Tag Archives: clock

This Steampunk-inspired 3-in-1 desk appliance merges a clock, set of speakers, and lamp into one!

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This 3-in-1 desk appliance weaves a clock, lamp, and set of speakers into a single product that oozes steampunk design elements like analog gears, cogs, and wheels.

Our desks aren’t complete without lamps and clocks. Appliances like desk clocks and lamps take up prime real estate on our desks–finding the right ones makes all the difference for our time spent working there. While there are plenty of clocks and lamps on the market out to choose from, their timeless appeal continues to inspire designers across the globe. Shenzhen-based designer Evan Huang designed a 3-in-1 desk appliance that includes a clock, lamp, and speakers.

Giving the product a more steampunk, industrial energy, Huang looked to stand out machinery elements like pipelines, engine cases, and gears when designing the desk appliance. Experimenting with geometrical forms in the conceptual phase, Huang contained the appliance within a cylinder where all of the product’s inner workings and gears are stored.

The product’s base integrates the clock and speaker components into its build, with a 24-hour Edison-light clock at the top and discreet speakers built into the middle chunk of the cylinder. Blooming from the side of the product’s base, a tall light fixture emanates warm light and remains largely out of the way of working space.

While it sometimes feels like our desks require a clock, lamp, and set of speakers, it can be hard to fit all of that on our desks in addition to our working materials like notebooks and laptops. Through this dilemma, Evan Huang saw an opportunity for design; the 3-in-1 desk appliance was created because of that dilemma. Encasing a set of speakers, clock, and light fixture into a single product, the new appliance concept saves space and looks good while doing it.

Designer: Evan Huang

The post This Steampunk-inspired 3-in-1 desk appliance merges a clock, set of speakers, and lamp into one! first appeared on Yanko Design.

Designed to mimic the setting sun, this reinterpretation of the analog wall clock brings it into the modern era!

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Nick is a reinterpretation of the traditional analog clock, replacing hour and minute hands and markers with a sophisticated glass container that keeps an hourglass, ambient lighting, and sand to represent the slow descent of the sun.

The bad news is analog clocks are gradually reaching their point of obsolescence. The good news is new products are taking their place. There’s a comfort that comes with wall and desk lamps. It could be the constant tick-tock that feels soothing or the nostalgia that’s practically synonymous with a grandfather clock. Whatever it is, clocks bring a certain charm to every home.

Bonding the comfort of a grandfather clock and the peace that comes with watching a sunset, Seoul-based design group Low Roof conceptualized Nick, a reinterpretation of the traditional analog clock that replaces minute and hour hands with an hourglass, ambient lighting, and sand.

Designed to resemble the changing light display of the sun, the creatives behind Nick describe its inspiration, “The Nick was inspired by the sunset that symbolizes the end of the day. It was designed based on the circle of the sun, the visual elements of the slowly darkening sunset, and the principle of using the hour clock.”

Nodding to the sand-filled hourglass that indicated the passing of time throughout the day, Low Roof says, “The sand slowly obscures the light to adjust the illumination level.”

As the day goes on, the sand in the hourglass passes from the top chamber into the bottom one, indicating how much time has passed since sunrise.

Come dusk, the light inside of Nick is partially blocked and softened by the sand that grows in height to mimic the look of the sunset outside. Envisioned in a dark wood, olive green glass, and brass-dyed aluminum exterior, Nick fits right into the modern home.

Designer: Low Roof

The Nick is designed to capture the feeling of watching the sunset. 

Encased in a blown-glass container, the Nick features a sand-filled hourglass and ambient lighting. 

Just like a regular analog clock, Nick’s timing can be adjusted at any time. 

The post Designed to mimic the setting sun, this reinterpretation of the analog wall clock brings it into the modern era! first appeared on Yanko Design.

This absolutely genius clock uses actual quotes from literature to tell the time!

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The Author Clock doesn’t just tell the time, it tells a story too. Putting a wonderfully creative spin on the time-telling experience, the Author Clock has you do more than just reading time. It has you reading excerpts from literature too!

Designer: Jose Cardona

Click Here to Buy Now: $99 $150 (34% off). Hurry, only 5/950 left!

Quite literally a ‘novel’ way to tell the time, the Author Clock uses passages from literature that have mentions of the time in them… so at 9 o’clock, the clock shows a passage from The Great Gatsby that has the phrase “9 o’clock” in it, and at 12, it displays verses from Hamlet when the clock strikes 12. Ultimately, the Author Clock turns something as mechanical as the ticking of hands into something much more whimsical and joyful… especially if you’re a bookworm or a lover of literature.

Contains over 2,000 quotes from authors spanning six centuries.

