The effect is certainly visually interesting, like a little sleight-of-hand for your shelf, but the story of the sales pitch is where the real mystery unfolds. How does it work? Like a magician, its designer is not telling.

Paul Cocksedge is asking – and perhaps will also end up answering – a larger question of how much we need to know about something before we are willing to offer up our hard-earned money for it.

“The idea is it’s not about the object,” said Cocksedge. “It’s all about the fact there’s not anything interesting about the design, it’s just a great functional object.” Which begs the question: isn’t the mystery itself interesting? The explanation of the trick?

You can count this author, for one, as a (potential) skeptic – though the idea for this invisible bookend does provide good food for thought. After all, we don’t demand to see the inner workings of an iPhone before we buy it, so how much is enough information to make a judgment call?

The obvious guess: a hidden piece of metal lies below the line of books and can be extended to accommodate more, while the last volume in the row is merely a fake that keeps the rest from falling … but perhaps it is not that simple after all.

“Paul Cocksedge Studio was founded in 2004 by Paul Cocksedge and Joana Pinho. With a strong and dedicated team of collaborators, the Studio has won national and international acclaim for its original and innovative design, underpinned by research into the limits of technology, materials and manufacturing processes.”

“The key feature of the Studio’s work, in everything from product design to architectural projects, is a focus on simplicity and imagination in order to create unique people-centred designs. At the core of this focus lies an unrelenting attention to detail, a willingness to question previous assumptions about design, and an eagerness to take on a wide-ranging array of projects.”

The post Invisible Bookend Lets Your Stacks Defy Gravity first appeared on Dornob.

This modern mirrored cabin is designed to disappear, in both its physical appearance while in place, and how quickly it can be broken down and transported elsewhere. Mirrored structures reflect their surroundings to minimize their visual impact on the environment in which they’re placed, employing an ever-changing camouflage that enables them to match natural settings even as the seasons shift.

Sometimes mirrored cladding is used selectively to highlight or downplay certain elements of a building, leading to a disorienting floating effect. But when the whole structure is covered, you might not notice its presence at all. ‘Casa Invisible’ by Delugan Meissi Associated Architects (DMAA) can barely be spotted in its hillside location until you get close enough to notice inconsistencies in the scenery.

Made up of small individual components that can be assembled and disassembled, this portable house emphasizes adaptability. That theme continues to the interior, where versatile open spaces can be used for a variety of purposes. A simple design scheme of pale wood panels puts the focus on the views that can be taken in from a large glazed wall.

Making it modular means it can not only be moved from one place to another, but is also relatively low in cost, with a smaller-than-average environmental footprint.

More from the architects

“Casa Invisibile is a flexible housing unit, which consists of a prefabricated wood structure designed for turnkey implementation at any designated site. Maximum flexibility and spatial quality are the key elements in its concept of development. The open layout is structured by a chimney and a wet cell creating three spatial units that provide for individual use and design.”

“The structure and ambienceof the rooms are characterized by the use of domestic woods. The mounting framework and fitments of the housing unit are exclusively assembled from prefabricated elements at the factory. The overall dimensions are 14.50 x 3.50 meters, which provides for easy transportation by lorry. De- sign and texture of the interior design and façade can be determined by the client from various options listed ina design catalogue. This provides for tailor-made design options for the housing units as well as for flexible pricing options.”

The post Poof! This Mirrored Cabin Disappears into the Landscape first appeared on Dornob.

Exhaust fans may be a necessary part of bathroom design, but they are also a decidedly unattractive part. Designer Michael Samoriz invented the Invisible wall-mounted bathroom fan to be both unobtrusive and functional.

The Invisible design incorporates a recessed exhaust fan into a bathroom’s wall, using ceramic tile to camouflage it against the rest of the wall.

When the fan is not needed, it recedes into the wall and is, just as the name promises, totally invisible other than its surrounding LED frame.

When you need the fan to remove moisture from the air, it pops out and air is drawn in through the vents on the sides. The fan only attracts attention when it is being used, which seems to us is the mark of an elegantly designed fixture.

More from the designer

Invisible fan wall mounted

Fan with LED light outline.

We are convinced that the fan should not

The post For its Next Trick, This Bathroom Fan Will Disappear first appeared on Dornob.

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Ask yourself: what does a digital camera actually need to do? Really, it comes down to a device with a lens, a means of activating it and perhaps an on/off button for downtime between shoots – and perhaps one so portable and integrated that it really can capture candid shots around your friends and family this holiday season.

