A Red Geometry on the Atlantic Ridge

High on a ridge above Portugal’s Atlantic coast, Casa Plaj appears almost imagined: a red geometry in a green expanse, elemental yet precise. Designed by Lisbon-based extrastudio for a young family, the holiday house is both retreat and experiment – built slowly, iteratively, in high attunement to wind, light and time. Its creation captures a [...]

Eloi Goulhot's Mallet-Based Walnut Cracker

Walnuts are extraordinarily tough nuts to crack. Here in the 'States, we used to do it with a lever-based contraption…

…but in France, they simply used a mallet. French product designer Eloi Goulhot recently built on that, adding the principle of a deadblow mallet to design his own version:

This was apparently a self-directed project, but I bet if Goulhot chooses to pursue it, a manufacturer will bite.

Bundle Studio's Prototyping Processes for Bio-Based Furniture Designs

Copenhagen-based Bundle Studio was formed to explore the use of bio-based materials in furniture. "We believe designers must redefine material use for sustainability," write founders Jón Hinrik Höskuldsson and Kirstine Nørgaard Sejersen, "and we aim to create functional, aesthetically pleasing products that push the boundaries of sustainable materials and inspire industry change."

Messing around with materials in the studio ultimately led to their Bundle chair:

Yuji Agematsu Arranges Street Debris into Tiny Daily Sculptures

Each day, Yuji Agematsu takes a walk for the explicit purpose of scouring the streets. The dried leaf, lost toy, and even the wad of gum discarded on a park bench are his treasures, which he retrieves and places in the clear cellophane that wraps a pack of cigarettes. Although Agematsu no longer smokes, this habit of wandering and collecting has been harder to break: he’s been committed to it since 1996.

Once tucked inside the thin envelope, the artist’s findings become an homage to the beauty of the mundane. He arranges trash and other findings almost like ikebana, using a...

(Unnecessary?) Objects for Measuring Children's Heights

A number of older houses across the world will have penciled height marks on the wall, in what was once a child's room. These marks were simple to make, requiring just two already-owned items in the kitchen junk drawer: A tape measure and a pencil.

These days, however, we're apparently running out of things to spend money on. Rather than relying on a pencil and tape measure, which most households already own, you can splash out on something far more expensive and ultimately disposable. Companies like Pottery Barn Kids will sell you a $130 piece of MDF with markings...

Kafedra.school

Kafedra is a school of design and multimedia built around the idea of modular and flexible learning. It brings together students, educators, and leading industry professionals to explore the intersection of creativity and technology. We developed the full visual identity of Kafedra ? from the graphic system and communication to the website and digital platforms. The identity is rooted in structure: the grid becomes a language, and typography becomes rhythm. This system reflects the logic of both education and design ? open, structured, and adaptive. Through real projects, expert feedback, and collaboration with creative spaces, Kafedra gives students not only knowledge but...

Mandala-shaped bamboo truss crowns Buddhist meditation hall in Nepal by Abari

A large mandala-shaped truss constructed from bamboo crowns the central hall of this Buddhist meditation centre in Tibet, designed by Nepalese architecture studio Abari.

Perched atop a mountain about an hour's drive from Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, the Mahamudra Meditation Centre – comprised of a main hall, dining hall and guest house – was created in collaboration with Tibetan Buddhist master Chogyal Rinpoche.

For the design of the main hall, Abari looked to create a contemporary take on stupas – ancient Buddhist structures that originated as domed shrines in India before spreading across southern Asia,...

Donald Trump announces "tariff investigation" for US furniture imports

US president Donald Trump has announced that he will be launching a probe on furniture imports with the aim of bringing furniture businesses back to states such as North Carolina.

Published last Friday on Trump's Truth Social account, the statement suggested his office will investigate the importation of furniture to the United States over a 50-day period.

Following the investigation, Trump promised undisclosed tariff rates on furniture.

Trump to investigate US furniture imports

"I am pleased to announce that we are doing a major tariff investigation on furniture coming into the United States," said Trump.

"Within the next 50 days, that investigation will be completed,...

"I'm teaching students not to follow Mies van der Rohe's example"

Architecture students are often taught about Mies van der Rohe as a master of modernism but they should also learn about the problematic legacy of some of his most significant work, writes Leen Katrib.

I first heard of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe as an undergraduate in the early 2010s. Mies was one of the most influential modern architects; I saw him as a disciplinary anchor – someone whose work helped me situate the contemporary architects I would later work for and follow.

That's why I added his works to the map of my own architectural pilgrimage: New York's Seagram Building; the Barcelona...

Reclaimed Greek marble and flea-market finds furnish 10AM Apotheke pop-up in Antiparos

Athens concept store and cafe 10AM Apotheke has opened a pop-up shop on the Southern Aegean island of Antiparos, with interiors designed by the brand's founder Eva Papadaki and Studio Andrew Trotter.

During the day, the 10AM Apotheke pop-up operates as a store selling a mix of homeware and skincare items, with an on-site cafe serving freshly pressed juices, coffee and seasonal breakfast dishes.

In the evenings, the venue transforms into a bar, offering a menu of botanical cocktails infused with wild ingredients that are native...