Over the last ten days, the soon-to-be Coroflot office has transformed from a floor on wheels to, well, something that's truly on it's way to becoming an office.

Standing in front of the trailer, now with beams raised, a polished floor, and a panel of polycarbonate giving us a sense of what will become the walls, Laurence and I talked about the choice of "plastic walls."

Having been "enamored with walls that let in light," Laurence was keen on finding an affordable material to feed that enchantment, and polycarbonate was the answer. A material typically used to build greenhouses, Laurence was concerned the Coroflot team was headed for an office sauna of sorts. But after some research, we know the office will match the surrounding temperature, so for now, in the garage, the Coroflot office will be comfortable for everyone, not just cool season crops.

The build has been relatively quick, thanks in large part to the talented lead builder, Caleb Roach. The trailer is just 280 sq. feet, so each element of the build can usually be executed in a single day, whether it's been flooring or raising the beams. So what's next? Laurence is looking to finish cross-bracing exterior cladding and the roof (yes, all of this) in the next couple weeks.

As Laurence went through drawings and renderings, now in the shadow of an actual structure, it's clear she's developing this project and process with the idea that it's a prototype—the first of many structures like this and one that can serve as a model going forward. She's certainly discovering the build as it progresses, and that seems to offer both a challenge and a source of excitement and inspiration. And with excitement, she assures me her next drawings will be of the interior.

"I want to design a state of the art workplace environment. That's where my head's at right now."

Check out Laurence's design work here.

Written by Jeff Rutherford, originally for Hand-Eye Supply. 

This week we bring you our pressing topic of the moment straight from our reader-driven discussion boards! Dyson has just released its new ultra-quiet Supersonic hairdryer with a hefty price tag of $399—to many this is a laughably high price point while others argue, if it works, that it could be well-worth the expense.

From a design and manufacturing standpoint, what design elements would make a product worth the ultimately high retail cost? When considering the Dyson hairdryer, a few Core77 readers pontificate on the potential reason behind the price spike. One reason, as slippyfish writes, could be its particular focus on ergonomic considerations:

"I'm guessing that the super-short barrel obviates the need for any angle on the handle, or other ergonomic-related form development. Body care stuff seems like it should have some formal relationship to how its used. (Gillette Sensor women's razor for one example)."

Reader FH13thoughtfully writes the price could have resulted by virtue of marketing and manufacturing,

(Also feel free to check out the original post and contribute on our discussion board!)

The Studley Tool Chest is the most famous example of 19th-Century tool storage currently known. But it's obviously not the only tool-holding masterpiece ever built; it's just dumb luck that the man who inherited it happened to loan it to the Smithsonian in the 1980s, enabling the world to learn about it.

How many other craftspeople built pieces like this that we just never heard about? There might be cases like this scattered across the world—or worse, lost to the ravages of time. But another one has just popped up on the radar, and it's going for a whopping $150,000 at auction.

Sadly, this one isn't attached to a particular maker and has no story behind it. Item No. 30-3632, up for auction by Louisiana's M.S. Rau Antiques, is described as a "Woodworker's Tool Compendium" and contains some 210 implements of far more general provenance than Studley's piano-making tools. The cabinet is estimated to date to the early 20th Century and contains tools from the prior century.

The flowery language of the auction description can't hide the fact that they clearly have no idea who built it, nor what type of cabinetry the original user worked on.

An undeniable craftsman's dream, this incredible compendium of woodworking tools comprises 210 antique and vintage specimens stored within a marvelous, custom-crafted wall cabinet.

An incredible array of American and British makers are represented in this one-of-a-kind collection, including Stanley, Stormont, Disston, and Sorby Mortise. Everything from planes, chisels, and saws to auger bits, squares, and spokeshaves are in excellent condition. Each tool has a dedicated place within this multi-layered cabinet, meaning this cabinet was created specifically to house this fascinating collection.

The compendium, by its sheer breadth and complexity, was acquired over the course of many years by a truly gifted woodworker who treasured their tools to such an extent that they created this amazing cabinet to house them. With the tools contained in this cabinet, a skilled cabinetmaker's only limitation is his or her own imagination.

Desirable tools such as these, on their own, command premium prices on the market, and are highly prized by collectors of antique and vintage woodworking instruments. An extensive collection of this magnitude, housed in its specialized, hand-crafted cabinet, is simply never seen - making this compendium an immense rarity.

