The pitch for Steelcase’s modern take on the classroom chair, the Node, is full of nonsense about trying to “implement multiple pedagogies”, but all you really need to know is that the new desk/chair combo adds wheels and proper under-seat storage to the classic school furnishing. I tested a Steelcase chair soon after starting work at the Gadget Lab, way back in 2007, …  Read More →

By Andrew Liszewski It might be designed for the needs of modern classrooms, but I’m pretty sure I could use one of these Steelcase Node desk chairs around my home/office. Besides better addressing the needs of today’s laptop-toting students with ample bag storage under the seat and an adjustable work desk sized for most notebooks, the Node also swivels and is on wheels making it very easy to re-arrange an entire classroom should... 

If you were asked to describe the aliens from the classic video game, Space Invaders, the words that come to mind would probably be “dangerous,’ “tenacious,” and perhaps “organized.” One word you certainly wouldn’t think of in a million years, however, would be “comfortable.” But don’t tell that to designer, Igor Chak. Igor has come up  Read More →

There’s a load of great tech news happening out there every day, and, unfortunately, we just can’t cover it all. Here are a few of the other noteworthy things we saw today on our never-ending journey through the wild, wild Web. If you’re worried that too much time on the tubes is filling your writing with snark, run it through ToneCheck , a new Windows app that attempts to scan (and correct) the meaning behind your text. [From:... 

There’s a reason people submit to the torture test that is building IKEA particle board furniture — and it has nothing to do with Swedish meatballs. Instead it’s the schnazzy and clever design factor the company consistently provides for a rock bottom price. The Vika Viene Table Top ($99) is just another example of this value proposition in action thanks to its integrated cable outlets and cord organizers hidden  Read More →

This is the Disco Chair, the brainchild of Kiwi&Pom, and though we’re not fans of things with the word ‘disco’ in their names, this one is outstanding and beautiful. It’s made with 200 meters of electroluminescent wire, and the lighting can flash on and off (hence the disco moniker). Hit up the source for a few more shots. Disco Chair is way cooler than its name would lead you to believe originally appeared on Engadget... 

By Andrew Liszewski Designed by Karim Rashid in collaboration with Raynor Contract , the segmented Chakra Chair is designed to focus on the body’s pressure points. According to Wikipedia , in Indian medicine chakras are said to be force centers or vortices of energy in the human body, with each person having seven major chakras. So that probably explains why the seat on the Chakra Chair is broken up into seven different segments, though... 

Too bad that James May’s LEGO House that was built and later demolished in Surrey, England last year is a thing of the past. This would have been the perfect piece of furniture to go along with the rest of the LEGO decor if James wanted to invite some friends over for dinner. This LEGO Buffet  Read More →

By Andrew Liszewski Here’s a handy tip! Can’t afford to buy, or having trouble finding a classic piece of iconic furniture? Why not build it out of LEGO instead? That wasn’t the intentions of Kuniko Maeda and Mario Minale from Dutch-based design shop MINALE MAEDA when they built this full-scale replica of Gerrit Rietveld’s ‘Buffet’ table, but a good idea is a good idea. Instead, 5 of the tables were commissioned... 

By Andrew Liszewski Soon to be appearing in the living rooms of BP executives, this Papervore coffee table will keep guests entertained as they use the mahogany and oak crank to shred their way through confidential reports and incriminating documentation. The table itself is made from a single piece of powdercoated aluminum that’s been bent into an arch, and the clear acrylic bin underneath holds the shredded results until you need them... 

By Andrew Liszewski How strong is your average cardboard tube? Because I think that’s the only thing standing between this line of eco-friendly DIY furniture from being brilliant, or just an optimistic concept with one fatal flaw. The idea is pretty simple. The chairs and tables come disassembled like your average IKEA kit, but instead of including metal or plastic tubing, it comes with cardboard tubes. So in theory, …  Read More →

Lord knows what travelers in then olden-days found to fill their huge trunks. There were no gadgets, no need for power adapters and not even a pair of oversized, padded sneakers to take up space. Even a bustling crinoline could, I’m sure, be collapsed for efficient storage. These days, though, it’s common to pack two cases: one for clothes, and one for all the technical gubbins essential for a bearable vacation. Despite its name,... 

By Chris Scott Barr The worst part about the hot summer days is trying to get to sleep at night. I don’t mind being a little warmer during the day (and thus not having to blast the A/C all the time), but when I climb into bed, I like to be nice and cool. A fan in the window does the trick on some nights, but others it is still too hot and muggy outside. This Canopi system is supposed to be a solution for this very problem. The Canopi takes... 

By Andrew Liszewski Never let the 80’s die with this combination vinyl wall graphic and wooden shelf from Rocket that makes it look like you’ve got a giant cassette deck embedded in the wall with a half-ejected cassette tape sticking out. Available in a dark or light gray color theme the shelf and graphic come as a set from Yoox  Read More →

Handcrafted in Brooklyn, Counter Evolution salvages rare heartpine and maple wood from former bowling lanes to produce varying furniture in an eco-friendly manner in a variety of stains . The result is a lineup of district industrial-like artisan tables and desks we wouldn’t mind building a room (or house) around. Our pick is the Gutterball Dining Table which mixes raw steel I-beam legs, deeply stained heartpine wood, non-marring black...