Furniture Disguised as Books

A new Kickstarter campaign called Bookniture is taking the compact form of a book and expanding it into usable furniture. Born from the need for space-saving seating, it uses accordion-like pages that form a strong three-dimensional stool (or nightstand or footrest or stand-up desk) when folded back. When the seat is no longer needed, Bookniture can easily be converted back to its book mode and …

Museums Ban Selfie Sticks

Museums are taking a stand against selfie sticks by prohibiting them in their exhibits. Already publicly banning the photo-enhancing rods are The Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim, the Frick, and Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts—with more looking to join. According to the museums, Instagrammers wielding the extendable arms could injure guests, or worse yet: damage irreplaceable art.

Award-Winning Designer Kenji Ekuan Dies at 85

Kenji Ekuan, the award-winning designer behind Japan’s bullet train and the ubiquitous Kikkoman soy sauce bottle has died at the age of 85. According to the New York Times, his iconic bottle design has been used by Kikkoman ever since its introduction in 1961, accruing over 300 million bottle sales worldwide. Ekuan aspired to be a maker of everyday things and worked toward making people …