What objects would you say help make any space feel like home? Selecting just a handful of practical objects for basic functions like dining, sleeping and meditating can be difficult, but it gets even harder when you have to make sure they’re portable. Exactly what you choose probably varies a lot individually, and culturally, but many of us would settle on many of the same items that are packed inside the Japanese-style picnic basket known as the Nomadic Life Kit by Gerardo Osio.

This distinctly Japanese take on a picnic set includes five basic elements: Goza, a tatami mat made of igusa straws; Hako, a wooden carrier influenced by boxes used by Buddhist monks; Sabi, a copper tableware set; Zafu, a cushion design borrowed from those used in Zen Buddhism, and Kami, a candle/incense holder and flower vase providing light, warmth, aroma and a connection to nature.

The kit comes in a pleasing array of natural tones, including stone grey on the cushion, sage green for the mat and a creamy, buttery pale peach shade for the leather carrier. Everything uses natural materials, including wood, straw, leather, cotton, stone and copper, so that they will change naturally over time, telling a story of their use and showing that they have been loved. To Osio, that helps create “a sense of belonging” when the objects are used, no matter how far from home you might be.

The designer of the kit took inspiration from Buddhist and Shinto religions, specifically their focus on well-being, simplicity and appreciation for “anicca.” Anicca, the concept of impermanence, represents an undeniable and unescapable fact of life on this planet, encouraging appreciation for all stages of existence, from birth to death and decay. Just like humans, these objects won’t remain the same over their lifetime.

In this way, the objects we use every day are almost an extension of the body, showing wear, weathering and deterioration, though they could potentially outlive their owners all the same. Keeping a small collection of familiar and comforting objects nearby, even while traveling, maintains a sense of connection to your most relaxing and comforting states of being while also serving as a reminder of your connection to the life cycle.

“Home is a place where we develop our most essential activities such as eating and resting,” says Osio. “It is also a space where we have a reconnection with ourselves, away from all distractions of everyday life. Nowadays people travel a lot from one place to another because of work, making a nomadic lifestyle a reality for a lot of people. This kind of lifestyle creates a tendency of losing the sense of belonging to a place.”

“This project was made in collaboration with six different Japanese traditional craft workshops, all the objects are hand made by the craftsmen in Kyoto, Fukui and Okayama.”

If you were putting together a similar kit that reflects your own comforts and culture, what would you choose? Perhaps a special mug, a jewelry box, a photo in a frame or a sentimental trinket passed down from a relative? Or would yours be a lot like this?

The post Nomadic Life Kit: Picnic Basket for Coziness on the Go first appeared on Dornob.

This ain’t your father’s cooler. It is, in fact, the Coolest cooler, and named that for many very good reasons. Let’s start with the built-in blender. (Why not, right?) It is the behemoth of blenders. The Coolest team describe it and its many uses this way:

“Saying our food grade, built-in, rechargeable blender crushes ice is a bit like saying the Sahara’s on the warm side. It makes oodles (a mathematical term) of perfectly pulverized ice—20 PITCHERS worth—ideal for smoothies, margaritas and any other frozen concoctions your alcoholically skewed mind can think of.”

(Don’t pretend we are the only ones picturing an icy-cold, refreshing Slip ‘N Slide for those muggy summer days….)

If you’re taking the Coolest on a family trip and not a weekend of partying, you can delight the kids and Grandma with smoothies. Icy beverages for all!

The Coolest’s next trick is a detachable speaker that is splash-proof (probably for going down the icy Slip ‘N Slide) and will play music for up to eight hours. And wait: If you run out of power, you can recharge your speaker, or your phone, or whatever using the built-in USB charging port. Nifty.

This cooler will be the star of your nighttime party thanks to the LED light in the lid. Now you can find exactly the label you want without grabbing and returning lots of freezing-cold bottles or cans.

You will be happy to hear that the Coolest comes with a corkscrew as well as a bottle opener for those frosty brews, and there is a sharp knife and four plates thrown in for good measure.

But wait! There is more! Yes, there is a secret compartment where you can stash valuables, keys, cash, sunglasses or whatever you want to keep safe and sound. Perhaps cocktail umbrellas?

The Coolest boasts a 44-quart capacity, so you will have plenty of room for drinks and food as well as ice, and the makers assure us that the insulation will keep items frozen for an impressive four to five days. That makes this an essential if you lose power at home after a storm or blizzard–just throw the expensive cheese and meat in this baby, and you will be set till the power company gets you back on the grid.

When you are off on a trip to the beach or a barbecue in the park, you will probably have a blanket, umbrella, volleyball net and other must-haves. Luckily the folks at Coolest have thought of that, too. Their Done in One Tie-Down Bungee Cord lets you lash all your accessories to the cooler so you can get everything to the party in one trip and get down to the business of having fun.

How can you carry so much stuff in just one container? Won’t it be too heavy? Rest easy: “As for the wheels, they’re big, fat and rubberized and there isn’t a sand dune, rut-filled trail or pebble-strewn stadium parking lot that they can’t handle,” the designers assure us.

