Tag Archives: wall accessories

These quirky wall hooks look like squirmy critters crawling on your wall

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Minimalist designs often suffer the stigma of being plain, clinical, or boring, as if such designs have to follow rigid forms and a fixed set of drab colors to qualify as minimalist. Of course, the actual interpretation and implementation of minimalist design principles can vary from person to person, and there is no hard rule that prevents injecting a bit of whimsical and eccentric elements into a product. Take, for example, these wall hooks that are nothing more than plainly colored strips of metal but twisted and bent in such a way that they turn any wall into a curious piece of abstract art filled with what looks like creepy crawlies wriggling their way across the room.

Designer: Christian Neumeier

Wall and door hooks often have very utilitarian designs, primarily because they get obscured by things hanging from them most of the time. The times they don’t hold anything often see them blending into the background or hidden behind doors. It’s a missed opportunity, however, to turn them into decorative pieces as well, whether they’re in use or especially when they’re not. Bender is an attempt to remedy that situation, and it does so in a strikingly simple way.

As its name implies, Bender hooks are just powder-coated strips of steel bent in this or that direction, creating a form that you might presume to be unsuitable for its purpose of being a wall hook. But thanks to precise industrial design, the ends and sometimes even the middle of these metal strips instantly become places to hang bags, clothes, and accessories. The hooks come in different sizes but are all simple in form, despite the twists and turns, making them just as space-efficient as regular hooks.

The real pull of Bender is, of course, the creative freedom it gives homeowners in sprucing up their space. Any wall can become not only a wardrobe but also a mural, with these bending critters creating patterns in your design. The hooks come in different colors as well, so you can make the composition as regular or as chaotic as you want. Perhaps you want a more uniform pattern of black and white stripes similar to a zebra, or perhaps you prefer a random kaleidoscopic scattering of hooks as if somebody splattered your wall with gigantic gummy worms.

The one unfortunate factor that could limit your creativity is the fact that you’ll have to drill holes to install these hooks. While it does come with all the screws, dowels, and guides needed to set the hooks up, you can’t change the arrangement on a whim once they’re screwed in place. It might also be a deal-breaker for renters and even some households, leaving them no option but to use dull old wall hooks instead.

The post These quirky wall hooks look like squirmy critters crawling on your wall first appeared on Yanko Design.

This interactive wall device tries to get you to relax at home

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Life at home has become a little bit more hectic recently, especially when the boundaries between work and personal life start to blur. For many people, home no longer offered a sanctuary away from business or social stresses, at least in terms of physical location. That doesn’t have to be the case, of course, even when work-from-home arrangements are still in effect. One can always take time and space to take a breather from the hustle and bustle of life if only we had effective reminders to do so within the day. Alarm clocks are too easy to dismiss, especially those on our phones or watches, which is why this smart home device tries to offer visual and audio cues that try to get people to take a few calming breaths before going about their busy day again.

Designer: JiaYan Li

When people think about trying to relax at home, they will most likely think of activities like meditation or soaking in a tub. While those definitely work, you don’t exactly have to go that far to put yourself in a calmer and less frantic state. A few minutes or even seconds of breathing can do wonders, giving your body and especially your brain the needed oxygen while also giving you momentary space to get some clarity.

While breathing is, of course, natural for us humans, such controlled and mindful breathing exercises aren’t. Until it becomes second nature, we’ll always need some cues and guides to help us on our way, no matter how subtle those hints are. That’s what the YIYI interactive relaxation companion tries to accomplish in your home, or in any space for that matter. As a bonus, it also functions as a piece of wall decor that’s sure to grab guests’ attention.

YIYI is pretty much a rounded rectangle with two slow-spinning circles on each end. The slow rotation of discs can be likened to the rising and setting of the sun or, more closely, the rhythmic act of breathing in and out. The discs’ wavy design and fogged translucent material, matched with the soft glow of lights underneath, try to create a soft and calming visual that’s intended to help people enter a relaxed state unconsciously.

In addition to this almost hypnotic movement, the device also offers appropriate sounds to further induce that relaxed state. YIYI also has some interactive modes, where people can greet the device or simply pass it by, and it will greet the person in return. It can also detect ambient sounds to adjust its operation, like starting its meditative spinning when it analyzes that there is too much stress-inducing noise around.

Some might consider it overkill to dedicate precious wall space to something that might only be used sparingly throughout the day, but one can’t take for granted how humans need such visual and audio reminders to be able to switch their focus. Since it doubles as an interesting piece of decor, it also strikes two birds with one stone. Maybe one day, people in the household will no longer need those cues, but YIYI will still be there to guide them whenever they need it again.

The post This interactive wall device tries to get you to relax at home first appeared on Yanko Design.

This wall-mounted analog clock displays the time of day in countries across the globe

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Bent Hands is an analog wall clock that denotes global cities and their corresponding time of day.

