S-W K | GIZMODO.cz

Quarantine has really shown me that I could never be a butler should I ever plan to switch careers, in fact, I could use a butler to manage all the chores as I work from home. This is the part where I fall in love with Mr. Alfred – no, not Batman’s butler but a smart home appliance that serves as a humidifier, dehumidifier, air purifier, and vacuum. I think this confirms that all men are truly not the same!

Mr. Alfred is a conceptual smart air-management system that looks like an elegant bar cart – the gold rails add a retro finish while the muted grey body gives it rich yet subtle aesthetic. Instead of having four home appliances, you can just have one that does it all while saving space and upgrading your interior game. Mr. Alfred is designed to provide solutions for healthy air in your space by sensing the quality. It is precise and targeted at keeping your space clean. The sleek appliance is made of six important parts – the main body which is responsible to store and charge the detachable parts, a drone that monitors the space, a robot vacuum, an air purifier, humidifier, and dehumidifier. Fun fact: the three air-management parts rest on the robot vacuum that makes them portable.

The rails of the main body help with putting the air-purifier, humidifier, and dehumidifier on the robot vacuum when being used. After the job is done, all parts return to the main body to be stored and recharged. Mr. Alfred also includes a cleaning tool kit with brushes and sprays. The physical form of a trolley was used to match the image of a butler. The wheels make it easy to move around the house and the minimal style lets it become a beautiful furniture piece when not in use. Mr. Alfred has been an iconic butler forever and now it lives in the form of this smart concept design…now only if it also had a feature to shine a symbol in the sky.

Designer: Dawn BYSJ, S-W K, Ki-Beom Hwang, Dong-Jun and Citrine H

Everything begins and ends with nature. It is the ultimate source. Hence it’s no surprise that designers are drawing deep inspiration from it. Dawn by SJ and S-W K designed Scent Island, an incense holder inspired by the visual of a mountain resting on an island.

The product comprises of a plastic base, its transparency representing the sheerness and flow of water, and the actual holder which is in the shape of a mountain. The mountain features an intriguing polygonal design to represent its dynamism and vibrancy. The underside of the base is made of wood, representing a tree, and hence deepening the design’s connection to nature. And the mountaintop which has a tendency to turn dark and sooty as the incense burns create the visual image of a volcano.

However, besides its nature-inspired aesthetic, Scent Island has an interesting functionality. Usually, when you place incense sticks into their holder, they tend to create a mess with the ash falling about everywhere. However, when you place the incense stick into Scent Island, the ash falls onto the base tray. Since all the ash is accumulated in one spot, it is relatively easy to dispose of it. You simply lift the tray, separate it from the holder, and effortlessly get rid of the ash.

Incense sticks manufactured from natural materials are gaining popularity. They are used for religious and spiritual purposes. Some people like to light a few nice smelling sticks to kickstart their meditation sessions. At such a point in time, Scent Island makes for a visually pleasing holder which is easy to use, and doesn’t even leave behind a mess!

Designer: Dawn by SJ and S-W K