Winner of a 2021 Red Dot Design Award, the Ventje campervan comes complete with a flexible central space that acts as a bedroom, living room, office, and dining room, as well as a tailgate kitchen that can be used from in or outside the van. The custom IKEA-style built-in furniture found throughout folds, unfolds, and transforms to offer work surfaces and plentiful storage. Would you believe there’s a toilet hidden inside, too?

Instead of placing the bed at the rear, Ventje centers it within the main area. By day, it can either function as benches that face a fold-out table, sort of like a restaurant booth, or it can be arranged into an L-shaped sofa to lounge and watch TV. By night, you simply lower the table surface and move the cushions for a nearly queen-sized bed measuring 55 inches wide and 83 inches long. This setup might not be similar to that of other campervans, but centering it allows for what might be the Ventje’s best quality: a surprisingly spacious kitchen.

When the seating is arranged as the L-shaped couch, the kitchen set along the rear can easily be accessed from the interior. Campervans are often designed so that the kitchen is either exclusively indoors, set directly behind the cab, or exclusively outdoors, accessed by opening the rear doors and standing outside. Ventje’s design isn’t just more practical, it also makes it easier to access storage under the counter. The kitchen features a dual-burner propane stove/sink combo, a 7-gallon freshwater tank, a cutting board, a refrigerator beneath a hinged panel, and bi-directional drawers that swing in or outside the van.

The campervan even has spare flat-pack outdoor chairs stored beneath the benches, so you can pull up a seat to a removable tabletop attached to the outer kitchen frame to create an outdoor dining and work surface. Also located beneath the benches are the toilet and a 95-Ah battery for the rooftop solar panel system. Extra storage compartments can be found in the driver and passenger sidewalls, where you’ll also find 12V electrical sockets and USB charging ports. In addition to the bed for two, another two people can sleep in the somewhat narrow pop-top bed.

Ventje uses either secondhand Volkswagen T5 vans or brand new T6.1 vans as the base for their campervan builds, with prices ranging from $52,600 to $73,600. That’s not bad for a specialty vehicle, but this is where the Ventje’s compact size is extra handy. When everything is all packed up, you can use it as your everyday driver, provided you don’t need to seat more than two passengers (in addition to the driver).

As the company explains: “Ventje is an extension system for Volkswagen buses or transporters, facilitating quick and easy conversions into campervans. With this product, the manufacturers and the designers have got their fingers on the pulse of the times, as it allows people to gain maximum use from a potentially already-available or relatively inexpensive-to-buy vehicle. The effort-benefit ratio of this solution is outstanding. It is fundamentally very simple, modular and logical, with surprising details, and it is smart and practical.”

The post Ventje’s VW Campervan is Conveniently Compact and Impressively Equipped first appeared on Dornob.

Now, Masquespacio is stepping even further into the future with their newest offering in Barcelona: a Mango Teen store that’s an iconoclastic invention steeped in both the physical and digital worlds. Brimming with bright, vivid hues and expressive angles, the store echoes the color palettes commonly favored by the firm in past projects. However, in a dramatic departure from the norm, here they’ve decided to take their vision to the next level, creating a real-life/metaverse mashup where multipurpose features reign supreme.

Designed as a way to connect teens with a new “spatial identity,” the firm wanted to create an immersive store that reflected the world many young people find themselves spending increasingly more time in. As Masquespacio’s Ana Hernandez said in a recent statement, being a teen is “…a time when you start to dream big, without taking in mind the limits. [But] above in your dreams, strange things are happening that are out of the box…things that are not real.”

It is this dreamlike aura that defines the new Mango Teen store. Like a trippy multi-layered onion, its real-life layers are peeled back to reveal doorways into the metaverse a la Alice in Wonderland, beginning with the brightly-colored entrance arch, where shoppers make their backlit way into the store, and ending with a dreamy, distorted dressing room experience whose reflective surfaces and Art Deco flair creatively combine the store’s hybrid ethos. According to Masquespacio, these dressing rooms were one of the shop’s most requested features.

The store’s real-world features ground the colorful space in reality while also serving as immersive multipurpose stations. A hotel reception desk doubles as a checkout counter, a swimming pool doubles as an exhibition space, and a washing machine acts as a recycling spot where customers can donate old clothes. The distinctive decor is also meant to mimic the store’s digital/analog combo, with matte surfaces and brightly-lit reflective paneling in beautifully deliberate fashion. Elsewhere, the blending of straight and curving organic lines is a nod to Mango Teen’s inclusive message, meant to evoke an atmosphere of gender neutrality.

Masquespacio has raised the bar even higher on their colorfully creative vision with their new Mango Teen store in Barcelona. Here, reality itself is distorted and reimagined to reflect the ever-growing digital world waiting just behind the (dressing room) curtains.

The post Worlds Collide at Masquespacio’s New Mango Teen Store first appeared on Dornob.

Taken out of context, “Dmuse” is a puzzling object. It sort of looks like a futuristic clothes dryer complete with a circular glass door — though it also features a chute that looks like it would leave your clean clothes piled all over the floor. Its real use is even closer to a fictional gadget you might have spotted in The Jetsons when you were a kid. After bathing your cat, you place it inside and push a few buttons to select the temperature, duration, and fan strength. 30 seconds or so later, your cat comes out of its high-end sauna experience warm, dry, and fluffed.

