The idea for this house came about in 2004, the house was finished in 2009. It was worth the wait. The house, while essentially a hole in the hillside, is flooded with natural light, has incredible views and is actually quite luxurious… not exactly what you would expect from a “hole house”. Did I mention the 22m (that’s about 70ft) underground tunnel that links the house to a nearby barn? (alternative entrance)

The architects are based in Amsterdam (although Muller is Swiss) and the hole house is a holiday home.

The interior space is just as experimental and modern as the rest of the design, and of course, features a lot of Dutch designed furniture. “This house is not about perfection. It’s an experimental space” says Muller… but I think that they hit the nail on the head with this project.

Photo credit: click here

The Panton chair can be purchased in several different colors to suit your indoor or outdoor settings. An icon of modern design, with a price low enough to fit just about anyone’s budget!

Simply put, these are amazing. I can honestly say that I was (and still am) thoroughly impressed with the look of these panels. They are, believe it or not, lacquered eggshell panels… they’re also expensive (about $50-$90/sq ft) but I think worth the expense to have something so unique and original.

Now I’m not saying that I’d want an entire room clad in this stuff, but I certainly wouldn’t object to using it as a detail, a focal point if you will. What do you think?

In short, smart glass or electric tint is basically a coating on your glass (glazing if you will) that reacts to an electrical current. When there is no current, the glass is opaque but when you hit the switch it’s perfectly transparent.

Simple! ;)

Why is it so cool? Well for starters you won’t need curtains ever again! Second, just imagine how jealous your friends and neighbors will be when they see how your windows “white-out” with a flick of a switch! Instant privacy.

Smart glass technologies are electrochromic devices, suspended particle devices, and liquid crystal devices. I know that doesn’t mean much to you (me neither) but there are slight differences between them and the way they block UV rays and the Sun’s heat.

Smart glass (or switchable glass) is often used for skylights where it can be most useful since using or cleaning any type of blind on a skylight can be rather difficult and frustrating.

Even though the technology behind it is pretty old, these systems can still be quite expensive (although not so expensive that they prevent ordinary people from owning them). I’m not sure if there are any well known companies (Nation wide chains, etc.) selling or installing these systems but if you know of one please don’t hesitate to leave a comment for the rest of us! (don’t spam though, one link per electric tint company is enough)

Picture from takatuka

Not long ago I made a mention of security doors (the 250lbs bullet proof doors that require a tank to break in!) but didn’t really provide too many quality pics or websites… it’s not easy when many manufacturers don’t have quality websites. :(

Anyhow, I’m going to make up for it now by giving you a link to Oikos, a manufacturer of these security doors (and windows) from Italy. The website is very nice, easy to navigate and Italian/English. The English version is still being worked on from what I see but Italian is an easy language to figure out and the pictures do a good job of explaining what’s going on.

Photo Credit

Remember the song? How about the chair?

Frank Gehry designed the Wiggle Chair as part of his “Easy Edges” series (1969 – 1973) and in doing so created one of the most striking pieces of furniture ever… out of ordinary corrugated cardboard!

The cardboard chair is really an amazing piece of work and I don’t think it’s been given enough credit by most people. Your first reaction might be that it’s weak or not durable enough to stand up to daily use… you’d be wrong if you thought that. Cardboard is quite strong when laminated (as it is when you create furniture) and somewhat spill resistant when coated with a protector.

Ok, cardboard isn’t the perfect chair building material but you have to admit it looks fantastic (different at least).