Here's the list of contents:

Stanley No.1 Plane
Stanley No.2 Plane
Stanley No.3 Plane
Stanley No.4 Plane
Stanley No.5 Plane
Stanley No.6 Plane
Stanley No.7 Plane
Stanley No.8 Plane
Stanley No.9 1/2 Block Plane
Stanley No.90 Bull Nose Plane
Set of 8 Stanley No.720 Chisels
Set of 5 Sorby Mortise Chisels
Set of 25 Stormont Archer Carving Chisels
Stanley No.71 Router Plane
Stanley No.198 Dual Marking Gauge
Stanley No.21 Combination Square
Stanley No.20 8-Inch Square
Stanley No.25 8-Inch Sliding Bevel
Stanley No.41 Push Drill with 8 Bits
Set of 4 Stanley No.70 Defiance Screwdrivers
Disston D-15 Rosewood Handled Hand Saw, 26 Inches
Disston No.68 Rip cut Dovetail Saw, 8 Inches
Disston No.68 Cross cut Dovetail Saw, 10 Inches
Stanley No.291-B 2-Ounce Hammer
Stanley 13-Ounce Claw Hammer
Miniature 4 1/2-Inch Vice
6-Inch Wing Dividers
7-Inch Wing Dividers
8-Inch Wing Dividers
Stanley No.31 Angle Divider
Preston 8-Inch Ebony and Brass Level
Stanley No.61 Rule (2 ft.)
Stanley No.1600 Pliers
Stanley Drill Brace
Set of 13 Stanley Russel Jennings Auger Bits
Set of 6 Stanley No.86 Flat Blade Screwdrivers
Preston Round Bottom SpokeShave
Preston Flat Bottom Spokeshave
Atkins No.50 Coping Saw
Set of 102 Triptych Woodturning Chisels
8-Inch Sharpening Stone in Burl Walnut Case
Pair of Bernard's Patent Nippers By Schollhorn
Pair of Eclipse No.33 Trammel Heads
Set of 3 Centre Punches
Set of 3 Pin Punches
Pair of Cigar Sharpening Stones
Miniature Calipers
Set of 3 Miniature Open-End Wrenches

Impressive—but is it worth $150,000?!?

The Leap Frogs is the nickname for the U.S. Navy Parachute Team, a volunteer group of active-duty Navy SEALs and their lesser-known SWCC (Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen) compatriots. The Leap Frogs conduct public outreach for the Navy by conducting precise jumps into public events, like the following:

I was surprised that the jumpers can actually hear each other whilst in the air. It is crazy how close they are able to get to each other without getting their chutes entangled. The POV footage doesn't quite make it clear what they're doing, but seen from afar their "three stack" maneuver looks like this…

…and when their legs are entangled, they're doing what is known as a "downplane" maneuver, whereby the two chutes are pulling in opposite directions.

With a single jumper, a downplane situation—whereby both the main chute and the reserve chute are accidentally deployed—results in falling a helluva lot faster than you ought to and is often followed by funeral arrangements. I suppose the Navy jumpers are trained to do it because the increased falling speed confers a tactical advantage.

The jump shown in the video above was conducted last month at the University of Tennessee's Neyland Stadium.

Via Reddit

As far as we've come with technology, traditional watchmaking remains an unnervingly skilled trade. The upper crust laborers of Parmigiani Fleurier, a three century year old watch company, include a small staff of highly skilled restorers. The three-person restoration team recently added incredibly rare guns and mysterious automatons to their portfolio, after completing work on a 200 year old device. 

Parmigiani describes their craft of restoration as "the art of re-establishing the former glory of an artifact by setting it free from the torments of time." In this case they certainly mean it. 

The Songbird Pistol was likely created around 1815, and is a piece of exemplary mechanical design. But before restoration the device was in poor repair, mangled by both time and around six different shoddy reconstruction efforts. After a year of painstakingly careful study, design, reproduction, and meticulous assembly, they finally succeeded in rebuilding it. 

When working smoothly, the pistol is a gaudy and elegant piece based on a cavalry pistol, with a non-violent surprise inside. As the user raises the pistol for action and cocks the hammer, a tiny bird springs from the barrel of the gun instead of a traditional sight. Rather than readying a shot, the little bird begins to spin and flap, while "singing" a complex and lifelike song. Once satisfied with its work, it bows back into the barrel and is shut in by its barrel-facade. 

The bird is feathered, enameled and articulated, with moving head, tail, wings and beak. The music box is housed in the barrel, and every bit of the outside is covered in enamel, filigree work, stones, pearls, and over the top hand-wrought detailing.

While looking for more details, I found hypotheses about its use that I'd love to see novelized. My favorite was the theory that the Songbird Pistol was one half of a dueling set–a dummy version of a real pistol–used by a duplicitous monarch to survive duels. I don't think it would take a beautiful automaton to pull that off for a king, but points for style have always counted.

