Core77

From Michael Hilgers, Three Examples of Beautifying and Increasing the Utility of Existing Objects

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Earlier we looked at Michael Hilgers' STECKRETÄR, which turns the Billy bookcase into a desk. Here are another three examples of the Berlin-based architect applying his "pragmatic design" philosophy.

This TAB object, for housewares brand Purstahl, lets you add a shelf to any piece of furniture featuring a vertical board.

This ECKLING planter, for indoor/outdoor furniture brand Rephorm, makes a lovely transition out of a balcony railing.

Lastly this aluminum GoTisch object is an insert for a Eurobox (a standardized crate designed to stack efficiently on European pallets). It allows you to turn the box into a sturdy step or a table:

The GoTisch wasn't designed for a specific manufacturer, but is instead being crowdfunded. A portion of the proceeds will fund RollinFree, a German company that builds accessible camper vans for wheelchair users. You can sign up for the crowdfunding on Hilgers' Instagram.

Touch Sensitive Earbuds Suck, but Loop's Earplugs Have a Physical Dial Interface

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I have two different pairs of noise-canceling earbuds: The Bose QuietComfort 3 and Sony's WF-1000MX4. The Boses are good enough to drown out vacuuming, but when using a chainsaw or a lawnmower, the less-comfortable Sonys are required.

They both have the same annoying trait; when they inevitably start to fall out, and you press against them to secure the fit, it activates the touch-sensitive mode switches--a feature that cannot be disabled. Suddenly you're subjected to the ear-splitting noise you were trying to drown out. Worse, the Sonys have a tendency to get stuck in that open mode, and your frantic tapping has no effect.

In short, touch control for earbuds sucks.

So here's an interesting product from Loop, a Belgian manufacturer of earplugs.

To be clear, these are not earbuds, and only offer sound protection. But their Switch 2 product lets you dial in, literally, the amount of ear protection you'd like. A rotating mechanical dial lets you switch between "Engage," "Experience" and "Quiet;" those settings cut 20, 23 and 26 decibels, respectively.

I do wonder if the silicone ear tips are enough to hold them in place securely while you work the dial, or if they must be removed and set.

The Switch 2 runs $60.

In any case, absent a physical dial, I do wish earplug manufacturers would at least allow you to disable touch sensitivity. If you actually enjoy that feature and find it defensible, let us know in the comments.

A Laptop Concept with a Palm-Rest Screen You Can Sketch On

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To execute their work, designers often shuffle between three different UIs: A mouse or 3D mouse, the keyboard, and a good ol' fashioned pen/marker/pencil. Typically the mouse and keyboard happen on your computer, and the sketching takes place off to the side. But this new concept aims to add the analog writing tool as a third on-computer interface.

The concept—pointlessly named the AI Book, though there's no AI hardware in it—is by Compal, a Taiwanese computer manufacturer. What they propose is turning the entire area under the keyboard, where the trackpad typically is, into a full-width E-ink surface that you can write or sketch on with a stylus.

This E-ink screen would also features this unusual hinge arrangement, so that it can flip out of the way when you close the laptop, then flip back down to live on the outside. This would allow you to jot quick inspirational notes or sketches without opening the screen and firing everything up.

Some laptops like Microsoft's Surface already allow you draw directly on the screen with a stylus, but that's a bit ergonomically awkward; having the writing surface down low, like Compal proposes, is more akin to sketching on a pad on your desk.

While you've likely never heard of Compal, they make laptops for Apple, Acer, HP, Sony, Toshiba and other well-known brands. The concept is perhaps their bid to garner consumer attention, potentially in advance of selling products under their own name.

The VertiStack Avante: A Sectional Garage Door That Stacks Overhead

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Standard garage doors all have the same issue: Once opened, they cover the ceiling. That means you must be judicious about where you place things like storage hooks, lighting or ceiling fans.

In contrast, this VertiStack Avante design, by garage door manufacturer Clopay, takes up very little overhead space. Instead of sliding along your ceiling in a single piece, like a tambour door, this one stacks into discrete components.

It's admittedly a long way to go, but engineers gonna engineer.

Core77 Weekly Roundup (3-2-26 to 3-6-26)

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Here's what we looked at this week:

Structural package design for whiskey gets a modern upgrade.

The Mosmatic rotary surface cleaner lets you clean roofs from the ground.

Industrial Designer Henrik Tjærby's simple chair buck.

The incredible FarmLoop system automates your 3D printer to produce entire batches while you sleep.

