StyleNamics

If you like lifestyle and design blogs, you might want to check out GlobalStyleSyndicate.com

They seem to broadcast continuously giving you a ton of interesting wannahaves, inspiration and that airy feeling of therapeutic tranquility one sometimes experiences when seeing things they like.

The site layout feels roomy, yet the posts are perfectly aligned and scaled on the left giving it a professional feel that is easy on the eyes.

Take a look, you might enjoy it. We did.

Check them out: here.

MK12, a design and research agency/studio, released this cool video commissioned by Swiss Air International. Though I’d rather leave a commercial to be played in the proper channels such as on TV; the creativity and intelligence flowing throughout the piece feels like you just came out of an extended Thai spa session.

Check them out: here.

Flowers and plants are the average Joe’s ammo of choice when it comes to decorating their interior with living matter. All is fair when it comes to choosing your preferred type of greenery to distribute around a home. Lately, there is a growing trend to using grass instead of the usual suspects to add the tint of freshness to a room. Just dumping a mat of grass on the floor won’t suffice for winning any style awards. Enter Tetris Pots… Geek chic, stylish, eco minded ceramic pots for growing your grass in. A perfect way to remind yourself of your nostalgic Tetris playing days when all was still well in that age of youthful innocence. French product designer Stephanie Choplin created the Tetris inspired concept at the Estonian Academy of Arts during a ceramics course she was taking. Unfortunately, the ceramic pots proved too troublesome to create. The only logical alternative to creating a working prototype, off course, is to produce the piece in 3d. Perhaps in the future we will see a it arrive in the market place.

Via Kotaku.com

General Electric is redefining the way we will illuminate our living spaces in the future. The good news… …that future is very near; around end of 2009 to be more specific.  Though we like to think we live in a hyper modern world, we still use old school tech such as the incandescent light bulb. Though Philips is already offering their Lumiblade Experience Kit prototype to consumers,  GE is leading the way in research by producing paper thing OLED technology that will leave little room for the good ol’ light bulb to maneuver in stylish light setups.

OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diodes) tech has been around for a while, though mostly in the laboratory or as concept designs. OLED is basically a technology that is an organic light emitting diode. This means light is created through a layer of organic compounds. Add an electric current and the organic material lights up. In recent years we are seeing various big industry names showcasing some real applications for this technology.  You have probably seen OLED’s in action since various mobile phones use OLED instead of an LCD screen for a display. The major benefit of this technology is its massive power saving ability since no backlight is needed. Furthermore, OLED technology is expected to eventually replace the LCD and plasma monitors in the near future.
The GE Global Research team is currently researching the potential for new, efficient ways to light homes and businesses. Their idea of using OLEDs  is producing ultra thin, plastic sheets which are extremely flexible. The sheets will light up when an electric current passes through it. If GE manages to push this tech into retail, especially if you can customize the size when ordering, the application potential relating to illumination could be endlessly creative. Think of OLED wallpaper, carpets, doors, curtains, doormats, tabletops, etc, etc, etc. Production should be a low cost affair hopefully making the technology available to even the most hardcore budget-minded individuals. Though new technology tends to come with a hefty price tag, and there never was a corporation that wouldn’t pass on an opportunity to cash in on their work; so it remains to be seen whether they will make it affordable for the average Joe.

GE has worked for numerous years developing their technology to its current state. It will be interesting to see the future unfold. I can only imagine how OLEDs will alter they way homes and business look after switching to a complete OLED setup. Especially homes would become a serious creative outlet for anyone willing to get their hands dirty. I could use a shower of which all walls are a warmish sunset illumination for creating added mental energy while taking a shower before heading out to that employer you’d rather never see again. Sky’s the limit for exercising your OLED inspired creativity. I just hope this is not yet another ’soon to be released’ concept which ends up collecting dust on GE’s shelves due to mismanagement or corporatist bureaucracy.

Check it out: here.

Motifo is a novel mosaic and pixel style art product to make your fridge the envy of any art lover. Instead of having a dull, mono-tone fridge lingering obtrusively in the corner of your understocked kitchen, Motifo allows you to create a work of art on it… …dull kitchen problem solved.

A Motifo pack contains everything you need to get started. 1 Motifo pack contains 1296 pieces. Motifo packs come in different color schemes. You can choose between various designs/mosaics. 6 come readily included in each Motifo pack. Each of the 1296 mosaic pieces are basically little magnets that you can attach to any surface that will stick. Obviously, your fridge is the number 1 target. It is then up to you to work your magic and recreate one of the 6 included designs, or make one of the designs you find online. You could also ignite your inner creativity and create your own masterpiece by arranging the various shades of color to resemble something other than your yourself.
Motivo is definitely one of the more creative solutions for the kitchen I have stumbled across lately. Many people will surely appreciate the possibility to start over when they mess up (we are only human..) considering the clean, reusable magnetic mosaic pieces contained in the set.