The Songbird Pistol was likely created by the famed automaton designer Frères Rochat, and this incredibly rare example belongs to the Sandoz Family Collection. A similar pair, in less up-to-date state, were auctioned at Christies for a resounding $5.8 million. With a year of high octane skilled craft poured into it and a recently renewed mechanical crooner inside, you can't help but wonder what this incredible labor of love might be worth.

Here in star-studded New York we've got paparazzi going through certain people's garbage, hoping to catch a glimpse of Madonna's medication or Liev Schreiber's CVS receipts. But in the rest of North America, it's raccoons that are going through the trash. As you can see here, the crafty little creatures have no problem manipulating garbage can lids: 

Secure in the knowledge that their masks will hide their identity, the brazen animals often commit their crimes in broad daylight, sometimes in gangs:

To combat this Derick Foster, Senior Industrial Designer at container manufacturer Rehrig Pacific Company, was tasked with designing a raccoon-resistant trash can lid. Here's the EnviroGuard design he and his team came up with:

The design was good enough to snag a 10-year contract with the raccoon-plagued city of Toronto, which has ordered some 500,000 of them. Here's what happens when a raccoon encounters one of these:

Stymied by the new cans, raccoons in the greater Toronto area are reportedly migrating elsewhere:

In this episode of DiResta's Cut, Jimmy goes out into the field—literally. While we're used to seeing him operate in either his NYC or upstate shops, here he's got to build a house to hold beehives for a local farmer, pre-fab style, and Jimmy's yard out in the country is the only viable staging area.

Jimmy gets an assist from both his assistant Willy and shopmate David Waelder, who brings along a drone to offer some unusual camera angles. Everything from timber-framing techniques to modular construction is on show here. Watch as the team build the structure, break it down, transport it and reassemble it on-site:

LABA is a innovative bluetooth speaker designed alongside its horn inserts collection. As sound travels through the medium projected from its source, the acoustics can be manipulated with a change of its medium textures/surfaces, resulting in the altered reception of the sound by the user. Taking inspiration from traditional gramophones, the design is named LABA (horn in chinese)— it is designed to be iconic yet representative, coupling its mechanical function with crisp digital sound to provide a precious desktop speaker audio experience.

"May the 4th be with you." Over the years this silly pun has effectively turned today's date into the unofficial Star Wars day, and this year Frank Howarth celebrates it as only he can: By turning a sort of eco-friendly, bamboo plywood version of the Death Star on his lathe. Watch and be impressed as he even incorporates the main cannon:

Gender is accepted not as a simple biological factor, but as a way of identifying ourselves. The discussions around male-female are becoming increasingly complex as the focal point veers away from biological issues and more toward cultural ones. How does our gender identity affect the way we see the world? How does it affect the way we create? How does a history dominated by a patriarchal perspective change the way we perceive women and their role in the creative world? 

At this year's "Women in Italian Design" exhibit at the Triennale Design Museum in Milan, these important questions were mined along with the aesthetic and historical place of women in Italian design. Curated by Silvana Annicchiarico and designed by Margharita Palli, the exhibit was conceptualized entirely by women, and rightfully so—due to this, the show turns out to be discernibly progressive, sensitive and unabashedly celebratory of the female spirit of creativity.

photo cred. Triennale di Milano

And as for why the Triennale saw this as an appropriate theme in today's politically charged atmosphere, the importance of highlighting women in design was not just a celebration of work but also an economic argument. Claudio De Albertia, president of Triennale di Milano states that "promoting female employment in the economy is not just a matter of fairness and equal rights, but also a question of efficiency, because the low female employment level means wasted resources and talent. A greater female employment rate, equal to male levels [would increase] the Italian GDP...by around 13.6%".

"Shopping T" by Paola Anziche

The exhibition opens with a dark room of weavings, an important process that is traditionally understood as a "women's craft" and a concept that is a recurring theme throughout the show. Annicchiarico writes about how historically, "textiles have been viewed as an exquisitely feminine domain. Nails for men, knots for women." Simultaneously, throughout history, literature and culture weaving also represents power: "weaving means participating in the life of the cosmos, joining it, recreating the unity of the world in its diversity." This is a perspective that could be identified as distinctly feminine while also suggesting the benefits of acknowledging intertwining points of view, relationships and networks. 