How boilermakers make complicated 3D shapes out of 2D material.

"Shopping Basket Voting:" A clever, passive way to gain shoppers' opinions.

Cork Trivets by industrial designer Hugo Passos.

Lignatool's jig for cutting precise timber joints with a chainsaw.

A modern design update for mooring bollards, by industrial designer Adam Miklosi.

From China, a combination kitchen sink / dishwasher.

Two engineers improve the UX of the paint tray.

Industrial Design student work: Manuela Hirschfeld's two-way chair.

From Sweden, a Hybrid Stud design that speeds wall construction.

An extreme custom drafting table, by industrial design firm Caliper.

The VertiStack Avante: A sectional garage door that stacks overhead.

An Extreme Custom Drafting Table, by Industrial Design Firm Caliper

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"Inspiration is for amateurs," writes NYC-based Daniel Arsham. "I'm a professional artist: I wake up every day and go to work."

Arsham's demanding work ethic also extends to the tools he uses. When he wanted a custom drafting table on which to execute his drawings, he turned to Madrid-based industrial design and fabrication studio Caliper.

"The table was commissioned as a functional tool for Daniel's small scale charcoal and graphite drawings," the firm writes, "featuring a backlit surface and magnifying lamp to aid in the process of creating these small scale paper works."

"The design implemented tailored storage solutions for paper, charcoal and the artists tools, as well as surface mounted charging ports and controls for the light sources."

"Produced in CNC machined aluminium with a clear anodised and bead-blasted finish. The table was fully assembled in-house in our studio in Madrid and shipped to NYC."

From Sweden, a Hybrid Stud Design that Speeds Wall Construction

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In construction, load-bearing walls need beefy components in order to provide structure. However, for non-load-bearing walls, corners can be cut, as that wall's only job is to hold itself up. In order to reap economic benefits, builders will frequently use steel studs to build non-load-bearing walls. These are lighter, can be cut with snips rather than a miter saw, and are faster to install.

Swedish manufacturer Gyproc finds just one problem with steel studs: Their carbon footprint. They've thus developed an alternative product called the Hybrid Stud. This consists of two sort of mini-studs connected by a metal bracket.

The units ship flat.

On-site, the builder folds the two pieces of wood towards each other, causing the bracket to bend.

The entire assembly is then essentially a lightweight stud.

The carbon savings of a Hybrid Stud over a steel one are an 81% reduction.

As far as a cost savings, the math isn't straightforward: These cost roughly double what a steel stud does--but install in about half the time and using 33% less fasteners. That's because with steel studs, drywall must be fastened with screws, in order to penetrate the metal. With Hybrid Studs, however, a staplegun can be used. That's far faster than using a driver.

If you want to see them in action:

Industrial Design Student Work: A Two-Way Chair

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This minimalist, bent plywood Tilt chair is by Manuela Hirschfeld, an Industrial Design student at Germany's Hochschule Pforzheim.

"Tilt transforms from a chair to a lounger in seconds with a gentle forward tilt. Intuitive and perfectly balanced. Two moments arise from a single piece of furniture: arriving upright or relaxing and letting go."

I'd link to more of Hirschfeld's projects, but she maintains no online presence. I find this is increasingly the case with the current generation of ID students; I'm not sure why.

Core77 Design Awards 2026: Vineet Thuvara on Multidisciplinary Innovation

Core77 Design Awards

Vineet Thuvara's career traces a path through some of technology's most influential products. He began his design career as a co-founder of an industrial design agency in New Delhi before moving into lead roles in a variety of product organizations at Microsoft's Surface, Xbox, and Server divisions. From there he went on to directing product design and management in Amazon's Echo and Alexa device portfolio, and his current role is Chief Product Officer at Fluke Corporation, a global leader in test and measurement devices, software, and services.

At Fluke, Vineet leads the business units and drives growth, new product innovation, and strategy while championing AI integration. His path reveals someone who understands innovation from multiple vantage points: as designer, entrepreneur, general manager, and executive. He holds a Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering from University of Calicut, an MS in Industrial Design from Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, and an MS in Engineering and Management from MIT. He's co-author of the Life-Cycle Engineering Handbook for Indian Industries, guest lecturer at multiple universities, product advisor for startups, and holds several patents, with past scholarships at Delft University in the Netherlands and Hitachi Design Center in Japan.

Asked what excites him most in his practice, Vineet's answer comes in three parts: "Innovation in User Experience, Technology and Business Models." It's a framework that captures his multidisciplinary approach, where innovation is not an isolated invention but as the convergence of experience design, technical capability, and viable commercial structure.

