What's In The Box?

Sweeper and a dustpan, two things of everyday use. And yet you can still find a smart improvement and make it look great!

I think, that among others, it's the clarity and coherence that I can't really see in new buildings. Not simplicity though, just the ability to emit the same message when drawn in a few lines.

(1) Box | Who says that a chandelier needs glass to look fabulous? Yes, chains! Shiny chains create the well known chandelier shape, but this time with a completely different result.

Two office buildings, two approaches. Google Headquarters in Covent garden, London designed by PENSON group and Eneco Headquarter in Rotterdam, that came up of collaboration between Hofman Dujardin Architects and Fokkema & Partners.

I don't really want to go into details, thats not necessary. What's important is the comparison of these two. I think they stand on the exact opposite ends of imaginable working environment.

Here is a bit from Google Headquarters:

(source: Freshome.com)

And now the Eneco's bit:

(source: Freshome.com)

When seeing these two, I instantly realized a similarity with two apartments that i wrote about earlier in an article 'Is it living in a circus?'. One was crazy and full of colors and shapes, whereas the other was white, clean and peaceful.

In that article I said I would like to live in the peaceful one, because it looked like how I imagine a home to welcome me after a day at work.

But, what about the working environment? Isn't in a completely different story? Look at the office buildings again and tell me, where would you like to work. But from my experience, this time I would choose the crazy Google solution. I mean, they both look fabulous and Eneco did a great move with their building, but I feel that the Google Headquarters is more stimulating in terms of working environment. The fact that every corner is different makes the house interesting in every day use. I believe it's not too disturbing to keep your mind off your work, yet it's not dull to bore you and make you want to fall asleep.

On the other hand, Eneco's building looks much more representative (although I don't thing that was Google's initial requirement about their space) and what I think could an awesome idea was to equip the interiors with plants to keep the air fresh. Really wonder how much it helps, but clearly, after eight ours of work, one does need more things than colors to keep him awake.

Beach is just sand, water and sky. For some people it might even seem boring. Sometimes...I guess there will always be a thing about sunsets on the beach. Anyway, look at these pictures and tell the world what you think about a beaches with a pattern! A work by Gunilla Klingberg called Sign in Space!

The pattern is created during the low tide in the morning and is slowly washed away by rising sea and water.

(1) Box | Using Adobe products is not easy, but this cool wallpaper thing can help you improve at least a bit. Shortcuts always save some time, so use these as your wallpaper and learn!

Because regular post-it notes are already "too mainstream"...or maybe they just don't notify the people enough, a few designers came up with brand new ideas!

The first idea, not really a Rolex watch, but is definitely cheaper and sometimes can carry more valuable information than a watch. Still showing up with this at a business meeting is a little odd.

(source Design Milk)

This other one will bring you back to your childhood! Let's play a game on your fridge!

(source Design Milk)

And for the last one something very useful, especially for the architects. Post-itable! I would love to have it at home...or at least at the university.

(source Architizer)

Wandering through the corners of the internet I found this, which is basically the same, just looks much better.

(source Architizer)