Hence, the ultra-simple Air Clicker bluetooth camera concept by Yeon Su Kim, which requires only a pair of silicone rings that wrap a pair of your fingers. That makes it easy to (literally) keep on hand, and thus quick to deploy when the moment is right.

How does it work? A graphic provided by the designer reads: “‘Air Clicker’ is a bluetooth-enabled device being connected with a smartphone. The pictures you took will be saved in your smart phone at once. So you can check it later and also see the scene or video which is filming now. This camera consists of 2 modules. One is for a thumb and the other is for a forefinger. You wear a camera on your thumb and the shutter button on your forefinger. In the forefinger band, there is the tension-sensor which can recognize if the finger is bent or not. When you bend a finger like pressing a shutter, it sense the tension and take photos.”

The camera portion on the thumb recognizes the relative position of the other elongated finger ring, sensing whether it is at rest or in a bent position indicating an intended click – if the latter, it takes a picture and send it wirelessly to your local mobile device. Alas, yes, still only a prototype. But with both bluetooth and motion sensor technology on the rise, it seems like it’s only a matter of time before a concept like this becomes a reality.

The post Almost Invisible “Air” Camera first appeared on Dornob.

Televisions have a strange mixed roll in the modern household. Some people say they have replaced the traditional hearth, around which we used to gather for warmth. Others suggest that TV sets are distracting and detract from interaction. The latter group may just love this ‘invisible’ television design.

Michael Friebe has gone beyond a mere concept, however, with a vision for how it would work – technology combining LCD and TOLED displays, rendering the view surface effectively clear when not in use and fully colored once activated.

In a way, if it works, it is the inevitable next step for this ubiquitous invention – and perhaps for computers and other electronic devices as well. Already we have made them nearly as small as they can be, so blending them even more into our home environments simply makes sense. The catch, of course, is that making this another touch-screen device might put a splotchy damper on that beautiful glassy finish.

Here’s some more info on this unusual entertainment concept from Yanko Design:

“Ask yourself, “what’s the next step in television innovation?” The answer is transparency – an invisible flatscreen that blends into the home environment when not in use, much like the Loewe Invisio. This magnificent TV is not a big black blot in standby mode, like how all television sets are. It’s a clear, frameless glass surface that keeps the room in its ‘visually unaltered’ state.”

“Michael explains, ‘As the first of its kind, the Loewe Invisio introduces technical innovation, combining conventional LCD and the latest TOLED display technology. This allows to create non-transparent / solid moving pictures with rich color reproduction and full contrast range from solid black to pristine white.'”

“Just what our homes need! Loewe Invisio is a 2011 iF Concept Design shortlisted design. Winners for the competition will be announced soon.”

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Architects envision perfect decorative spaces, but sometimes forget about the design details that all homes have – such as electrical outlet plates and light switch covers. This clever camouflage idea requires no magic cloak, just a transparent material and some stealth technology, which (in some models) even hides the switch screws and other associated hardware tucked invisibly inside the walls themselves.

Conventional outlet covers are simple devices that operate on elemental principles of balance: they have two prominent holes that allow you to fasten them to a stable surface via three points of connections. The optical illusion of these defies structural logic: how can they possibly stay attached without screws or glue?

Some of these Lomax switch plates still work that traditional way aside from the translucent plastic covers, but others have hidden washers, secret shims, spacers and an inner plate allowing them to disappear from view once installed. The apparent parts (switchers and dimmers) are available in standard steel, silver, bronze and brass.

Rather than acting as a screen in front of a wall, the idea with these variants is to let the decorative (or decor-free) properties of the surface stand out, whether that be a wallpaper pattern or one-color painted surface. The effect is less profound with the combination electrical-outlet-and-switch covers though (below).

And for those do-it-yourself drywalling types: you still do not have to be particularly careful when you cut the hole in which to slot the switch plates – like the normal variety, there is room for errors that will later be covered up by whatever you use to decorate around the light (which will sit on the secondary plate behind the clear surface).

You might not usually think twice about a small, functional element in your home like a light switch, but this clearly cool design demonstrates how much of a difference paying attention to detail can make.

The post Power of Invisibility: 7 See-Through Electrical Cover Plates first appeared on Dornob.

Hidden wire and concealed glass shelves are nothing new. Still, these configurations suggest something beyond the ‘wow factor’ of your standard secret supports, possibilities that range from regular and rigid geometries to more abstract and sculptural patterns.