We know what you’re thinking. How often do cats even bathe? Who would buy a large, expensive appliance for such a rare occasion? But Dmuse is multifunctional, offering a place for the cat to play, hide, and lounge in between baths. The drying space is at the top, with transparent doors to allow the cat to see outside during their spa treatment. If they get bored, a device for playing whack-a-mole offers a diversion. At the bottom, a dark, snug hole becomes a place to hide out.

The device was created by industrial design academy Designer Dot and student Lee Da-eun as a new smart gadget for the home. “Most cats hate bathing,” Lee writes. “The box-shaped dry room, which has been used a lot recently for convenience reasons, limits the free activities of pets who are stressed by bathing. The user can control the stage of play, wind strength, and drying time with the touch panel. This allows the fur on the cat’s belly to dry through a hole in the bottom plate. The colors were inspired by the cat’s habitat and the nocturnal nature of cats. When the drying time is over, the door will automatically open and the cat can come out on its own.”

Any cat owner will tell you that bathing a cat is rarely a relaxed experience. Most cats don’t like water, and will not only fight you to escape the bath, they’ll run and hide as soon as you let them out of the room, glaring resentfully from on top of the refrigerator with a trail of water in their wake. So a cat-safe drying chamber may not be as outlandish as it sounds — unless it’s a standalone object with no other purposes that just takes up space between baths. That’s what might make the Dmuse attractive to cat lovers, if you happen to have the type of cat that doesn’t ignore the beds and toys you buy in favor of cardboard boxes and paper bags.

Okay, so a cat fluffing orb is definitely an extravagance. But with so many other aspects of our homes getting the “smart” treatment lately, it’s not hard to imagine a future in which objects like this are simply normal parts of our decor.

The post Cats Can Play Whack-a-Mole and Get a Luxury Blow-Dry Inside This Weird Orb first appeared on Dornob.

The already distinctively difficult market has become even more complicated due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as many people have had to evaluate how they both live and work by either working from home or incorporating a hybrid home/work schedule. So where does this leave young professionals looking for affordable housing?

While the answer is complex, there are some developers looking to create affordable solutions when it comes to finding a place to call home.

Enter French developer Bouyges Immobilier, who launched a co-living company last year to create a new template for how “we rent, use, and share living spaces.” Pairing with the Paris-based architecture studio Cutwork, Immobilier’s aim is deceptively simple: an interior design concept that gives “working people, between 25 to 40 years old, [access to] high-quality, affordable living and a socially connected life…” But how does this lofty goal translate in real life?

To find the answer, look to LEGO.

Currently on display in Paris, the 26-square-meter PolyRoom prototype prefab unit is the ultimate building block creation translated into real-life housing. Designed to stack like LEGO bricks, the prefab modules are built using conventional construction methods — but instead of your standard cookie-cutter apartment units, these units are composed with residents’ ever-changing needs in mind, offering unique spaces to live, work, and adapt. To accomplish this, the modules were modeled to be literally transformative, equipped with movable furniture and clever storage solutions that maximize the living space and its potential for adaptation.

Based on the Japanese concept of washitsu, Cutwork co-founder and architect Antonin Yuji Maeno envisioned spaces that were multipurpose and flexible. He says, “It’s no longer about the amount of square meters [physical living space] we live in but about living in polyvalent spaces that are designed to be reconfigured to fit all our intimate and social needs.”

The bottom line? Residents have a home space that’s in flux and adaptable (yet comfortable), with plenty of options for living their best hybrid work/home lives. Plus, these prefab units can be created more quickly than more traditional building methods, stacking up like LEGO bricks into ready-to-move-in spots that hope to make their mark in the affordable housing sphere.

And just because the units act on the same principle as LEGO bricks doesn’t mean they’ll be dull, drab, and like those dreaded office cubicles stacked on end. Instead, Cutwork hopes to incorporate eco-friendly touches like balconies, facades, and rooftops full of native plants — lush, green spaces that interact with the local ecosystem instead of solely disrupting it. Hoping to open at least 15 of these sites by 2025 (that’s 2,500 PolyRoom bedrooms!), Bouyges Immobilier is ready to impress with these prefab beauties that are transformable and economical, efficient and eco-friendly.

The post These Stackable LEGO-Like Prefab Apartments Reinvent Affordable Housing first appeared on Dornob.

Thankfully, retailers are starting to offer more small space solutions at affordable prices. Amazon just launched a collection of space-saving furniture that’ll help you make the most of your square footage, even if your budget is as small as your space.The pieces in this collection start at just $19, and most are under $500.

Here are six of our favorites:

Sleekform Folding Desk

Let’s be real, most folding tables are just plain ugly – but here’s one you won’t have to cover up with a dated tablecloth. The Sleekform Folding Desk is just the right size for working or dining, and it’s made of 100-percent real fir wood with stylish black metal hairpin-style legs. Best of all, it costs just $199.