"Olivetti Lettera 32" by Lucia Biagi, 2009

In contrast, for many prolific male designers in the twentieth century, singular identification and authorship was of the utmost importance—it didn't matter if you had a team of designers helping you, many star designer ended up getting all the credit. Annicchiarico highlights that we have already shifted far away from this approach: 

Perhaps the time has finally arrived because we are really starting to leave the authorial paradigm, effective in the patriarchal culture of the twentieth century, when it came to claim design to it's own specific identity, which is ineffective and restrictive today, when design is no longer about just designing objects, but increasingly also about triggering processes and relationships.

The exhibition puts forth that female designers contributed to this industry-wide attitude shift. By opening the exhibition with a weaving installation, the curators have created a visual representation of the complex position women have occupied in Italian design—the tension between craft and design, the individual and collaborative creation. 

A sponge lamp by Masayo Ave circa 1998

The rest of the show presents pieces from hundreds of different female designers throughout Italian history—navigating the installation as a river, or a timeline, that begins in the late nineteenth century and ends with bold works of the present day. You get to see objects from design powerhouses like Patricia Urquiola and Gae Aulenti along with ambitious and sometimes eccentric works from relatively ignored Italian designers of the past—the presentation intentionally presents no hierarchy between the two groups, again for the purpose of highlighting ideas as opposed to names and singular authorship. They are somewhat mysteriously grouped together, presenting material or symbolic themes without overt directives from the curators; ultimately, it's up to you to actively weave together the conceptual connections from object to object. 

"Extra Virgin" oil and vinegar dispensers by Nunzia Carbone

Nanda Vigo's playful "Due Piú" Chair, 1971 

Illuminated neon "Vanity Chair" filled with natural goose feathers, Federica Ameri for LA FOI, 2015

The exhibit inquisitively explores the possibility of gender presenting a different point of view on design: emotional, innovative, highly diversified, and on many occasions lighthearted and humorous. The show recognizes that yes, perhaps the female mind does make for a different angle on design: more soft and emotionally sensitive. But again, looking at the role of women in design through the theme of weaving, "Women have always done just what men were doing with other equipment and different tools: in ancient times, the loom was for women what the spear or bow was for men. If the man (hunter) captured the prey with lightning speed and the lethal energy of an arrow, the woman (woman-spider?) spun a cobweb and waited for her prey to fall inside. Different procedure, identical results." As design becomes a catalyst for co-creation, innovative ideas will be found in the spaces in-between. Designers have the power to knit together ideas from different stakeholders and areas of expertise to birth new systems, products and modes of making.

To see more images from the "Women in Italian Design" exhibit, check out our Milan Design Triennale photo gallery. 

Women in Italian Design was on view at the Triennale Design Museum. The exhibition catalog is available through the Triennale Book Shop.

What if you could decorate your home in rich chocolate bars? ...But without ants. The ONZA line of tiles offers an inviting and modular set based on the world's favorite treat. The series features three designs shaped like snappable, shareable indulgences, in three versatile natural colors. 

If the above video is to be believed, these tiles might be as calming and indulgent as their cocoa-based relatives. As different as ceramics and chocolate may seem, the textural similarities are fun. The ONZA concept plays with the commonalities and differences between the two materials: one cold and hard, the other soft and consumable. Both start malleable, made from rich liquid and carefully concocted chemistry.

The designs are built around an incomplete form to encourage seamless tiling as well as surprising mix-and-match opportunities. 

The simple geometric style is both bold and approachable, and the low-profile texture is an intriguing way to add complexity to a very simple background. 

ONZA was designed by Alberto Sánchez and produced by Peronda.

We once relied on bartenders to listen to our woes as they silently polished glassware. Nowadays we air our woes on social media via smartphone, running our batteries down, and the bartender's role is to take our phones and charge them behind the bar, where you'll see them stacked four high.

A team of researchers at the UK's University of Bristol aim to change this. They've developed a technology called PowerShake, whereby two phones—or devices like smartwatches and wristbands—can be pressed together, allowing power to flow from one device to another. In this manner the generous, fully-charged individual could share their juice with those red-battery saps.

There's just one problem: Aren't we becoming, as a society, far too selfish to share our battery life with others? That's exactly the issue the researchers ran into during trials. "Some people," reports The Economist, "said they were reluctant to offer their precious battery charge to others."

The answer to this is as depressing as it is expected:

A form of inducement might help. Vassilis Kostakos, a computer scientist at Oulu University in Finland, says one answer is cash. Anticipating the arrival of technologies like PowerShake, Mr Kostakos and his colleagues set up an auction for device power with 22 volunteers. The results, also due to be released at [computer-human interaction conference] CHI2016, showed people wanted €1.76 ($2.00) to sell 10% of their device's power when their battery was fully charged, but €4.41 to offload 10% when the charge had depleted to 20%. On average, 10% of device power sold for €2.22.

