In Häfele's world, furniture and interior spaces are magic. Cabinet doors swing upwards and out of the way, drawers close themselves, surfaces appear where none were before, objects of one utility transform into objects of another. 

However, the company is not a furniture manufacturer, but a world leader in architectural and cabinet hardware and fittings—and the nature of their products actually provides a tricky problem for presenting at trade shows like Holz-Handwerk. While some of Häfele's products are easy to display and make understood, like their Sweepovac baseboard vacuum…

…the bulk of what they produce is meant to be invisible. Their hinges, drawer slides, mechanisms and fittings all respond to human input, but carry out their tasks hidden behind panels, underneath surfaces or within housings. Absent the context of furniture, it's not obvious what all of these pieces of hardware do. If the company were to put all of the wares in their massive 4,500-page catalog into a trade show booth, customers would simply be looking at 50,000 different funnily-shaped pieces of metal.

Thus when it comes trade show time, Häfele rolls out a bunch of concept furniture and set pieces filled to the brim with their hardware, as a way of showing off what their stuff can do. While you can't buy these demonstration laboratory pieces as-is, you can buy each and every one of the interior components; the idea is that the displays will help the designer/builder understand what the possibilities are, and thus be able to increase his/her offerings to potential clients.

Enough talk, let's see some video of these wondrous spaces. You can ignore the captions on these—there is clearly something lost in translation from German to English—but here's Häfele's take on a kitchen that turns into a workspace:

Here's a similar concept but in reverse, and with a different space, this time a workspace that turns into a kitchen. Be sure to look out for how the stove comes out and integrates into the design at the end:

Here's a sideboard with a neat flip-out desk and some fancy fixtures:

These three concepts are part of Häfele's "More Life per Square Meter" campaign, which encompasses some 19 different set piece concepts. The three above are our favorites, but if you'd like to see all of them, the 18-minute video below contains every single one.

See More from Last Time:

- Our 2014 Holz-Handwerk coverage of Häfele's Transformable Kitchen & Dining Spaces

- Our 2014 Holz-Handwerk coverage of Häfele's Transformable Living Spaces

and 

More from Core77's coverage of this year's Holz-Handwerk Show!

The Clip Table utilizes a connection method that is simple, intuitive and easy to use. Inspired by clamp lid and Weck canning jars from Crate and Barrel, the Clip Table is made of a system of parts that inform the user of how they should be assembled through their form language, with an emphasis on compression and tension.

Made from hand-routed birch plywood, turned tapered ash legs, and bent sheet steel, the design of this ready-to-assemble table can lend itself to both assembly and disassembly with ease, without the need for tools or hardware.

Clip Table Displaying its Inspiration

The table features a speaker I made with a turned, knurled aluminum knob and a 'Crate and Barrel' clamp lid jar, one of the mechanisms that inspired this project, filled with loose leaf tea.

Process and Experimentation

Models and Iterations of Clamping Clips

Explorations made out of bent aluminum sheet metal

I was very excited to spot this at the Mafell booth at Holz-Handwerk:

First off, for our U.S. readers not familiar with Mafell, they're a high-end German power tool company--and if I understood the translation correctly, they not only make tools, but they make their own tooling to make the tools. On top of that about 85% of their finished product is all made in-house, with just 15% content coming from suppliers. "MAFELL quality stems not from large-scale production," the company says, "but from exemplary process-overarching, high-tech manufacturing in small series in [Germany]."

Now on to the product. This is their Mobiles Plattensäge-System (Mobile Panel Saw System) a/k/a the PSS 3100 SE, and it's designed to break down large panels without any human hands to guide it. The operator sets it on the track, hits the button and it's off to the races:

Are you kidding me?

The PSS 3100 SE can do rip cuts of up to 3.1 meters (10 feet) in length, and the absurd maximum cutting depth of 45mm (1.77") means you can go through two 3/4" plywood sheets at once.

The saw's cutting depth, blade RPMs and feed speed can of course all be adjusted. Throw a Mafell diamond saw blade on there and you can cut through cement fiber panels. Unlike a traditional panel saw, it can easily be transported to the job site.

But one thing it should really come with, that it doesn't, is a pre-programmed voice recording that should be played back during unboxing. You'd bring your shop assistant over to the saw, press a button, and the saw would tell him that he's fired.

More from Core77's coverage of this year's Holz-Handwerk Show!

Is your vinyl addiction terminal? For the aurally-inclined there's a tasteful alternative to caskets or urns (or diamonds or trees). Invest that death-celebration cash in something your loved ones can really hold onto: a vinyl record of the tracks you choose, pressed with your own ashes. 

And Vinyly, an ostensibly real UK company, offers a starter package of up to 30 custom pressed you-flecked records for £3000.

There's a tasteful Rest In Vinyl cover, room for birth and death dates or a brief message on the label, and record length is 12 minutes per side. Go for a personally recorded favorite poem, a last entreaty to loved ones, or even the eerie crackles and snaps of your dust and empty tracks. At 24 minutes total, you'd need to speed read that last will and testament, or have concise taste in drum and bass, but it would still make for an efficient parting speech.

Scratch from beyond the grave

Noting that And Vinyly founder Jason Leach also co-founded the group/label Subhead back in the '90s, it's not surprising that they offer an array of backing tracks to help you set the mood. Or that their website features a "Raveyard" page, with twitch-inducing graphics. 

There's also a "bespook music" option, an offer to incorporate just a limb if you'd still like to be buried ("cremated please!"), and the inviting idea of having your final album "distributed through reputable vinyl stores worldwide." Never traveled? No time like after you die.

Funerals are a racket. With morbid music of your own you still might not get to attend the party, but you can start it right. 

When the Johammer J1 electric motorcycle first blazed a hot trail across the blogosphere we missed an opportunity to hop on here at Core77, which is a real shame because there is obviously a lot of fun to be had with it. Recent news has blessedly afforded us a second opportunity, one which we are setting upon immediately lest it escape again. So please take a sip of your chai, breathe out and join us as we slide into a state of aesthetic divination…

Deep within your mind's eye the J1 floats alone, lit softly from above in an atmospheric blackness. Its volume pulsates, various elements taking turns in expanding and diminishing, shifting in their hierarchy; soon, as a devoted Core77 reader, you recognize something—what is in front of you is simply a luxe adult version of theKiddee, ahem, Trunki. The shell of the rideable bug-faced suitcase slowly opens revealing a steaming Hario kettle which grows and soon fills your field of view. You touch it; the surface softens and shifts hues, it recedes and is revealed as a spectral form draped in marbled sashimi. As reason reasserts itself you pass the experience through various filters, settling on one which you determine all contemporary product development must now forth be examined via—that of the world of Pokémon—and to no great surprise see that the Johammer is an evolved state of a Rimowa rolling suitcase. Now you learn that, almost as if to specifically confirm the essential validity of your vision, Johammer has teamed up with Austrian "Noble Garb" manufacturer Gössl for an exhibition. Cue the perfect cuckoo closing note to the fantasia: lederhosen.