This so-called TEEBooks system is essentially a series of independent invisible floating shelving units that can be combined and arranged in a variety of ways – and the more stuff you put on each shelf, the less visible the shelves themselves become. No distracting brackets stick out on either side, so if your books, DVDs, etc… do they will disappear each self in no time.

Combined ‘H’ and ‘T’ shapes are available ready-made, but there are also a variety of lengths that can augment and transform each set into a work of homemade sculpture (for the brave and creative) or simple and elegant storage (for those of more modern or modest tastes).

For the modular IKEA-style fans in the crowd, the permutations are pleasantly endless once you start adding in elements like horizontal and vertical white dividers, suspended drawers and thicker display shelves that stand out from the wall. These optional added pieces provide added decorative relief from blank white surfaces. Of course, the die-hard DIYers out there are no doubt already plotting to make their own out of bent sheet metal, plywood and stock lumber perhaps going a step beyond the options pictured here.

“Guardian of knowledge or passion, the library is a key element in a home. It presents our areas of interest, enhances them and protects them. Thanks to it, we can draw on resources, knowledge, wonderment and imagination. The library is a unique place that you have to privilege. This is why the choice of its design and materials is equally important. Encouraging reading and embracing culture, both represented by the library, fundamentally imply easy access to books. With its restrained and inviting design, these wall bookshelves will make all your books, collections, works and comics easily accessible.”

The post Make Fun Shapes with Invisible Floating Shelves first appeared on Dornob.

From the see-through plastic canoe to real-life transparent aluminum (not to mention light-transmitting concrete and translucent wood paneling), there seems to be no end to exploring the potential of partial invisibility for everyday materials … but why stop with vehicles and walls? These (un)domestic(ated) designs illustrate strange possibilities for home appliances, fixtures and furnishings that may make you see (through) them in a new light.

See-Through Refrigerator: It sounds like a good idea at first – after all, you can just look and see from outside what is available like in the frozen food section at the grocery store. But you may not want to give up on the good old pull-handle method for viewing your food just yet. Consider, for example, just how much even the slightest dirt, mess or spill would show through … let alone a few rotten eggs or fruits.

See-Through Washing Machine: Another neat invention at a glance, but the most important part you want to see when doing the laundry is in the middle where your clothes are spinning themselves clean … so why add the extra transparency for parts that serve no function? Nifty, maybe, but still somewhat useless.

See-Through Bread Toaster: Now we seem to be getting somewhere! Instead of wondering just how dark and crispy your toast is getting ,you could actually watch it warm up and take it out before it overheats and blackens.

See-Through Bath Tub: Particularly with the lines on the sides to show your water use, you can actually use the transparent nature of this tub to select a preferred depth for bathing (and remember it for next time more easily as well). But that is not the main intention: it is a reminder of just how much water we really do use each time. (Flore de Crombrugghe)

See-Through Clothing Iron: Almost certainly the best (questions of melting plastic or custom-cut glass aside) and saved for last, a see-through iron would be a wonderful gadget to own – no more worrying about whether you left it too long in one spot. (Dong-Seok Lee & Ji-Hyung Jung)

The post Transparent Trends: 5 See-Through Interior Design Ideas first appeared on Dornob.

At first it looks unbelievable – the heaviest and most solid part of a chair floating on nothing. Clear acrylic at the base of the legs fades slowly to wood-color paint toward the top of the structure, seat and back frame of this unique chair design.

Designed by Nendo, the Fadeout Chair is as much an artistic trick as it is a practical piece of home furniture. After all, while the initial experience is quite impressive the trick quickly becomes old hat – but their strategies and tactics persist in other works.

“The fadeout-chair’s legs seem to gently disappear, as though the chair stands in a pool of mist or fog. The chair’s back and seat are wooden, and the clear acrylic legs are specially painted by craftsmen so that the wood grain appears to gradually fade away. Usually, our perception of furniture is strongly affected by the space around it. The fadeout-chair turns this relationship on its head: we can change the look and feel of a space simply by placing the chair in it. This was our attempt to design space itself through furniture.”

Nonetheless, other works from Nendo prove equally amazing and likewise use illusion for more complex-yet-subtle pieces of everyday furniture. This chair, for example, looks far too thin to be completely wood – and it is. Yet by using rounded wooden elements with no seams it seems, it becomes hard to guess that there is a hidden metal frame inside of the narrow wood structure.

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