Zinus Suzanne Twin Daybed and Trundle Frame Set

So you’d like to invite guests over, but you have no place for them to sleep. Pull-out couches are rarely comfortable, and forcing people to cram in together can be awkward. This $225 daybed sleeps two on their own comfy mattresses, and all you have to do to set it up is pull out the trundle. Tuck a comforter around the top mattress, throw on some pillows, and it functions like a couch in between visits.

Tiptiper Folding Dining Table with Storage Racks

This versatile piece of space-saving furniture offers three functionalities in one: a slim console table when it’s all folded up, a desk when it’s partially opened, and a dining table for up to four people when fully expanded. Two drop leafs pop up in seconds to give you extra surface area, and there’s space underneath for dishes, office supplies, and whatever else you need to tuck away. It comes in three colors, starting at just $122.

Velvet Three-Seat Sofa with Folding Back

If you want to offer a place to crash but aren’t willing to sacrifice style, maybe this cute $395 velvet three-seat sofa will fit the bill. Available in fun shades like pink, peach, mango, light blue, and teal, it’s a far cry from the boring gray folding sofas you’ll find at most stores. The back folds down into a flat surface for sleeping.

Fit Choice 5-in-1 Kitchen Island

Who says you can’t have a kitchen island in a small space? The Fit Choice 5-in-1 kitchen island is just $119, measures 38 inches wide when unfolded, and slides around on casters. Two leaves expand it to its full size, but when it’s folded up, it barely takes up any space at all. It also integrates three baskets and a drawer for extra storage.

Zenithen Hexagon Folding Chair

Folding chairs aren’t exactly known for their comfort, but this hexagon-shaped offering changes all that. Outfitted with padded wide-wale corduroy upholstery and roomily sized, it costs just $87 and comes in four colors.

The post Furnish Your Home on a Budget with Amazon’s New Space-Saving Furniture Store first appeared on Dornob.

Mousarris Design Studio cut fabric-covered foam into interlocking puzzle pieces that can be fit into a wall frame or pulled down and stacked on top of one another to create avant-garde “sofas.” Strong magnets within the furniture keep it from shifting with weight and also allow the units to attach back to the wall when being put away.

The Summit Sofa’s seven pieces can be arranged in dozens of configurations, and the website even encourages users to transform them into a “play area for you and your friends.” Admittedly, the connected shapes probably don’t have the same comfort and repose value of a traditional sofa, but they are robust enough to provide additional seating for short-term gatherings.

While the foam sections are in use, the wall frame reveals a navy background intersected with white wavy outlines. It serves not only as art itself (resembling overlapping mountain ranges), but as a template of where to replace the pieces when done.

The Cyprus-based furniture company was founded in 2015 by industrial engineer Stelios Mousarris with the intention “to produce high-quality pieces of conceptual furniture and unique objects beyond the boundaries of the imagination.” His bachelor’s degree in modelmaking frequently comes into play in his sculptural creations.

Mousarris has experimented with the boundary between art and furniture from the beginning of his career. His Wave City coffee table takes the folding cityscapes from the hit 2010 movie Inception and rolls them into a living room conversation piece. The precariously balanced, gravity-defying shape of the table simultaneously produces feelings of awe and uneasiness. It turns out that so many people are okay with that emotional contradiction that the price of the coffee table has jumped a whopping €3,000 in the past five years, leading the company to produce an accompanying “Wave City Bar.”

Mousarris is also known for his Carpet Chair, a handmade seat constructed from traditional Persian rugs in a way that “gives the illusion of a magic carpet floating in the air.” Each chair takes four months to complete and looks like it could never hold any weight but is actually surprisingly sturdy.

The designer’s more recent Zen Kusshion looks convincingly like a large boulder placed in the middle of rippling pool. But this stone gives way to soft comfort, offering a great seat for relaxation and finding a zen state of mind.

The company website also says that a collection of Mousarris’ work “can be found proudly displayed permanently at the Louvre museum’s 21st-century design wing” and has been published in three different books.

The new Summit Sofa is selling on the company site for €3,400. While no specifics were given for this design, Mousarris’ furniture is often produced in limited editions of 25 or less due to its unique nature, so this puzzling seating may not last long.

The post Mousarris Design Studio’s Summit Sofa Turns into Wall Art for Easy Storage first appeared on Dornob.

“For IKEA, the smart home is not about gadgets. It’s about making life and home better through combining our solid home furnishing knowledge with digital solutions and technology,” says Henrik Telander, Product Owner at IKEA of Sweden, adding that “That’s why we explore the possibility of integrating the function of purifying air and technology to provide good experiences for customers at home. STARKVIND is a high-performing air purifier. When designing it, we also wanted it to have a modern design which can be adapted to changing lifestyles. People can choose based on their needs and preference.”

Available in a blonde wood or dark brown-black finish, the $189 STARKVIND air purifier table features a three-filter system with a pre-filter to eliminate big particles like hair and dust, a finer particle filter to capture 99.5 percent of smaller airborne particles like pollen, and a gas cleaning filter for odors and pollutants like formaldehyde and other VOCs. It does have physical knobs, though, so it can be used with or without the $35 TRADFRI smart home gateway, which gives you the ability to control it from your smartphone. Even without the smart capabilities, you can choose between five fan speeds or select “Auto “mode, which uses a built-in air sensor to adjust the speed based on the air quality in the room.