We're assuming we weren't invited to the opening, but are still disappointed because we are clearly the optimum press venue for announcing a Short-Pants Electric Motorcycle Leather launch. But alas, we and presumably you, have missed the show and will have to console ourselves with the above glamour shots of ElektroLeder.

To be truthful though, all of this is just us dancing around a simple fact: we like how the Johammer looks, and even consider it great design. Sure, it can't escape the associations it has set itself up for with its quirky elements, but it does have quite a few good angles (particularly 3/4 from behind) and looks surprisingly nice bearing an upright rider. It compliments good posture! The front end mechanics and overall detailing adds a technical edge to the playful vibe. Most importantly the J1 is laudable for taking a left-turn from legacy; there has yet to be an e-motorcycle defining form factor on the scale of what Prius did for the hybrid car so such boldness could establish a category aesthetic. Like seminal new music you don't really get until you revisit it years later, is the Johammer something waiting to be rediscovered?

This is the latest installment of our Core77 Questionnaire. Previously, we talked to Pamela Shamshiri.

Job Smeets and Nynke Tynagel of Studio Job. Portrait by Rene van der Hulst.

Name: Job Smeets and Nynke Tynagel

Occupation: Founders of the Belgian atelier Studio Job

Location: Antwerp and Amsterdam

Current projects:

Nynke: We just opened our retrospective at the Museum of Arts and Design, which is our first solo show in New York. We're also working on a new collection of bronze pieces, and we have assignments from private collectors and design brands. 

Job: Every Tuesday Nynke and I go to the atelier to have a meeting with our team. We get a list of projects, and there are always more than 50. We do so many different projects, the diversity from product, to architecture, to fashion, to music—it's very interdisciplinary.

Mission:

Nynke: To be as free as possible and to think out of the box; to be aware of the history of design but to put it in the present. Our mission is not to solve a problem, but to ask a question.

Job: To be independent. To be free. Mission impossible.

The Birth, 2010

When did you decide that you wanted to be a designer?

Nynke: I was raised with it. My mother is a textile pattern designer, my father was an art director at the weaving mill. They both went to the Design Academy in Eindhoven where Job and I studied. When I was young, they took me every year to the graduation show. I saw all the work and I immediately knew I wanted to become a designer—it was clear from the start. I was raised by modernists and now we're doing the opposite.

Job: I still haven't decided whether I want to be a designer or not. But that's a good thing.

Horse Bust (Chess Piece), 2014

Education:

Job: Design Academy at Eindhoven. But really no education. To be totally honest, I was in the army and if you went to visit a university, you got a day off. So a friend of mine, also in the army, visited Eindhoven and I thought I'd join him because then I'd get a day off.

Nynke: I had drawing classes in high school, but Design Academy Eindhoven was the first art school I went to. The first year is the same for everyone then you have to choose a direction. I chose the graphic department, and Job chose the conceptual, three-dimensional department. That's also how we work these days. It's like a perfect match actually of 2D and 3D.

First design job:

Nynke: The internship I did at Job's studio. We were already in a relationship, and in the third year I had to do my internship so we decided to try out a collaboration between us. Not only to share our lives, but also to share the work. I think that's the first time we really worked together. It felt right from the start.

Job: In school I created my first design brand or label as part of my final exams. It was called the Rise and Fall of a Great Design Brand, which was kind of an ironic approach to the designer as a star artist. I started with a partner who had graduated several years before me, because I knew that you're stronger together than on your own. Also, it's more enjoyable.

Withered Flowers pattern designed for Viktor & Rolf 2013

What was your big break?

JS: After that first project—it was the Rise and Fall—after we had fallen I spent six months in a coffee shop smoking weed. Then I started Studio Job. My big break was that I decided I no longer wanted to be a part of a traditional approach to design. As a designer working for design labels, you're mostly designing prototypes, and a prototype is a unique piece. So I thought maybe it's better to design unique pieces or sculptures, and I thought it might be interesting to introduce sculpture and the use of bronze in design.

Nynke: The Robber Baron collection represented by Moss at Design Miami. Before this people were questioning our work—is it art or is it design? It has no function. We got a lot of comments and a lot of bad reviews. From this collection onward, our work was more accepted and people were talking about design/art. We invented some kind of niche and for the first time it seemed like people understood. Before that it was really a fight.

Robber Baron collection, 2007

Describe your workspace:

Nynke: Once a week I go to our atelier in Tilburg, the Netherlands. That's where we produce our pieces and that's where our team works. I meet there with Job and we discuss projects. It's like a dream atelier: high ceilings, a lot of space, good equipment, happy team of very good craftsmen.

When I'm not at the atelier, I work from my house in Amsterdam, which is called Studio Job Suite. We have other projects like this: Studio Job House, Studio Job Loft, Studio Job Lounge, and Studio Job Gallery. The house where I live started when we bought an apartment and turned it into an installation. It's a place where there are no restrictions—we really did it for ourselves. After it was finished, Job and I split up (we used to be married). We still work together and we're still soul mates, but we're no longer lovers. Afterwards, I moved to this place in Amsterdam and I work from there on my computer, in my living room. It's very colorful and bold. Wallpaper did an article and called it the "House of Fun." There are pieces we collect, modernist pieces, but also pieces of our own work mixed together in an eclectic interior.

Design can be so expressive that it doesn't need to be called art.
- Job Smeets

Job: I work from Antwerp. I have a huge loft with a huge studio, but in the end I just work at the kitchen table because I only need a laptop, a sheet of paper, and a pen. The rest is in my head and on the world wide web.

Studio Job Atelier

What is your most important tool?

Nynke: My computer. I still work with a mouse. People think I'm crazy because I'm not using the pen and the tablet, but I'm too afraid. I don't like changes. I work in Illustrator and I have to draw a lot but it works for me. Maybe the mouse is my most important tool.

