Fuori Salone 2011 - ReFILE, use & re-use

Top 20 trends in 2011 by Trendhunter.com

Japan bike storage

London design festival 2010: colourful twist by Orchad Studio

www.orchardstudio.co.uk 

London design festival 2010: unusual jewelry by Honoyo

www.honoyo.jp 

Interactive walls

Via home-designing 

Cork floor tiles

This time not just cork materials, but a proper recycled floor from sliced wine corks. Tile manufacturer Modwalls takes the waste product--neat little cork "pennies"--that comes from trimming bottle corks down to size, and turns them into 1-foot-square sheets of tile called CorkDotz. It's water-resistant, of course, and reportedly even tough enough to use outdoors.

More info on Core77 

Lexus Hybrid Bicylce concept

Lexus introduced its Hybrid bicycle concept. The bicycle has two different modes, Eco and Power. Although the bicycle is made out of carbon fiber it, still weighs 17 kg. Currently, there are no plans to bring this bicycle into production.

Lego and Muji teamed up

The Japanese retail brand MUJI and LEGO teamed up to develop a set of 4 different boxes. Inside those boxes you’ll find the classic LEGO bricks but also a few sheets of paper. When you have the right punch hole tool, you can combine both to create something new. 

Swarovski's Crystal Palace

World's largest solar catamaran: Planetsolar

Planetsolar, launched earlier this week in Germany, is powered entirely by up to 500 square metres of photovoltaic solar panels. It is considered to be the world's largest solar boat. The 31m long and 15m wide craft is expected to be able capture 103.4 kW of solar energy to drive its engine which apparently only needs 20kW, to achieve an average speed of eight knots (15kph or 9mph). Although it is hoped it can also attain a top speed of roughly twice that.

SunPower has provided approximately 38,000 of their next generation all black photovoltaic cells, an efficiency of at least 22%, which they believe to be the highest efficiency solar cells commercially available. 

Via Treehugger 

Top 3 Redefining Dining winners 2010

Forplay 
Designed by Adva Noach
Raanana, Israel

Behavior that is taboo with most food becomes permissible with chocolate and every chocolate eater has their own process to maximize enjoyment. Forplay turns the enjoyment of one of the world’s most sensual pleasures―chocolate―into creative fun, giving people the freedom to participate in the creation of their own dining experience and liberating them to bring out the richness of the rituals involved. 

Nomadic Gastronomy
Designed by Jennifer Patacchini
Balma, France

Street food is a cosmopolitan phenomenon, but still rare in France because of rigid food behaviors. Bringing value and quality into the commonplace, this design project focused on the gestures (prepare, display, eat, share, move) of meals that today lack ritual. 

SENSE!
Designed by Katrien Ploegmakers
Eindhoven, The Netherlands
SENSE! consists of four tableware objects conceived to tantalize the secondary senses. Fun and magical, they turn an ordinary meal into an extraordinary experience. The materials play a key role in the function of the objects, reflecting their elegance.

+ info 

Watch exhibition - Basel, Switzerland

The yearly Watch and Jewelry exhibition took place in Basel, Switzerland from 18 - 25 March 2010. 

There were some remarkable trends such as:

- premium brands not always using leather straps but instead using high quality rubber 

- black mat is still a popular colour/finishing (fig.2)

- the use of white ceramic for a watch seemed a brand new approach(fig.3)

- simple designs in one colour with an accentuated primary colour. (fig.4)

The exhibition in 2011 will take place from 24 - 30 March.

For more info: http://www.baselworld.com/ 

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Highlights Geneva Motor Show '10

The Geneva Motor Show showed a completely different atmosphere than last year's Motor Shows. The designs show again more confidence and fresh energy to tackle current issues. Here are some of the highlights this year's show had to offer:
Alfa Guiietta:

Lexus CT 200h:

Peugeot SR1 Concept:

Audi a1:

Mercedes F800 Style Concept:

Citroen DS Highrider:

Nissan Juke:

Porsche 918 Spider Concept:

Bertone Pandion Concept:

LEXUS CT200h revealed tomorrow in Geneva

Ottoman

Ligne Roset and Livingspace Vancouver have collaborated on a special edition piece of furniture simply called the Ottoman, inspired by the Canadian flag and produced in honor of the 2010 Winter Games. 

Via: Core77 

Interesting online design shops!!

Matteria 

Ferrem 

Students develop new ways of passenger rail service

It looks like the future of high-speed rail lies in China. In the massive track-laying project China is currently undertaking, they'll have 8,000 miles of high-speed track ready by 2012--three years ahead of schedule.

Virgini Tech IT students presented some concepts to the US Transportation Service in the hope these high-speed trains will be reality in the US one day.
Full article .

Source: Core77 

This month's trend: "FUNCTIONAL"

Why simple, small & cheap appeals to all?!

Captures the phenomenon of simple, small and/or cheap products and services designed for low(er)-income consumers in emerging markets, with cross-over appeal to consumers in mature consumer societies.

FUNCTIONAL is not only about all consumers, it’s also about all brands. Count on brands from established consumer societies and brands from emerging nations to come up with numerous FUNCTIONAL innovations. From Tata to Nokia.


FOR EXAMPLE::

Footwear:

Adidas has announced plans to produce 1 euro trainers for millions of consumers who would otherwise be unable to afford shoes. Pilot production is planned to begin this year in Bangladesh, with the final design yet to be confirmed.
Gaming:

Zeebo is a low cost games console targeted at consumers in developing markets. Games are downloaded via a 3G wireless connection, and the console uses only 1 watt of power.

Automotive:

- The Logan range, a series of low-cost cars produced by Renault's Dacia subsidiary in Romania, has been outpacing overall car sales in key European markets by appealing to budget-conscious consumers.
- After the much-hyped introduction of the Tata Nano in India, Tata plans to offer the Nano Europa starting in 2011 and it's likely to cost around EUR8,000.
- Meanwhile, Renault-Nissan has claimed that its partnership with Bajaj Auto will result in the ULC model by 2012, at a cost that will be 'lower than any car today made in India' according to CEO Carlos Ghosn.
Real estate:

In April 2009, Tata Housing announced plans to build 1,300 small apartments outside Mumbai, selling them for as little as USD 7,800. The floor area of the miniature apartments will be between 218 and 373 square feet. When the scheme was opened to booking in Mumbai in May 2009, more than 7,000 customers queued to pay the initial booking fee.
Computing:

In December 2009, One Laptop per Child unveiled designs for the XO 3. The computer, which is basically a single sheet of flexible plastic, featuring touch screen technology, is due to be released in 2012. Costs should remain under USD 100, making it affordable for poor and rich consumers alike.

More examples can be found on the website from TRENDWATCHING .