Air purifier doubles up as a lighting fixture in your space with this 2-in-1 appliance

For people who love their homes or spaces to have a certain aesthetic, products that are both functional and decorative are very much welcome. If you have a small space, you would of course not want to have all sorts of decorations clutter it up (well, unless you’re a maximalist) if they do not serve any other purpose other than just be pretty. So if you find something that beauties up your place and at the same time performs a useful function, then you got yourself a winner.

Designer: Hanyoung Lee, Eunji Ko

This concept for an air purifier is just one of those designs that are both functional and decorative. Abell’s main purpose is as a device to help purify the air inside your room or house. But instead of just standing there in the room, it is actually a lighting device. It will not take up space on your floor or on your table but it can be hung up wherever you want and it will give you cleaner air and also light up the room. And if you’re into the minimalist, monochromatic look, then it can also serve as an aesthetic addition to your room.

If it’s not hanging up there, it looks like your ordinary air purifier with a mushroom-like design. You probably can also use it as a table or shelf-top purifier although it’s unclear if it will light up as well. But if the bulb is under there as the product renders seem to indicate, then the lighting function may be useless if you don’t put it up there. Now when you use it as both a purifier and a lighting fixture, there is a controller attached to it so you can adjust how much light it emits.

It would be interesting to find out some more details about the air purifying aspect of the device. During the pandemic and even now when we’re getting back to whatever constitutes as normal, breathing fresh air even when indoors is an important part of our living. So the quality of air purifying that Abell can give is an important aspect of whether or not someone would buy it, if it becomes a product eventually.

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How to give your home a budget-friendly makeover

Want to give your home a fresh lease of life but worried about costs? Well, it’s a common misconception that refreshing the look of a home is an expensive affair. From DIY ideas to a full-fledged renovation, it’s all about details and creative ideas that are easy on the pocket. Therefore, if you are on a shoestring budget, these creative strategies can help you to achieve a stunning look without breaking the bank. However, before starting any renovation project, make sure to create a realistic budget so that one can save money.

1. Organize the Furniture Layout

Reorganize the existing furniture layout so that the space looks well organized and there is adequate circulation space within the home. Moving the furniture away from the walls is highly recommended to create intimate seating in the living room. Add smart storage and introduce floating shelves to optimum use of the vertical space. For a clutter-free look, increase the built-in storage with modular storage units, storage beds, sofa-cum-beds to name a few. It is highly recommended to purchase practical and functional pieces of furniture from affordable brands.

Designer: ECRU STUDIO

2. Add a Pop of Colour

Wall paint is a cost-effective way to refresh the look of any space. It’s always good to choose a color palette that can create a cohesive look within the home. Go for a bold color or a light color scheme for a compact space to uplift the look. Turn an empty wall into a focus wall by painting it in a bold hue or add a pop of color to one or two accent pieces of furniture and style a neutral space. Breathe new life into old furniture by sanding and repainting it. Patterned or textured wallpaper creates an accent feature behind the bed. Using metallic finishes in gold and silver hues can instantly upgrade the look of any space.

Designer: Regan Baker Design

3. Invest in Soft Furnishings

Enhance the look of the interiors with soft furnishings. Replace old throw pillow covers with bright new cushion covers to add a pop of color. Mix and match colors and create an interesting composition and combine squares and design. Change the cushions with seasons. For example, use delicate floral prints for the spring season and deep colors alongside heavy texture for winter. Reupholstering furniture can freshen the home’s look, and choose drapery that complements the room’s furniture and overall color palette.

Designer: Sweef

4. Add Moulding

Decorate the home with Victorian-style moulding on the walls and ceiling to elevate the look of the interiors. Also, consider wainscoting to upgrade the look of blank walls, as it can work wonders in any room.

5. Introduce Wall Art

Create a statement gallery wall and decorate a bare or empty corner with wall art, photographs, porcelain plates, personal artwork, or a visually arresting painting. Choose frames that work together and create an art gallery-style wall display.

Designer: Lenka Daviesova

6. Accessorize the Home

Create an interesting vignette on coffee tables, consoles, and empty corners. Having a centerpiece with the color and fragrance of fresh or artificial flowers alongside candles, trays, trinkets, and tchotchkes is always wonderful. Source budget-friendly home décor items from antique shops, online portals, and stores during their annual sales. Avoid too many accessories and invest in large-size art to create a grand and impactful space. Style bookshelves by arranging books according to size or color and add art alongside mementos to add character.

Click Here to Buy Now: Modular Flower Tubes ($149)

7. Replace Unsightly Items

Rusted faucets and unattractive hardware like door knobs, drawer pulls, or handles can be an eyesore, so one must polish them to retain shine and sparkle. Alternatively, one can replace these damaged pieces with new sanitary fixtures and stylish hardware and give a brand-new look to the home.