Job: My brain and my pen. I have four or five Montblanc pens that I use to make drawings all day long. Then I take photos of the drawings and send them to whoever needs them. It's all about the thing that's inside the pen.

What is the best part of your job?

Nynke: Creating itself. We travel a lot for our work, we meet a lot of people. I do enjoy seeing the world, but I don't enjoy the public part of the job. I really like to be at work, or in the atelier working with the team.

Job: That I can make drawings.

From the Craft Collection

What is the worst part of your job?

Nynke: The responsibility and the organization. It's a serious business, and you're responsible for your team. Like a farmer cannot leave his cows, you just have to continue. Keeping the quality on a high level is also hard.

Job: That I'm a director of a company and I have to keep everybody happy and alive. It's not the worst part but it's the most difficult part, and I was never educated for it. My profession of choice is to be an artist, but I am a designer so that's already quite hard. Then I have to be a director of a company of 25 people, who all have mortgages and children. I have to stand behind the wheel of that little ship.

Nynke: Job is a good talker. He likes to be in public, he likes to talk about the work. I'm more comfortable behind the screen but I'm learning. I think maybe that's why I started drawing, to express myself in a visual way, because talking and expressing myself through language has never been my greatest talent.

Job: In the end the only thing I want to do is make drawings. I'm not a painter, and I'm not a writer, and if you're curse is that you have to deal with very complex materials and production processes, you're also dependent on different people. You have to learn to translate your ideas onto a piece of paper, and to a group of people. It's quite hard.

Studio Job x Land Rover, 2013

What time do you get up and go to bed?

Nynke: It depends. Before I moved to Amsterdam I used to live in the countryside and I had a very strict daily rhythm. I lived like a nun—not too much alcohol, no smoking. I got up at 5:30 a.m., then I did sports, then I studied the violin. I moved to Amsterdam and then it went wrong. But I'm really enjoying the social city life. It also has it's qualities, and it inspires you. So I lost my rhythm.

Job: Every day is different. When Nynke and I were together we had a strict regime of going to bed at 11:00 p.m. and getting up at 6:00 a.m. But we are no longer lovers and between us I'm the traveler, so I'm usually in an airplane at least once a week. That makes a schedule quite hard. But when you're totally independent, you can also set your own schedule and your own way of working.

Studio Job portrait by Daniel Stier

How do you procrastinate?

Nynke: The easiest part is to have an idea, but it's difficult to get it done—to produce, express and execute the piece. You learn through the years to develop your own way.

Job: I always feel like a cheater but I never really cheat. Meaning, I always feel that I should be working, but I always find myself working. I try to procrastinate but I never really manage.

Bavaria Mirror, 2008

What is your favorite productivity tip or trick?

Job: I think you have to feel free, independent, and autonomous with no restrictions whatsoever in creation. I get depressed a lot, but never by the work. I could work for another 200 years.

Nynke: I really enjoy listening to music. In Amsterdam every Saturday I go to a concert, sometimes it's baroque music, or opera, or contemporary. I sit there for two to three hours and I reload. I start thinking when I'm listening and that's really inspiring for me. I visit museums. Because I don't talk much I see a lot, so I look around and I notice little details, or banal things.

What is the best-designed object in your home?

Nynke: My shower screen. It's glass and there's a print of the forest on it. Every morning is a great start because you're in the middle of the city but you have a shower in the forest. It sets the mood of the day.

Job: The toilet. It's more the primary things that are very important.

Who is your design hero?

Job: I hate designers so I don't have a design hero. (And Nynke's not a designer.)

Nynke: Job. Because he is very talented and he doesn't care what other people think.

Banana Lamps, 2015

What is the most important quality in a designer?

Nynke: To be free. To be shameless. To be consistent. To be able to concentrate and think out of the box.

Job: To try not to be one. I hate design because it's a very ambivalent thing. We live in a world where we should design less, yet designers are very popular. There are thousands of schools where you learn how to design materialistic things. We should de-materialize instead of design. It's quite tragic.

What is the most widespread misunderstanding about design or designers?

Nynke: That they have to solve a problem.

Job: Similar to what Nynke said, that the designer should solve a problem. A designer is always about functionality, about making people happy. That's very misunderstood. When a designer can be happy him or herself, I think that's already quite a lot.

Perished Bench, 2006

What is exciting you in design right now?

Nynke: We've reached a certain point in our careers where the work is accepted. I guess it can only get better form this point.

Job: The gap between design and other creative fields is finally becoming more narrow. Nynke and I worked really hard on that. When we started Studio Job, a designer was someone who had to solve an economical problem, and now a designer can make a sculpture. Design can be so expressive that it doesn't need to be called art. It's a giant step.

Studio Job MAD HOUSE is on view now through August 21, 2016 at the Museum of Art and Design in New York City.

For the first time Kmart is extending an invitation to experienced and talented FOOTWEAR DESIGNERS to relocate! You'll undertake significant trend forecasting, researching and developing footwear products from concept to final sign off. You'll need to complete technical sketches, detail/fabric specific, quality focussed and design to a competitive price point.

Mininch wants to tidy up the bulky tools in your life. To do it they've made the WrenchIt: a bucket worth of wrenches crammed into a super slim multi-tool. You get at least five sizes of tools for bike or household use, in one cool stacking package reminiscent of utility knives or those awful stacking pencils kids had in the 1990s.

The WrenchIt uses a steel sheath with sliding bits shaped in a wide range of box wrench sizes, 5 of which store in the handle. The flat pieces slide through the handle when pushed down, and are held in place with sprung notches. 

The tool types range depending on the set you want, but they offer 10 wrench pieces with 15 common sizes for the hex-head nuts and spoke nipples used on standard bikes, plus a bottle opener and more.

The tool is long enough to give good leverage, slim enough to fit into tight spaces, and thin enough to store in a daily bag. The handle and bits are made from 420 stainless, sandblasted for grippy texture and etched (not painted) with size and shape info.

The narrow width of the tool's handle may be uncomfortable for high-torque applications (like tightening axle bolts), but the variety of possible uses is excellent. You get a wide range of motion, a tough stainless steel that will resist rounding and corrosion, and a profile that can fit into spaces a box wrench or adjustable wrench might not. It comes with a handy storage case for extra bits and easy portability.