The STARKVIND air filter is also available in freestanding form, if that’s what you’d prefer, at a lower price point of $129. That model looks sort of like a circular floor fan, sitting on two triangular legs. Yet another option is the $59.99 FÖRNUFTIG air purifier, a more compact 12 x 18-inch gadget that can either be placed on the floor with an included stand or hung on the wall vertically or horizontally. No word just yet on the cost of STARKVIND replacement filters, but they’ll probably be fairly similar to the ones for the FÖRNUFTIG, which range from $5.99 to $12.99. All three options are expected to become available at IKEA stores worldwide in October 2021.

Back in July, IKEA released the $199 SYMFONISK picture frame and $189 SYMFONISK table lamp with built-in Wi-Fi speakers as part of their collaboration with electronics brand Sonos. Both items really level up the ability to disguise speakers as decor instead of just dealing with how ugly they usually are. The table lamp combines two functions to save space and looks cool, too, but the new picture frame is extra handy thanks to its compact dimensions. Measuring 16 X 22 inches with a depth of just two, the picture frame speaker can hang flat on a wall and even be paired with an LED light panel to create a unique light and sound experience. Both speakers are available in light and dark colors, can be grouped together for fuller sound, and connect with all major music streaming subscription services.

If there’s one caveat to these new IKEA offerings, it’s the fact that they really only blend into homes with modern decor, so hopefully more manufacturers will start offering gadgets like these in the near future.

The post New IKEA STARKVIND Air Purifier Disguises Itself as Furniture first appeared on Dornob.

And let’s face it: keeping up with all of the latest home trends can be a task unto itself, as styles are constantly changing and updating. That’s why it’s always best to let to turn to the pros for help, whether you’re just looking to change up a single room or start from scratch with something entirely different.

Follow these tips from celebrity interior designers to keep your home looking timeless and trendy all summer long:

Force of Nature

Who doesn’t find nature inspiring? The colors, the shapes, the relaxing vibe — all of these and more can be found just by integrating a bit of nature into your space. Kari Whitman, celebrity interior designer to the likes of Jessica Alba and Antonio Banderas, uses nature as inspiration for her dazzling designs. More specifically, she creates beautiful pieces that blend nature’s simplicity and complexity into stylish, eye-popping design elements.

If you’re looking to add a bit of natural flair to your space but are a bit more on the traditional side, try bringing in some plants to liven up your rooms. Indoor plants come in all kinds of shapes and sizes, so depending on your space, you can add whatever types suit your aesthetic and accentuate your interiors. You can also update your plant vibe with a twist on the traditional. These indoor plant walls from Etsy and Wayfair are a new take on the usual humdrum house plant.

Function and Flair

Short on space but still want to make a statement? Have no fear! With a bit of creativity, you can easily create a space that’s both attractive and functional. Adam Rolston and Drew Stuart, design partners for Incorporated Architecture & Design, recognize the challenges of decorating smaller spaces. Their recommendation? Choose pieces that not only look great but can transform to suit your needs, such as a round dining room table that can be expanded with fold-out leaves for your next dinner party. Another fun way save space is to invest in multifunctional items. While we can’t all have this coffee table by Daniel Pearlman that houses both an armchair and a side table, we can still add creative, fun pieces to our homes without breaking the bank, like this B FSOBEIIALEO Storage Ottoman and these nesting tables from Wayfair.

Tricks of the Trade

Everyone wants to make their space look bigger, as even the illusion of more space can make a room seem more open and inviting. Lucky for us, celebrity interior designers have all the best tips for tricking the eye by adding depth and making any room feel more comfortable. Jeff Andrews, who’s previously worked with stars like Kendall Jenner and Khloe Kardashian, recommends “editing” your space to make it look larger. This could mean focusing on larger pieces of furniture or even mixing up textures. Making a statement with large, eye-catching pieces like this Wood Texture Wall Decor helps to add dimension and the illusion of space.

According to Andrews, another great way to add depth is by creatively using black to add contrast to a room. These “little touches of black” can help to create an almost layered effect that works well when contrasted with other more colorful or warm pieces. This tubetop table lamp from Pablo Designs is a great example of how a simple, sleek design in black can make a statement in any room.

Another trick of the trade to make a room appear more spacious is to add mirrors. Channel your inner magician to amp up the brightness of a room while also adding extra dimension. Andrews added angled mirrors to this Tahoe project for both a touch of modernity and some fresh new perspectives. Start small with a statement mirror like this one from West Elm, and see where you go from there!

You don’t have to be a celebrity to have a room that looks like a million bucks. The key is to focus on creating a design plan that pairs well with your space, focuses on comfort, and is both trendy and affordable. Using these tips and tricks from top celebrity interior designers will help you create a home atmosphere that matches your style and aesthetic by blending function and fabulousness.

The post 3 Tips From Celebrity Interior Designers That are Both Timeless and Trendy first appeared on Dornob.