8. Introduce Mirrors

Mirrors are not only meant for the bathroom vanity and dressing table, but they also have the potential to create the illusion of extended space. Install a mirror in a narrow entryway or the end of the hallway to make it look doubly spacious. If the room is dimly lit, place a mirror opposite a window so that it reflects natural light and provides outdoor views throughout the day.

Designer: AC/AL Studio for Petite Friture

9. Add an Area Rug

Introduce an area rug, as it is one of the easiest ways to add interest, color, and texture. Additionally, it demarcates areas in an open-plan home, adds softness, creates a layered effect, and changes the aesthetics of the space.

Designer: Jaipur Rugs

10. Good Lighting

It is important to find the right balance between natural and artificial light. Introduce a layered lighting scheme with a combination of ambient or general lighting, task lighting or focus lighting, and accent lighting to add depth. Swap uninspiring light fixtures with new ones; add dimmers to change the overall mood of the space and give it a quick makeover. From chandeliers and pendant lights to artistic sconces, consider statement wall lighting to conjure a warm aura and transform them into focal points in your home.

Click Here to Buy Now: Starry Wreath ($99)

11. Get Organized

Decluttering does not cost money, and less is always more. The first step is to clean the home and get organized. A clutter-free space looks very nice, and keeping the house clean is one of the most inexpensive ways of upgrading the look of the home. Cut the clutter, as cluttered spaces can look heavy and feel claustrophobic. Add a few pieces that can help in creating an organized space and reduce the number of accessories, display items, flowers, and so on. Before buying new items for your home, always remove outdated or damaged items from the house.

Click Here to Buy Now: Quick-Access Organizer ($69)

12. Upgrade Old Flooring

The flooring design and flooring material sets the tone of the interiors. Replace a shabby floor with laminated wooden flooring, linoleum, or vinyl flooring, as they are budget-friendly, lightweight, and can be laid directly onto the existing flooring. Roll out bright carpets and rugs to enhance the look of drab flooring but remember carpets tend to trap dust and should be vacuum cleaned frequently.

Designer: IM Wooden Floor

13. Conceal Messy Wires

Wire management has become a challenge as more and more electronic devices enter our homes. You can invest in a cable management box, bundle cords behind the furniture, run the TV wires inside the wall, tuck them into tubing, or insert them through baseboard accessories. It makes the house look clean and organized.

14. Go Green

Plants add color and texture and are an inexpensive way to accessorize interiors. They not only rejuvenate our homes by providing oxygen but also come with excellent air-purifying properties. Introduce hanging plants and succulents, or style them on a beautiful stand or in handcrafted planters. Large potted plants are a great way to fill dead corners and empty spaces and make a huge difference to the décor. One can also get inspired by nature and introduce materials like rattan, bamboo, jute, and wood into the home decor.

Designer: Studio Doss

15. Upgrade the Bathroom

If the bathroom looks dull and dreary, upgrade its look with a bright and colorful shower curtain that won’t burn a hole in your pocket. Infuse sophistication and make a statement with a head-turning mirror. Additionally, you can add color and pattern with waterproof peel-and-stick decals on the tiles of the bathroom and even the kitchen tiles.

Designers: Fabio Bortolani, Ermano Righi, Gergely Agoston, RD Agape for Agape Design

The post How to give your home a budget-friendly makeover first appeared on Yanko Design.

Odd planter concept lets you enjoy observing your plants grow in a fun way

Different people tried to cope with the pandemic quarantine in different and sometimes creative ways. While some were content to catch up with their TV shows and games, others took up new hobbies to while away the time. One of the more popular ones seems to have been growing plants indoors, which is not totally new but also not something adopted by the masses. Even here, there’s a variety of goals and purposes to indoor gardening, though a majority seems to have been focused on the more aesthetic benefits of having lush, green living things inside the home. Ironically, these people seldom go out of their way to grow those plants in equally aesthetic pots, something that this design concept tries to solve right from the start.

Designer: Adrian Min

You can’t just use any container to serve as a plant pot, of course, regardless of how pretty that container might be. There are a few factors to consider to allow a plant to thrive and survive, which is often what informs the design of a planter. These more functional planters, however, aren’t what you’d always call presentable, definitely nothing you’d proudly display on your table or shelf. That doesn’t have to be that way, though, and this “Odd Pot” concept marries form and function in a way that looks not only appealing but also playful.

It’s definitely an odd one for a pot, though mostly because of its unconventional shape. It comes as a tall bowl that stands on three short tapered legs. Instead of a typical brown clay, the pot seems to be made from some terrazzo material, probably ceramic. A removable disc knob juts out from the pot’s back and is the primary mechanism for its highlight feature.