Mininch has already designed and fulfilled twodifferent multi-tools on Kickstarter (despite some doubts from our peanut gallery). Assuming the strength of the "locked" position is actually solid, and the steel quality is as-promised, this seems like a fine option. The WrenchIt looks flexible, durable, light and extremely low profile–all ideal for a travel tool.  

The WrenchIt Kickstarter campaign has already blasted past its goal, and runs through April 21, 2016.

Always wanted an immersion blender but never actually snagged one? Now is your chance! 

Sketch-ers, we're about to sweeten the deal for our latest 1-Hour Design Challenge: submit your versatile kitchen tool design sketches before Tuesday, March 29th by 11:59 EST and you'll be in the running for the chance to win a brand new OXO On Illuminating Immersion Blender, a project led by our 1-Hour Design Challenge judge Joey Zeledon at Smart Design! 

What's so amazing about this immersion blender? Aside from it's obvious sleekness it's got a soft touch six-speed button at the top for easy control, ergonomic handle, comes with a sturdy silicone blending beaker, and coolest of all, it has a soft glow illuminating headlight for tall pots and low-light situations.

I mean, it has a spotlight BUILT INTO THE BLENDER!! 

Ooh-la-la

Don't miss the chance to up your kitchen game—submit to our 1-Hour Design Challenge today (ending Tuesday, March 29th by 11:59 EST)! Read more about the prompt and rules here.

An organized refrigerator makes it easy to see what's inside and helps avoid wasted food—no more small hidden items at the back of a shelf. And organization can help make the most of a limited space.

Stacking square or rectangular storage containers for leftovers help, and so do some good stacking refrigerator-sized bins, such as these from InterDesign's Fridge Binz collection. Bins can keep like items together, prevent the lost-in-the-back syndrome, and make it easier to clean up when bottles get sticky. Purchasers rave about how sturdy the Fridge Binz are. One drawback: Hand washing is recommended; some purchasers have had the bins warp in the dishwasher. 

The stacking wine holder keeps the bottles on their sides (keeping the cork moist) while also keeping them from rolling around. It also helps avoid wasting the space above a single bottle of wine. 

But there are other designs that address those same problems with wine bottles. The bottle rack from Mindful Products is another stackable option, but it also provides a shelf on top for storing other items.

With this rack, the bottles are stored on a slight angle. The company says,"Its unique design allows bottles to be stored both forwards and backwards (backwards for unopened bottles, and forwards for open bottles to keep them from leaking)." I'm not sure how useful this is; unopened wine bottles are usually stored horizontally with no tilt, and that's what many experts recommend. (Some recommend keeping the bottles at a slight angle with the cork side up, not down, but that only applies to situations where there will be temperature variation.) And I've never seen a problem with an opened wine bottle leaking, assuming the cork was replaced properly. 

The Fridge Monkey from Cooks Innovations also solves the rolling-around problem. It can hold five wine bottles or 10 beer or soft drink cans. But it doesn't use vertical fridge space as well as some other choices, and it would waste horizontal space if the end user only had a couple bottles to refrigerate.

The Holdups hanging wine holder wouldn't work in refrigerators with solid shelves rather than wire ones, but it's a clever idea for the right fridge. I was afraid it might interfere with placing items on the shelf it clips onto, but one purchaser said that's not a problem.

Moving beyond wine: Another way to make use of space (and keep smaller things from getting lost) is to use drawers that clip onto the bottom of a shelf. However, end users would definitely need to work around the clips when placing things on the shelves.

Some purchasers have complained about the small size (although that's pretty evident from the photos, and dimensions were provided) and note that the clips aren't big enough for many refrigerator shelves. U.S.-based purchasers seem more unhappy with these than purchasers in other countries, so this seems to highlight the problem of designing (and marketing) a product for a global market; refrigerator size and use isn't the same worldwide. The Fridge Binz mentioned earlier are too deep for smaller refrigerators, so this sizing problem works both ways.

Another product designed to hang from a shelf is the Fabrack, which didn't meet its Kickstarter funding goal. The idea here was to make produce more visible, so it wouldn't be forgotten and contribute to the large amount of food waste generated by most households. Visibility is always a good strategy, and reducing waste is a great goal.

However, there's a significant drawback: This is not going to be the best way to make the produce last. Some fruits need to be kept away from some vegetables. Cornell says that veggies stored in plastic bags (with ventilation holes) don't wilt as quickly as those stored openly. And there's also expert advice for specific types of produce, like this for carrots: "Place them in closed container with plenty of moisture, either wrapped in a damp towel or dunk them in cold water every couple of days if they're stored that long."

Here's a design that does help prevent a specific kind of food waste. The Herb Savor from Prepara says it keeps herbs fresh for three weeks, and purchasers generally say it really does work. The stems sit in a basin of water, which the end user changes every three days. It's designed to fit into the door on many refrigerators. The reservoir is weighted so it won't readily tip over.

The drawbacks: Purchasers have said it's a little small—large bunches of herbs won't fit. (On the other hand, it's space-efficient for those who have smaller bunches.) Also, some end users will find it over-complicated; they won't have the patience to fit the herbs into the container and maintain the water level. And some will prefer to emulate this with items they already own rather than buying another kitchen gadget.  

The refrigerator roll-out trays from Lori Greiner (in 14-inch and 17-inch sizes) are another way to avoid problems with items in the back getting overlooked. Since they attach with suction cups, they require flat shelves—not wire shelves and not grooved plastic shelves. Also, they aren't recommended for heavy items.

The Inmyel freezer cube is designed for storing meals in quart-sized freezer bags. While it makes those meals easier to find, it also takes up more space in the freezer than if those meals were put in the freezer without using any such device. That's a trade-off that will work for some end users and not others. (End users can also remove the shelves and use the Inmyel to hold the frozen meals vertically, thus packing more meals into the same space.)

For those end users who need to share a refrigerator with roommates or officemates and have had problems with foods going missing (or those who need to keep things away from children), there's the Fridge Locker with its combination lock. Purchasers say it's a sturdy product. Possible drawbacks: Small items can slip out and some purchasers have found the assembly to be a bit challenging (while others say it's easy).

The path to "success" for creative professionals has seen a marked shift in recent years. The traditional sequence of getting a degree, building a portfolio, going on interviews and eventually settling down at a firm is no longer a given—more and more, designers are not focusing on "getting a job" but rather on "making a life." 

In her new book Don't Get a Job...Make a Job, designer, writer and educator Gem Barton highlights a crop of "new-generation trailblazers" that are carving out alternative ways of operating within the field of design. 

