Hanging clothes out to dry is a design problem with a long history and many solutions, making it all the more rare to see something like this clever star-shaped approach that addresses the issue with such adeptness.

In some Asian or European regions with more temperate climates, people string their clothes outside to dry, taking maximum advantage of warmth and airflow. Apartment and condo dwellers in colder places often have fewer options – Aaron Dunkerton of Queensland, Australia, but graduate of Kingston University, in the colder United Kingdom, can relate to both sets of conditions.

The clever twelve-pointed-star design allows for maximum air circulation and hanging area with a minimum footprint when the drying rack is folded up and stored. A compact collection of aluminum rods strung between plywood supports are unfolded and latched to form an essentially circular shape with space in the middle – all part of a low-tech spin cycle that takes up less space in your closet, too.

More about this unconventional clotheshorse: “The dimensions of my clothes horse are 56cm long, 32 wide and 23cm high when it is collapsed so it is much easier to store than a conventional clothes airer which are normally awkward sizes and hard to hide when not in use. When in use its dimensions are 56cm deep, 112cm wide and 112cm tall. The shape of my clothes horse when erect allows for good air circulation around the clothes, which will help them to dry faster.”