The original version of Ori’s Cloud Bed is brilliant in its own right, making the kind of robotic furniture we associate with The Jetsons look stylish, contemporary, and inviting. Aiming to save space by combining two rooms in one, it raises a king or queen size bed into the ceiling on demand, revealing the couch and coffee table hidden underneath. Now, an equally useful and adaptable version is available that swaps out the living room furniture for a sleek work area.

Ori’s Cloud Bed Table Edition allows your bedroom to do double-duty without requiring you to physically move anything other than your desk chair and laptop. No arduous pushing, pulling, or folding; you literally just tap a button on the bed or on your smartphone. It doesn’t get much easier than that. When you’re ready to turn in for the night, the bed descends, pushing the tabletop down to a lowered position. A built-in bookshelf along the wall then acts as a headboard, and your desk lamps become bedside lighting.

When the bed is tucked away within the ceiling unit, it’s virtually invisible. That’s what gives this transforming furniture unit its remarkable versatility. The desk is designed so you could sit across from visiting clients and they’d never guess they were really in your bedroom, which makes the Ori Cloud Bed pretty perfect for live/work setups. It’s not just ideal for people who work from home, though. It’s also a great way to make better use of a guest room, and it could even come in handy for hotel rooms, too. When space comes at a premium, why have an entire room dedicated to a part-time function like sleeping?

“Now more than ever we need our living spaces to better accommodate our many needs for working, sleeping, and living,” says Hasier Larrea, founder and CEO of Ori. “Ori’s new Cloud Bed, Table Edition makes the limited square feet of our spaces more usable and flexible – more livable. Adding the Cloud Bed, Table Edition to the Ori collection means developers have one more solution that can turn even the smallest apartment into a flexible and versatile space that adapts on demand to the needs of its residents.”

Both the table and sofa editions of the Cloud Bed are now available at select residential developments across the United States and to Real Estate Developers. They include built-in outlets, hidden dimmable LED lighting, and integration with home assistants like Amazon Echo and Google Home. Best of all, it’s modular, flat-packed, and assembled on site with no components permanently attached to the room, so you can easily disassemble it and take it with you if you move.

The post Ori’s New Version of Its Drop-Down Cloud Bed Integrates a Work-From-Home Desk first appeared on Dornob.

Although an exact date has not been announced, company officials have confirmed that the annual 48-hour mega sale will happen sometime in June this year. Even though Prime Day was postponed last year after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when it finally did happen in October 2020, people around the world bought a record $10.4 billion worth of goods, increasing global sales by 45.2 percent compared to 2019’s Prime Day event, according to Digital Commerce 360.

This year’s deals, including those on smart appliances, are likely to be even bigger and better. While the company hasn’t released any hints about which brands and products will be offered in 2021, below is a list of kitchen and home appliance suggestions to look out for when Prime Day finally rolls around. All these brands have seen particularly big discounts in years past:

Smart Pressure Cooker

The 6-Quart Instant Pot with Smart Wi-Fi could be a great connected appliance to add to your cooking arsenal. In addition to all the standard features like slow cooking, pressure cooking, rice cooking, and yogurt making, this smart version can connect with an accompanying app and be controlled through your phone or Alexa. You can check the temperature and cooking progress remotely, choose from more than 1,000 pre-programmed recipes, and even receive alerts when your meal is done.

Smart Countertop Oven

Amazon’s own Smart Oven gets great reviews from customers and will more than likely go on sale this Prime Day. It’s a 4-in-1 microwave, convection over, food warmer, and air fryer. And because it’s an Amazon product, it can be voice controlled for over 30 different presets through Alexa devices. Have her notify you when the oven’s preheated or your food is cooked and never worry about watching a timer again. Best of all, if you scan select packaged items with the accompanying app, the Amazon Smart Oven will cook them automatically according to the manufacturer’s instructions. With an interior large enough to cook a five-pound chicken and an internal thermometer probe for perfect temperatures, this is definitely a product to keep your eye on.

Smart Air Fryer

If you only need an air frying function, the Cosori 14-in-1 Smart Large Air Fryer Oven might be one to search for on Prime Day. Featuring a seven-quart capacity and plenty of accessories, this model also connects to your Wi-Fi and allows you to check the cooking process on the company app. It can also be voice controlled through Alexa or Google’s Assistant device.

Smart Cordless Vacuum

This MOOSOO Cordless Vacuum comes fully equipped with the latest Smart Sensor chip, allowing you to adjust the suction with a simple touch. The proprietary battery-saving technology also provides it with up to 40 minutes of continual use, and it only takes a few hours to recharge.

Smart Robot Vacuum

The iRobot Roomba s9+ is the company’s smartest robot vacuum yet. The vSLAM navigation allows it to map out your home and learn to clean it better each time. It also uses PerfectEdge Technology with advanced sensors and a specially designed corner brush to clean better along edges and corners. You can even choose individual rooms to vacuum or set regular cleaning schedules through the accompanying phone app. Or, if you prefer, you can pair it with Alexa and control it via voice command.