It might seem counter intuitive in our risk-averse world that young designers should embrace the unknown and go out on their own. Barton attributes much of the changes taking over the work landscape to necessity born out of the 2008 recession. When "the jobs dried up...the strong and the inventive found new ways to approach clients, to set up a practice, to specialize, diversify and subvert the traditions. While a terrifying time to be in the midst of, this is the time when new traditions are made, legends begin and the clock restarts." For Barton, designers working today have a new sense of responsibility to define their unique role and pursue it actively. Ultimately, she believes, the future will be shaped precisely by those "free-thinking, forward-looking, rule-bending, problem-solving, question-asking" individuals who are finding ways to activate the fringes.

Divided into seven sections that explore big-picture ideas, from "Specialism vs. Diversity" to making "Tough Calls" and "Getting the Most Out of Your Education," the book explores its themes by looking at specific case studies and getting inside the strategies and work processes that actual designers, including Sam Jacob, Something & Son and Jason Bruges, have used to ditch the 9-5 and start their own studios and businesses. In their own voice, the designers share the struggles they encountered along the way and reveal the emotions, gut reactions and instincts that propelled them forward. By collecting a wide range of diverse narratives and points of view in one place, the book surpasses the typical "How-To" guide and sets up a space for conversation and debate about what it means to be a designer today.

We've culled some of the most insightful takeaways from the book below: 

Release early, release often

Making your work accessible has never been easier, so why rely on traditional forms like CV's or portfolios to show people what you can do? There are so many innovative ways that designers can use social media platforms to share thoughts and ideas—find ways to innovate a little bit every day and connect with likeminded people. Even if your work is not yet fully fleshed-out, starting a presence early on and engaging viewers (and potential clients) in the development of your work can be a valuable interaction. "Allowing others to see how your ideas grow enables them to become invested in you and understand your process—people like what is familiar to them," notes Barton. "But be careful not to give away too much. You own the ideas when they are in your head, be smart about how much you share."

Go to the clients, don't make them come to you

Soon after their founding in 2009, icecream architecture started using an ice cream truck to get around. Adopting a community-friendly icon not only gave the designers a strong visual identity right off the bat, it also reinforced their desire to practice architecture in an alternative way. "The exposed nature of the van instantly removed any barrier that might prevent people from approaching us," explains co-founder Sarah Frood. "The van quickly became a hook and a tool for engagement. It took us out of town halls and into the streets, and in a very practical way or ethos as a practice was personified by our brand and by the van." As Barton concludes, the key takeaway from this case is that "having a hook that is a perfect match for your business needs as well as a strong brand identity is the ideal situation to put yourself in." 

Build best-case scenarios in your imagination

Jimenez Lai, founder of Bureau Spectacular, believes that there is no way to manifest the best future possible for you unless you give yourself the space and freedom to dream a little—or a lot. "If you have the courage to build a best-case scenario timeline in your imagination, that reality is already as good as real," he says. "My advice is: write a few 'fake' CVs for versions of your future selves—craft them, let your ambition run wild, project a few futures. No one is watching and there is no sense in feeling ashamed about these fake futures. I promise you, as you print them out and hold your plural futures in your hands, you will gain a deep sense of clarity about what you want to do and what you do not care about."

Even within a team, you need to be an individual

When you're thinking about taking the big leap and going out on your own as a designer, teaming up with like-minded people can be an intriguing route. Together, you can buffer some of the risks as well as create a support system and channel your excitement and energy to achieve a common goal. But, as Barton reminds us, in a partnership it is especially essential to retain your individual personality and not lose sight of what is important to you. The relationship you forge with your partner(s) can be thought of as a "framework to pursue your own individual interests and support each other in the process."

Repeat, repeat, improve, repeat

Designers always have to balance client needs with their own vision—being specialized yet remaining adaptable. Having a trademark can seem like a drawback if it makes you too regimented in your approach, but Barton argues that developing a distinct style won't pigeonhole you, it might actually open more doors. "By developing a style that is instantly recognizable as you, you become instantly recognizable," says Barton. "When you are not afraid of doing the same things over and over, you are free to improve and develop." Once you've "extracted the essence" of your work, every project you work on will function as an advertisement for your unique skill set and sensibility. 

Don't wait for things to happen

If you had to boil Barton's book down to one key take-away it would be this one: "if you cannot find an opportunity that you like/want, you owe it to yourself to make your own." To illustrate this point, she gives art director and illustrator Mega as an example. Once he identified that he wanted to art-direct publications he didn't let a lack of work samples dictate what he could or could not do—instead, he created his own magazine to showcase his skills and get his foot in the door. Going a step further, once he started taking on clients and realized that it was hard to find a dependable freelance illustrator to collaborate with, he learned how to make illustrations himself—he expanded his skill set and never let the client see him flinch. "Being able to spot niches in the market, identify opportunities and close in on them before everyone else has had their breakfast is priceless. Be active, be busy, do things!" 

When you think of traditional German aesthetics, it makes sense that the natural wood look is currently popular there. And when you think of modern German aesthetics, it's no surprise that the starkly modern aesthetic is also currently en vogue in Deutschland. But I didn't expect to see them both combined in as startling a manner as I did in the Material-ID booth at Holz-Handwerk.

Talented designer Andrea da Silva has had an interesting and unpredictable career path; after gaining a degree in Fashion Design in the '90s, she held careers in both sportswear and textiles before entering the automotive industry as a color and trim designer. Infiniti, Mazda and Mitsubishi were all clients. At some point she became enamored of wood, particularly recycled wood from wine barrels and old window frames, and figured out how to wring new life from them.

In 2012 she started up Material-ID, which specializes in creating unique coverings for walls made largely from recovered wood. Above and below are a glimpse of Material-ID's offerings.

Sadly, for now da Silva is only covering the German market. But perhaps with enough prodding from interested interior/environments designers they'd consider expanding? Interested designers can contact the company here.

More from Core77's coverage of this year's Holz-Handwerk Show!

Alaskan Yellow Cedar

Cupressus nootkatensis

Alaskan Yellow Cedar grows along the Pacific coast of North America from Oregon up into Canada and Alaska. It likes moist climates, and thus it is only found along coastal areas.

Slow growth means closely packed rings for a very strong and consistent wood grain.

