What ever happen to good old-fashioned picnic tables? For quite a while, they could be seen in every yard, park, etc., but now it seems as though people make more contemporary style choices with their outdoor furniture and have no need for these traditional pieces. Still, can anything really beat the memories a group can make gathered around a picnic table?
Well, The Hopper table pictured above certainly changes ones opinion about picnic tables! This sleek picnic table by Extremis was thoughtfully designed Dirk Wynants who was inspired by communal celebrations. Hoppers, farmers and long days working out in the field often ended with everyone gathering around a long table swapping stories, sharing laughs and indulging in some great homemade food.
The Hopper’s benches and tabletop are made from natural Iroko wood while the frame and bolts are powder-coated steel. The integrated sunshade is more than appreciated for areas that receive direct sun all day but of course, this can be closed if you prefer or eliminated altogether!
To find out more information on the unique Extremis creations or to locate a dealer, you can visit their website. Sometimes early inventions just need a little attention to spin them into something new and dynamic.
Did you know that there are exquisite paintings that are available on an outdoor canvas? Surprisingly, many people don’t! If your deck or patio is at the back of your home like most are, you have a wall that grants you the perfect opportunity to hang a piece of art.
While you can find original pieces of art, you can also buy those like the Moss and Falls piece that is pictured, that are captured with high definition photography. They are then digitally reproduced, printed on a canvas and then wrapped on an all-weather stretcher bar. These gorgeous pictures are coated with an ultra violet lacquer which prevents the colors from fading, leaving it completely waterproof. Outdoor canvases are designed to stand up against harsh environmental elements and can be washed off as needed.
Why shouldn’t you have just as nice art in your outdoor living space as you do inside? Now is the time of year when everyone is happy to get outside and enjoy the sun so add pieces to the area that compliment the experience. You may be surprised just how little time you spend indoors when your deck or patio is as beautiful as your living room!
The Moss and Falls canvas shown along with a full collection of gorgeous pieces including landscape, abstract, animals and birds, botanical and floral, European, coastal and tropical, sailing and nautical and more can be found at Outdoor Wall Direct.
Before you toss that old wicker in the trash or pass up that table set selling for a few dollars at a garage sale based on appearance, you should know that it can look dynamic with minimal effort. Wicker has a long life, sometimes it just needs a little help to be aesthetically-pleasing after a few years.
SecureWeak Pieces – If there are any pieces that are weak, secure them using fiberglass packing tape. Then, apply glue over the nail joints and hold splintering pieces together with tightly wrapped fine stainless steel wire.
Fix Unraveled Pieces – Brush diluted exterior glue over these pieces to soften them and hold them in place with tape until they dry.
Prep – Using an old banister brush, clean away dirt, flaking varnish and old paint. Some parts may even need a bit of attention with fine-grit sandpaper.
Paint – Use a self-priming acrylic to paint the wicker. If the piece is super old and extra dry, use two coats. This will give the wicker more stability and strength.
You can find old wicker anywhere that can be made to look brilliant with a little effort. Whether you use it indoors or outdoors, these are classic pieces that will never go out of style! They’re not only perfect for your deck or patio area, they’re ideal for entryways, a child’s room, reading room, basement or anywhere else you want to add a little color.
There are actually a few very good reasons to install solar lights along the edges of your driveway. First, they bring your landscaping to life at night and they are nice accent pieces during the day. Second, they help guide people into your driveway in the dark. Surely you have pulled into a foreign driveway before whether you were visiting or just turning around and found yourself struggling to see, especially in the rain. Of course, you can pull into your driveway blindfolded but lights will help others find their way and keep them off your grass.
Another reason for solar lights is they deter theft and vandalism. Whether you’re home or not, people will ill intentions are less likely to target a property that is well lit up. So, how do you decide which ones to buy?
Picking the Right One
Buying the value pack of six in a box is not always a good idea. After all, you want them to last. Choose those that compliment your home and your landscaping. They don’t have to be extravagant but they shouldn’t take away from your home either.
Installation
Whatever you do, don’t make the mistake of eye-balling it when you install your solar lights. Take the time to measure the driveway, divide by how many lights you have and then space them appropriately, measuring every time. You’ll be much more pleased with the outcome this way!
Surely you have heard that you never get a second chance to make a first impression so why would you allow an old, generic, rusty mailbox the opportunity to create a boring one for you and your home? It is surprising just how many houses you can pass while driving or out walking that display a dynamic exterior and stunning landscaping yet their mailbox is simply shameful.
Many people seem to just overlook this minor detail which is rather unfortunate because it’s your welcoming mat to your property. Even if you have a mailbox attached to your home and you have an actual postal carrier who walks through heat, rain and snow to deliver your mail, doesn’t your home deserve a piece of modern art that demands attention on the outside? You might even give your mail deliver person something to smile about everyday. It’s the small, subtle pieces like these that make your home memorable, stand out above the rest and even more attractive than it already is.
Contemporary mailboxes come in quite a large assortment of designs, materials and colors so no matter what your home looks like on the outside, you are guaranteed to find one that will compliment it!