This feature comes in the form of a half capsule that adds something interesting to the presentation while also giving the viewer a different way to look at the plant in the pot. This “cover” is made from glass but has different textures as well as transparencies. One is completely smooth and transparent, while another is smooth yet frosted. Perhaps the curious one is the ribbed clear glass that adds an interesting play of light with its reflections and refraction.

While the Odd Pot retains pretty much the exact same function of a regular planter, its form takes the presentation to the next level. With its stumps for legs and an “arm” that extends from its body, it almost looks like an anthropomorphic version of a planter. It might even remind some of the “sus” characters from a popular game from the past year or two. Granted, the pot’s design isn’t going to be conducive to all kinds of plants, particularly the ones that grow tall or wide. But for most succulents, it will do just fine and will even add a bit of character to your plant decoration.

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Best rug and carpet materials for your home

Rugs and carpets infuse color, texture, and softness and quickly transform any space. In addition, they play a functional role, like offering protection to the flooring, sound absorption, and insulation. Rugs and carpets are available in modern, transitional, and traditional designs and different weaving styles like hand-knotted, hand-tufted, flat weave, and handloom. One can pick from various colors, patterns, shapes, textures, weave types, and materials.

When buying a rug, one must consider its material because it determines the look, durability, softness, and ideal placement area. Note that rugs with a flatter pile height or thickness are more durable, easier to maintain, and clean than thicker rugs that provide a cozier underfoot. There are two categories of rug materials like natural fibers and synthetic fibers. Learn about the individual characteristics of each material and choose the one that is best suited for your space.

Natural Carpet Fiber

1. Wool

Wool is a warm, luxurious material with soft piles and rich fibers that provide excellent comfort. It is ultra-durable and springs back when compressed. In addition, wool is flame, stain, and crush-resistant, which makes it suitable for homes with kids and pets. Since sheep’s natural oils are resistant to dust and dirt, wool rugs will always be thick and colorful. As a precaution, avoid using wool rugs in damp and moist areas, as it tends to absorb moisture and is susceptible to mold and mildew. Wool carpets are available in beautiful colors in hand-knotted and hand-tufted varieties. It has excellent sound absorption and insulating properties and provides a cozy underfoot. However, one drawback of wool is that it tends to shed for a few months but eventually settles down. These rugs suit high-traffic areas like the entryways and the living room.

Designer: Gordon Rug Company

2. Cotton

Cotton is a versatile material that is used for making soft-weave rugs that provide a relaxed, natural look alongside a soft underfoot. These rugs are affordable, durable, and easy to clean and are also available in reversible designs that can renew the look of the space. Cotton can absorb colors and dyes well but is highly absorbent and has a shorter lifespan. Use these in areas like the kitchen, children’s room, and casual spaces, as these rugs are prone to staining and fading but can be easily cleaned in the washing machine.

Designer: Thrifty Treasure

3. Silk

Silk is one of the most expensive rug materials that fuses elegant shimmer and luxurious softness — and looks nothing less than a work of art. These rugs have more knots per square inch, resulting in beautiful intricate details that look glamorous. It is soft and delicate but has low durability and requires high maintenance. Silk can permanently stain, so it should be cleaned professionally.

One can combine silk and wool fibers to achieve the look of silk with more durability, making it easier to maintain. Bamboo silk is an alternative to silk rugs and is best suited for the bedroom and low-traffic areas as its delicate fibers are prone to wear and tear.

Buy From: Hadi Maktabi

4. Natural Rustic Rugs

Invite nature and a sense of calm into your home with natural rustic rugs like jute and sisal. These rugs are textured, affordable, and can be dyed in earth tones. They are hand woven by local weavers, are extremely durable, and have a prickly texture that can massage the barefoot. The organic weave rugs have a rope-like construction, so it does not hold allergens. Alongside, the material is extremely durable and adds an earthy vibe to the space. Jute is not recommended for the outdoors as it can get wet, may result in mold growth, and does not do well with direct sunlight.

Jute

Designer: Jaipur Rugs

Sisal

Designer: Floorspace

Seagrass rugs are durable, resistant to stains, fade-resistant, and available in limited color options as they do not dye well. As seagrass grows in water, it is resistant to moisture and is suitable for the outdoors and medium-traffic areas.

Designer: Floorspace

Hemp is resistant to dirt, water, and allergens, making them perfect for high-traffic areas or homes with pets. These rugs have a muted, lustrous sheen and are hand-woven or loomed to give them a coarse texture.

Designer: Janine Myska

5. Leather

The organic texture and timeless elegance of leather add richness to a traditional, transitional, and modern décor. Hides like leather and sheepskin are soft, durable, and easy to clean but unsuitable for damp and humid areas. These rugs look best when layered with other rugs and make a refined addition in bedrooms, offices, dens, and entertainment areas. It is commonly used as a throw on a sofa or chair for extra warmth and comfort.

