Within the atrium of Paris’ Le Bon Marché department store, shoppers pause to gaze at a mirrored cube punctured by a glowing full-pipe skate ramp. The installation is a partnership between Chicago architecture firm MANA and skateboarder Scott Oster, created as the centerpiece of the Los Angeles Rive Gauche exhibition.

Part sculpture, part stage, the modern skate ramp is a draw even when it’s not hosting live performances.

“Le Cube acted as a thought-provoking intersection between sport and sculptural art,” says MANA. “When a performance was occurring inside, the atmosphere was dynamic and stimulating. When it was not being activated, Le Cube sat quietly, luminously reflecting the architecture of its surroundings—warm lights, decorative iron handrails, and the famous crossing escalators of Le Bon Marché.”

The reflections were designed to create an illusion that the full-pipe was “a cylindrical void suspended within the open interior courtyard of the store,” and the mirrored surfaces amplify the displays that surround the cube on multiple levels.

The exhibition brings a little slice of L.A. to one of the world’s most refined cities, with Le Cube specifically referencing the street culture that gives Los Angeles much of its personality.

MANA hid a small access door in the base, eliminating the need for visually disruptive ladders, while safety wires protect the ramp openings almost invisibly. The reflective panels are made of lightweight aluminum to withstand vibration from skating.

Scott Oster says he wanted the piece to be a skateable work of art.

“My inspiration for the Adaptation cube was the photos I saw as a kid in the 70’s skateboard magazines of these massive cement full pipes in the desert,” he tells Le Bon Marché magazine. “My original idea was to find one of these pipes and set it on top of a pedestal, but after some research that was not a viable possibility. That’s when I came up with the idea of building one, and instead of building a full pipe sitting on a pedestal, make a cube with the full pipe inside it. I love the simplicity and form of a circle and a square.”

At a glance, photos of Cafe Yeonnam-dong in South Korea appear to show a flat two-dimensional drawing of a dining space, but these objects are far more 3D than they appear. From the floorboards to the plants to the door handles, every detail of the cafe has been sketched in black on white and brightly lit to show as little dimension as possible. As you might imagine, it’s all highly Instagrammable, making it so popular with locals and tourists that the cafe often has to shut down early because they’ve sold out of food.

The cafe, which opened in July 2017, takes inspiration from a hit Korean television show called W – Two Worlds, in which the protagonist enters a cartoon created by her father. The owners realized they could recreate that feeling in a highly unusual cafe, noting that there’s probably nothing quite like it in the world. The only things that break the illusion are the lamps and the food itself, which stands out in bright contrast, making it look even more appetizing than usual.

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A post shared by Since 2017 / Greem cafe / 2D (@greem_cafe)

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A post shared by Since 2017 / Greem cafe / 2D (@greem_cafe)

All the more reason to wear a vivid ensemble if you can make it to the Yeonman-dong district yourself (or blend in, as some people have chosen to do). If you can’t, Instagram has plenty of opportunities to experience the cafe from afar.

Images via the cafe’s Facebook + Instagram

When Le Corbusier designed his Brutalist Unité d’Habitation structures in Marseilles and Berlin, the architect imagined these as models for the future of vertical urban living. But, as they say in war: his plans didn’t survive contact with the enemy.

Completed in 1958, the Berlin version in particular was altered internally prior to construction, meaning that the original layouts and details Corbu had it mind were largely left on the drawing table, replaced instead by cheaper, German-drafted plans. At least until German-American architect Philipp Mohr (images Didier Gaillard-Hohlweg) bought a unit in the building.

He purchased a condo that, at the time, “was all entirely white and looked more like a prison, or the typical 1980s German social housing, than anything Corbusier had ever designed.” Even the ceiling heights were out of alignment with the original design.

Mohr went beyond restoring the 1958 format format, studying historical design documents at the Foundation Le Corbusier and the Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine in Paris to see past what was actually built.