The Balance at Risk

Yet Vineet carries a concern that speaks to his design roots. "Losing the balance between form and function," he says plainly when asked what worries him about the design world.

It's a foundational tension in industrial design, one that never fully resolves but requires constant attention. In an era of rapid technological change and AI-assisted design tools, maintaining that equilibrium becomes even more challenging. The pressure toward either extreme threatens work that achieves genuine integration of both.

Pain Removed, Magic Added

As jury captain for the Commercial Equipment Category in the 2026 Core77 Design Awards, Vineet will evaluate entries through a lens focused on impact and transformation. His advice to entrants reframes how designers might communicate their work's value.

"Help the jury visualize what pain are you taking away from the user or what magic are you bringing to the world," Vineet says.

It's guidance that asks designers to articulate outcomes in human terms—not features or specifications, but the actual difference the work makes in someone's experience. Pain removed suggests solutions to real frustrations, friction points eliminated, obstacles cleared. The notion of bringing magic to the world suggests moments of delight when using a product, or adding subtle design elements that add layers of meaning into potentially overlooked areas.

For a jury captain whose career spans consumer AI devices, professional measurement tools, and gaming hardware, this dual frame makes sense. Great design, whether in test equipment or smart speakers, either solves a problem people have or creates an experience they didn't know was possible—and ideally does both.

2025 Winner

The 2025 Professional winner in the Commercial Equipment category was Tim Nugent from Pulse Design Group for CNSRV DC-02. This system defrosts food in less than half the time it normally takes because the water is constantly being circulated all over the food as well as temperature is monitored and maintained throughout the defrosting.

If you have a forward-thinking idea that could spark a fire with our jurors, share it with us through the 2026 Core77 Design Awards .

The final deadline to enter is March 28. Don't miss out - enter now!

Two Engineers Improve the UX of the Paint Tray

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At the end of a painting job, we've all done this, which takes forever:

Engineers John Archard and Charles Cooper became frustrated with that task. They then invented the SmartTray, which has an odd protuberance on one side:

This allows you to mount the tray right onto the can, and go do something else while it drains.

Additionally, when you start the job, you can also set the can up to drain into the tray, and start rolling right away.

Archard and Cooper patented the design through their company, Tovarna. The invention was then snapped up by a manufacturer called Vinyl Trends, but at press time it hadn't yet appeared on their website. With any luck it's on its way to production.

A Combination Kitchen Sink / Dishwasher

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China must be an interesting place to be an industrial designer.

In America and Europe, we've had a middle class for roughly 100 and 200 years, respectively. And we have a pretty fixed idea of what appliances should look like, and how they should work, because we've had them for all of our lives. But China's middle class is fairly new. This gives their designers leeway to experiment with new forms and typologies, because to Chinese consumers, virtually everything is "new." If you come up with a concept that might seem wacky to Westerners, the Chinese consumer will still give it a look; they don't care if there's precedent or not.

As one case in point, take this 3-in-1 Sink Dishwasher, by Fotile (a high-end Chinese kitchen appliance brand). It's top-load rather than front-load, and is bundled together with a sink. Because the Chinese diet consists of plenty of produce and seafood, the thinking goes, why shouldn't the thorough cleaning action of a dishwasher be applied to those things too, rather than just dirty dishes?

The product uses both hot water and ultrasound to rinse dirt, pesticides and residues off of fruit, vegetables or fish, which you place in a basket above the cleaning works. The machine then dries them using convection heat.

As far as size, it's about half the capacity of a typical American dishwasher. That said, in the past several years the company has made inroads into the U.S. market, pitching the unit to smaller families as well as RVs and even yachts.

If you're curious, the company's been on the market here for long enough that YouTube now has American review videos posted by consumers.

A Modern Design Update for Mooring Bollards

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The mooring bollard is a classic piece of form-follows-function. Mounted to docks for the sole purpose of mooring boats, these heavy cast-iron structures are shaped so that ropes cannot slip off of their tops.

Now Hungarian industrial designer Adam Miklosi has upgraded the mooring bollard with both a clean, modern form, and an unexpected feature: Light.

"LUME™ is a light-integrated bollard designed for marina environments, combining structural performance with subtle illumination. Clean and robust by day, softly guiding and increasing safety after dark."

d"The goal was to reinterpret traditional harbor infrastructure through a contemporary design language — integrating mechanical function and lighting into one coherent system."