Sheepskin rugs are expensive and suitable for low-traffic areas as they have an organic outline and a long plush pile.

Fur

Designer: The Nordic Hide Collection

Cowhide and leather can be introduced in high-traffic areas as they are comparatively easier to maintain.

Leather

Designer: ObjectsHQ

Synthetic Carpet Fibers

Synthetic materials are affordable; they mimic the look and feel of natural rug materials and are woven on a machine loom. These rugs are affordable, easy to clean, and stain resistant but may not be eco-friendly. One can introduce these rugs in the hallway, high-traffic areas, and the outdoors, like pool areas, patios, and basements. Note that synthetic fibers do not fade in sunlight, but one drawback is that oil stains are difficult to clean.

1. Viscose

Viscose is also known as rayon. It mimics the smooth texture and low silk pile and has an exquisite sheen. However, it is delicate and needs careful cleaning, as it is prone to shedding, especially if it comes in contact with water.

Designer: benuta

2. Nylon

Nylon offers a soft touch. It is high-performance and one of the most forgiving rug materials. These carpets are affordable, durable, and stain and abrasion resistant. In addition, it has elasticity, does not lose shape, and can hold heavy weight. Since it dries quickly, it is perfect for the bathroom and outdoor areas.

Designer: RugSmith

3. Polyester

Polyester is woven in a loop or cut loop and is not elastic like other synthetic rug materials. It is soft, stain-resistant, and fade-resistant, but the biggest drawback is that it can flatten if heavy furniture is placed on it.

Designer: Momeni Rugs

4. Polypropylene

Also known as olefin, polypropylene fibers mimic the look of wool and are resistant to mold and mildew. This material is highly durable, water resistant, easy to clean, and can withstand indoor and outdoor weathering. However, one disadvantage is that it is highly flammable and should not be used in areas like the kitchen. Polypropylene rugs are available in bold and trendy patterns, are affordable, and are perfect for creating a cozy, bright, and stylish space.

Designer: Theory of Living

If you love fur rugs but don’t want to use real animal hide, then acrylic rugs are a guilt and cruelty-free alternative to leather rugs. In addition, these rugs add warmth, look sophisticated, are stain-resistant and moisture-resistant, and are highly recommended for cold climates or the winter season.

Designer: Everything Beautiful Store

5. Recycled Rugs

The eco-friendly rugs are made from yarn that is spun from recycled plastic. These hand-woven rugs are stain-resistant, hard-wearing, and perfect for high-traffic areas.

Designer: Interiors from Spain

Choose the most suitable rug material to pull the décor together and create a warm and inviting space.

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32 Amazing staircases that steal the spotlight

A staircase is not only functional, but it can serve as a stunning focal point and make a strong style statement. From dramatic and dynamic to sculptural and sophisticated, here is a curation of some offbeat staircase designs that are highly functional and are a visual delight.

1. Industrial Elegance

In this industrial design-inspired space, an open staircase with a minimalist triangular-shaped balustrade offers structural support. It keeps the look compact and sleek without consuming visual space, which is essential in shrinking urban areas with restricted square footage.

Designer: Valenti Albareda

2. Contemporary Vibe

This gray-hued staircase borrows from the industrial style and is suspended from the ceiling. The metal framework provides a sense of privacy and lends a secretive quality to the staircase.

Designer: Flavio Castro

3. Built-in Shelf

The stair treads share the wooden tonality of the flooring. The first two steps at the base level have a rounded edge, while the third stair moves a step further and extends as built-in low-height shelving.

Designer: Hansquare

4. Contemporary Sophistication

The floating wooden treads form an eye-catching feature that contrasts against white walls and is suspended from them. An array of vertical metal binders looks sleek. It functions as a balustrade, forms the structural support system of the stairs, and creates an impactful visual.

Designer: Potamitis & Nicolaou Architects

5. Smooth Curves

Inspired by the oasis-like landscapes of the Middle East, this staircase is a celebration of sumptuous grandeur with a balance of opulence and restraint. The space is detailed with a sculpture to create a pleasing visual.

Designer: Conrad Architects

6. Textural Beauty

The skylight-washed floating staircase allows light to spill into the open-plan design home and infuses a fresh and airy look. The built-in seating and exposed brick wall create a tranquil intermediate space.

Designer: Azimetri Design

7. Contrasting Wood

Inspired by Scandinavian minimalism, the helical staircase exudes a peaceful vibe in the interiors. The white staircase combines timber treads and herringbone flooring patterns to impart a fresh and airy look.

Designer: DEJAVU DESIGN

8. Triangular Elegance

Set around a triangular stairwell, this staircase has a dramatic quality with its symmetrical steps intersecting at the landing area. The green marble handrail beautifully contrasts with the white marble flooring to form an interesting composition.

