Getting me to exercise is like pushing a mule! I can be really stubborn if I want to, and excuses range from lack of motivation to lack of style (clothes). Sometimes the equipments are not swanky enough, but I guess I run out of excuses when I see the Revolve Bike. This stationary bike looks really cool and yummy. It features a circular design and adjustable fore-aft angle saddle position for comfort. In a bid to make the design comfortable for 95% of the users, Mark Chagen has incorporated crank height adjustment into the design of the crank assembly form and flexibility in seating adjustment. The UI of the bike can track all exercise session and stores the data. This data can be downloaded to the home PC so that you can review your progress. Ok, so the hip design is here, now all I need to do is shop for some new workout gear!

More...

A part of the Stefano Bettio 2008 collection, the Giralot is one of the most handsome and contemporary designs in storage shelves. The style is quite like the Swivel staircase and turns a complete 180° on a column. You can either conceal the contents completely or display them; either ways the shelf looks distinguished mounted on a wall. The shelf is ideal where spaces are constrained and you need something compact that doesn't occupy much space but holds sufficient items in it. You can stow your DVDs, books, and bottles and either display them with pride or keep the mess hidden.

More...

It's winter now and many of us like to catch a few extra winks and hat to leave our cozy beds. Sleeping past the snooze and ending up late for work or appointments sure is a sign of tardiness. Mac Funamizu's Touch 'n' Know The Time was a nice concept that allowed us to gauge exactly how much time left before the alarm goes off. The Time-telling Vibration Phone goes a step ahead. According to Mac, many people rely on their mobile phones for their morning alarm. He applies the same methodology to the phone and as a result when you apply pressure to two select points on the phone, it responds back with vibrations. The intensity of the vibration corresponds to the time left before the alarm is to sound. Essential this means that a stronger vibration will be felt closer to wakeup time.

More...

Touchscreen phones look to be the standard feature in future phones. So it comes as no surprise that Ryan Mischkulnig has designed MiLife concept using this base. What's clever about the design is that it looks at incorporating almost all your gadget needs in one go. Earlier we used to pride ourselves at owning a phone, MP3 player, video tablet, Pocket PC, handheld projector and video games; but know we want all this rolled into one. This two-way flip device looks to host the most of the features from the above-mentioned devices. MiLife includes a projector, processor harvesting unit and 3 touchscreens. It can even function as a keyboard for the computer and a gaming console. It's nice to see designers come up with futuristic ideas. It would be a welcome change to show off a all-in-one-device!

Source

When you are Roberto Cavalli, you expect only the best. Naturally your abode has to suit your fancy…if the day goes good, you're happy and cheery…. you want bright colors to surround you. The showing in Milan goes bad; you're gloomy; you're surrounded by dark hues. This is what Italo Rota has planned for Cavalli's new home. The house changes its colors according to the owner's personality and whim! How cool is that! Apparently the location of this colorful house is the hills of Florence, Italy.

More...

There are many women (and some men) who find solace in knitting, crochet and tatting. It's an art form that that requires painstaking patience and loads of innovation. Regular bed sheets or dresses are not that difficult to create but imagine a piano covered in exquisite crochet. The allusion looks vintage and speaks volumes about the hard work gone into creating it. Joana Vasconcelos takes pleasure in creating crochet covers for innate objects like sculptures, pianos, computers and even bridges. She brings to life passion and design in the most dead of objects. This piano christened Piano Dentelle looks dainty, yet plays a fine tune.

More...

The images of hands coming out of the Step Bed literally remind me of quick sand. It's like people are sinking slowly into it and ironically, I've heard somewhere that if your try and lie on your back, you won't sink in the Quick Sand. Moving on, this bed is quite a sturdy master that boasts of ecological implications. Once you're through with it, you can dismantle and completely re-cycle all its components. The makers Lago claim that both the aluminum and the felt used to make the piece can be tosses in the reuse bin. The most gratifying part is that if you live in cramped quarters and have no room for bedside table, the felt on the headboard can be shifted around. So you can wedge in a book or your newspaper in between the felt strips!

