Core77

Object Fetishization: The Unito X Toyo Coffee Box

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On the one hand I think glamping is absurd. On the other hand, I can see the appeal--for people who love spending money on specialty objects.

Unito, an outdoor goods design brand from Thailand, has partnered with Japan's Toyo Steel to create this Unito X Toyo Coffee Box. The mash-up takes Toyo's venerated steel Y-350 Camber-Top Toolbox…

…and adds typography, a leather handle wrap, a felt interior tray and two pieces of wood to turn it into a coffee-gear-hauling "experience." (You have to supply said coffee gear.)

While the naked toolbox straight from Toyo's factory would run you $46, the Unito version will set you back $149.

Elegant Trestles Enabled by Welded Steel Tubes

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UK-based firm RCKA Architects was tasked with designing the Nourish Hub, a food bank and community education hub in London.

For the tables, they designed this elegant series of welded tubes:

These were fabricated by Tim Denton, a Manchester-based design/build studio. It's a pity these aren't on the market.

Hay's Minimalist Host Portable Lamp

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At first glance, this minimalist LED lamp looks like it's permanently integrated with the table.

It's not. That's Hay's new Host Portable Lamp, which has a magnet in its butt end.

For using the lamp with non-magnetic surfaces, it does also come with a base. You detach/attach it yourself, magnetically.

Both the lamp and base are powder-coated aluminum. Five hours of charging via USB-C gets you 16 hours of light. It's offered in two sizes: A 220mm (8.66") tall unit that goes for $189, and a 300mm (11.81") tall version for $223.

Core77 Weekly Roundup (3-30-26 to 4-3-26)

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Here's what we looked at this week:

Design overkill: Casio's "luxury" calculators.

The MAD EasyLoad: A ceiling-mounted electric loading crane for vans.

Takolink: A large extra screen for your phone.

A unique (Filipino?) design for a folding table.

The Anello Chair: Japanese craftsmanship meets Space Age meets Danish Modern.

This clever tool for jewelry makers quickly rolls clay strings into precise diameters.

Konstantin Grcic's Scout Work Mobile workstation for Vitra.

XSTO's self-balancing stair-climbing dolly cart.

Alessi's new junkyard-inspired espresso maker, by industrial designer Philippe Malouin.

Festool solves dust extraction by breaking time-space continuum.

Industrial Design student work: A multipurpose disaster relief vest.

The Masking Master: A brilliant Dutch paint taping tool.

Industrial Design student work: Gabriel Schroer's low-tech height-adjustable bar/café table.

Piko low-tech light switch add-ons.

Industrial Design Student Work: A Multipurpose Disaster Relief Vest

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Here's a timely project by Eva Steinz, an Industrial Design student at Austria's FH Joanneum University of Applied Sciences, Graz.

Vitapack

In times of international conflicts and economic crises, more and more people are forced to leave their homes — they start a journey of escape in search of refuge. Unfortunately, thousands do not survive this journey each year. More than half of those who die drown, others fall victim to violence, accidents, exhaustion, illness, or harsh environmental conditions.

Vitapack is an attempt to provide as many refugees as possible a safer journey — regardless of gender or age. This multifunctional life vest requires no complicated technology and can be individually adjusted.

It includes an emergency package of food, charcoal tablets, and a first-aid kit. When filled with dry leaves or grass, the vest can provide warmth, offer protection against the elements, or serve as a sleeping mat.

Wearing the orange side outward increases visibility, while the gray side can be used for [situations where less visibility is desired].

The project won Steinz a James Dyson Award.

Industrial Design Student Work: Gabriel Schroer's Low-Tech Height-Adjustable Bar/Café Table

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This Nice to Meet You table is by Gabriel Schroer, an Industrial Design student at Germany's Burg Giebichenstein University of Art & Design Halle.

"The bar table is an often overlooked and underestimated piece of furniture and not only by designers. It tends to evoke associations with company parties, silver wedding anniversaries, and somewhat subdued atmospheres. Yet it has its merits: it is a piece of furniture that naturally facilitates encounters, defined by moments of coming and going."

"Nice to meet you takes this neglected typology and reinterprets it through a small but thoughtful intervention and a distinct formal language. With its simple height-adjustment mechanism operated by a clamp lever, the table not only enables new scenarios of use but also becomes a conversation piece in itself."

Piko Low-Tech Light Switch Add-Ons

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In Taiwan, Panasonic's Deco Lite series of light switches are ubiquitous.

They're so ubiquitous that Taiwanese manufacturer Switch Papa finds them boring. They've thus designed this Piko line of switches that fit over the Deco Lite, switching them back to lever-style rather than rocker-style.

The installation method is low-tech, and sticker-based, no wiring required:

While the company initially came out with the plastic design you see above, they've announced they're expanding into wood:

The wooden switches will, they say, be on the market "shortly."