9. Helical Stair

Check out the interplay of color and cut-outs within this exquisite helical stair. The bright green hues of the handrail and tall indoor plant infuse a nature-inspired vibe into this neutral space.

Designer: Aamir & Hameeda

10. Built-in Lighting

Linear strips of LED lights infuse a luxe vibe within each tread and create an interesting pattern. The glass railing offers visual lightness and completes the look.

Designer: Bellisi Design

11. Angular Composition

A large stairwell comprises a dual flight of stairs that meet at a central landing to form a spectacular geometric composition. A tall industrial-style sculptural light adds depth and dimension to the space.

Designer: Newsam Construction

12. Floating Treads

The timber treads appear to be floating in the air, while the glass railings offer visual transparency. The modern, functional, and sophisticated design forms a spectacular style statement in this open-plan design home.

Designer Silvia Vanzini Architetto

13. Abstract Composition

The fluid form of this staircase is a complicated form of engineering and a beautiful piece of art. It’s a great way to infuse a dramatic and playful vibe into the space.

Designer: SIPAL.WAFAI.Architecture

14. Textural Effect

These sleek concrete floating steps look like a seamless part of the hardscape and contrast well with the stepped waterfall in black. The layered effect of each tread is reinforced with diffused lighting, while the concrete steps are softened with an outline of multi-colored hydrangeas.

Designer: Ed Hollander, Leeroy Street Studio

15. Steep Ladder

Bold and steep, an array of triangular wooden boxes are stacked one on top of the other to form a ladder staircase while adding a sculptural quality to it.

Designer: Gabriella Gustafson & Mattias Stahlbom

16. Zen Effect

These floating stairs add visual drama to the outdoors and create an eye-catchy composition. Surrounded by trees and plenty of greenery, this all-white concrete staircase is like a Zen art installation.

Designer: Coolabah Landscapes

17. Beauty in Travertine Stone

This travertine staircase adds to the calm, relaxed vibe of this space. The graceful curves at one side of the stairway combine with the cream and brown hues of travertine stone to enhance the tranquility of the space.

Designer: TJAD

18. Ribbon Shape

Designed from a continuous sheet of metal, this open staircase creates an interesting pattern that exudes simplicity, while its sculptural form exhibits sleek materiality as one moves up and down through this space.

Designer: HSH Architects

19. Pure Geometry

Each metal tread has an angular shape that is cantilevered from the wall and looks as if they are floating in space. They are welded to steel plates in the wall to ensure the structural stability of the treads.

Designer: APOLLO Architects & Associates

20. Organic Swirl

The large, wooden steps are encased within a smooth white body of the helical staircase to create a captivating look. The woody tones of the chevron flooring continue with the treads and risers to complete the look.

Designer: Steven Harris Architects

21. Sculptural Wood

Clean, rounded, and unique, each tread has an organic sculptural quality that imparts a light and airy appearance. Some treads move further to provide support as the handrail continues to form more steps on the upper flight of stairs.

Designer: Arquitectura en Movimiento Workshop

22. Form Beyond Function

This staircase spirals around a beautifully crafted post and displays a striking combination of materials and form. Featuring a minimalist sculptural shape, it transforms into a showstopper element that draws attention to its curves.

Designer: YDDG

23. Warm Wood Tones

The fluid form of the wooden staircase infuses a dynamic vibe into the open-plan space. The rich hues of wood impart warmth to the overall décor of the space.

Designer: The Purple Ink Studio

24. Biophilia

The sculptural wooden staircase deserves considerable attention and infuses a touch of biophilia into the space. It connected each tread to vertical wooden panels. The indoor garden and natural light add softness and complete the look. This staircase cleverly creates a solid design without visually overwhelming the space.

Designer: Anna Kobialka

25. Wood and Glass

Featuring a perfect mix of different materials, the individual steps of this smart and contemporary stair design are joined together by a single wooden vein under each tread. The glass railing provides a sense of visual lightness to the overall design of the staircase.

Designer: Mark A Silva

26. Origami-Inspired Staircase

Inspired by origami or the art of paper folding, the arts and crafts design of the staircase adds a playful vibe to the interiors. In addition, the floating spiral design lends a sense of movement and dynamism to the space.

Designer: ArchitectsTM

27. Showstopper Design

The C-shaped spiral staircase starts from the ceiling and continues on the flooring. Contrasting hues of brown wood with black along the staircase and plenty of indoor plants freshen up the look of this space and form a spectacular design feature.

Designer: SIPAL.WAFAI.Architecture

28. Abstract Masterpiece

From its swirling shape to the curved convex railing and wedge-shaped treads, this metal staircase is all about curves and lends a decorative quality to the space. Just see how this staircase blurs the line between art and function.

