Design
How a small furniture company pivoted to medical supplies to stay afloat
When Matthew Moore’s company, Urban Plough Furniture, lost 80 percent of its business during the pandemic, he turned to an innovative new production strategy to stay afloat. Instead of making furniture, he began making intubation boxes for local medical facilities. Intubation boxes protect Read More...
This Danish artist creates giant troll sculptures using local trash
Since 2014, a Danish artist by the name of Thomas Dambo has erected dozens of wooden, folklore-inspired trolls in greens-aces and parks around the world: a seated, bearded dude in Copenhagen’s hippie enclave of Christiana; sister and brother trolls “lost” in Florida’s Pinecrest Gardens; a Read More...
Origami-style water bottle can fold to fit in your pocket
If you push down on certain points on the new reusable water bottle called the Origami Bottle, the container collapses, folding up so it can easily fit in your bag or even squeeze inside your pocket. The design makes use of a unique geometrical structure that’s sturdy when unfolded—and holds Read More...
Startup creates a circular furniture model to cut unnecessary waste
Around 12 million tons of furniture ends up in landfills in the US each year. A startup called Feather is looking to change that by shifting ownership: Instead of selling furniture, the company rents it. When someone moves or wants a different sofa, they can send it back, and the company will clean Read More...
New reflective coating keeps homes cool and comes in different colors
Just as wearing white clothing is a good way of beating the heat on hot days, painting our buildings white can also keep them cool and thus save a considerable amount of energy in the process. But it isn’t easy to keep white clothes clean, and some of us like a bit more color in our lives. Read More...
Prague will soon be home to the first floating 3D-printed house
A group in the Czech Republic is building a 3D printed house, which, on its own, isn't anything we haven't seen before. What sets this house apart from the others, though, is its final destination: Prague's Vltava River. "I dare say it's the first-ever floating 3D printed building in the world," Read More...
Humorous posters urge National Park visitors to stay a bear’s length apart
As quarantined visitors itch to get back into nature, national parks across the country are moving to reopen. However, even in the vastness of the outdoors, park officials still have concerns about the spread of Covid-19. The National Parks Service has rolled out some creative new posters that are Read More...
Band-Aid launches new bandages for more diverse skin tones
Last month we shared a story about how Crayola is making their crayons more inclusive with a “Colors of the World” line. Now Band-Aid is launching a line of bandages in light and dark shades of black and brown to make its products more racially inclusive. The company announced the new Read More...
This 9-year-old Kenyan boy built a hand-washing machine to fight COVID-19
We have to give credit where it's due when we see ingenuity making a difference in communities. In Kenya, a nine-year-old boy has made a wooden hand-washing machine to help curb the spread of coronavirus. The machine allows users to tip a bucket of water using a foot pedal to avoid touching Read More...
Clothing company 3D-knits its pullovers to reduce waste during manufacturing
Mass production may be the cheapest way to manufacture clothing, but it also leaves behind an unsurmountable pile of waste. At the manufacturing level, a large amount of usable material is wasted due to fabric cut-offs during production and mass-produced clothing that often goes unsold. A Read More...