The figure of the clock peddler is entirely hand carved and painstakingly painted which is shown in the quality of the piece. As I know first hand from living in Germany myself, the Germans are extremely precise and perfection orientated. Inside the whistling clock peddler figure are tiny bellows that push air through an automated slide whistle with multiple pitches. This produces the complex tune that is thus heard. As the peddler whistles, his head also moves from side to side.

The German themed whistling clock peddler is the very embodiment of mechanical musical instruments that have been merged with a clock to form a fascinating and original clock piece. Below the clock that the peddler figure holds is a swinging pendulum which combined with the movement of the peddler’s head, provides a variety of dynamic parts to this visual treat. As well as this, the music played is precise in its articulation as well as intricate and complete.

For anyone like myself who has a fondness for German and Austrian culture as well as a love for intricate and decorative mechanical clocks that play music, then this whistling clock peddler figure which has been beautifully hand painted and carved will make an excellent addition to your home. It’s certainly going to provide a wonderful talking point for visiting guests.

You can read more about this figurative mechanical clock as well as view purchasing details from the following location: Whistling Clock Peddler.

It’s 15 inches in height.

The magical aspect of the Colander Table comes when objects are placed on the glass table top, just above the bowl shaped curve made up of 909 holes. From certain angles, the glass seems to disappear and items appear to float. This intentional optical illusion focuses on the ability to delete space and material without actually taking anything away.

At the moment, the Colander Table is a limited edition, with only ten pieces in existence. This is not surprising due to the complexities and length of time it takes to make one of these aluminum tables. In the video below you will be able to see the entire process which takes up to 4 weeks to complete.

H/T: Design Spotter

Incorporating Bauhaus designs into your home interior is not difficult whatsoever. As long as you know what the style and philosophy behind the movement is, there are a thousand and one chances to create an interior based on the vision of Walter Gropius and Johannes Itten, and the likes of artists Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky. Contrary to popular imagery of the Bauhaus, an interior decor scheme in this style does not have to consist of steel tubes and minimalist modernism.

The Bauhaus movement’s name comes from the school in Weimar, Germany which was founded in 1919. It taught the concept that artistic objects should be combined with technology to provide a highly functional yet comfortable design, whether this was in architecture, product design, interior design or even typography. Basically, it meant the creation of designs that offered durable, practical and aesthetically pleasing visions yet were as inexpensive as possible so the common man could afford to use them.

In many ways, the famous quotation “form follows function” is a key element in Bauhaus design. This meant that the function of the item being created was of a greater importance than the final look of the piece. This concept, originally attributed to American architect Louis Sullivan, was often put into being in Bauhaus designs. Whilst this is easy to say and do for trained designers, it’s a little harder for the average house owner who would rather in many cases, to have form over function.

Bauhaus designs are similar to many other styles and formats that had been seen prior and after the initial golden years during the 1920s and 1930s. However, the difference was in its affordability. Geometric forms, sleek clean lines all symbolise the concepts which have brought fame to the Bauhaus school of art and design. By incorporating all these factors into your home interior, you can build up a decidedly Bauhaus theme that will be noticeable to all.

Start to think about function first then form. This means finding objects that are made for precise purposes without any superfluous additions. The kitchen is an ideal interior where this philosophy should be applied. In this room in particular, function naturally comes first in numerous ways. On the outside, fixtures such as kitchen cabinets and cupboards will be simple, minimalist and clean lined on the outside. In this they are performing their duty as functioning storage areas first, whilst inside, behind the scenes, the foods and utensils will be adequately stored.

Highly decorative kitchen cabinets, surfaces, cupboards and islands maybe nice to look at but are useless if their function leaves much to be desired. The Bauhaus philosophy is to be as comfortable and practical as possible and then think of additions one can make at the end.

Incorporating Bauhaus designs into your home interior doesn’t mean you have to loose all sense of style and aesthetics. In fact, many Bauhaus interiors are extremely well coordinated in their themes and rather majestic in their resulting ambiance. There are many shapes you can include in a Bauhaus interior from circles and ovals, to squares and triangles. For example, you can use an antique arm chair which has a basic rectangular design and compliment it with a oval coffee table that also acts as a foot rest. Function in this case has eclipsed form but depending on the way you place the furniture pieces, is still attractive.

Geometric shapes and designs do not have to be modern furniture pieces or images. In fact mixing together period styles from many different centuries can be a part of creating a Bauhaus interior. This is as long as the items are clean lined, on the simple side and functional in perhaps more ways than one.

The Bauhaus philosophy can also apply to eco-friendly products, furniture pieces and instillations. If a wardrobe for example is made from sustainable wood, then the conservation of this material as well as the lack of wastage means function has come before form. The wardrobe is thus Bauhaus through and through. The same goes for shelving. In many cases, shelving is put up merely to fill up a space area of wall that seems empty. If it serves no other function other than form, it is in essence, an unnecessary excess which promotes the cutting down of further forests to replace the item sold.

Hopefully by now you will understand what the Bauhaus design style can mean for your home interior decor schemes. To sum up, the Bauhaus philosophy was the combining of art, craft, and technology to make items that were functional above all else. In fact, it’s interesting to note that the Bauhaus school did not teach the history of art and design to its students for it wanted the creation of a products according to first principles rather than by following historical precedent.