Designer: Sabrab

29. Ribbon-shaped Design

The alternating ribbon-like structures in hues of white and brown function as the treads and handrails and create a dynamic geometric pattern.

Designer: Andrii Ortynskyi

30. Bright in Orange

This bright and cheery orange staircase ensures that climbing up and down this helical stair is full of cheer. It effortlessly adds a punch of character to the neutral hues of this space.

Designer: Martin Dulanto

31. Perforated Staircase

The perforated staircase adds quirk and vibrancy to the space and makes a bold architectural statement. The punctures in the cabin body let light pass through and seem to be suspended from the ceiling.

Designer: Michaelis Boyd

32. Dramatic Centrepiece

This cascading staircase doubles as a piece of art in this dining space. It makes an extraordinary architectural element and adds a sense of drama to this spacious open-plan design home.

Designer: Dieter De Vos

The post 32 Amazing staircases that steal the spotlight first appeared on Yanko Design.

Top 5 home appliances that create the perfect ecosystem to meet your everyday goals

There is a whole market of electronics that await us the moment we open Amazon or walk into any marketplace, but there are very few appliances that break the norm and help us revisualize the way we view technology. That is exactly what we bring you here – appliances that break free of the traditional designs to bring you the best functionality you need. Be it the good old Bluetooth speaker or a vacuum cleaner, each of these appliances are designed to bring the best performance you need to meet your everyday goals – be it keeping your space clean of dust or receive notifications in an innovative way. Start your day clean, stay updated and wrap up your day with ease with these appliances at your fingertips!

1. Briiv

Is clean air on your agenda but using artificial HEPA Filters (that don’t biodegrade) and UV lights seems like something you don’t want to deal with? Well, Briiv is the power-packed air purifying solution that equals 3043 house plants! Briiv is a household terrarium, that proves that plants and plant-based filtration system can be as effectve as the artificial HEPA filters. Moreover Briiv needs absolutely no maintenance or watering, generates zero artificial waste and comes with special, sustainably-grown dried moss, coconut, carbon and wool within it’s modern form to purify your air.

While it looks like a mini-terrarium, the Briiv comes with smart-features like voice power, allowing you to use it as a smart speaker and it can also be controlled by the Briiv app on your phone. Powered by NASA technology, the replaceable filters on Briiv are as easy to dispose sustainably as throwing them in the trash. Creating the perfect mix of nature and technology, the Briiv is everything you want in a neat little package without harming the environment.

Click Here to Buy Now: $339.66

2. Yeedi Mop Station Pro Robot Vacuum and Mop

Keep your floors clean without putting your health at risk with the intelligent and hands-free Yeedi Mop Station Pro. With two mopping pads spinning at 180 times per minute, dirt, grime, and spills will no longer be a problem. Its self-cleaning feature automatically washes the mop after every 10 minutes of mopping means you won’t have to get your hands dirty even when the mops are. It also automatically dries the mopping pads when its job is done, helping to preserve the life of the mops as well as your floor.

The Yeedi Mop Station Pro doesn’t suck at sucking either, with a powerful 3000Pa of suction power that makes short work of dust and dirt. It’s smart enough to know its way around your floor and to back off carpets if mopping mode is enabled. With two 3.5L water tanks for clean and dirty water, as well as a spacious 750ml dustbin, you reduce the number of times you get your hands dirty and expose yourself to harmful substances when you do have to take out the trash. With the powerful yet quiet Yeedi Mop Station Pro, keeping the floor clean has never been easier or safer.

Click Here to Buy Now: $579.99 $799.99 ($220 off with Amazon clip coupon).

3. Tero Food Recycler

What do you on an average in 3 hours of time – watch a movie, go out for dinner, or go attend meetings? Well the Tero takes those 3 hours to transform your food into fertilizer by reducing the volume of waste by almost 90% while removing any odours to create a dry, natural, homemade fertilizer that feeds your plants! The Tero recycles almost all the food waste, including animal food waste like eggshells, small bones from chicken and fish, dairy products and even ground coffee.

The device uses controlled grinding, drying and heat input to eliminate pathogens from the waste products. Once the container is full, the user just presses start and in 3 hours, your food is converted in a nutrient rich fertilizer. The inner container can also be easily removed and washed in the dishwasher when you want to!

Click Here to Buy Now: $595

4. Tidbyt Retro Display

Get a blast from the past with this retro-inspired display that conveys all the information you need using this pixelated display. The Tidbyt can be used to check the weather, when your train is arriving, tracking your favorite stock tickers or even your Dogecoin holdings – the combinations are endless as long as they fit in their 64 by 32 dimensions.

The Tidbyt comes with a phone app where you can pick and add what you would like to have displayed and also the schedule of what information you would enjoy seeing, when you need it. The night mode on your Tidbyt allows you to control the brighness and comes with a night mode that allows you to display on your Tidbyt without disturbing your sleep. If you enjoy tinkering around, you can even build your script and push it on your device instantly!