These days, checking the time and weather in global countries is as easy as scrolling through your text messages. With only a few clicks, you can find the local weather condition and time in cities you’ve never visited, or even heard of before. While the convenience of smartphones provides us with instant gratification and global information, the artful subtlety of the analog world has its perks. Bent Hands is a new analog wall clock for the modern home from UGLY.DUCKLING ID, an industrial design studio led by Gihawoo, displays the different times of major cities across the globe.

Designer: UGLY.DUCKLING ID

Named after the crux of its design, Bent Hands features a single clock hand that starts in the clock’s center point and crimps in a concentric formation to coordinate the time of day with corresponding cities. Speaking on the design behind their clock design, Gihawoo explains, “It is possible to see the global time at a glance by differentiating the size of the circle. The edge of the angled hand which was designed out of the attachment that the hands of the watch are usually straight shows the times in each country. It implicates the message that the world is moving together without breaking even though they are living in a little bit different time frame.”

Positioned at the top of the wall clock, the spot that’s ordinarily reserved for 12:00, users will find the major city of London displayed. Just beside the city’s name, a ballpoint indicates the time of day and connects to a long beam that traces the names of additional cities, denoting the time of day in other cities. Then, the beam connects to another ballpoint that reveals the exact time for Abu Dhabi. Moving closer to the clock’s center point, ballpoints correspond with more cities to reflect the time of day.

The post This wall-mounted analog clock displays the time of day in countries across the globe first appeared on Yanko Design.

This multifunctional wall organizer comes with modular planters to add some greenery to your WFH office!

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Fahredin Kosumi’s Wall Organizer and Mess-Free Planter is a WFH multi-functional, organizational wall accessory that allows users to organize their office and add some greenery in the process!

Working from home has changed the way we approach interior design. Functionality has never been more important and that means space-saving, multifunctional design pieces have taken center stage. Space-saving designs typically have an organizational edge to them that keeps our heads screwed on right and makes the most of our available living areas.

Designer: Fahredin Kosumi

No matter the size of your living space, multi-use furniture helps to keep both the floor and our minds free from clutter. Adding his own multi-functional, organizational WFH design to the mix, Fahredin Kosumi created a Wall Organizer and Mess-Free Planter to form a magnetic, modular garden to mount on any vertical surface.

Defined by an assembly system close to LEGO building blocks, Kosumi’s Wall Organizer and Mess-Free Planter come with base grids that attach to walls with 3M strips, requiring no hardware or tools in the process. Once users form their base grid on their chosen vertical surface, the fun begins. Stocked with over 20 different modules, Kosumi’s Wall Organizer and Mess-Free Planter come with hangers, magnetic clips, transparent storage containers, planters, and cubbies.

From there, users can choose between different modules, from cork pinboards to planters, and begin adding to their Wall Organizer. Constructed from PAFCAL, Kosumi’s Wall Organizer and Mess-Free Planter is produced in Japan and is entirely recyclable. PAFCAL is a ground-breaking material that originated in Japan, made from 70% air and 30% water, and allows users to have plants without worrying about watering them.

 

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Tiny ceramic planters that can be pinned create fun, customizable planters for WFH offices

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Flora is a WFH wall accessory that combines an organizational cork pinboard with hanging planters molded from jesmonite.

With WFH orders sending us to the far reaches of our bedrooms-slash-offices, there’s never been a better excuse to accessorize. New designs for organizers, stationary, and desks have redefined what working from home could look like.

Designer: Préssec Design

Over recent years, designers have created multifunctional WFH appliances by integrating elements like hidden storage units and organizers into appliances like chairs and desks to make the workday at home feel just as efficient as it feels in the office. Today, designers from Sydney-based Préssec Design have developed Flora, a wall garden system that combines a cork pinboard with hanging planters.

Molded from jesmonite, Flora features specks of color for a modern take on terrazzo, a form of composite material originating in 16th-century Italy. Conceived as a passion project during the lockdown, the designers at Préssec Design first made Floria from concrete casting. Once they achieved their desired look for Flora, they turned it up a notch and gave jesmonite a try.

The team of designers chose to work with jesmonite to give the wall garden system a seamless look like each planter was bulging from the corkboard. Merging each planter with the wall behind it, Préssec designers looked to thumbtacks to latch the planters’ corners to the corkboard. These thumb tacks are made up of different colors for users to customize the look of Flora.

While jesmonite gave Préssec designers the chance to experiment with the overall look of Flora, maintaining the concrete casting’s crisp edges was a challenge. Following periods of research and prototyping, the team of designers settled on a silicone mold for the jesmonite casting.

Explaining their process, Préssec designers describe, “It took a lot of experimenting with the ratios of the different aggregates but we got it to a point where we maintained the structure and kept the crisp edges of the design.⁠”

The post Tiny ceramic planters that can be pinned create fun, customizable planters for WFH offices first appeared on Yanko Design.