Welcome to a portable cooking experience like you’ve, perhaps maybe, never seen before. This is “Roll-Up”, an induction cooktop which separates induction coils and electronic circuits in order to make a very thin, very elegant solution for mobile cooking. Each coil is made small enough so that the heating part of the Roll-Up can be folded. Electronic circuits are placed in a “fancy looking hard-drive like case.” Plus – sensors!
When a pot (or other item to be heated up) is placed on the heating surface, pressure sensors in every induction coil register where the pot is sitting and only those sensors touched activate with heat.
Roll-Up was recently awarded a 2010 Red Dot Concept Design award in the category of Domestic Aid. Congratulations GB!
Yanko Design Timeless Designs - Explore wonderful concepts from around the world! Yanko Design Store - We are about more than just concepts. See what's hot at the YD Store!
Most of the projects we post here at Yanko Design are posted due to both their excellence and their status as a conceptual project (aka, only in your mind, my young padawan.) Sometimes, on the other hand, we get a project submitted that’s right along on its way toward becoming a real live object or construction. This just happens to be one of those: designer Tamir Addadi presents a complex of offices, shops, and gardens being built right this moment in Nairobi Kenya.
First of all, the location of this office: along a major road in Nairobi with a constant flow of pedestrians and autos. The building has a garden surrounding and running up the sides of it (more on this in a moment), has underground parking, shopw and cafes on the ground level, and offices on the higher ups.
The building is built as an open book system. For maximum flexibility, each user chooses their private space from a selection of several divisions and colors. As new offices are added, the facade of the building changes, and the surrounding garden walls grow. As each user decides on their area for an office, so too do they choose where the red rings of the balcony will be positioned and what type of greenery they’ll employ. As you’ll see in the video below, a layer of dirt is added near the edge of the balcony for irrigation and so that the plants might have a place to grow.
The outdoors areas are extensions of the offices, acting as a place to relax and sit in the sun. These areas are of the sort that’d basically never work in any other part of the world as Nairobi is one of those places that has constant mild weather. Very nice! Wireless internet runs through the whole of the building, meetings can be held in large gardens on the ground near the cafes and restaurants and on the roofs of the inner buildings, each of these rooftop gardens featuring their own kitchenette and sitting area.
Because this complex is so open to the street and surrounding areas, it invites in passers by and encourages them to use this multi-functional environment for events and interactions, to shop, or just to relax with a nice cold drink. For security, (since Nairobi is a high-crime area,) this building is exactly the thing criminals tend to avoid the most: a wide open space watched over by masses of people all the time. Well played – but better watch out for pickpockets.
Finally, to keep the budget low on this project, it’s being constructed using local technology and materials, this complex costing less than a typical office building of the same size.
Details:
Location: Ngong Road, Nairobi, Kenya
Architecture and landscape: Tamir Addadi, Raphael Cohen
Client: Jericho Developments
Plot area: 6068 m2
Gross floor area: 36,710 m2
Building Cost: $10,000,000
General contractor: Vishak Builders Ltd
Structural engineer: Metrix Consultants Ltd
On-site supervision: Architect David Kiaraho
Rendering: D4
Video animation: Tamir Addadi Architecture
Yanko Design Timeless Designs - Explore wonderful concepts from around the world! Yanko Design Store - We are about more than just concepts. See what's hot at the YD Store!
Here's an out of the ordinary seating solution for your garden or the public open space you happen to manage, a Tree Bench that not only has plenty of seating space but also comes with a light source, and, most importantly, with its own personal tree and additional green grass. The Tree Bench is made of white Corian and it could be a great solution both for your outdoor furniture needs but also for public spaces like parks, gardens or beaches. The only problem with this Tree Bench is that the trees will probably outgrow their initial enclosures, so hopefully there will be a way to always make sure the tree has enough space to further expand in each Tree Bench. Via The Design Blog
We're usually talking about furniture, homes and design ideas here and this Bubble Tent in the images below definitely qualifies as a portable home. But unlike other tent designs, this Bubble Tent is transparent thus revealing all the beauty of the wild nature that's waiting for you right outside the tent. That world is always visible to you and your family and friends hiking with you. Among other things, you get to see all the stars at night, but, mind you, the stars see you too through the transparent tent. And they certainly have a lot to look for inside as this Bubble Tent is not your ordinary tent as it comes with various furniture items making it the perfect place to sleep in while you're taking adventurous trips in the wild outdoors. Via Daily Mail
The Coffee Bench is a smart modular furniture idea that can be used both indoors and outdoors. The Coffee Bench can act as a regular bench when plenty of seating is required but it will easily be transformed into a table-and-chair all-in-one solution ready to fit your various needs. The Coffee Bench is made from various rotating elements which will help you create any particular setup you desire in order to accommodate your coffee beverage, any other objects, yourself and then some extra guests. The Coffee Bench is made of your choice of material: plywood, MDF, injection-molded plastic, cellulose or honeycomb cardboard and there are various lengths available, from 1 to 3 meters, that would make your custom Coffee Bench easily accessible no matter where you'd place it. Via Beyond Studio