Click Here to Buy Now: $179 $199

5. Teno Speaker and Light

The Japanese culture speaks of Kintsugi – the art of mending broken ceramics with gold to beautify the cracks. The scuptural beauty of that detail was celebrated till now, until the Teno took it to the next level. Teno takes the concept of Kintsugi and reveals the cracked surface as a new object altogether. The Teno combines a lamp and a speaker – the exterior of the Teno separates to showcase the light underneath…and continue pulling the halves away to switch on the Bluetooth speaker – bringing both light and sound to life!

Technically speaking, the Teno comes with a 5.0 chip bluetooth speaker and a 20W class-D amplifier to deliver the most impressive sound while delivering deep bass and clear treble. To reinforce the wonder of using this device, the Teno can be controlled by gestures – pull apart to switch it on and piece it back together to switch it off. The Teno recreates an old technology in a package that brings back joy and wonder to your life while keeping it useful in everyday life.

Click Here to Buy Now: $350

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This rustic + flexible stool is made using the leftover grain from beer

I’m at a point in my life where I’m team stools over chairs, and I truly believe stools deserve to be given way more credit than they get. Stools are often overlooked, maybe because they occupy minimum space, and aren’t really overbearing. But these traits are what make stools so great in my opinion! I mean, they’re compact, and a great space-saving furniture option for our modern homes. They are also super portable. And one such innovative stool design I recently came across is the Mask Stool by Mater.

Designer: Mater

Design brand Mater designed the ‘Mask Stool’. Now, what makes the Mask stool so unique or special? It’s the fact, that it has been built using the spent grain from brewery Carlsberg’s beer production, at the Danish film festival 3 Days of Design. The stool was displayed as a part of the brand’s Circular Design Exhibition at the hotel Villa Copenhagen in Copenhagen. It was designed by Danish architect Eva Harlou.

The Mask Stool is built using a sustainable design technology that was developed by Mater. Mater developed this technology alongside the Danish Technological Institute and the University of Copenhagen. The technology merges and mixes fiber-based materials with plastic waste. The spent grain leftover from Carlsberg’s beer production process is called ‘mask’ in Danish. This leftover material was used to create the stool. The wet fiber-based material left behind from the production process is dried up and then merged with a granulate of plastic waste, to produce a mixture that can be molded and transformed into furniture.

“It’s not only challenging, but it’s also very interesting because now we know how to do this. Now we can use not only the spent grain but also coffee beans and wood chips. This production method is unlimited. We can scale it up and do collaborations with all kinds of different industries to take their waste and turn it into great design,” said Eva Harlou. Discovering and developing this material took a lot of trial and error, and time on the part of the designers. Once they achieved this new material and got it right, it opened up the portal to discover a whole bunch of new materials.

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Flek Pure is a translucent terrazzo-like panel made from 100% recycled materials

Although many people know about the benefits of using products made from recycled materials, few actively seek them out. The only times they do buy something that uses recycled materials is when it’s actually part of a bigger whole, and they have no choice on the matter. There are many presumptions and misconceptions about the quality of recycled products, which may have been true decades ago. Fortunately, designers, science, and technologies have moved forward since then, breaking the mold of what you can expect from recycled materials. This translucent resin-like material, for example, is so eye-catching and beautiful that you might not believe that it’s 100% made from bits and pieces that would have otherwise been thrown away.

Designer: 3form

Back in the day, you could easily tell recycled paper from virgin paper with a single look. Recycled paper is often rough and brown or gray, properties that are unappealing and sometimes even unusable in some applications. That’s no longer true today, of course, but there are still some things that are difficult to pull off when using recycled materials. Most products using recycled materials, for example, are often opaque, which is what makes this striking material even more impressive.

Flek Pure is a resin-like material for use as panels in doors, partitions, decorations, and anywhere else you would need a durable and sustainable slab that would be a stand-in for glass or fiberglass. The “Pure” variant, specifically, looks like frosted glass with a few random specs of colors that give it a terrazzo-like character. Like frosted glass, it is translucent, and you can make out shapes and shadows behind the panel, creating an interesting visual that still maintains your privacy.

That translucency is a rare trait among materials made from recycled bits, especially one that’s 100% recycled, like Flek Pure. The company uses a unique and meticulous process that creates pellets from internally sourced waste or upcycled materials and then sorts these pellets according to their clarity and cleanliness. This is how the translucent appearance is achieved, and the bits that aren’t so clear are still used to create the “imperfections” that give Flek its terrazzo aesthetic. Nothing is wasted, which makes Flek Pure an excellent solution for environment-conscious designers.