Due to the colder temperatures and high rainfall of its local climate, Yellow Cedar grows very slowly with closely packed growth rings and very little distinction between early wood and late wood rings. This makes for a dense, consistent color and a high degree of stability throughout the tree. Moreover, Alaskan Yellow Cedar is highly rot and insect resistant and very hard.

The consistent grain structure means Yellow Cedar works very well either by hand or with machine. The tree is slow growing and very large so it is common to find heavy timbers and long and wide boards.

Alaskan Yellow Cedar is not actually a cedar but is from the Cypress family. Much like Western Red Cedar, Alaskan Yellow Cedar is often associated with Cedars because of its texture and aromatic nature.

Applications

Yellow Cedar grows in similar areas as Western Red Cedar, though Western Red is spread over a wider area to include inland areas. Yellow Cedar has some similarities with Western Red, but in every area, Yellow Cedar is superior to Western Red in stability, strength, and weather resistance; these qualities make it a premium option for exterior siding, ceilings, flooring, and trim work.

Traditionally, Yellow Cedar is used in boat building, because of its extreme weather resistance and strength. This strength is counter balanced with a light weight, and because of this, Yellow Cedar is also found in aircraft construction.

Yellow Cedar is a prime pick for saunas and pool house construction, since the wood thrives in wet environments. It is also commonly found in Japanese designs for gardens and architecture; its light weight and high strength allows it to be worked in small and intricate construction like Shoji but also in large garden and outdoor structures like pergolas and gazebos, due to the availability in large timbers.

J. Gibson McIlvain maintains a constant stock of Alaskan Yellow Cedar in common 4/4 and 5/4 sizes, but we can always get special order products in greater thickness and even large timbers, generally within a 2 week window. In most cases, we are asked to mill the Yellow Cedar in paneling, flooring, or siding, and we can match whatever needs your project demands, before we ship it out to the job site.

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This continuation of the Wood Species series is written by Shannon Rogers, a/k/a The Renaissance Woodworker and founder of The Hand Tool School. It has been provided courtesy of the J. Gibson McIlvain Lumber Company, where Rogers works as Director of Marketing.

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More Wood Reference:

Species:

» An Introduction To Wood Species, Part 1: Properties & Terminology
» An Introduction To Wood Species, Part 2: Pine
» An Introduction To Wood Species, Part 3: Oak
» An Introduction To Wood Species, Part 4: Maple
» An Introduction To Wood Species, Part 5: Walnut
» An Introduction To Wood Species, Part 6: Cherry
» An Introduction To Wood Species, Part 7: Mahogany
» An Introduction To Wood Species, Part 8: Rosewood
» An Introduction To Wood Species, Part 9: Ebony
» An Introduction To Wood Species, Part 10: Teak

» An Introduction To Wood Species, Part 11: Utile/Sipo

» An Introduction To Wood Species, Part 12: Sapele

How Boards are Made:

» How Logs Are Turned Into Boards, Part 1: Plainsawn
» How Logs Are Turned Into Boards, Part 2: Quartersawn
» How Logs Are Turned Into Boards, Part 3: Riftsawn

Wood Movement:

» Wood Movement: Why Does Wood Move?

» Controlling Wood Movement: The Drying Process

» Dealing with Wood Movement: Design and Understanding

The beauty of industrial design is limitations, and what talented designers can do within those limitations. This is most apparent when you have a monomaniacal company that offers a surprisingly wide variety of designs to accomplish their mission, whereas other companies might just crank out three or four solutions and call it a day.

The company in question is BMI, and their sole purpose is to create measuring tools. We've already showed you some of their funky tape measures that we saw at Holz-Handwerk. Here we look at another of their product categories, a utilitarian object that often gets no design love: The spirit level. A vial, a bubble and a straightedge are all that's required, right?

Wrong. BMI's designers have looked at every possible situation where a human being might need to level something, then created a product range to answer very specific needs—and budgets. Consider the following situations:

The homeowner trying to hang a painting in the foyer doesn't need to same level of precision—nor to spend as much money—as a technician trying to perfectly level an industrial machine. A white-gloved surveyor might only need to use a small device that will live most of its life inside a cushy shirt pocket, whereas the tradesperson on the job needs a robust piece of metal that can survive a fall off of an extension ladder. For someone installing drainage plumbing, having a means of quickly determining that a pipe is not perfectly level, but is instead on a two-degree slant to let gravity do its thing, is handy. And for a tradesperson installing something in a customer's home, they need a level they can set down on a delicate surface without marring the finish.

So let's look at some of their stuff:

The Ecoline is designed for "cost aware users." It's made from powder-coated aluminum, and to keep the price down the wall thickness is 1.3mm and the accuracy is +/- 1mm/meter.

Moving up the scale, the Robust models are decidedly beefier, with a 2mm wall thickness and a four-chamber cross-section for rigidity. Shock-absorbing rubber end caps protect against drops. The accuracy has been bumped up to 0.5mm/meter.

For those seeking a heavyweight level for rough framing, where a 1mm/meter tolerance is acceptable, their Christian-rankling 666 model is made from die-cast aluminum with a devilish red powder-coating. The shape offers improved torsion resistance.

The HighPrecision line has the same beefy construction as the Robust, but the tolerance on the HP line has been bumped up to 0.3mm/meter.

Also, the HPs have had their vials engineered so that the freaking bubbles move faster, "5x faster than those of ordinary levels," the company reckons. I believe that using the term "faster" is a translation error from German; as demonstrated to me in the show booth, it seemed that what they meant is that BMI's HP bubbles readily travel further outside of the demarcations when things are out of whack, providing better visual feedback. See the image below for a comparison:

As sexy as these are, perhaps the one that most caught my eye in their booth at Holz-Handwerk was this Wooden Spirit Level Super:

This is for when you're in a fancy customer's house and you don't want to mar whatever surface you're setting the level down on. But there is a trade-off: This being wood, they simply can't get the tolerances they could in plastic or metal, so the accuracy is 1mm/meter, which is more in line with a pocket level.