Smart Air Purifier

Sure to be a popular item as COVID-19 continues to plague many parts of the world, the Winix AM90 Wi-Fi Air Purifier includes plasma wave technology that breaks down toxins like allergens, chemical vapors, and odors on the molecular level. It also includes True HEPA filters that capture 99.97 percent of airborne contaminants like dust mites, pet dander, and pollen. Powerful enough to clean the air in a room up to 360 square feet, you can monitor your air quality and control the settings through the Winix Smart App. It’s also compatible with Alexa devices.

Fetting the best deal on smart appliances will require you to check the website often on Prime Day, but you should be able to find deep discounts on your wishlist items without going through too much trouble. And don’t forget that to participate in the event, you’ll need an existing Amazon Prime membership (though you can always just sign up for the 30-day free trial).

The post 6 Smart Appliance Deals to Look for This Amazon Prime Day first appeared on Dornob.

The new Healthy Interior line inserts weights and stretch bands inside common household items. For example, the “Le Coeur” looks like a sleek coffee or side table with its upholstered base and warm wood top, but its rotating lid and mod knobs are designed to aid with shoulder stretches and isometrics.

And then there’s the “Le Prie,” a padded stool (covered in a one of three chic fabrics) that also provides a core muscle workout as users tighten their abs and lower back to sit up straight. A separate version called “Le Prie Squat” provides both comfortable seating and help in achieving the perfect squat motion. The main stool bar pumps up and down with the weight of the user, working the legs and glutes.

The new collection also includes a petite gray ottoman called “Le Monyon.” Loaded with weights like an exercise ball, the entire ottoman can be lifted between the feet for calf and thigh toning, or the toes can be inserted under the resistance band strap to stretch out the foot muscles.

The “Ringretch” is cleverly costumed to look like a comfy throw pillow, but inside hides an exercise ring that can provide more strength-resistance training.

For a little arm and back toning, the pint-sized “Ballretch” weights are covered in soft alternating fabric, looking a bit like the hackey sacks of yesteryear. Each ball weighs roughly one pound and can be used for getting in some reps for the shoulders or biceps.

Mizuno’s Abs “Pulule” can double as a floor cushion and a scaffold for abdominal crunches. Covered in either yellow or gray, it features a seat and small back support that the company claims will effortlessly position the pelvis and sacrum for a traditional half sit-up.

There’s also a “Stretch Blanket” made from a special moisture-absorbing and heat-producing material. Users can slip their feet through the blanket’s straps to get a good calf stretch. The velvety wrap allows you to get a few exercises in while sitting at a desk during the work day or catching up on the latest Netflix shows in the evening.

All the new Mizuno Healthy Interior products can be purchased from the company’s online shop, ranging from about $28 for the Ballretch weights to roughly $182 for the La Coeur side table.

Mizuno Corporation, headquartered in Osaka, Japan, has been in business for over 110 years, becoming famous for their sports gear, including baseballs, gloves, golf clubs, and athletic footwear. They expanded to the U.S. market in 1961, opening up a factory in Los Angeles and soliciting sponsorship deals with several high-profile American athletes such as track and field star Carl Lewis and pro football quarterback Joe Montana. Today, the company produces athletic gear for all sports and outdoor recreation.

The post Mizuno’s “Healthy Interior” Furniture Doubles as Gym Equipment first appeared on Dornob.

These working solutions address desk location, space options, storage solutions, and the need for adequate lighting and privacy while you work.

The Work-Free Zone

As far as sample living rooms go, this one is pretty ideal, free of the copious toys, pet beds, and almost-there design elements we’re all so familiar with, but I think we can still envision ourselves working here. Is that an adjacent sunroom? And the architecture. Wowza. Okay, down to business:

Configuration 1: Use Existing Display and Storage

Get in the zone, work and otherwise, by sectioning off a portion of the living space to designate a work area. You don’t need to haul in the room dividers, either. Simply arrange freestanding shelving or bookcases to frame in your space. This creates a separation from the lounging, eating, and recreational areas of the room to help keep you on task. Plus, placing your desk in the center of the room allows you to benefit from flowing light since the divider doesn’t block it out.

Configuration 2: Use Existing Display and Storage

Instead of struggling to find room for the desk and nearby organization, just move in front of an existing bookcase for instant storage. With your desk pressed up towards a wall bookcase, you’ll have room to keep supplies nearby without taking up coveted work space. Not only does this option dial up the supply management, but it also moves you away from any central activity in the room.

Configuration 3: A Low-Cost Divider

When looking at your living room, there’s typically a rather large obstacle that dominates the center: the sofa. If your couch is currently pressed against the wall, pull it into the room and use the back of it to designate a dividing line between the workspace and the after-work space.

Configuration 4: Got a Sunroom?

We can all only hope to have a “conservatory” attached to our living room. If you do, you’ve likely already considered the space as a climate-controlled and nature abundant place to type up reports. In case you haven’t, though, image being immersed in plants while enjoying the sun-capturing benefits of the space. You may even decide to extend your work hours.

Configuration 5: Take the Opening

Depending on the type of opening to your living room, you may find a previously overlooked option that you walk past several times a day. Try squeezing in a desk and needed supplies directly to the right or left of the doorway if you can – even if that means popping off the door to take advantage of the space behind it.

