly clean aesthetic… that is until it shatters into a million pieces on your desk!

Designer: Chris Ference

hammer_bank_01

hammer_bank_02

hammer_bank_03

hammer_bank_06

hammer_bank_04

hammer_bank_05