While I am aware that society has moved towards lighters (even more elaborate ones with coloured flames and wind resistance), there lies a special place in my heart for old matchboxes. It’s just something about the antiquated look combined with catchy art that draws me to them. Now I’m obviously not talking about the boring ones made by cigarette companies in hopes of promoting their brands. The ones that really catch my attention are typically printed with older vintage graphics such as the ones designed by Prague based designer Pavel Fuksa.

When I saw the Bobble, I instantly thought of how convenient my life would be using it! Its slender minimalistic design incorporating a bold colour carbon filter is sure to be a great conversation piece during your next encounter! Pink (of course) is my favorite out of their 6 colour collection!

Remember university living? I remember the residence I stayed at in first year – it was your typical university dorm with your standard bed and your standard desk and your standard ugly lighting. And don’t get me started on the food. One of the more redeeming qualities about it though, was the view from the window out into the quad of a quiet little sanctuary in the heart of a roaring city. So, I was curious as to what dormitories were out there and I ran across this one. These are the student designed and built shelters at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture out in Scottsdale Arizona. Talk about appropriate.

Danish design has always caught our eye, the latest being Ørestad College in Copenhagen designed by architectural firm 3XN. This peculiar space which essentially has no traditional ‘classrooms’ was recently nominated for the honourable Mies van der Rohe Award in 2009 which is an award given away every two years recognizing and paying tribute to European architecture of high quality.

While we usually witness a variety of auctions including silent, reverse and online, often times it involves some sort of monetary exchange. Framework Foundation however, meddles a bit with the auctioning concept through their Timeraiser project and puts the idea in use for a fun and very good cause.

It doesn’t seem straightforward having a lawn growing in your living room – but what if that lawn could generate enough power to charge a cellphone. And let’s mash that idea up into a coffee table – just so that it’s not so alarming when someone finds a lawn in your living room. As hard it is to believe that such an idea can ever be possible, the guys at Nectar Design have put together this coffee table that not only replenishes the oxygen in your room with grass, but it can also charge up your cell phone using microbial fuel cell technology. Say hello to the Voltpot.

With its distinct Asian inspired look, the design of what is called the, ‘Urban Forest‘ by MAD Architects of Beijing definitely has its appeal to both ‘green’ and design enthusiasts alike. A proposed commercial high-rise building in the city centre for Chongqing, China, the slightly off-centred stacked floor design mimics that of the mountainous landscapes of China. The 70 floor building acts as a facade, rising above the clutter that is of a typical city with imagery of a plant growing freely.

Last year, Vidafine presented Philips Design Probe’s Biosphere Farming idea to great appeal so we’ve decided to keep you updated on what else is cooking at Philips. Their latest exploration is Multi-Sensorial Gastronomy which really means understanding how the integration of light, conductive printing, selective fragrance diffusion, micro-vibration and a host of other integrations of sensory stimuli could influence the way diners experience eating in subtle ways. In laymen terms, that means in addition to smell and taste, they want to see how incorporating our full senses to include touch, sight and sound will affect the overall dining experience. (Just a refresher, Philip’s Design Probe is a dedicated ‘far-future’ research initiative to track trends and developments that may ultimately evolve into mainstream issues that have a significant impact on business). In other words, they have created concept tableware that glows when food is place on or in it.