Configuration 6: Window Seat

When calculating the most pleasant location for a desk, the corner office is typically associated with the best views. Your own living room window may also offer a few good views, though, so don’t be afraid to scoot that desk right up to it. From a window-side perch you can take in natural sunlight and find inspiration, entertainment, or distraction from the activity outside. It also turns your back to the activity in the space. Add some noise-canceling headphones, and you might even forget you’re in the center of your house.

Configuration 7: The Naughty Corner

It doesn’t have to feel like you’re in trouble if you decide to clear out a corner for your desk. It’s popular real estate in the living room, of course, so you might have to pull furniture and bookcases down the wall a bit to make space. If your couch is using up the square footage, use the idea from configuration number three. Pull the couch out just far enough that you have room for your desk, and enjoy the buffer from the rest of the room.

The post Budget Direct Turns 1 Living Room into 7 Unique Home Office Spaces first appeared on Dornob.

If you’ve been following our posts about designing small spaces over the years, you probably already know the answer to this problem. A combination of built-in cabinetry and hideaway furniture that’s easy to access and put away can make even the most challenging tiny spaces livable, and that’s exactly what K-Thengono Design Studio did for their “3-in-1 Living” apartment design.

The designers gave the couple the master bedroom of their dreams, clean and simple with plenty of storage, closets, display spaces and room to walk around the queen bed. The bathroom is a standard size, as well, so they didn’t have to sacrifice any functionality there. They also managed to fit a small bedroom for guests or future children. But as you can see in the original floor plan, that didn’t leave much room for anything else.

K-Thengono’s alteration incorporated additional built-in storage into every room and created a streamlined cabinet system that takes up an entire wall of the remaining space. Hidden behind the minimalist white cabinet doors is everything you’d find in a bigger apartment, including a fold-down dining table and two fold-down benches, a couch hidden in its own little nook, and tons of room for all the couple’s stuff. Some of those cabinets even become displays when various components are in use, like the dining set. Others remain closed to hide things the couple doesn’t necessarily want to show off.

“When all the panels are closed, the clutter is hidden inside, the living space allows some extra activities like yoga and home workout to take place,” the designers say. “Both the master bedroom and bathroom are connected with a translucent pivot metal door to maximize the daylight penetration. Sliding panels are used to hide unorganized closet space in the rooms or allow the veneered wooden rack for displays. Functionality is key to the various design strategies, making every piece of furniture as efficient as possible for multiple uses.”

The wall opposite the cabinet is almost entirely mirrored, including the doors to the bedrooms and bathroom, to create the illusion of additional space. With a sliding glass door and balcony on the end and all that white, there’s plenty of daylight to go around, and the view becomes the focal point. It seems like the couple isn’t much into cooking, either, since the kitchen remained the same size before and after, located just inside the front door.

Another thing to note: there’s no loft involved in this small-space renovation. Lofts are often a great way to make use of vertical height, which often just ends up being wasted space. Sometimes, when ceiling height allows, they’re placed on top of new built-in cabinetry units like this one to free up even more floor room. It’s a smart tactic, but not everyone wants or is able to climb up into a loft to go to bed. But this design demonstrates that you really can make a tiny apartment work even if you treasure your bedroom as a spacious, private sanctuary.

The post Hidden Fold-Down Furniture Makes This Ultra-Narrow Jakarta Apartment Livable first appeared on Dornob.

Sound familiar? Then you’re going to want to check out Colombia-based company CatLife. Every piece of furniture they sell is designed to make your cat think he’s king of the castle without devoting excessive space to items that only cats can use.

At first glance, each piece looks like normal, stylish, and contemporary human furniture. But look a little closer, and you’ll see cat accommodations built into virtually every nook and cranny. The Ginebra Biblioteca is one awesome example. An open metal frame can be fitted with various wood boxes to display your books, lamps, and trinkets like any other bookshelf, but it also contains cat cubbies, beds, and scratching posts. Best of all, doors on enclosed cubes secure any items you want to keep safe from curious claws.

The Gatrimonial Bed, a play on the Spanish word for cat (gato), is a particularly clever way to please your pets using space that’s often wasted. The wooden platform bed base features an internal labyrinth hidden beneath the mattress. Top panels lift up so you can easily check on your furry friends, and holes in various diameters act as entrances, exits, and ventilation.

If you’d really rather have a normal bed yourself but your cat likes to sleep nearby, the Nochera Nova bedside table is a cute way to keep her close. Made of stained and painted wood, it features a cutout design on the front panel and side access. For the living room, the Isis coffee table offers a similar feature along with a second cubby for your books and remotes.

Cats lying on our laps (or, worse, across our keyboards) can make it hard to work from home. CatLife offers a pretty awesome home office setup to keep cats entertained while you’re trying to focus: the Onix desk, which has a cat bed built into the base. You can buy it alone or add on the pictured accessories to create an entire play landscape with multiple surfaces for scratching, jumping, and napping.

Make use of the wall around the television and your cats will think you’re always keeping an eye on them, even if your gaze is really drawn to the screen. Made of pine wood and glass, the Dalí Entertainment Center has a number of not-so-obvious cat perks built into it, like a feeding and watering station on the lower level and climbable cubbies on the upper shelves.