Speaking of pocket levels, BMI makes an abundance, all handsome and well-thought-out:

The basic, ABS plastic 670 Pocket. The perfectly rational form makes you just want to touch it

The 671 Nivelle has a dome level up top and a notch running along its length, making it ideal for leveling posts or spindles

The 675 Line-Level has two eyelets that one can thread a leveling line through

The 674M Trivelle is a torpedo level meant for use in tight spaces, features an additional 45-degree indicator and a powerful magnetic strip

The 682 Inklinat has through-slots to let one mark 45 and 60 degrees. Also features a rotating vial to accurately record angles

The 684M Universal is similar to the Inklinat, with the rotating vial, but has the angles on the outside for those who prefer to mark off of the edges

The company has paid a lot of attention to the vials, which they guarantee for 30 years. They're ultrasonically welded into place, and the magnifying Plexiglas used for the vials are non-reflective, ensuring the user can see a nice, fat bubble without glare. At the factory, a CNC laser is used to etch the lines in once the level has been calibrated. In the photo below left, you can see the outlying marks that are meant to indicate a two-degree grade, for the aforementioned plumbing application.

As long as this entry is, we've literally only shown you a fraction of BMI's levels. To see the rest, click here.

More from Core77's coverage of this year's Holz-Handwerk Show!

When you start digging into the facts about e-waste, you realize that the renewed interest and debate around the issue—spurred by Apple's big Liam disassembling robot announcement—couldn't have come up soon enough. The amount of waste we produce as a result of our gadget addiction is ludicrous. According to Mashable, electronic products may only make up for 2% of waste in landfills in the US, but it's responsible for 70 percent of its toxic waste. And that 2% of waste? Well that may sound negligible, but it actually adds up to something like 2.37 million tons of waste worldwide (here's a daunting visualization of millions of tons in case you want to put this into perspective).  

What's even more depressing is that e-waste recycling, our current form of dealing with old computers filled with toxic materials, isn't that great of a solution. Sure, it's an advanced system of shredding that allows us to separate scraps by material, but it is not an exact science. Here's a chipper illustration of the process for your reference: 

There are other times where "recycling" simply means the remains of our old gadgets are sent overseas—it's not as much recycling as it is handing off and forgetting about it. 

So what's so exciting about the new Apple robot (which should be noted is actually more of an assembly line as opposed to a singular object)? Here's what we know: Liam is still a large work in progress. It's a solution that took 3 years in the making and still only applies to one particular Apple product. Able to disassemble iPhones at an impressive 11 seconds per phone (as opposed to minutes in the standard manual procedure), Liam can still only disassemble about 1.2 million iPhones each year (since their inception, Apple has sold over 570 million iPhones worldwide). It is certainly not a process that will be the standard for all tech recycling plants any time soon. Another aspect that makes it so inconclusive is that Apple refuses to share just how much they spent to develop the technology. 

But what's the larger question here? Can robots like Liam help save the environment through the mere fact that exposure to toxic materials does them little to no harm, saving humans from a multitude of health risks? This is certainly a plus. The largest critique regarding this innovation seems to be that many experts aren't positive this robot can make much of a dent since most recycled iPhones go through independent e-waste recyclers who specialize in shredding anyway—and it's true, it won't. But I suppose the larger purpose of a device like this also lies in its marketing and PR value, right? A more green company translates to a more truthful company, a more reliable and trustworthy conglomerate, at least according to Apple and other companies interested in do-gooding. 

While it may be great for Apple's image to create a system for tackling the complex issue of e-waste, hopefully the project will also do its part by serving as a small example of what technology could potentially accomplish in the future to better our environment and the world as a whole. And Apple knows they hold this power too: they claim this is the only bit of technology they've ever created that they actually hope someone else will rip off. 

Martin Weck is a second-generation tischler ("carpenter" or "joiner" in German), working alongside his father and older brother in the family firm, Tischlere Weck. They do design/builds in everything from retail to residential to furniture. And while their work is beautiful…

…they were not exhibiting at Holz-Handwerk. But it is there that we came across a piece of Martin's work, one that was designed not to be seen by clients, but by tischlers like him who travel to job sites—and oddly, it was the centerpiece in the booth of a German insurance and occupational safety organization. Here's what it is:

You're probably wondering what the heck it does and why he designed it. On jobsites Weck often has to work with large sheet goods and large pieces of wood, and he found that commercially-available portable workbenches were too narrow to hold the sizes he works with. The fixed height of these benches was also unsatisfactory. Thus he designed this Multifunktions Holzbock v2.0, a knockdown workholding- and tool-organizing rig.

Weck's Holzbock is height-adjustable and contains a storage area for tools. It's wide enough to safely support workpieces with stability. Since its pieces nest within one another and it breaks down dead flat, it takes up a minimum of space in transit and is easy to transport to the job site.

An optional cam clamp Weck designed.

The clamp locks into grooves cut into the supports...

...and can be used to securely hold stops or workpieces.

His invention, which he had designed for his own use, began to arouse attention. "At various jobsites, other workers started asking me about it, asking where they could buy it," he says. He began providing free CAD drawings of his design so that those with access to CNC mills could create their own—"so the whole industry can benefit from more order and safety on construction sites"—but for those without a CNC mill, he sells them on the Tischlere Weck website.

As for how it wound up at Holz-Handwerk: A fellow named Norbert Vistula works for an organization called BGHM (BerufsGenossenschaft Holz und Metall or Wood & Metal Professional Cooperative), which is a kind of cross between OSHA and an insurance company for Germany's woodworking and metalworking industries. As part of his job he regularly audits tischlers in the field to observe their working practices. While visiting the Wecks, he spotted the Holzbock and noted its benefits: It held large pieces firmly, without slipping while being worked on; the height adjustability prevented ergonomically poor posture during operations; getting the tools up off of the ground and organized reduced the chances someone would trip over something; and it was easy to transport and set up.

Vistula nominated the Holzbock for BGHM's annual Security Prize Award, and it won. The prize was personally delivered to the Wecks' shop by BGHM's Franz-Dieter Thoma, who said:

The idea for this mobile multifunctional Holzbock is exactly the issue that we are pursuing with the security prize. The prize is an incentive for employees in wood- or metal-processing companies to step up and [devise ways to solve] issues of occupational health and safety. We hope that many more workers follow this example and contribute with their own practical improvements to work safely.

Hence, Weck's Holzbock took center stage at BGHM's booth at Holz-Handwerk. Congratulations, Martin!

It says: "Innovative solution of wood. More safety on construction sites - an excellent idea!"

More from Core77's coverage of this year's Holz-Handwerk Show!

Seeking a top-notch designer with package, trade-show booth design, and 3D renders/mock experience to join this 2-person team. If you’re an experienced, detailed and inventive designer with a passion for keeping up with what’s new in grocery stores and you seek freedom and flexibility to sharpen your craft, apply now!

