Tag Archives: Skateboard

Transforming furniture turns an office space into a skating park

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There’s that saying that all work and no play makes people dull, but work environments rarely encourage the two to mix in the same space. Unless, of course, you’re actually working in an industry that makes games, toys, and sports equipment. Even then, however, those would probably still be considered “work, and the line that divides work and play still exists.

But what if the very same office space could become your playground during lunch break? And what if you didn’t have to move the furniture out of the way to do that? That’s sort of the magic offered by this unique office furniture collection design by skaters for skaters, transforming an already dynamic open floor plan office into a field for exercise and play when you need to get the creative juices flowing again.

Designer: Zenga Bros

Traditional wisdom dictates that work life and personal life should be kept separate but balanced, but younger generations have found ways to blend the two together and still be productive. That’s easier when your passion and hobby are actually part of your work, like when you’re a couple of designers who happen to love skateboarding as well. Skate Break is the result of that convergence, transforming one space into another without breaking too much of a sweat.

Just like a hi-tech showroom or a sci-fi transforming room, Skate Break’s furniture stands as honest-to-goodness functional office equipment one moment and skate ramps the next. As long as you have ample room between these pieces of furniture, you don’t even have to move them out of the way and bring them back in after you’re done. It’s not instantaneous, of course, but it sure beats having to constantly move things around whenever you want to switch from one mode to another.

There’s definitely some ingenious design involved, like a boardroom table that can be taken apart to become a pyramid ramp and a grind ledge. The standing desk uses a lever system to reveal a hidden ramp on which to skate. Don’t worry, the large computer screen is protected by transparent plexiglass, so you can confidently skate up and down over it.

The oversized Lamp Ramp is probably one of the more striking pieces, composed of what looks like a gigantic flower-shaped fanning shade and an arched stand. When a pin and the counterweight dumbbell are removed, the shade moves down until it touches the floor, creating a small volcano ramp and rainbow rail.

Skating inside the office might not be the smartest decision, especially if you don’t have protective gear available. It’s still a fun idea to turn an office into a playground and back again, seamlessly shifting gears as the need or desire arises. And as many companies with high creative output have proven, such a lifestyle can actually be beneficial to both employees and employers, as long as they don’t get into accidents.

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Trashboard is a more sustainable skateboard that uses recycled aircraft carbon

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To most people outside of that community, a skateboard is nothing more than a wooden plank on wheels with sometimes outrageous artwork painted on it. The probably surprising reality is that a great deal of design and engineering goes into making these skateboards to keep them aerodynamic while also light and sturdy. While it’s fine to stick to nearly perfected traditions when it comes to materials and processing, there’s also a need to push the envelope in order to design a product that will not only stand the test of time but will also help the planet last a little bit longer as well. That’s the kind of innovation that this seemingly normal sustainable skateboard brings to the market with a little help from airplane maker Airbus.

Designer: François Jaubert

To be fair, much of a skateboard’s composition, particularly its deck, already uses sustainable materials like wood. That said, there’s also such a thing as the overuse of fresh wood, which can lead to deforestation and other related environmental consequences. While skateboards themselves can be recycled or upcycled, the use of recycled materials like recycled wood hasn’t exactly born much fruit.

Enter the Trashboard, a sustainable design that uses recycled materials that aren’t wood. Building upon an earlier project that successfully used packaging cardboard to make a surfboard, the Trashboard combines recycled and upcycled materials to make a unique deck that still feels like the genuine item. In particular, it uses upcycled carbon from discarded aeronautic components courtesy of Airbus to minimize the use of raw new materials. It also uses compressed recycled cardboard for the deck’s flex core and binds the layers together using bio-sourced epoxy resin.

From the outside, you wouldn’t even realize that the Trashboard is made differently. It still retains the same standard form that gives skateboards their smooth gliding power, and it also has rather artistic prints, though leaning more towards a monochromatic tone that gives the decks a more elegant aesthetic. All in all, Trashboard promises to deliver the same exhilarating cruising experience, while also allowing skaters to share in the responsibility of helping keep our planet alive.