There are 720 unique minutes in the entire day, and the Author Clock has a literary excerpt for every single one of them. Equipped with a low-energy electronic paper screen, the Author Clock displays text as clearly as an e-book reader does, and lets you scroll, zoom, and even change fonts using a knurled brass knob on the side. The clock itself has a timeless, mid-century design too, with a wooden exterior, recycled plastic bezels, and that brass knob that makes the clock a perfect fit for your wall, tabletop, or even your bookshelf, among all those vintage hardbounds.

The Author Clock comes in 2 sizes, a smaller variant with a 4-inch display and a 3-week rechargeable battery life, and a larger clock with a 7.5-inch display and an 8-week rechargeable battery life. The electronic-paper display consumes negligible amounts of energy and can stay on perpetually, although the clock can automatically go into power-saver mode while you’re asleep.

The brass knob lets you control the size and font of your text, as well as turn on a child-friendly mode that automatically censors any adult words.

The clocks come with a brass base that helps them stand on desks and shelves, and the larger variant lets you detach the base so you can easily hang the clock on a wall too. A USB-C port on the back lets you charge your literature-quoting clock, and the makers at Mechanical Design Labs are even open to receiving quotes and excerpts from users, to help diversify the Author Clock’s repertoire!

Click Here to Buy Now: $99 $150 (34% off). Hurry, only 5/950 left! Raised over $200,000.

The alien-inspired Orb clock by MB&F blossoms open and stands on its four petal-shaped feet

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If you think about it, the art of telling the time has always had an element of performance to it. Whether it’s the sundial, which displayed the time through dancing shadows, or the cuckoo clock, which used mechanical chirping birds to indicate the time, the best clocks always have their signature flair… The MB&F x L’Epée 1839 Orb has its signature flair too – although, on a scale of 1-10 for visual drama, the Orb ranks a solid 20.

The Orb, created as a creative collaboration between MB&F and L’Epée, can be placed in closed or open orientations to display the time and the complex physical movement that powers the clock. The clock comes with an orb-shaped design comprising a circular face on the front and four petals (or elytra, given the Orb pulls inspiration from beetles) that give it its spherical eyeball-esque shape. When closed, the orb looks like, well, an orb that sits on a dock (to prevent it from rolling over). You can manually open out the Orb’s elytra, making it look like a beetle in flight, and even have it stand vertically, with the clock facing upwards. In this open orientation, the Orb also showcases its mesmerizing 1839 movement, designed and manufactured in-house by L’Epée.

Designed to be more like a sculptural jewel that tells time, the Orb’s uniquely interactive aesthetic allows you to really put it up on display as a centerpiece. The clock comes with a choice between a white and a black exterior and can be placed in a variety of orientations – as a circular orb, as a blossomed clock, or vertically, with the elytra serving as the clock’s legs. The clock’s state-of-the-art 1839 movement comes with a striking hour, which when enabled, allows it to chime every hour like a grandfather clock. The hour mechanism doesn’t just chime the passage of the hour, but rings multiple times to indicate the actual hour, like a church clock. This function can be repeated on demand or turned on and off. The movement also comes with an 8-day power reserve, and needs to be manually wound each week – which sounds like a bit of a drag if you ask me, but if you’re going to pay upward of $33,100 for an Orb of your own (yes, that’s how much it costs), you can surely afford to hire a butler who will wind the clock every week!

Designers: MB&F & L’Epée

Is this an ambient lamp that also tells the time? Or is it a clock that doubles as a mood light?

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Light and time have a pretty old bond. In science, light and time are collectively used to determine the ‘light year’, a unit of measurement used to describe the distance between intergalactic objects. The speed of light is also a universal constant, and a physical barrier that Einstein says is impossible to break… but the scientific connotations aside, light was used to tell the time back before clocks were invented. The sundial is perhaps one of the oldest man-made time-telling instruments there are – and they relied on the sun’s shadow to give one a rough estimate of the time of the day (in fact, that’s where the phrase is believed to have originated from, since we couldn’t really tell the ‘time of the night’).

Now that we’ve got that history lesson out of the way, let’s look at the Helix lamp, an aesthetic and modern reinterpretation of light’s association with time. The Helix Lamp uses shafts of light to tell the time. Rather than relying on the conventional hands-pointing-at-numbers approach, Helix uses slightly offset (or helical) discs that project a channel of light. At night, the channel of light acts as a visual indicator of a clock-hand, and in the day, the disc’s offset casts a shadow, acting as a hand (quite like a sundial).

The Helix Lamp uses two such rotating discs to display the hours and minutes. It works as a clock throughout the day, but a small switch on the top allows you to toggle its lighting function. Hit the button and the hands light up, while the back of the lamp casts a halo of diffused light against the wall behind it, allowing the Helix’s minimal silhouette to show. Simple, yet incredibly sophisticated.