Last year, I traveled to visit a certain German manufacturer of high-end power tools to cover them for Core77. When I returned to the 'States, inspired, I immediately purchased an expensive European machine.

No, it wasn't another Festool, though I've bought several; I bought a Nespresso Pixie. There was one of them in the hotel room in Germany, and I'd gotten hooked on the convenience of having good-quality, instant espresso every morning. I've now had the machine for nearly a year and it's fantastic, but the catch is that you've got to buy the capsules from Nespresso, exclusively in whatever blends they offer.

Maybe not for long. San-Francisco-based entrepreneur Kevin Lee has managed to reverse-engineer the capsule mold, allowing him to make his own Nespresso capsules. He's also figured out the one for Keurig K-Cups, and he's about to Kickstart a custom coffee business called Doers that can accommodate both machines:

The cost of tooling seems suspiciously low at just $10,000—has the cost of cutting steel come down since my day?—and Lee's easily surpassed it with about $11,500 at press time and 21 days left to pledge. According to the Doers website it seems the Nespresso capsules will be priced comparably to the real deal (just under $1/capsule if purchased in bulk), with the added benefit of getting to choose your own roast. But I have to wonder: Do you reckon Nespresso and Keurig's lawyers will just stand by, or are they currently drafting up C&D's?

Another thorny question: We know it's not ethical to knock off a company's product, but is it okay to knock off the thing you insert inside their product? And isn't that technically also their product? Copying the capsules gives the consumer more choice and allows them to unshackle themselves from the original company's ecosystem, but what will the lawyers say?

I, for one, feel conflicted. As a Nespresso machine owner I welcome the increased options Lee's business would provide. But as a designer, I'm not sure how I'd feel if they were my capsules being duplicated.

gravitytank is a design consultancy based in Chicago and San Francisco. One fascinating realm of their practiceincludes the area of food experience design,or FxD. Several designers are members of their FxD team, including a chef-trained culinary designer and others who possess skills in the realms of interaction, communications and industrial design—all of which they use to create innovative food and food-related experiences for consumers. We're excited to have their team of experts serving as judges in our latest 1-Hour Design Challenge, and recently had chat with gravitytank lead designers Eleanor Sandford and Kyleigh Wawak about what food experience design actually is and how to create a memorable food experiences through thoughtful research and observation:

Tell us more about how your team tackles the topic of food—what exactly is food experience design? 

Food experience design is a holistic, user-centered approach to food innovation that considers all aspects of the experience beyond the food or beverage itself. We are an unconventional group of food experts —designers, researchers and strategists—who love to geek out on the little details of what makes a compelling food experience.

How does your team effectively do research in order to create a product that will be truly useful? 

We always start with the consumer: what are their lives like? Where are they struggling? What do they value? And let those insights guide our design. Over the past five years of food innovation work we have developed a universal food framework using the values of health, joy and ease that serve as a starting place for hypothesizing and planning food research. 

How should designers be looking at current food issues (such as food waste, the convenience of cooking, food freshness and availability, etc.) in order to design something useful for the contemporary kitchen?

Again, by looking across all aspects of an experience—from shelf to recycling, delivery car to your front door—help to identify where things could be better and helps you to form your own questions. How could Alexa help me cook? Is ocean plastic a better material for a container? That holistic way of thinking paired with a deep understanding of your user can help designers to look at current food issues in a new way.

What do you think is neglected within current designs of modern kitchen appliances and/or kitchen systems? 

Although there is a push to think about interface or how to make my appliance more connected, the value of streamlined, space conscious product design is still an important factor to many users. An abundance of appliances do one thing (and in some cases they do that one thing very well) find themselves competing for valuable counter space- so by getting to know the user, and their kitchen, designers can be empowered to make better decisions on how that product lives in the user's home.

What excites you about the current landscape of food experience design and designing for the kitchen in general? How do you see it changing over time?

The food industry is changing so rapidly and so many of those changes affect what's happening in the kitchen, like meal kit delivery services, smart appliances, and pop-up dinner parties. The kitchen is evolving from a place for the cook to a place for anyone who's interested in food and partaking in food experiences of all kinds.

Design a kitchen tool that truly streamlines your life— send us your sketches for our 1-Hour Kitchen Tool Design Challenge and you could win an OXO On Illuminated Immersion Blender!

If you want to design a piece of furniture, you start with a sketch. But at some point you've got to get down to dimensioning the thing in hard numbers. There are several things you'll undoubtedly use during this process: A tape measure in your workshop where you make the prototypes, some type of CAD package to produce the drawings, a reference tome like Human Dimensions and Interior Space to get your dimensions.

Those are all relatively modern tools. But people have been designing furniture for thousands of years; how did they do it not only without CAD and reference books, but without drafting tables and T-squares, and even without accurate measuring tools?

Jim Tolpin knows, and runs a design workshop called "By Hand & Eye" that is dedicated to providing the answer. 

The lifelong woodworker and author of a dozen books on how to build things has researched the "pre-industrial artisan's approach to furniture design (as opposed to the typical and ubiquitous Industrial Arts approach)" and has found something interesting in the process: "The absence of mathematics."

That's not entirely accurate: Perhaps the statement should be "The absence of hard mathematics." As Tolpin explains, "If you can count to 12 and divide it up into whole-number ratios, you pretty much have a handle on all the math you'll need to design anything from a cradle to a coffin to any furnishing in between." Furthermore, using the system described by Tolpin and co-author George R. Walker in their By Hand & Eye book, you'll never have to worry about losing a tape measure--because two of the measuring devices you'll most use are, barring an accident of birth or life, permanently attached to your body.

Here's a video example of how this proportioning process works:

The other tool you'll need, besides your hand and foot, are a common pair of dividers. As the book description states,

Instead of serving up a list of formulas with magical names (i.e. the Golden Section, the Rule of Thirds) that will transform the mundane into perfection, George R. Walker and Jim Tolpin show how much of the world is governed by simple proportions, noting how ratios such as 1:2; 3:5 and 4:5 were ubiquitous in the designs of pre-industrial artisans. And the tool that helps us explore this world, then as now, are dividers.

Tolpin teaches the $25, two-day course (Saturday and Sunday) at the Port Townsend School of Woodworking in Washington state. He and Walker's book, By Hand & Eye, can be purchased at Lost Art Press. (The hardcover is $43, a downloadable PDF version is $21.50, and both can be had for $53.75.)