With the big picture in hand, he set about studying colors, lighting, finishes, plans and other details of Corbu’s to replicate his original vision as much as possible.

Having finished the renovation, Mohr believes the space is better for it. “The colours are timeless and very soothing and inviting,” Mohr says. “The use of wood and natural finishes is comfortable and homely. The proportions are pleasing and the relationship to views and light is positive and uplifting.”

The Bog Standard Toilet Seat Roll Holder may be the sanitation solution nobody asked for but British designer Henry Franks really doesn’t give a crap.

“Bog Standard” is an oak wood toilet seat with a TP roll holder deliberately and seamlessly integrated into the front of the seat. Now this is where most folks would insert the classic, crying-anime-girl “why would you do that??” meme but bear with us: there’s a method behind (pun unintended) Franks’ madness.

“This was part of a research project into how the mechanics of humor can be used to improve everyday objects,” explains Franks (above), a 29-year-old Oxford-based product designer. “By placing the loo roll at the front, it becomes a clean handle for people to pick the seat up with and is arguably where you want the loo roll in the first place,” he adds. Yeah, we’re guessing more than a few of those people WOULD argue that point – some might even impugn the designer as some sort of lavatory loo- er, lu-natic.

“Franks’ Folly”, if you will, makes the age-old tiff between those who mount their toilet paper rolls over-hanging or under-slung seem almost inconsequential… which it most assuredly is NOT! Whew, gotta take a deep breath – funny how the little things in life too often get blown way out of proportion.

But we digress, and Franks has more to say: “Making people talk about an event by designing an experience using a humorous product hopefully brings awareness of how mundane or everyday products could be enhanced,” he opines, “and if nothing else hopefully brings a smile to the user.”

Indeed, perhaps the designer’s hands-on exploration into “toilet humor” is just what’s needed to put this truly existential (if not excremental) question in perspective. Then again, one look at Franks’ front-mounted roll holder and it’s obvious that this novel placement demands the roll feed out over, not under. At least now we know where his loyalties lie.

As far as forcing the toilet roll to act as the toilet seat’s handle, we fear Franks may be stretching the point a tad. Not that the concept of a front-mounted handle isn’t appealing (though still problematic for sanitary considerations), but do you really want to use toilet paper that’s been “handled” by the previous user? No, no you do not.

Maybe we’re over-analyzing Franks’ innovative exercise in bathroom tissue mechanics – he did state his prime focus was on the mechanics of humor, after all. As well, one does not simply build a better mousetrap… and the humble toilet roll we know and love is darned near unimprovable unless designers strike out in unusual and unexpected directions.

Think you could live with a toilet roll holder mounted on the front of the seat? Are you aching to ask unsuspecting friends, family and neighbors to pop in for a poop? Then we’ve got some good news for you: the Bog Standard Toilet Seat Roll Holder could be yours! Contact Henry Franks online via his website for more information. (via Designboom, Designrulz, and Tuvie)

Designed to serve as an ersatz kitchen for those living without, this seven-in-one design features a cutting board, an induction hob, a pot and pan, a wrap for utensils and cutlery, a dish rack, all tucked into a portable box.

While it may sound like a dystopian product for a generation that can’t afford houses, it could come in handy for those sharing kitchens at places like the Royal College of Art, where designer Yu Li created it.

But the target, says the designer, “the end users are millennials, young professionals who don’t have sufficient kitchen space. They might be sharing the kitchen with others – facing the situation of ‘kitchen traffic’ – or living alone in a studio with a kitchenette.”

The back pulls out to be used as a tray, which can also be turned into a drying rack. The induction hob has a timer and temperature controls. “The idea is to trim the original kitchen space down to a few minimal elements so space can be designed simpler, neater and transformed into other purposes to increase the space utilisation.”

As more and more novel apartment units get built in which some spaces are shared, this could be at least a temporary solution, if not a real answer to the systemic problem of home affordability. That, or it could be a great camping (or glamping) companion.