Of course, not everyone will find Flex Pure’s clear whiteness always appealing. There are other colorways available as well, which all maintain that translucent quality. The addition of color, however, does pull the sustainability a bit down to using only 92% recycled material, but it’s still a significant win, especially compared to opaque or muddy panels that use even less recycled parts.

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Sliding doorway display borrows a scenery to enchant and inform

Smart displays have started to invade our homes, from small tablet-like screens that stand on shelves and tables to gigantic displays on walls that are almost like TVs. These locations might be the most natural places to have these kinds of devices, but they aren’t always the most elegant or the most captivating. Tech visionaries would have us imagine a future where even windows would be screens that not only let us see information but also other places. We’re still a long way from that future, though, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a foretaste of that today. This translucent display concept, for example, seems pretty feasible with today’s technologies, but it can still have maximum impact in completely changing the way we look at and experience the humble doorways of our homes.

Designers: Suha Lee, Haeun Kim, Chaewon Lee, Juneho JO, Minjeong Kim, Youngjoon Bahng, Dabin Won

Doors and doorways have always been considered portals to another world, even if that’s just outside your house. The distinction, however, has somewhat lost its significance in modern times, with the fixed design of houses, apartments, and even neighborhoods. Sometimes all that you will see across your doorway is just another door or even a wall. Borrowing the concept of “Cha-gyeong” or “borrowing a scenery” used in traditional Korean hanok houses, this sliding display designed for doorways tries to re-invigorate your living space with something that can show any kind of world while also providing relevant information as you go out or come in.

Majung is a display appliance concept that involves a tall translucent screen that slides in and out of a slatted base; no rollable screens needed. When retracted, it can show a simple message and minimal information like the time and the temperature. When it slides out, it can convey a lot more, including schedules, photos, or even your smart home’s floor plan to turn appliances on or off. More importantly, however, it can show a glimpse of the outside world, whether that location is actually outside your door or in another country or even another planet.

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The idea is to create a more meaningful separation between interior and exterior spaces, visually and functionally. The doorway screen can display your appointments and the weather before you step out, and it can greet you with messages and photos when you return. It can also become a privacy screen, shielding you from visitors even after they’ve stepped through the physical door while greeting them at the same time.

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Majung is an intriguing concept that might not be that difficult to pull off with today’s technologies, but its practical applications are admittedly limited by modern house designs. It works best if there’s a narrow doorway leading to and from your living area, something that’s no longer common in many house designs, especially those in apartments and condominiums. Still, it’s an avenue worth investigating, especially with the increasing number of screens in our homes, since at least one of them should be useful enough to be our virtual doorway between our worlds, both indoors and outdoors.

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DIY wall clock is an enchanting way to tell time using prismatic lights

Clocks, especially the ones we put up on walls, are no longer the single-function products of ages past. Many of them also serve as decorations, sometimes to the point that telling the time has become secondary and almost optional. That’s the case for some clocks that look stunning in terms of aesthetics but sometimes at the expense of easy readability of the time. Given how wall clocks are rarely used to accurately read the time down to the minute, however, that shouldn’t be a problem for most cases anyway. That, in turn, allows for a lot more freedom in how to represent time. This beautiful DIY project, for example, almost completely does away with the convention of distinct clock hands, instead using different hues of light to let you eyeball the time to some extent.

Designer: David Tweeto

Like many DIY wall clock projects, this Decorative Analog Clock involves quite a number of small electronics, wiring, and a bit of 3D printing. As the name suggests, however, this clock bucks the trend of defaulting to a digital presentation and clings to the analog way of telling time, at least in theory. In reality, it is completely driven by software, and the three distinct light colors each tell a different aspect of the time, just like physical hands.

Instead of ticking gears, the Decorative Analog LED Strip IoT Clock uses a small microchip that syncs with NTP (Network Time Protocol) server to know the time. This also controls a strip of 120 LEDs that is folded to form 60 pairs of LEDs back to back, running the strip inside a wide wooden ring that serves as the “face” of the clock. Although it would have been easier to 3D print a plastic ring cover, wood had the advantage of not only looking more stylish but also preventing the light from bleeding through.

The light uses the three primary colors of light (not pigment) to indicate time. Red is used to tell the seconds, and it only shines outward from the rim. Green is for the minutes, and its short light is also on the outer periphery of the circle. Finally, blue stands for the hour, and it is the only one that shines inside the hole of the ring.

In practice, this light analog clock isn’t exactly good at giving you the exact time since the lights can occupy more than just a single “tick” in the clock. It can still give you a general idea, though, which is what analog wall clocks are often used for anyway. As mentioned, the actual clock feature becomes secondary with these decorative clocks, and this DIY project definitely fulfills the primary purpose with much success, especially when the lights are dimmed. It creates a beautiful splash of colors on your wall, serving as a piece of light art that some might not even associate with a clock, even with the red light moving around the circle every second.

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