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Upcycled skateboard factory rejects transform into warm wall lighting

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Recycling is a great way to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills, but the process itself can sometimes have some negative impact. There’s still a lot of energy and water involved in converting materials into something usable again, and there’s also some loss when the original design gets destroyed in the process. Upcycling is a more efficient and time-saving alternative, but not everything can be upcycled and not everything that can be upcycled can be used in newer and better ways. Sometimes, it takes a bit more creative thinking to transform one thing into a completely different thing, like how factory seconds from skateboard manufacturers are turned into these understated yet elegant wall lamps.

Designers: Michael and Mariel Upton

Skateboards are objects that bring up images of speed, tricks, and devilish stunts. They’re hardly associated with warmth, subtlety, or even light. Of course, these associations aren’t inherent in the shape of the skateboard’s wooden deck, which makes them open for reuse and reinterpretation, as the case of this trio of wall lamps demonstrates, providing stylish lighting that hardly gives a clue to their origins.

Considering the long oval shapes of skateboard decks, not to mention their upward curved ends, you definitely wouldn’t be able to guess that these wall lights are exactly made from those wooden parts. That’s because these pieces of 7-ply maple wood are taken from factory rejects, decks that obviously didn’t make the cut. Since the shapes of these boards are too specific for general use, they often end up simply being discarded. They’re thankfully made from wood, so they’re biodegradable and have fewer harmful effects on the environment, but they’re still waste and, more importantly, wasted opportunity.

Upton thankfully has the wonderful idea of using those boards to provide ambient lighting as well as a piece of minimalist wall art. The discarded decks are cut to create a shorter and straighter oval shape and then paired with lighting hardware on the back. Each of the three variants, namely, Heru, Cuna, and Mara, get a square piece of original art that becomes the visual center of the entire fixture. With this, even if the light is off, the designs act as decorative pieces that enhance a room’s ambiance in a subtle way.

When the light is on, however, you get a warm ambient halo of light that sets a calming and relaxing mood in any space. The light is emitted from the back and is reflected on the mounting surface, making it look softer and avoiding painful glare when you look in its direction. The wall lamp projects a character of calm and warmth, definitely not something you’d expect from a speedster skateboard that it would have become in some other lifetime.

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The Eames Lounge Chair gets reinvented as a dual-tone skateboard with a similar iconic aesthetic

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Even outside the design world, the Eames Lounge Chair remains an absolute furniture icon. Designed in 1956 by Ray and Charles Eames, the chair’s aesthetic was defined by its use of bent plywood paneling and plush leather cushioning, resulting in a multi-part seat that looked as interesting as it was comfortable. In an audacious blend of design heritage and contemporary street culture, Globe Skateboards has unveiled a stunning homage to Charles and Ray Eames, revered icons of mid-century modern furniture design. This unique collaboration marries the adventurous spirit of skateboarding with the timeless elegance of Eames’ design principles, resulting in a collection that’s both a nod to the past and a ride into the future.

Designers: Globe Brand & Eames Office

Globe’s skateboards intricately mirror the materials and aesthetics of the iconic lounge chair and ottoman. The series includes a 30-inch cruiser in white ash wood, a 32-inch cruiser hewn from walnut, and a 38-inch longboard carved out of black oak. Each skateboard is a tribute to the Eames’ pioneering spirit, capturing the essence of their design legacy. The attention to detail is meticulous, with elements like the paint dip and laser-etched finish on the wood veneer of the skateboards precisely emulating the Eames Lounge Chairs and Ottoman.

Eames Lounge 30-inch Cruiser in Ash Wood and White

Eames Lounge 38-inch Longboard

The core of this venture is the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman, a staple of 20th-century design. Renowned for its innovative use of molded plywood and premium veneers, the Lounge Chair reimagined the classic 19th-century English club chair into a modern marvel. Its distinct form and replaceable components have allowed it to transcend generations, standing as a symbol of enduring design.

Close-up of the 32-inch Walnut Cruiser against the iconic Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman

The homage doesn’t stop at mere visual replication. Globe’s collaboration with the Eames Office can be seen in the smaller details too, such as custom-embedded metal Eames Office + Globe badges and Eames logo deck bolts, enriching the skateboards. Even the underside of the boards feature a laser-carved Eames Office logo, a subtle yet significant mark of this unique partnership.

The skateboards come packaged in heavyweight canvas board bags that double as carry-all totes, signaling Globe’s commitment to practicality and style. Although the walnut cruiser has already sold out, indicating the collection’s popularity, other models, including the Eames La Chaise Box Set, remain available for enthusiasts and collectors.

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