Check it out: here

Dutch graphic designer Martijn van Dam, hailing from Amsterdam in the Netherlands, created this little gem under his alias Super Silo. Adobe Photoshop was mainly used with a pinch of Adobe Illustrator. The illustration being created is a flyer/poster for an electronic music party called Chameleon. This was relatively evident from the pounding track accompanying the video courtesy of the (also) dutch electronic music ensemble Noisia. For more exploration and eye-candy, be sure to check out Martijn’s impressive portfolio.

Check it out: here.

The soon to be released Powermat will allow you to charge your electronics wirelessly. Think about the reduction of all those wires around the house that just add clutter and tripping hazards. With a bit of creativity, charging wirelessly could revolutionize the way our homes will look. As you will see in the video, we could integrate the technology into walls, desks, floors, cars, etc. Since it is completely safe to touch the active surface even when a device is being charged, we should experience a reduction in the amount of accidental cases of electrocution, especially among kids and curious pets.

The Powermat is basically a surface utilizing the ‘Surface Enhancement Technology” aka SET. When a device(or devices(it can charge multiple objects at the same time) is placed on the surface, a process called magnetic induction results in electrical power being transmitted from the surface to an tiny, thin mat placed somewhere on the device which in turn delivers the power to the device’s battery.  Like any charger, it will automatically switch off when the device is loaded.

Besides the obvious benefits of not having to deal with a jungle of wires nor accidentally undergoing electric shock therapy, I wonder if the product will be successful compared to the actual technology. There is no doubt that integrating the tech into our homes and offices, we could technically make most rooms completely wireless. It will be interesting to see if there is a bigger market for the technology operating the Powermat or the actual product being manufactured for retail purposes.

Check it out: here

New on the home automation frontier is a smart faucet to digitize your bathroom sink experience. Automate your house by installing SmartFaucet.  SmartFaucet recognizes who is in the room through facial recognition technology. The digital faucet is able to store presets, enabling a preset water temperature and strength of flow to be automatically used. Besides SmartFaucet remembering the settings you prefer, you can read your email or check to make sure you didn’t forget a meeting on your calendar on the small built in LCD screen.

Using a faucet to check email is pretty novel. The facial recognition seems useful so you don’t have to play around with the temperature of the water while in a hurry in the morning. The idea of excess ‘excess’ does jump to mind. I’m all for luxury and digitizing the whole world including your dog, but plastering excess functionality like checking your calendar on a bathroom faucet seems a bit over the top(though still quite cool)  The next thing you know you’ll be watching television while eating your breakfast cereal through your spoon’s built in mini-lcd player…

Check it out: here

Via:Gizmag.com

Modern furniture that would be highly suitable for that lounge with the panoramic view on your new intergalactic spaceship always catches the public’s eye. A scenario which happened as soon as Timothy Schreiber finished his conceptual lounger piece, MorphoGenesis_Chaise. And for good reason too… …its awesome.

Timothy describes his style as pop modernism, and his majestic creations a results of the an intense interest in a convergence of aesthetics, digital design, environmentally responsible implementation, and the possibilities of various manufacturing processes.

Being a conceptual piece, you will not be lucky enough to run into this comfortable looking chair, nor will you be chilling on it, slowly bobbing back and forth drinking a Mai-Tai in your hyper minimal designer house which cost enough to sustain Oprah’s midnight food binge sessions for years to come. Then again, Timothy does create on commission. So maybe… just maybe, there is some person out there(let’s call him Bastard for arguments sake) that is enjoying the comfort of the Morphogenesis_Chaise custom built specifically to his needs.

Check it out all his work: here.

Sea scooters, in this case not to be confused with jetskis, offer a more personal “you and the elements” feel, both on and under water, not often found with powered water toys. However, for a truly awesome experience, you should take a look at the appropriately named Cayago Magnum.

For starters, the design is incredible. It looks straight out of Batman’s big ol’ cave of badass goodies. Everything from the aerodynamics to the heads-up display are refined to near perfection. Its one of those designs for which you actually dress up for to look cool enough to be seen with.  Not surprisingly it won the German Reddot Design Award 2009.

Cayago put real effort into pimping this toy by tuning it with a 10 horsepower electric jet stream engine propelling it to about 30km/h. Electric also means environmentally friendly, so the eco-minded among us won’t have to chain protest before getting in on the action. Power is drawn from 30 Li-Ion batteries weighing in at 1kg each allowing for approximately 4 hours of relieving yourself in the water. In case you get lost the on board navigational system will point you in the right direction and the sonar location technology will point out more frightened scuba-divers to play chicken with.

The Magnum is a limited edition high-powered version of its less daring (but still very cool) sibling: the Seabob(as seen in the video). Only 100 are intended to be made, but seeing the coolness factor makes me wonder why on earth Cayago would limit this toy for the lucky few who have enough bankroll to finance it. It would be a waste for Cayago to treat it as a a piece of art simply due to the fact that, when it comes down to it, it still remains a seascooter…

Check it out: here.