You could call it "surge pricing."

Our question to you is, would you willingly sell battery life to a complete stranger on the street? Or charge one of your mates? And do you think we'll see entrepreneurs roaming the sidewalks wearing hats that advertise their on-the-spot charging rates?

Laptop stands on the market generally come in two varieties: Fixed-height…

…and height-adjustable.

While some of the fixed-height ones are handsome, the problem with them is obvious: We're all different heights and require eyelines at different levels. The issue with the adjustable-height models is the inelegance/fiddliness of their mechanisms.

Industrial designer Matt Cramsie set a tall order for himself: To design a good-looking, portable, height-adjustable laptop stand with good UX, i.e. an elegant adjustment mechanism. Together with business partner Anhtai Anhtuan he developed the Tiny Tower, which was a year and a half in the making:

The push-button mechanism, which "works just like the extendable handle on checked travel luggage," is probably my favorite part of the design. 

I'm also impressed with the small footprint, though I do wonder about the stability. They mention that the part of the stand that your laptop sits on is covered in an anti-slip material made by 3M, and I assume there's something similar on the underside of the base.

While the Tiny Tower is expected to retail for $168, the early bird specials are going for as low as $69. At press time Cramsie and Anhtuan had garnered $15,773 in pledges towards a $65,000 goal, with 28 days left to pledge.

While I've never seen a valet stand at any of my clients' homes, I still think they can be really useful—and a real valet stand is nicer than an ironing board or a treadmill serving as a valet stand.

The Modo wall valet from Artful is a clever design; clothes can be hung nicely or just tossed over the piece. There's no place for a wallet, glasses or other such items—or for shoes—as with some other valet stands. But for end users who just want a place to toss their clothes (or put out tomorrow's), it could work just fine. And it's ideal for end users who have more free wall space than free floor space.

I'm intrigued by the variety of products that fall within the general category of valet stand. On one end of the spectrum, there's the traditional Gentlemen's Valet, designed by Søren Rose Studio. It's a well thought out piece, perfect for a man's suit and all that goes with that.

The tray has compartments of various sizes, accommodating a wide range of items: wallet, keys, cell phone, watch, etc. 

And on the other end of the spectrum, there's the Herman Clothes Stand from Ferm Living, designed by Herman Studio. This one is fine for less formal clothes, and would be good for end users who just aren't going to fuss with hanging something perfectly. The frame is made from powder coated metal; the pieces are held together by a leather cord and brass bolts.

Another design that's even better for the "make it quick and easy for me" end user is Stekko valet from Formabilio, because hooks are the easiest possible way to hang clothes up. At 170 cm, it's a bit tall for someone short like me; reaching the top hook might be difficult.

Formabilio recommends attaching this valet to the wall and supplies the hardware to do that. While that makes the valet less portable, it also means that someone with large rambunctious dogs (or small children who like to tug at things) could also use this valet.

Valet de nuit Andros, designed by Pucci de Rossi, certainly reflects that he was a sculptor as well as a designer. Besides being eye-catching, it's also fairly practical, with many places to drape clothing. On the top there's a place for a limited number of things, such as a watch. I can see some end users becoming better about hanging up their clothes just because this is such a delightful piece to interact with. This valet stand is made of resin.

The valet chair is another traditional design, beautifully exemplified by the Hans Wegner valet chair. A chair allows the end user to sit down while getting dressed—that can be handy, especially for putting on shoes and socks.

The Yannik valet chair from Cattelan Italia, designed by Andrea Lucatello, follows the example of the Wegner chair and incorporates support for a jacket into the chair back. There's also a bar for handing slacks.

Scott Wynn's valet chair might not allow a jacket to hang quite as nicely, but the wooden chair might be more comfortable than the Yannik chair. And there's a nice little spot for watches and such.

Jannis Ellenberger of ellenbergerdesign took a different approach with his Private Space valet chair. Jackets don't hang on the chair back; rather, the backrest has a slot for hangers. That would be useful for an end user who wants to use the chair for assembling a next-day wardrobe and already has shirts on hangers, perhaps from the dry cleaners.

For end users with enough floor space, something like Le Valet from La Fonction could work nicely. This valet stand incorporates a mirror, which is a nice touch. 

And on the back of the mirror are pegs to hang more clothes.

