There’s no peace quite like death, a fact that seems to have inspired this coffin-shaped, sensory-dampening hood encouraging you to “say goodbye to everything” no matter how chaotic your environment may be. The ‘Wearable RIP’ fits around your head, with padding for your shoulders and a kangaroo pocket for your hands, so you can get some (hopefully not eternal, just yet) shuteye, even in airports or on the bus.

What kind of burial do you want? That’s a serious question, because the hood will give you three options that change the type of music that auto-plays when you lean back enough to activate the sensor behind your head. Select the glory of a burial by fire, go deep into the silent earth, or float with the echo of the ocean in your ears.

Designers Ting Wu and Yu Ting Chang want you to “cut down the connection between you and reality,” burying yourself in a world of your own choosing. There’s some heavy philosophy in their description of the project: “‘Lived-body’ is the alive body that you can perceive; ‘body as image’ is just the object, the shape of the body. If you can perceive the object, does that mean the object is alive to you? In contrast, if you can’t perceive someone, is he/she still alive?”

The Wearable RIP hood: for when you just want to be a little bit dead.

Some people might choose the wide open desert, or a cliff overlooking the ocean. But when imagining the perfect place to relax, meditate or work on a creative project like writing a book, it’s almost always the quiet sun-dappled woods that come to mind. These glass tea houses by Swatt Miers Architects take full advantage of a beautiful Silicon Valley setting.

Along with his daughter, a California homeowner set out to explore the remote hills surrounding his home, discovering an idyllic setting below a ridge. A grove of sprawling California Live Oaks gave the site special significance. First envisioning a tree house, their idea for a quiet getaway evolved into what you see here – tea houses that are almost entirely made of glass.

The trio of minimalist spaces offer the same proximity to nature that a tree house would provide, but with the additional benefit of being comfortable year-round. Each tea house has its own purpose: meditation, sleeping and creative thinking.

“Each tea house is designed as a transparent steel and glass pavilion, hovering like a lantern over the natural landscape,” says Swatt Miers. “Cast-in-place concrete core elements anchor the pavilions, supporting steel channel rim joists which cantilever beyond the cores to support the floor and roof panes. With its minimal footprint, the design treads lightly on the land, minimizing grading and preserving the delicate root systems of the native oaks.”

[via notcot.org]

A hammock can be as simple as some woven rope stretched between two trees, or it can be a massive, built-in ‘outdoor room’ for four people with a price tag of $20,000. These 13 hammocks run the gamut between crazy DIY creations and amazingly relaxing deck hammocks over water to beautifully designed urban hammocks and luxury loungers for the uber-rich.

Hammock Boat

(images via: tobo)

Spotted at a UC Davis Picnic Day in 2003, this evidently DIY creation is probably the most creative use of a hammock ever captured on camera. It’s got a sun shade, a hammock for both lounging and sitting up to row, extra-long oars and a floating base that stabilizes the whole thing.

Deck Hammocks Over Water

(images via: cn traveler, dive safari asia)

Do hammocks get more picturesque than this? The idea is so simple, but feels so luxurious: simply stretching some net off a deck so you can lay down and relax, and see the water beneath you. The pictured hammocks are at the One & Only Reethi Rah resort in the Maldives and the Misool Eco Resort in New Guinea.

La Seora Hammock

(images via: design milk)

This high-end hammock not only looks really cool and sleek with its steel base, it’s also made with plywood beams that prevent your back from slouching. Plus, it’s got an adjustable footrest and armrests that open when you need them, a pillow and a side pocket.

Hammock Bed

(images via: techeblog)

Located inside an office, this hammock bed is probably pretty irresistible for those midday naps. Stretched across an opening in the floor of the second story, the hammock bed resembles a giant spiderweb.

5-Story House Filled with Hammocks

(images via: impact lab)

Why have just one hammock when you could have an entire house full of them? Heri & Salli architects created the Flederhaus as an urban getaway in Vienna, Austria. It’s an open, five-story structure with dozens of hammocks that provide a relaxing view of the park below.

Leaf Luxury Hammock

(images via: yanko design)

Here’s one durable hammock that won’t collapse on you or trap your limbs in its netting. The Leaf hammock by Pinar Yar & Tugrul Govsa has a plastic rim for support, and a woven center for comfort.

Cocoon Hammock

(images via: luxist)

The Cocoon Hammock is certainly inviting, with its large surface that can fit a group, and optional curtains for privacy. Designed by Henry Hall, this hammock is a permanent installation measuring about 12 square feet and weighing over 400 pounds. All of this luxury comes at a cost that nearly equals that of a vehicle: about $20,000.

Wave Hammock

(images via: royal botania)

Looking a lot like the sail of a ship, the Wave Hammock has such a small base, it appears to be floating in midair. Designed by Erik Nyberg and Gustav Ström for Royal Botania, the hammock has a semi-transparent canopy that blocks 86% of the sun’s rays.

Urban Balance Wave Hammock

(images via: spacify)

Ergonomically shaped, the Urban Balance Wave Hammock also makes a nice style statement for modern yards and gardens. It’s got an aluminum frame covered in woven wicker and comes with a colorful pillow.

E-Z Hammock by Royal Botania

(images via:  unica home)

Royal Botania’s E-Z Hammock is another modern choice, this one ideal for outdoor spaces where trees or other hammock supports aren’t readily available.

Le Beanock

(images via: le beanock)

A cross between a bean bag and a hammock, Le Beanock is meant for indoors, and it’s one of the comfiest looking hammocks ever. Ranging in price from $200-$500, this might just be the ultimate lounge item for rainy days.

Four-Pole Hammock

(images via: coveiter)

Like two hammock frames put together, the Chesapeake four-pole hammock from Pottery Barn easily fits two people in comfort and style.

Fox Fur Double Hammock

(images via: yanko design)

When you’re rich enough to demand over-the-top glitz and glamour in absolutely every object that you own, laying down in a silky-soft fox fur hammock is within your reach. That is, if laying on dead animals is your thing. German design studio Bless created this fox fur double hammock with a dyed fox fur blanket lined with cashmere.

(all images via: Dezeen)

Ideally, a tea house is a place to which you can retreat from a hectic day. The calming ritual of preparing and drinking tea can balance out nearly any level of stress and help you regain your balance. This tea house and library behind Shanghai architectural firm Archi-Union‘s studio is an impressive example.

The two-story structure is made of timber-formed concrete walls that twist through the interior. The shapes of the walls add visual interest but also form an organic, calming space.

On the site where the tea house was to sit, three sides were obscured and one opened toward a small pond. A large living tree took up part of the lot and needed to be built around. Working around these limiting features of the building site, the architects created a structure that embodies both enclosure and openness at once.

Far from feeling enclosed or claustrophobic, the concrete walls and glass facade make the space feel warm, welcoming, and exceptionally inviting. A small triangular balcony on the second floor encircles the existing tree, simply incorporating the living trunk and branches into the building’s design.

The rooms flow naturally from a public space at the front to private spaces in the back of the building. A reading room gives way to a transitional space which connects the first floor to the second via a unique twisted staircase. Overall, there is certainly no better place to escape from the stresses of a workday and relax with an engrossing book and a steaming cup of tea.