Ranging from $600 to $3,000 USD, this cat/human furniture doesn’t come cheap, but if you’re ready to splurge on a piece or two for your cat-loving home, there’s good news: they’re all available for shipping to many countries, including the United States.

The post CatLife: Human Furniture That Felines Love, Too first appeared on Dornob.

In the old days, it wasn’t uncommon to fill a home with huge, heavy furniture that remained in place until the owners passed away, but new times require new ways of thinking about the way we choose and organize our belongings. Even if you do intend to stay in your home forever, life happens, and tastes inevitably change. For those reasons, the furniture we buy should always be both stylish and easy to rearrange, dismantle, and move.

Adaptability might just be the single most important characteristic of modern furniture, and systems that do it well can pay for themselves many times over. The Julia Collection by Momocca is a prime example of beautiful, fully configurable furniture that makes the process of freshening up a room or transferring your life to a whole new space as effortless as stacking LEGOs. The Valencia, Spain-based brand debuted the system at this year’s Feria Hábitat Valencia furniture and lighting fair, embodying the exact opposite of stuffy with its airy open design and versatile palette of colors and materials.

“Julia” consists of modular elements that fit together in virtually unlimited ways, yet it’s minimalist, streamlined, and much more adult than the average configurable shelf set. A framework of nickel-plated steel supports either oak veneer or natural walnut shelves, as well as sliding panels covered in a range of upholstery fabrics. Once assembled, the system can stretch up to the ceiling or low across the floor, closed in some areas to hide clutter and wide open in others to accommodate couches, chairs, televisions, or works of art.

The shelves are available in a variety of widths, from small squares to ultra-long platforms that fit the scale of larger rooms. The freestanding system doesn’t even have to be attached to the wall (though it can be mounted if you like), giving it total freedom of movement and the ability to double as a room divider. Move it around, expand it, or contract it. Use it to build desks, coffee tables, media stands, nightstands, corner systems, or sculptural creations of your own design. Since it’s so modular, you can assemble it to perfectly frame windows and doorways for a custom result. Momocca describes the collection as a “big open canvas” just waiting for your creative touch.

Moving to a new home with an entirely different layout? Expecting a baby? Just sick of looking at your living room and craving something new? Adaptable systems like the Julia Collection allow you to rearrange and redecorate to your heart’s desire without requiring you to purchase all new furniture, and it all packs up flat for easy moving. That’s great news for wanderers, apartment dwellers, the aesthetically indecisive, and most importantly, the planet. Just imagine how much less furniture you would buy (and discard) over the course of your life if you had this kind of customization at your fingertips?

The post One Furniture System to Rule Them All: Create Infinite Configurations with the Julia Shelf first appeared on Dornob.

Before you dig out your company checkbook, you might need a reality check on the chances of owning one. Even the cheapest selection in the lot is priced at just under $100 million. If you prefer the zeros, that looks like $100,000,000 for the base model, so it’s pretty safe to say that not many of us can afford one of these tricked-out flyers.

While Boeing focuses on the aircraft’s structural and mechanical components, the interior design duties are typically hired out so the owner can personalize their jet to their liking. In the case of the Genesis concept for the 737 Max private jet, the futuristic interior was put together by Argentina’s SkyStyle, and it’s a design that’s truly out of this world.

With little more than a glance, any visitor will note that this is not your typical corporate jet laid out with neutral-tone oversized seats. No, the 737 Max interior looks more like it just flew out of the Star Trek production studio, making ample use of curved lines to draw the eye from one end of its interiors to the other. Integrated LED lights further enhance this space-age design. There are even lights on the ceiling that resemble a starry sky.

But this is more than just a pretty cabin with all the comforts a jet owner could want. In fact, there are five passenger compartments in here, including a galley for cooking, a dining area, a living room, an office space, and a master bedroom complete with a king-sized bed and wardrobe. When it comes to washing, gone is the cramped lavatory, replaced by a spacious bathroom and full-size shower.

Innovative design is the central component of a vehicle like this, not only in terms of the engine and controls, but also in terms of its furnishings. One example is the strategically placed pillars within that serve as removable dividers whenever a passenger needs a bit of separation from others. In fact, the Genesis design concept excels in creating abundant space, especially when you consider the fact that its cabin was originally designed to hold hundreds of passengers. Some surfaces even serve multiple functions, like the countertop on the kitchen island that can be lifted and moved onto the dining table at any time for simplified serving.

SkyStyle co-founder Max Pardo explained in a press release that “from an aviation designer’s perspective, the BBJ Max is incredibly appealing because there is so much more interior space to realize one’s vision. Since the Max flies ultra-long distances, the owners are looking for a comfortable lounge, multi-function conference area, and a large master suite.”

As cool as the concept is, the idea will likely be grounded considering the entire fleet of Boeing Max jets are out of commission indefinitely. However, the design elements could always be applied to past-generation 737s, just in case you happen to have an extra one hanging around.

The post The Design Concept for the New Boeing 737 Max Jet is Out of This World first appeared on Dornob.