While many valet stands have a place for things like a watch or a cell phone, using that space may be problematic for end users who need to charge their watches and/or phones. They could run a cord from the valet to a power outlet, but that can be a bit awkward. However, the Excalibur Wardrobe Charging Valet from Proman Products might be a step in the right direction, with its built-in three-outlet two-prong power extension cord.

However, multiple purchasers have noted that the slots on the rear that hold the cords are too narrow for most cords to fit—not even the thin iPhone charger cords work. Also, an option for a power cord in a color other than white would be nice, since white won't work well with every end user's decor. And personally, I'd prefer a surge protector to a normal power cord.

Spanish Cedar

Cedrela huberi, odorata, fissilis

Our Spanish Cedar Lumber was used to make this great Treehouse by Lancaster County Timber Frames

Despite its name, Spanish Cedar is not only a hardwood (and therefore not a Cedar at all), but it is also not Spanish. Spanish Cedar actually comes from the Meliaceae family, along with Mahogany; Spanish Cedar is similar to Genuine Mahogany in its beautiful coloration, attractive grain pattern, and great workability. The wood's grain is usually quite straight and works well with both hand and power tools.

Spanish Cedar is also known as Cigar-box Cedar, as this was one of its traditional uses. The wood's natural aroma repels insects, and the high resin count makes it very weather and rot resistant. Due to its low density, the lumber is quite lightweight, which makes this wood highly sought after as a high quality exterior grade species.

However, because of its low density, which is caused by its slow growth rate, Spanish Cedar is not quite as stable as some of the types of wood for which it is often substituted, including Genuine Mahogany.

If special attention is paid during kiln drying, Spanish Cedar's tendency towards warpage and weeping can be avoided; not every lumber wholesaler, though, has the right equipment for properly drying this wood. At J. Gibson McIlvain, we have some of the only kilns in North America capable of achieving the right temperature to set Spanish Cedar while not overdrying and hardening it, which can cause stability problems later on.

Spanish Cedar has been listed as a CITES appendix II species due to its increasing popularity (combined with its slow growth rate), and, although availability is still high, the quality of some lumber dealers' Spanish Cedar is dropping.

At McIlvain, we focus on finding the right balance between environmental protection and customer satisfaction by sourcing from both plantation and certified sources that grow high quality Spanish Cedar. The positive attributes of the wood are what make it so popular, and compromising those characteristics for the sake of obtaining greater quantities at a lower price is not a step we are prepared to take. Our customers tell us that we carry some of the finest Spanish Cedar they've ever encountered, and we intend to keep it that way.

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For the past 13 years, artist and filmmaker Eames Demetrios (the grandson of Charles and Ray Eames) has been traveling around the world—but instead of documenting the physical sites he encounters, his work has focused on building a parallel universe and finding imaginative ways of embedding it into our "linear" reality. 

An exercise in multi-dimensional storytelling, Kcymaerxthaere (pronounced kay-mer-eks-theer) is an epic narrative project animated by a complex cast of characters—like grwosts and gnaciens—whose compound names subtly allude to more familiar fairy-tale creatures. Demetrios memorializes the events that take place in his alternate universe through bronze plaques installed at sites throughout the world. This action gives them the same kind of weight as the "real" events we habitually commemorate and allows an interesting network to emerge—one where fact and fiction are completely intertwined. "One of the ways you can think of the project is that it's a bit like a novel, with every page in a different place," he explains.

Currently, there are 119 bronze markers worldwide, installed in varied areas, from remote coastlines to urban cities. One of the most moving aspects of the project is its ability to create communities. As each plaque is built and installed, locals partake in every step of the process—weaving their own culture into an already multi-layered work. So, despite the somewhat alienating, hard-to-pronounce names and fantastical propositions, at its core Kcymaerxthaere taps into our innate need for storytelling. One woman who is involved with Demetrios's project put it aptly when she said, "[they're] words I don't understand, but he speaks them fluently." 

To make the project more accessible to those who cannot travel to each monument and put the story lines together themselves, Demetrios is currently seeking funding for a Kcymaerxthaere book which will encompass everything he's built so far. Speaking about this latest evolution of the project, Demetrios notes that "It is not about another installation, it is about increasing connection all around the world. Connection based not only on our ongoing modes of business, faith and politics, but on the power of the story to help us all both appreciate the richness of our world, and also to look at it fresh—seeing new possibilities." 