Wherever you live, whether in North America or Europe, in urban or rural areas, you can design your interior around the Bauhaus philosophy. By thinking of the functional before the decorative but still making sure the various items match in an aesthetically pleasing manner, you will not be going far off course.

In fact, the rubik cube shelving system, named Squambo, can actually be used as more than just a series of shelves. Depending on the room, they can also be used as seating, room dividers, a large flat television bracket, a dining table or purely as a design in itself. Again, the possibilities are endless.

I can imagine a whole room full of these, each used as a different furniture piece. Perhaps some covered with fabrics, others used as sculptural forms. Like with the lady in the picture, they could also be used in a home library to store books, whether against a wall or as floor shelves.

You can read more information and browse through more pictures of this rubik cube style dynamic shelving on the Nintek Design website.

Elisa Stroyzk, a German design student at London’s prestigious Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design has created a rug comprised of wood-veneer offcuts. These are bounded to a textile backing which allows for a geometric structural fluidity. The wooden quilt could be mistaken for a static wooden sculpture and that is part of its amazing attraction. It can be shaped into anything one so desires and can even be used as a sleeping blanket.

Stroyzk refers to her innovative creation as the “wooden textile”. She gained the concept when playing with veneer wood leftovers from a closing-down wood workshop nearby. All the pieces are individually cut, either by hand or by lasers, and then stuck onto the textile base.

The geometric rugs were inspired by the presumptions that people make about everyday objects and furnishings. Like many designers of her generation and previous, her aim was to confuse meanings and switch material properties, from what we consider to be the norm. The forms and functions of household items become merged and evolve into hybrids.

It’s not everyone’s cup of tea but you can see the creative talent behind the concept and design of the wooden quilt or wood rug.

See her website: Elisa Stroyzk

H/T: Inhabitat

Photographs: Sebastian Neeb

“Zweitsinn” which is German for a purpose or second meaning, is a collection of waste companies, designers and small German manufacturers that are supported by the University of Dortmund and the government foundation, DBU. Their aim is to help the environment by recycling products into usable items of furniture such as chairs, tables and chests.

Their website even has statistics showing how much CO2 was saved due to their actions and compare how much waste would have been produced if the furniture pieces had been built from scratch using new materials.

Many of Zeitsinn’s products were presented at the Colognes IMM 2009 (the International Furnishings Show) in January.

See: Zeitsinn

It’s also a revolutionary concept because the complete wash basin can be considered a standalone installation. The majority of sinks are wall mounted or in some way positioned next to a wall. The KANERA 1 D means that Interior Designers now have an incredible amount of freedom when considering the layout of a bathroom or kitchen, even having the possibility of placing the wash basin in the centre of a room as the main focus.

As Christian Kaldewei, the designer of the washbasin himself says:

“To my mind, design means more than just packaging – and the bathroom’s significance is growing as part of the overall architecture of living spaces. This is why I wanted with the KANERA 1 D to create a spatial tool that architects and private individuals alike can use to realize their individual notions of design, functionality and wellbeing. And do so without diluting the original meaning and purpose of a ‘washing place’.”

To read more about the German manufactured washbasin, visit the Kanera website.

See also: Bathroom Sinks for Sale.

In the case of the Casulo, a lot more than that. Described as ‘mobile living furniture’, the Casulo box contains an armoire, a desk, a height-adjustable stool, two more stools, a six-shelf bookcase, and a bed with a mattress. German designers, Marcel Krings & Sebastian Mühlhäuser, won the “Abraham & David Roentgen Award” in November 2007 for their portable furniture container concept. The judges admired their “cleverness, finesse and qualitative realisation of the idea”.

‘Casulo’, which is the Portuguese word for cocoon, was created with the travelling person in mind. Instead of lugging furniture every six months from location to location and paying for expensive storage and travel costs, the ‘Casulo’ would provide an easier, smaller and cheaper alternative. It is ideal for short term, spontaneous changes of residence.

It takes no more than 10 minutes to assemble the complete package and no tools are needed to complete the job. There’s even space still left inside for clothes, books and blankets. Every part of the exterior of the box is used thereby leaving no wasteful materials or packaging to get in the way.

Watch the video to see how it’s constructed.

An Interior Designer’s nightmare? Or a sign of the future?

See also: Background to the Casulo Concept.

German designer Daniel Nunez Adinolfi has come up with the solution with his “Klothron” toilet chair. The fascinating toilet has been converted into a large red chair with ample space for beers and meat pies to rest on the arms. No longer will sports fans have to miss the Nascar or the women’s tennis tournements when the bathroom can come to the living room.

From the picture, it seems a toilet paper holder is in-built and with a little plumbing, you will be flushed with pride whenever your friends come visiting.

Manufacturer: DNNA (Germany)

These earthenware ceramic tiles push the boundries of the accepted norm with their 3-dimensional forms. As the designers intended, the tiles echo the forms of the human body and innocently (or perhaps provocatively) reach out to be touched.

The shapes come in clusters of four tiles and are made to fit in with the standard tiles already in place. They measure 15 x 15cm. I myself used to live in Berlin but my bathroom was very small. Stubbed toes and shrieks of pain would have been the order of the day but if you have a large bathroom or areas not accessible to human feet, then I can definitely see the attraction.

See: Touchy-Feely

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