Source

Take a break from the world of luxury, gadgets, technology and peek in to the eco-world of Greenlaunches -

Universal Studios Hollywood gets greener with solar powered electric carts (Eco-vehicles)

Green hero - Hart Bochner is Hollywood's greenest actor (Eco-Hero)

Arbre – An eco-friendly tree to illuminate the eco-dens of the future (Eco-Concept)

Eco-friendly Handy Heart Eco Warmer to beat the heat! (Eco-Gadget)

Sport Phone gets alternative green energy as you keep fit (Eco-Concept)

Greentainer Project – Recycled container fitted with solar roof goes mobile (Eco-Architecture)

Lady, "Honey, come let's go to bed…"

Man, "Just a minute love, let me switch off these freakin lights…"

A few seconds later…

Lady, "How much longer dear…I'm waiting"

Man calls out, "Honey I think I need your help here…I don't know which switch is for which light and these damn two-way buttons confuse me!"

Moral of the story…

Get Mac Funamizu to design you this unique interface that lets you control all the lights in the room by just dragging your finger across the touch-sensitive board. Like swiping your finger upwards-left to switch on the left-side light and down right to turn it off. Take a look at the pictures after the break, to get the complete idea.

More...

David Gonçalves calls the Monolith an articulated table/floor lamp. Its been inspired by the 2001 Space Odyssey movie and I can very well see why. The lamp goes from compact to an extension quite smoothly, and reveals a glowing tube that lights up your room. The sleek tubular form emits light even when the extension is closed. As a floor lamp, it looks to be the ideal height and unless David plans a smaller version I think its best to keep The Monolith away from the table.

More...

The e2-e4 chessboard by designer Yar Rassadin should be a good place to start-off with, if you want to become the next Grand Master. The set sports marked cells, which make no sense to me, because I'm zero as far as chess is concerned. However I'm sure the markings would make plenty of sense to those who know the game well. Aesthetically, I find the glass pawns and horses very appealing. It looks to be a delicate design that will need a lot of tendering, and exquisite collections demand utmost care.

Source

Sitting on the "Him and Her" butt-cuddling chair may be a bit uncomfortable for a few, but I'm sure many will approve of the Hand-chairs included in the Purple Café. Designed by Jan Schreiner, a young Russian designer from Berlin, the Café was a part of the International Design-Debute' 2008 competition. Yes, it did bag the Best Interior-Design Concept. The environment of the Café looks more like a lounge bar, and maybe that's because of the rich, deep purple tone. The seating is divided into sections, with comfortable sofa and tables at the central part and the cool hand-shaped chairs to the other end. There seems to be a bar counter included as well, but the striking feature is the long stems of a plant positioned at the plum spot! Picking up a Latte from this café will be far more luxurious affair than my regular Starbucks.

More...

Talk about being versatile in a green style and it's the Greentainer Project that takes a bow. Based in Gandino, Italy, this green architectural project stands out for its form as well as function. To address the eco-sensitive issues, a 40-foot container was transformed it into a structure that's mobile, flexible, and self-sufficient. Akin to the other cases where containers have been reused by transforming them into temporary residences or construction site offices or permanent structures, Greentainer's USP lies in the fact that it is 100% transportable. Ideal for multiple uses and destinations, from a small company canteen to a trade show lounge bar, and even as a mobile exhibition center or a meeting room; it can be positioned in any alfresco location. Fitted with a solar roof adds on to its green persona. A photovoltaic system supplies all the energy necessary to run the heating-cooling system, the lights and other devices.

More...

Art. Lebedev has taken the task of road safety quite seriously. If it's not the change in traffic lights, it's this issue of illuminated zebra crossing that they have taken over. The studio's idea is to create double marked zebra stripes at cross roads that are illuminated from above the road. Since driving during twilight or night can be a bit tricky, pedestrians crossing the dark roads, need to be extra careful. The overhead lighting could help ensure pedestrian safety forcing drivers to take notice of crossing people. Apparently the stripes above the road would make it easy to notice the zebra stripes for a crosswalk, even when there are no actual markings or the road's been covered with snow or dust.

More...

This is one of those designs that you feel demand a better explanation, but sadly you get none. Designed by Harri Koskinen, the Cozy in Gray Lamp looks sweet and fit enough for any bedside shade or table. Fashioned out of blown glass and color elements, this simple lamp is an elegant design.