NYCxDesign is in full swing and if you're anything like us, you are starting to map, setup calendar alerts and share invites to all your favorite design events. To help navigate the options, our editors have combed through hundreds of events from the upcoming weeks to pick out our favorite going-ons during this year's festivities. Here's our top 10 picks for New York Design Week 2016:

Trace Elements

The prolific Japanese design firm Nendo debuted a series of poetic cabinets that are material representations of the design sketches used to illustrate the way drawers and doors swing open and close. The Trace collection pairs simple wooden cabinetry with simple metal frames in a playful and elegant installation that leads visitors from the entrance of the fair into the venue as part of the debut Collective Influence annual presentation, highlighting the work and career-long impact of a single designer.

Nendo at Collective Design Fair, Skylight Clarkson Square, 550 Washington Street. May 4-8.

Miming the Kar-a-Sutra

When we first learned about the work of the Italian designer and longtime Olivetti consultant Mario Bellini, we were curious by his Kar-a-Sutra, a precursor to Mercedes' F 015 living room on wheels. Thanks to the artist Anthea Hamilton's vision, visitors to Frieze New York will finally be able to experience the original vision of the artist, replete with a full cast of mimes. Engage with the cast, explore some of Bellini's recommendations for living on the road but just remember, safety first!!

Kar-a-Sutra Frieze Project by Anthea Hamilton at Frieze New York, Randall's Island. May 5-8.

You Need a Grouphug

For the second year, alternative design collective Grouphug is choosing to put aside new chairs and tables and focus on design's ability to bring about positive change. This year's themed exhibition tackles on of society's most pervasive issues—prejudice. In the group show "Judge Me," designers were invited to create objects in response to some form of discrimination they've personally experienced. The resulting works, ranging from market-ready products to conceptual explorations, provide a thoughtful foundation for an expansive discussion about prejudice today. Standout projects include Humantones, a "Pantone guide" for human traits, and M.E.O.W., a wearable that discourages cat-calling.

Judge Me at 160 Orchard Street. May 6-8.

Meet the Aaltos

With over 200 works, many of them never shown publicly, this blockbuster show of the work of Artek and their two co-founders Alvar Aalto and Aino Marsio-Aalto promises to be full of moments of elegance and surprise. The exhibition is the first in the United States to showcase the comprehensive history of the brand with a range of lighting, furniture, painting, drawing and textiles on show.

Artek and the Aaltos: Creating a Modern World at Bard Graduate Center, 18 West 86th Street. Through September 25.

In the Garden of Pamela Anderson

The seeds of spring are blowing through New York City and with them, the editors of PIN-UP and the Museum of Art and Design are holding a day-long conference on the art of the garden and "cultural, physical and spiritual cross-pollination" from guest presentations from the likes of Bjarke Ingels, eco-architect James Wines, Nori Noda and Pamela Anderson. Yes, that Pamela Anderson.

Seeding presented by PIN-UP and the Museum of Arts and Design, Columbus Circle. May 7.

Plant Life

The organizers of this year's American Design Club presentation are tackling the great indoors with the theme of their New York Design Week exhibition, "Growth." Part of the newly launched Design Pavilion on Astor Place, we look forward to seeing the plant-friendly designs with plants supplied by our friends at The Sill.

Growth at Design Pavilion, Astor Place Plaza. May 7-11.

Analog Girl in a Digital World

This year's design festivities include a special product launch for those of us who might be a bit nostalgic for the good ol' days of physical photography. The Impossible Project, the heroes of polaroid instant film the world over, is launching their first camera on May 10 at the MoMA Design Store. The I-1 Camera pays homage to the form of the Polaroid camera while integrating digital controls that allow for contemporary functionality like aperture and shutter speed control, double aperture and remote triggering via an app on your mobile device.

I-1 Instant Camera will be available through the MoMA Design Store beginning May 10.

Punx Not Dead

With all the earnest objects and big brand showcases during New York Design Week, it's refreshing to find dissenting voices in the city that birthed the Ramones, Afrika Bambataa and The Velvet Underground. A group of emerging artist/designers are staging the second installment of JONALDDUDD showcasing objects that use furniture and housewares as a point of departure instead of the final destination.

Jonald Dudd, 285 North 6th Street, Brooklyn. May 14-15.

Shaking Up Shaker Furniture

Three years ago Oregon-based Studio Gorm launched a research project on classic Shaker design objects. The traditional American design was so compelling that they then invited like-minded designers to contribute to a full collection of works inspired by the religious group's minimalist design principles. "Furnishing Utopia" highlights brand new works by the likes of Jonah Takagi, Ladies & Gentleman Studio and Norm Architects along with 8 other prolific designers and studios.

Furnishing Utopia at Sight Unseen OFFSITE, Grace Building, 1114 Avenue of Americas, 15th Floor. May 13-16.