The Masking Master: A Brilliant Dutch Paint Taping Tool

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Even for skilled painters, masking edges by hand can leave little wiggles and slightly inconsistent reveals. A Dutch company called Masking Master solves this problem with their eponymous tool.

The Masking Master rides along the surface you're masking and provides a consistent 1mm space between the tape and the edge. This allows the paint to ever so slightly wrap onto the adjacent surface, providing a visually crisp, perfect line (rather than following the actual edge of your trim, which may be slightly wavy). There's also a handy spaced cutting feature: When you run into a corner, you jog a little trigger, which cuts the tape at the correct distance. Check it out:

The tool comes with additional spacers if you prefer a 3mm or 5mm gap, rather than the default 1mm.

The Masking Master runs $65. Replacement blades are available at $8.50 a pair.

Alessi's New Junkyard-Inspired Espresso Maker

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Is Memphis making a comeback? While I wouldn't go that far, Alessi has unveiled their new Vite expresso maker, which wouldn't have looked out of place in the '80s or '90s. Designed by British-Canadian industrial designer Philippe Malouin, the bodies are cast aluminum while the base is magnetic steel (so they'll work with induction ranges). The handles are thermoplastic resin.

As for the form, Malouin drew inspiration from junkyards:

"The Vite project was conceived in a completely unprecedented way in the history of Alessi. Malouin himself uses the term Scrapyard Works: a creative process that quite literally begins in scrapyards, where the designer retrieves metal fragments and gives them new life through recomposition and reinterpretation."

"The coffee maker's boiler echoes the form of a screw, a direct reference to the gesture involved in using the object. The aluminum of the boiler, contrasted with the colored tank, further emphasizes this connection."

Alessi offers a 3-cup size $175 for and a 6-cup size for $230.

XSTO's Self-Balancing Stair-Climbing Dolly Cart

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When we last looked in on Chinese mobility company XSTO, it was for their all-terrain stair-climbing wheelchair.

The company has also adapted their stair-climbing mechanism to dolly carts. Their Self-Balancing Stair Climber allows the user to effortlessly hump 551 lbs up or down a staircase.

The load platform has arms that can extend sideways, allowing you to carry wider loads.

And at least in the demo, it looks remarkably stable:

The units fold down for transport.

These run $3,100.

Festool Solves Dust Extraction by Breaking Time-Space Continuum

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An end to hoses: Festool's new research breakthrough eliminates them altogether. Using AI, the company has designed two interconnected portals that simply teleport the dust from the tool to the extractor:

It looks very convincing in video:

Are there logic problems with this design? Of course. If you can teleport the dust, why would you bother sending it to the extractor, as opposed to within the cab of a competitor's truck? Or forward in time, into the client's home on the day after your workmanship warranty expires?

The Scout Work Mobile Workstation, Designed by Konstantin Grcic

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Konstantin Grcic's Scout Work Mobile is a workstation designed for flexible workspaces. It's a small, wheeled trapezoidal desk with a tubular steel frame.

The frame not only provides grab points for wheeling the desk around, but also provides a hanging point for dividers and bag hooks.

Additionally, it supports two tracks on the sides. The user can manually change the table's height.

The strap at the back provides the rear support for the worksurface. It also allows you to tilt them up, so that the units can be nested and wheeled away for storage.

These are in production by Vitra.

The MAD EasyLoad: A Ceiling-Mounted Electric Loading Crane for Vans

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Vans are great for hauling bulky items, but sometimes the trick is how to load and unload those items. Dutch vehicle outfitter MAD solves that with their EasyLoad, a ceiling-mounted electric loading crane.

The beam extends roughly 6 feet outside of the vehicle, and has a maximum weight capacity of 500kg (1,100 lbs). It runs off of 12-volt power. And when retracted, it can be slid side-to-side along the ceiling, in case you need headroom on one side or the other.

You can also order longer cables, for lowering loads below ground level.

In the U.S., it's distributed by Minnesota-based National Fleet Products.

A Unique (Filipino?) Design for a Folding Table

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I've seen plenty of folding tables in my time, but never one that works like this:

That one belongs to Through the Porthole, an L.A.-based furniture reseller. Following the post below, it's surely been sold by now.

While the provenance of the design is unknown, one of the commenters states "This is the table used by the street vendors in the Philippines." A short investigation turns up a manufacturer called Shelves Philippines that sells a similar design:

If anyone knows what this table is called in Tagalog, please let us know in the comments.

Clever Tool Quickly Rolls Clay Strings Into Precise Diameters

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This Thickness String Roller Tool is by Vee Clay Design, a UK-based clayworker and jewelry maker.

It's a series of 3D-printed tiles with raised edges. It's designed for jewelers, who can use polymer clay to form lightweight components that are then baked, forming durable pieces.

Here's how it's used:

The set runs around USD $18.