A New Desire

Lixil pictures the future in foam

One of the fundamental components to various Asian ways of thinking is the idea of making opposites coexist in harmony. This philosophy has been applied for millennia and today is being reinvented in a new way by Lixil Corporation, a global leader in housing equipment and building materials. Based in Tokyo, Lixil presented a new bathtub concept during the recent Milan Design Week. The installation, …

Hövding Invisible Bicycle Helmet

Changing the way cyclists view safety and style with an innovative airbag hood

by L.S. Winkler In 2005, Swedish designers Anna Haupt and Terese Alstin began work on a joint masters thesis in response to new laws requiring cyclists under the age of 15 to wear a helmet while operating a bicycle. The new law left many Swedish cyclists wondering if helmet laws for adults would soon follow, so the duo behind Hövding used the public’s concern as …

Flos 50th Anniversary

Peruse a half-century of innovative lighting with the Italian brand's retrospective iPad app

In its 50-year tenure Flos has truly embodied the spirit of Italian design, serving as a laboratory of experimentation for designers such as Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Achille Castiglioni, Antonio Citterio, Paul Cocksedge, Rodolfo Dordoni, Ron Gilad, Konstantin Grcic, Piero Lissoni, Jasper Morrison, Marc Newson, Tobia Scarpa, Philippe Starck, Patricia Urquiola and Marcel Wanders, just to name a few. Entrepreneurs Dino Gavina, Arturo Eiseinkeil and …