The Narrative of Making

"Million Loops" by Maria Camarena Bernard and Aakanksha Sirothia, 2016

With a dual presentation in Milan and New York, the Furniture Design and Textile Design students at RISD have had a busy Fall semester preparing for their intercontinental presentation. The Narrative of Making highlights a collaborative design process between students from the two departments with a focus on the tactile qualities of the material and forms that evoke emotion and authenticity.

The Narrative of Making by RISD at ICFF, Javits Center, 655 West 34th Street. May 14-17.

In today's news: your how-to video binges can pay off. (At least if you also put the IRL time in and get a nice camera.) For the founders of London's Blenheim Forge, an interest in traditional Japanese metalworking didn't need a travel budget, a traditional guild, or a craftsman's guidance. They just went to YouTube. 

Reading their blurb on Nowness, my eyebrows lifted at the slightly boastful claim that they turn out fine knives "without ever having enrolled in a steelmaking class." But DIY knife making is a tried and true field. It's not an overstatement that anyone with a hot enough furnace and a bangable surface can make a functional knife. The difference in quality isn't simply in depth of metallurgical knowledge, it also comes down to awareness of pragmatic application and attention to detail. 

And in that regard, it looks like the three Blenheim workers have done their googling well. Their Japanese style kitchen knives use several time-tested metal types, known for a blend of hardness and ability to hold a fine edge, and intended for serious kitchen use. Between Blue Paper steel and modern Damascus, their blades follow conventional wisdom for what chefs need in a tool and like to look at.  

But as straightforward as they seem, and as lovely as their videos are, would you trust a knife made by guys who started in 2012?

As a resident of one of the nation's hottest hotspots for young self-described artisans, I can get inured to their slow-crafted earnestness and under-35 charm. But stories of self-taught traditional skills remain intriguing, in part because they remind us of finished objects we take for granted. 

Have you taught yourself any skilled crafts using YouTube? 

For a society that lives in a digital, dematerialized age, we still have to carry heavy stuff around from time to time. There are a variety of wheeled, sometimes improvised contraptions we use to help us with this; I can't be the only person that's used a skateboard as a dolly, or tried overloading a handtruck with a bungee cord clusterf*ck.

What would be useful is a single object that could help us perform a variety of hauling tasks and that could adapt to cargo of different sizes. Maybe this is it. Check out the EROVR, a transformable mixed-use cart and very impressive piece of industrial design:

I'm digging the multiple configurations of the design, not to mention that it can be attached to a bike. 

The little design touches like the waterproof compartments and the pop-off, swappable wheels indicate a lot of thought went into the UX. I could see myself using one of these constantly, particularly on busy days down at the studio.

Now for the skepticism:

While the EROVR can be had for $195 on IndieGogo, the MSRP is expected to be twice that. I'd have no problem paying $400 for something so useful that I would keep and use for the rest of my life, as I would with a sturdy hand truck--but the EROVR only comes with a one-year warranty.

Given that this is meant to haul heavy stuff, it ought be built to take a beating. All of those moving parts enable clever configurations, but the designers or shrewd consumers in all of us cannot help but see those as potential points of failure, particularly where metal is joined with plastic. For the manufacturer to only guarantee they'll hold together for 52 weeks is, in my opinion, far too short for a utility object.

I have a diminutive female friend who often shops for herself in bulk. The walk from her parking lot to her apartment is a long, obstacle-strewn odyssey, and she uses one of those lousy granny carts that looks as if it will fall apart at any moment. I'm tempted to get an EROVR for her as a Christmas gift--they're projected to ship in December--but can't decide if I should roll the dice.

Crowdfunders, however, have spoken. The EROVR has been nearly 400% funded, with $191,644 pledged at press time on a $50,000 goal.

In any case, what say you? Given what little we can see in the video, do you reckon this object will stand up over time? Do you feel a one-year warranty is just par for the course these days, and that we must live with the risk of disposability?

Has one of your teachers ever given you an ultimatum? This happened to Mike Parris when he was studying robotics and architecture at Carnegie Mellon. A professor noticed that Parris took off every summer to go skiing in Wyoming, and that this was perhaps interfering with his studies. Parris needed to decide, the professor said, whether he was a skiier or an architect.

What a dumb thing to say.

It worked out for Parris, though, because he decided not to return to school the following semester. Instead he moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and learned to build custom skis:

If you're wondering what some of the materials you see in the video are, Parris' Igneous Skis are made from a blend of wood, graphite, steel, fiberglass and Kevlar.

By the bye, this is just my opinion, but I think professors who insist on students pursuing studies in design or architecture at the expense of other interests is what produces out-of-touch designers and architects.