Designer: Josh Connor

Hubless DIY ‘hollow’ clock uses rotating rings and an Arduino chip to tell the time

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It tells time like a traditional clock, but looks far from anything even remotely traditional. Designed to operate similar to how hubless wheels do, Saul Emmet Quinn’s Holo Clock is deceptively hollow through the center, and uses a series of rotating rings to tell the time.

The Holo Clock’s design is characterized by its beautiful hollow design. While traditional clocks use a set of rotating hands pivoted at the center of the clock’s face, the Holo Clock uses a set of rotating rings with hands on them. The rings are controlled by a stepper motor at the bottom of the clock, and the entire clock comes with a flat base, allowing you to keep it on a tabletop surface and admire ever so often.

While the principle behind the clock is pretty simple, it relies on a handful of precisely designed and assembled tiny parts (as is common with most clocks). The rotating gears which operate the timepiece are exposed and can be viewed on the side of the device, and the entire setup is powered by an Arduino Uno microcontroller that hides in the Holo Clock’s base.

The designer of the Holo Clock goes by the name of saulemmetquinn, and he’s been gracious enough to document his entire process and make all the CAD parts available on his Instructables page. That unfortunately means that the Holo Clock isn’t for sale, although you’re more than welcome to build one of your own. Maybe you could experiment with colors and 3D-printed materials too, to create something even more captivating. I just wish there was a video of this beauty in action!

Designer: Saul Emmet Quinn

This alarm clock mimic’s the sun’s placement in the sky so you can always wake up energized!

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It’s not for everyone, but there’s nothing like waking up with the sun. Since getting out of bed with the sunrise is seen by some as only a sport reserved for the masochists among us, there are some alternative product designs that offer the same rejuvenated early-morning feeling, but don’t strain your eyes in the process. Incorporating the sunrise and sunset into an alarm clock’s digital facade, designer Yu Zechen came up with Sveglia Luce.

Zechen conceived Sveglia Luce in two shapes: one round and the other rectangular. Imitating the orbit around the globe, Sveglia Luce’s circular shape mimics a sunrise and sunset behind rows of mountain summits and a foggy horizon. Throughout the day, as time goes by, the illuminated sun travels the circumference of Sveglia Luce’s facade indicating the actual sun’s position in our skies. Zechen’s rectangular alarm clock still uses an illuminated sun as the clock’s main imagery, but instead of following the sun’s orbit around Earth and its position in the sky, it mimics a sunrise and sunset as viewed from a head-on perspective. Complete with alarm capabilities, night and day modes, as well as volume adjusters, Sveglia Luce blends a conventional alarm clock with an artful display.

In addition to the alarm clock’s imitative digital display, an accompanying scheduling app allows users to set their alarms remotely and taps into the same display as the physical clock, with changing home screens that project the sun’s placement in the sky. Now, no matter how late we sleep in, we can say we woke up with the sun.

Designer: Yu Zechen

As time goes on, the illuminated sun projection travels around the clock’s circumference indicating its real position in the sky.

A soft, optic white front display resembles those early, foggy mornings when the sun is still reaching its peak.

A rectangular display offers a similar projection, only displaying the sun’s placement when seen head-on.

An accompanying scheduling app allows users to control their clock even when they’re away from it.

The app also incorporates digital simulations of the sun’s placement in the sky.

This intuitive clock merges with your calendar to showcase daily tasks, enhancing WFH productivity

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In the digital-dominated world, we all are accustomed to keeping our reminders on calendar apps on the smartphone or PC. Be it a reminder for an important meeting on weekend or something as simple as a reminder to hit the gym for at least half an hour every single day. Keeping it on your productivity management apps is the best way to make the most out of your time, and also schedule important tasks in the future. That said, this clock by Industrial Craft blends the age-old routine of timekeeping with keeping tab of all the important tasks in the day in a completely new format.

Christened the Sydra (after the ancient world’s accurate timekeeping device – Clepsydra) wall clock, the design needs to be lauded for its simplicity with the intuitive implementation of scheduling the day to make the most out of time. Imagine this on the wall of home office setup as you glance over to have a look at your current ongoing task and the next one on the list… as the clock ticks them away. The hour hand seems like a constant reminder, sweeping the daily events as you planned them out.

The wall clock a functional piece of décor that doubles as a clock and planner you’ll cherish having on the wall of your productivity den. The clock syncs with any calendar app on your smartphone or PC. It can even sync multiple calendars for family members. Any dynamic changes made on your digital device reflect in real-time on the clock. Additionally, changes can also be made physically on the clock with the click wheel bezel. The whole idea of visualizing the tasks with the realization of ticking time is worth the appreciation without any doubt!

Designer: Industrial Craft

















 





This alarm clock wakes you up to the music of Grammy award-winning artists!

