photographer lance gerber captured the formal desert architecture of kendrick bangs kellogg and the sweeping interiors by designer john vugrin. nestled among the rocky terrain of joshua tree, california, the house takes the form of an organic object made up of a cluster of sculptural piers. there is an ambiguous relationship between the built space and the extreme landscape as the house navigates between the protruding rock formations. 

 

meanwhile, in a residential part of central zurich, architect manuel herz designed a house with a striking façade comprising operable horizontal and vertical louvers. the building, which contains five residences, is located in close proximity to le corbusier’s ‘heidi weber museum’ and references the institution’s colorful metal panels and striking geometry. the structure’s geometrically simple form is contrasted by its dynamic façade, which lends the project its name: ‘ballet mécanique’, or ‘mechanical ballet’.

described by its designer as a ‘mad scientist project’, designboom featured a hammer that includes a collated nail dispenser — designed to make grueling DIY work a thing of the past. created by ohio-based designer michael david young, the appliance is portable and requires no electricity. once a nail strip is loaded into the device, users tap once to set it in place, before the nail is easily hammered into the surface. 

 

in other news, do you remember your first computer, MP3 player and smartphone? for most, these game-changing technologies were apple designed and have since become much loved, famed and retro devices. however, as much as you may still love your old mac, we all know it is not the comfiest thing to hug. as such, throwboy solves this significant problem by paying tribute to these gadgets with the five-strong iconic pillow collection.

back in 2016, artist and dad of a child named ‘dom’ first created an instagram account that chronicled his son’s quirky drawings, paired with ‘lifelike’ versions hilariously recreated in photoshop. as part of the ongoing project ‘things I have drawn’, childlike illustrations of animals, cars, people and plants are paired with professionally-rendered ‘real’ renditions in all of their anatomically-incorrect glory. 

 

horror props creator ashley newman and US baker andrew fuller put a new twist on the gruesome tale of sweeny todd, the victorian barber who turned his murdered victims into pies. it all started with newman’s designs of inedible pies in the shape of baked human faces made out of latex, of which fuller received tons of requests before deciding to try his own hand at it, this time using edible, delicious ingredients.

in its appeal to ‘the lone wolf, open road seeking adventurer in all of us’, the vanderhall venice speedster doesn’t disappoint. this three-wheeled, single-seat cruiser beckons the open road with its sleek, simplistic silver vintage metallic body and shark-gill side panels. at a surprisingly cost-effective $26,950, the vehicle wants you to get out and drive.

 

the new york public library introduced ‘insta novels’ this week, its new initiative platform which allows instagram users to read classic literature through the app’s stories. the feature was launched with part 1 of a newly digitized version of lewis carroll’s alice’s adventures in wonderland, and as more stories are added, the NYPL aims to turn the account’s highlights into a digital bookshelf.

one of our most popular articles this week was by ecuador-based architect and photographer juan alberto andrade, who designed ‘the lighthouse’ or ‘la caja de luz’ in bahía de caráquez for a local lady who lost her home to an earthquake in 2016. the two-story dwelling derives its name from the way it looks from outside — the second floor, covered with semi-transparent polycarbonate, is placed onto the base of the first floor and illuminates the surroundings at night.

 

meanwhile, shanghai-based architect florian marquet proposed ‘the org’, a proposal for the future housing market that seeks to contribute to the balance and equality between the young upcoming, and existing elder generations. the modular system is easy to fabricate and responds to the current needs of its inhabitants.

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