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Showing posts from January, 2016

From Norway

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For the 2015 edition of the Nuart street art festival in Norway , French artist duo Ella & Pitr have completed the largest mural in the world. the 21,000 square meter rooftop  image depicts a monochromatic girl wearing shorts, a tank top and red-painted toenails dropping a ‘tiny’ crowned man from her fingers. the figure is a humorous depiction of King Olaf I of Norway, ruler from 995-1000, whose birthplace is cited as an islet in Frøylandsvatnet — a lake just meters distance from the mural’s location. passing planes overhead can spot the monumental painted work from the sky, offering onlookers an unconventional look at the landscape through the quirky and creative intervention. More from Norway>

functionally fun

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Picnic mats seem to forever be that one item you forget to bring to your park, beach or outdoor adventure. Well, not anymore – say hello to Kumeko’s bag AND picnic mat. We all know two-in-ones rule, and now you can go from comfortable picnic mat to spacious tote bag with just a fold, lift, click and fasten. Voila! You’ve got a bag and you’re good to go. The company behind this clever combo is Kumeko. Based in Berlin, their mission is to present traditional lifestyle products in new forms, shapes and textures. Their bag/mat combo is made from 100% cotton and recycled leather, and it’s just one origami-inspired product of their Ship-Shape collection. Kumeko’s beautifully functional offerings inspire us to take a minute, relax and enjoy our surroundings – and we really can’t argue with that. Need functional furnishings?>

Jellyfish Barge

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This mutant green-house-boat, AKA Jellyfish Barge, is a floating crop cultivator that doesn’t rely on soil, fresh water or chemical energy. Say what? Yep, this beauty purifies salt and/or polluted water thanks to desalination units that produce up to 150L of clean H2O per day. But wait, there’s so much more. Did you want Jellyfish Barge to float on recycled plastic drums? It does. Did you want to monitor and control your Jellyfish Barge remotely? Of course you can. Were you wondering how it’s all powered? With solar panels, duh. We’re pretty sure the only thing Jellyfish Barge doesn’t do is chop up your crops and pop them in the fry pan. Designed and built by Studiomobile  (with development help from Pnat), this self-sufficient floating garden was born after the Studiomobile team heard the World Bank’s nerve-racking prediction that by 2050, our demand for food will be 60-70% higher than today. So now, in our utopia, Jellyfish Barges are everywhere. Filled with classic contemporary st

Let's spoon

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Melanie Abrantes designs really functional goods for your home, and she makes them all by hand. But the reason we wanted to feature this crafty lady isn’t her wonderful wares per se but specifically, her  spoon carving kit. You read right. Abrantes has bundled up a bunch of sweet Japanese tools, your favorite hardwood and handwritten instructions, so you can build your very own spoon. She’s even thought ahead and included a band aid, in case you didn’t check yourself and ended up wrecking yourself. By passing on her process and encouraging others to learn how to make their own spoons, Abrantes is educating and empowering all in one go. Plus, who doesn’t want to know more about the art of spooning? Hopefully this piece of cutlery is just the first of many DIY items Abrantes plans to pull together to upskill others. Love wood?>