Gizmodo Australia » decor

Put Good-Looking Game Controllers On Your Tree

Chris Jacob — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:00:00 +0000

If you really want to put video-game controllers on your tree, please hang these up. They’re a much better option than dangling your filthy old Saturn controller by its cord. [Ponoko via Technabob]

Fiat Lux Lamp Actually Runs On Magic

Jesus Diaz — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:20:00 +0000

I rarely get truly impressed by gadgets. They may be beautiful. They may do nice tricks. But very rarely they make me smile out of pure wonderment. That’s exactly what happened when I watched the Fiat Lux Lamp in action.

At first sight, the Fiat Lux Lamp is just a lamp: One plain orb with a smaller sphere attached to its side. It’s just a lamp until you turn it on, by grabbing the smaller sphere and making it float under the sphere, where it will stay until you decide to turn it off. No wires. Just thin air between the lamp orb and the sphere, and the forces of magnetism. [Constance Guisset via Unplggd]

Bacon Lamp

Mark Wilson — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:20:00 +0000

I doubt that words can do justice to the unbridled fulfilment a man receives when standing next to a bacon lamp birthed from his own brilliance.

Flickr user kmkelley617’s bacon lamp is real and it’s (mostly) edible. The shade is made out of 99 per cent hand-woven bacon which was then baked as a mould in the oven, probably so kmkelley617 wouldn’t find himself violently ill should he get mouthy in the middle of a spontaneous-yet-inevitable man-on-lamp lovemaking session.

The only room we see for improvement is to replace that light bulb with something of a higher wattage so the lamp becomes a dual bacon idol/bacon cooker, rather than solely the former.

[flickr via Oddity Central via The Presurfer via technabob]

Google’s Swiss HQ Blends A Lot Of Fun With Some Function

Rosa Golijan — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:40:00 +0000

I couldn’t be more envious of Google engineers working out of Switzerland. Despite the tacky wallpaper in its library, the new EMEA Engineering Hub is the most fun-looking office environment I’ve seen in a while.

Google’s philosophy that work and play are not mutually exclusive is definitely shown off in the form of game rooms and themed, cosy looking seating areas, but despite no picture evidence of them, I’m sure that they’ve got plain ol’ cubicles hiding somewhere.

[WAN]

Soft Tofu Chair Moulds To Your Softer Tofu Tush

Mark Wilson — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:20:00 +0000

I’ve never been all that enthusiastic about eating tofu. But sitting on a gigantic piece of the stuff sounds just delicious.

No, Yu-Ying Wu’s “breathing chair” is not really a giant chunk of tasteless protein, but it will automatically form to your body as you sit, turning from tofu to armchair with the weight of your body. But beyond intriguing design, the chair is build from a springy plastic compound with enough resistance that it will actually help lift you out of the chair when standing, relieving some pressure from your knees.

Wu’s chair is still just in the design stage, which is a shame, because my butt is hungry. [CCTV via Core77 via DVICE]

Burning Cities Firescreens Make Horrible Tragedies Downright Cosy

Sean Fallon — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:00:00 +0000

It’s been a long time since fire ravaged London and Rome in 1666 and 64 AD respectively — which must be why we can feel OK about making cool firescreens today based on these tragic incidents.

On the other hand, buying one might prove problematic. It appears that the 1666 and DCCCXVII A.U.C. (64 AD in the Julian calendar) are only in the prototype stage at the moment. [BBM via Core77]

Clamp-On Table Legs Turn Trash Into Fancy Trash

Mark Wilson — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:00:00 +0000

Sometimes it takes money to look like you’ve pulled all of your furniture out of the dump. These brilliant but expensive clamp-on table legs are no exception.

Available in black, orange or untreated steel, these 29-inch Re-vive legs from Cohda Design can accommodate tabletops up to 30kg without the need for drills or screws. The effect is an unparalleled, industrial-level look, but it’ll cost you about $US440 for a set, or over $US100 a leg.

But hey, we knew Tyler Durden had the soap fund for some reason. [Cohda Design via Core77]

DNA-Inspired Closet Is As Space-Efficient As It Is Twisted

Rosa Golijan — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:40:00 +0000

Irina Alexandru’s design is more of a coat hanger than a closet, but it’s intended to allow for the maximum amount of clothing hangers in the smallest amount of space. I just plain like the curvy double helix design. [Core77]

What’s On Your Mind?

Jesus Diaz — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:40:00 +0000

What’s on my mind? I would love to work at Facebook, in their new Palo Alto headquarters, that’s what. They are located in a former laboratory, built in the 1960s. The interior looks just as pretty as the exterior. Have a look.

It was revamped by Studio O+A, a San Francisco-based design firm. The employees have a gourmet cafe where they can order food at any time, and many of the walls are unfinished, so they can customise them in any way they want. [O+A via Dezeen and Blue Ant Studio]

Vauni Cupola Fireplace Mounts Like A Flat-Screen TV

Dan Nosowitz — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:00:00 +0000

Vauni’s bioethanol ventless fireplace, the Cupola, may not have the warmth or cosiness of a traditional wood-burner, but it does have practicality and cold Scandinavian style. Plus, the thing mounts right on your wall.

Made of aluminium for weight reasons and coming in white or black, the fireplace burns bioethanol fuel instead of wood, so it’s maybe not as organic as lighting wood on fire but it is adjustable and easy to light. Vauni claims the fireplace is “as easily installed as a flat-screen TV”, and will give you something classier to gaze at, open-mouthed, than the new season of The Hills. Prices start at 1840 euros, which is about $3000. Expensive, sure, but you must have expected that from a wall-mountable Swedish fireplace. [Born Rich via DVICE]