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In 2017, NASA engineer-turned-YouTuber Mark Rober took it upon himself to redesign the car horn. It’s no secret that car horns are a major contributor to road rage. There’s nothing quite as alerting and annoying as a ‘honk’ sound (even though it’s by design), and listening to enough honking can completely mess with your stress levels as you try to pay attention to your driving. While sleeping isn’t as difficult as driving, it still requires the mind to remain relaxed – and the alarm clock’s loud ringing often defeats that purpose. Loud clocks jolt you out of your sleep, making you feel groggy, grumpy, and under-rested even if you’ve slept your 7-8 hours.

OneClock rejects the notion that an ‘alarm’ clock should be ‘alarming’. Instead, it replaces the clock’s screeching siren-like sound with something more melodious. Partnering with Grammy Award-winning artist Jon Natchez, the OneClock coaxes you out of bed using a series of original musical arrangements designed to gently wake you up without shocking your senses. Instead of the jarring sound often associated with alarm clocks (and even the alarm apps on your phone), OneClock focuses on transitioning you into wakefulness and uplifting your spirit too in the hopes that your day begins on a positive note.

In its mission towards being a better clock to wake up to, OneClock intentionally opts for an analog, WiFi-free, Bluetooth-free, non-IoT design. It’s pretty easy to snooze your smartphone’s alarm and slip right into checking your notifications, browsing social media, and just starting your day with a screen right in your face. With its classic, analog approach, OneClock ensures you don’t wake up to a smartphone screen inundated with messages, mails, and notifications. The clock comes with a relatively minimalist design, sporting an outer body made from aluminum, with wooden panels on the front and back. The front face features a Swiss-made timepiece, a knob that lets you set your alarm time and trigger the night light, and finally, a speaker which plays the alarm music. The back features two knobs, letting you set the clock’s time, and control your alarm’s volume. On the inside, a PCB runs OneClock’s AI algorithm that automatically selects, alternates, and remixes the OneClock’s music, giving you something new to wake up to every day… and unlike your traditional alarm clock, or that app on your phone, OneClock gently ushers you into wakefulness by playing the music softly before bringing it to a crescendo… and its impact ends up positively influencing the rest of your day too, allowing you to be more chipper and even more productive!

Designer: OneClock

This mouth-watering collection of clock and lamps are fun products every bread lover needs!

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The Pampshade Collection by Yukiko Morita is as delicious as it looks! Comprising of lamps and a special clock, all the designs in this collection have been made from 100% artisanal bread. Yes, all these yummy-looking products are in fact made from bread, and are edible (although we don’t advise consuming them)! Croissants, baguettes, hot cross buns, and even the Indian flatbread naan are all major inspirations for this collection. All the lamps light up the instant you place them on a flat surface! Each bread lamp and the naan clock is an artistic masterpiece that also provides functionality in our day-to-day lives. This cute little collection has really warmed my heart!

The ‘Naaaan Time’ is the latest addition to the Pampshade Collection! The clock is made from a real naan bread! The loosely-formed naans all have different textures since they’re actual baked bread! It doesn’t have a dial and gives a very general sense of the time. But that’s also what makes the clock even more interesting, it doesn’t allow time to restrict you, and in fact encourages time to loosely flow by, just like its loose and easygoing structure!

The Pampshade Croissant is the most iconic one from its entire collection! Real croissants are used to make this lamp, and it emits a gentle glow. The delicate light that radiates out of it creates a subtle environment. Not to mention the lamp by itself looks sumptuous and buttery!

Next in line is this cute little roll with a classic cross pattern! Hot cross buns anyone? Once you place it on a flat surface, it instantly lights up, giving out an ambient and peaceful glow.

This quintessential French baguette is probably one of my favorites! Its iconic length allows for more LED lights to be placed into it, making it a stronger light source. You can place this on your table, or even hang its elongated form on the wall!

This humble diamond-shaped roll was a common snack amongst the working class of Japan, and has now been converted into a lamp! A gentle hue radiates from the upper section of the roll, and honestly, I feel like taking a buttery bite out of this provincial roll!

The Batard is the shorter and more compact version of a baguette, although equally delicious! Fill up your room with the ambient lighting of this yummy French bread.

The Champignon bread resembles the butter mushroom (it has the same name in French)! This little fungal-inspired bread lamp has also been coated by an anti-bacterial and anti-fungal to protect it from the tests of time. It’ll be illuminating your living space for years to come.

The Pampshade Boule features the classic rustic shape of the bread it’s been molded after. Its soft shape and warm glow make it look like the harvest moon rising over France!

The Pampshade Toast is a soft, billowy, and buttery piece of…of course, toast! The pillow-like lamp would be perfect to hang upon your wall.

This tiny cute roll is one of the latest additions to the Pampshade collection. It’s been made from the unused and leftover bread often found at bakeries. It’s upcycling in a very bready style!