OK, time to get that party started…

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The JAG Grill manages to combine several things that were already pretty great on their own: barbecues, picnic tables, fire pits, and those restaurants where the chefs cook your food on the grill right in front of you.

Available in six-seat and eight-seat options, the JAG Grill is an impressive piece of outdoor equipment. In the heart of the structure is the fire; you can use the single grill level on its own or also cook on the removable fire pit cover.

On the larger model, eight wood table platforms surround the interior steel grill. They provide space for a group to sit down and have a freshly-cooked meal hot off of the coals.

Each of the spaces at the table allows the person sitting there to cook their own food just the way they like it. The individual grill segments lift up easily so you can tend to the fire from any position.

The wood platforms can also be removed easily for storage or if the cook prefers to create grilled masterpieces without the table in the way. And if you just want to have a nice night out under the stars with some friends, the JAG converts to a fire pit in seconds.

At $2,500, the Jag Eight isn’t a budget-friendly item, but then again, it basically replaces several bulky items you might already be looking to buy for your backyard, so it might be just the thing you need.

“THE JAG EIGHT IS ONE-OF-A-KIND WITH ITS UNIQUE FEATURES!

• Pop up the removable stainless steel grilling racks to adjust your charcoal
• Open the side-door for air-flow, or to clean out the pit
• Use the adjustable legs to accommodate uneven surfaces
• Remove each of the wooden outer-tables for storage or transportation
• Take off the grill dome for access to coals, and for conversion to an open fire pit

The JAG Eight ships for free, and arrives in 2-4 days within Continental USA.” 

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Bake a set of edible containers for meals on the go that reduce weight, conserve resources and make your picnic a little heartier. The KI-RA and the Edible Tower Kitchen Utensils by Konstantia Manthou is a set of tools for creating bread bowls to hold virtually any foods you can think of, from egg salad to vegetable sticks.

The baking container and lid serve as molds to form each piece of dough into shape, for uniform bowls that fit together just right. A dough comb enables perforations on the lid, creating breaking lines for individually sized wedges of bread.

The set also includes a tablecloth that you can wrap your stack of filled bowls in once they’re done, and spread out in your picnic location of choice when you’re ready to eat.

Says the designer, “Along with the evident ecological approach, the idea of simultaneously preparing food and container, conceals a sensibility to the process and an additional tactility to the consumption.  The linear progress of food preparation for a temporary, alfresco meal becomes circular, and this very routine results to a complete nothing. What remains is the memory of the communal meal.”

“KI·RA is a collection of utensils that facilitate the production and consumption of edible containers.  One of the main inspirations were the most common outdoor meals: picnics and lunch breaks. The linear progress of food preparation and consumption of a temporary, alfresco meal becomes circular. The food vessel is part of the meal and the meal is the vessel. What remains is the memory of the meal. KI·RA comments on the takeaway food culture and enhances it through revisiting customary food rituals. By emulating the act of snapping pieces of bread, it also encourages the act of sharing.”

“Kostantia Manthou is an architect. In her work, recurring themes such as temporary archives, cultural habits and artisanal techniques appear systematically. Since 2007 she has been working as an independent design professional, dealing mainly with product and space design and consulting. Since 2010 she is a visiting lecturer at Scuola Politecnica di Design in Milan. She currently collaborates with the Benaki Museum as the Creative Director of the Benaki Museum Shops. Her work has been exhibited in Milan Design Week, Nuit Blanche, Athens Biennial etc. as well as catalogued in magazines like Domus, Frame, Abitare and more.”

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Both ends of the design work as any other picnic table with built-in benches would, providing seating for a family enjoying the fresh air on the roof of the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art in Wisconsin.

Michael Beitz (via Colossal) is the artist behind the idea to put something clever in between, using specialized construction techniques and plywood to make a roller coaster-like arc to wrap up into the sky and join the two table on the deck below.

Beitz is a master of turning (and twisting) ordinary furniture objects into through-provoking and interactive installations, but this one is both particularly bold and playful and seems like especially-suitable seating for a museum setting.

The post Loopy: Roller Coaster Ramp Connects Pair of Picnic Tables first appeared on Dornob.

Eating meals outdoors is one of the simple pleasures of summer. But it is also one of the biggest annoyances when your carefully-set table falls victim to a rogue gust of wind. The Bye Bye Wind table from designer Marco Marotto takes a unique approach to keeping plates and cups on an outdoor dining table.

The wind-proof table and chairs are a casual patio set for four people that features indentations for plates, cups, silverware, condiments and tools. The indents allow your outdoor meal to sit below the surface of the table so that it stays put even when the wind flares up and threatens to blow everything onto the ground.

Even the chairs feature small pockets on the back to keep your books, music, toys and whatever else you need comfortably at hand. At each of the table’s four corners, a small pocket can act as a bowl, a condiment holder, or even an herb planter.

One of the oddest elements of the Bye Bye Wind (other than its name) is the bottle crusher right in the center of the table. Apparently, the empty two-liter soda bottles really pile up during outdoor meals and this is the justification for the table-embedded bottle smasher.