If you're wondering about the finish, these are actually cast steel rather than cast iron. And they're no mere concept: Recently unveiled at the Budapest Boat Show, Lume is going into production by Marinero, a Hungarian manufacturer of technology systems for Marinas.

As for the power source, the Lume units will likely be hard-wired. Marinero already makes service pedestals (which deliver power and fresh water to boats at marinas) that feature hard-wire-powered illumination.

Miklosi designed those, too.

Core77 Design Awards 2026: Yuko Takagi on Design That Resonates at Scale

Core77 Design Awards

Yuko Takagi finds her greatest satisfaction when complexity gives way to clarity. "I'm most excited when a complex challenge becomes a clear, meaningful design solution," she says. "Seeing that idea improve sales or resonate with consumers is incredibly rewarding."

As Design Manager at The Coca-Cola Company, Yuko operates in the high-stakes world of FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods), where design decisions ripple out at massive scale. "Small decisions can impact millions," she notes, "so finding simple, human-centered clarity in the process is what drives me."

Based in Tokyo, Yuko specializes in brand development, package design, and visual identity—bringing brands to life through clear and creative ideas. With over a decade of experience across both client and agency environments, she's delivered award-winning design solutions for global and local brands. Her work spans branding, packaging, structural design, and visual identity systems, earning recognition from the Pentawards, The Dieline Awards, and the A' Design Award.

The Erosion of Originality

Yet Yuko sees troubling patterns emerging in contemporary design practice. "I'm concerned that originality is being lost," she says directly. "Trends and AI tools make it easy to create visually loud but conceptually thin work, leading to designs that all look similar."

Her concern centers on the gap between surface appeal and substantive thinking. When tools lower the barrier to producing polished visuals, the risk is that design becomes untethered from the problem-solving and intentionality that give it meaning. "Good design should stay rooted in intention and real problem-solving," Yuko emphasizes.

Show Your Thinking

As jury captain for the Packaging category in the 2026 Core77 Design Awards, Yuko will be looking beyond aesthetic execution to the reasoning that shaped it. Her advice to entrants focuses on articulation and context.

"Clearly explain why your design matters," Yuko says. "Strong entries show the thinking behind the work—the insight, constraints, and decisions that led to the solution."

It's not enough to present the final package. Yuko wants to understand the path that led there—what insights drove the concept, what constraints shaped the form, what decisions distinguished this solution from other possible approaches. "A clear purpose makes a project far more memorable and convincing," she concludes.

For designers entering the Packaging category, the challenge is dual: create work that transforms complexity into clarity, then clearly communicate how and why that transformation happened.

2025 Winner

Winning the Professional category is an innovative packaging plan Google Plastic-Free Packaging , by Roman Ley at Google. Google's packaging for all hardware products, including Pixel, Nest, and Fitbit, is now 100% plastic-free, fully recyclable, and features innovative materials like custom-developed paper and molded fiber.

If you have a forward-thinking idea that could spark a fire with our jurors, share it with us through the 2026 Core77 Design Awards .

The final deadline to enter is March 28. Don't miss out - enter now!

Lignatool's Jig for Cutting Precise Timber Joints with a Chainsaw

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Imagine trying to cut these joints in timbers:

Now imagine trying to cut those with a chainsaw. It would be impossible—freehand. Thus Lignatool, an Austrian manufacturer of woodworking tools, developed this jig. It's called "Schnittführung für Kettensägen," which translates to "cutting guide for chainsaws."

Note that the steel band mounted above the blade acts like a riving knife, ensuring the cut doesn't close when you're in the middle of it. This makes kickbacks and jamming virtually impossible.

The chainsaw can also be mounted perpendicular, allowing you to cut tenon cheeks.

They also say they sell an adapter for cutting non-S4S logs (though I couldn't find an image of it on their site).

The company makes models to accommodate two different bar lengths; you provide your own chainsaw. Prices run from € 2,143 (USD $2,336) to €3,023 (USD $3,295).

Hugo Passos' Cork Trivets

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These handsome trivets are by P ortugese industrial designer Hugo Passos.

Made entirely of cork, they come in two different diameters: 160mm (6.3") and 200mm (7.9").

These are in production by British brand Crane Cookware. (I won't provide a link to that company because, embarrassingly for them, at press time their website had been hacked to feature ads for "Best Non Gamstop [sic] Casinos.")

The Cork Trivets are available at Jasper Morrison Shop. The smaller size runs £24 (USD $30.24), the larger £30 (USD $37.80).