“BYE BYE WIND solves one of the main problem during a dining: the action of wind. This set of table and chairs permits to use also paper or plastic plates/glasses without that they fly in presence of wind through simple grooves in the table that block paper or plastic plates/glasses when they are empty. In the centre of table there is a hidden crushing bottles. While the chairs in the back have a container that works to accommodate objects of various typology ( from cellular to tools).”

“MORPHOLOGIES: The set is composed by a table, four chairs and a cover with fluid forms. At the four corners of the table there are four grooves with different functions. We are currently looking for a furniture producer to take Bye bye wind into production. If you think this is interesting send me a mail at info@brainfactory.it”

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The Dutch do enjoy their greenery, even in crowded cities, as this cute grassy dinner table demonstrates in an oddly literal way. Haiko Cornelissen Architecten crafted the table itself out of aluminum to protect it from the moisture associated with the soil and grass, while using wooden benches to give a nod to traditional picnic tables.

In theory, you could grow anything on it – vegetables or herbs to spice up a meal on demand, for instance – on the underlying bed of stones and dirt.

“Our picNYC table with grass table top brings the rural picnic into the urban residence. Urban farming is a fast growing phenomenon where the typically rural practice of agriculture is brought into the city. The picNYC table goes one step further and brings the rural experience of picnicking not just in the city, but into the apartment.”

“The folded lightweight aluminum table top and legs form a stiff framework for the grass, soil and stones (needed for drainage). The picNYC table creates a surreal experience of nature in the city that literally transforms dining. Suddenly spilling water becomes a necessity instead of a problem, wine glasses need coasters not to prevent ring stains but to avoid tumbling.”

“Included in the rural experience is the maintenance of the grass. No table grass mower yet exists and the grass therefore needs to be cut by hand.
Based on the number of cuts, maintenance, usage, sunlight and season, the PicNYC table responds with a variety of colors to the conditions set by the owner. However, the color can always be reset to bright green since fresh sod is available year round.”

“Based on the concept of transposing natural experiences to the apartment, endless alterations are possible with flowers, herbs or even vegetables. Depending on the needs and green thumbs of the owner, the PicNYC table brings various degrees and qualities of the rural experience into the urban residence. As a consequence, the PicNYC table transforms dining into a feast at a new intersection of nature and city.”

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Sitting at a standard wood picnic table, one is afforded a few basic options – often, depending on the social setting, people end up facing outward. This adaptive use was never designed into the equation, until now.

Unfortunately, a typical backrest is absent, leaving the thin-edged surface as the only (and somewhat painful) support. With (yes, that is its title) “Another Picnic Table,” the seat surface folds up to become a solid backrest, while a lower panel flips into position for facing the other direction. You can sit back, lounge, relax, socialize or read.

Made from pressed bamboo, there is nothing unusual about the slats and fasteners – no element precluding it from the same types of mass production most benches enjoy. While none remarkably different in form or structure, the effect on socializing is profound – sitters get the freedom to turn toward or away from the communal surface in comfort and without awkwardness. 

Here’s how designer Jair Straschnow describes “Another Picnic:”

“This new variation of the iconic picnic table, made out of pressed bamboo, is trying to tackle two issues: splitting  the bench into separate seats results in easier access on the one hand, but also offers another option- a more relaxed low seating position. While there are numerous benches for public space, easy chairs are never to be found in parks and leisure areas, where one would expect them most. A collaboration with Wouter Nieuwendijk.”

About the designer:

“Jair Straschnow is an Amsterdam based designer maker, with a preference to sensible and resourceful design. he holds a bachelor of science in technological education (b.sc.t.e.) in design studies from tel-aviv university (1991-1995), and did his post-graduate studies at the applied arts department of the Sandberg Instituut in Amsterdam(1999-2001). His self-assembly bamboo furniture collection grassworks has won the 2010 designs of the year furniture award  at the design museum London, where chair/easychair is part of the collection. Straschnow’s work has been shown internationally and featured in numerous publications and magazines. He is occasionally giving workshops and teaching, but mainly hides in his Amsterdam studio.”

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What would you imagine if someone told you they had a dining table with seating space for six – all the size of a picnic basket? Probably something like the somewhat silly super-small picnic table shown in the picture above. Presenting: the Mealbox.

Inside what looks like a two-person picnic white-and-wood basket are the pieces to quickly assemble a low-lying dining table that can be taken anywhere and carried by a single individual. An incredibly compact, space-saving design with a serious surprise inside.

The puzzle-piece aesthetic and extremely small stools make it seem a bit like a piece of crafty kids’ furniture, but (at least for people willing to sit close to the ground) it makes a remarkably sturdy and spacious little table-to-go for picnics or to store in the closet for emergency house-party use. Of course there is one small catch: for truly portable meals, you will still need a second person to carry a real picnic basket with your food and drinks.

The post Picnic Basket for 2 Unfolds into a Dining Table + 6-Stool Set first appeared on Dornob.