DESIGNBOOM’S TOP 10 DESIGN PRODUCTS OF 2023 BY OUR READERS

We continue our annual roundup series with a look back at some of our favourite design products submitted by our readers in 2023. Across various disciplines, designers have sought creative, playful, and thought-provoking solutions to enhance the ways in which we interact with our spaces and communities. We have seen furniture designers craft sculptural seating, tables, and light installations to add a touch of whimsy to our interiors, while others have sought to enhance the outdoor experience with sustainable toilet paper substitutes and a 2-in-1 axe and hatchet. Read on to see more of our TOP 10 picks of design products.

YIANNIS GHIKAS INTRODUCES NEW SHAPES AND COLORS TO MINIFORMS’ GLASSBLOWN SODA TABLES

image courtesy of Yiannis Ghikas and Miniforms

Greek designer Yiannis Ghikas introduces new, colorful pieces to his glassblown Soda table series for Italian producer Miniforms. Named after one of the main ingredients of glass, the latest collection builds on the designer’s exploration into the highly skilled and underrepresented glassblowing work of artisans on the Italian island of Murano. In the process, Yiannis wanted to highlight the material’s transparency through playful geometries, creating a vivid play of light and shadows. ‘Soda was born upside-down, with a puff of air. It weighs 20 kilos, and it is blown, drawn out, and shaped by three master glassmakers. The result is a single volume of glass with three large petals forming the stem. In Soda, the glass vibrates: its tough, hammered surface fragments its transparency to give a primitive aesthetic. This is artistic value granted to an industrial product,’ writes Yiannis. 

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HIPLOK’S 1000 SERIES OUTSMARTS BIKE THIEVES WITH ANTI-ANGLE GRINDER TECHNOLOGY

image courtesy of Hiplok

Hiplok introduces the 1000 Series, a line-up of security products that enhance motorcycle, e-bike, and bicycle security. The rigorously tested and independently certified range includes the world’s first anti-angle grinder ground anchor and asserts itself as the home to the toughest D/U lock on the market. Hiplok’s Co-Founder, Ben Smith, emphasizes the need for a security system to be as strong as its weakest link, stating: ‘Building on our proven track record in launching the first anti-angle grinder bike lock, we’re excited to launch 1000 Series, the ultimate modular security solution with graphene composite material technology at its core, for wherever you ride or store your motorcycle or bike.’ Rigorously tested to the highest security standards and independently certified, the series carries the prestigious Sold Secure Powered Cycle Diamond and ART 4 Star ratings.

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INTERSECTING WOODEN COMPONENTS NESTLE CONTOURED PET SEAT FOR XINGCHENG ZHU’S XOX CHAIR

image courtesy of Xingcheng Zhu

Breaking away from traditional chair forms, Xingcheng Zhu’s XOX Chair merges elements of nature and Zen, resulting in a warm and contemporary furniture piece. The chair takes its name from its wooden, X-shaped intersecting components and O-shaped seat, its circular contour embracing the user’s body and offering a sense of comfort reminiscent of the soft curves of meandering rivers and branches of trees. The intersecting elements of the chair’s frame are crafted from natural wood, its tones and textures infusing warmth and familiarity to the overall design. The interplay between the wood’s grain and the clarity of the transparent PET material, recycled from plastic bottles, achieves a balance between nature and modernity.

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MEET TONY®, A CLAY-BASED REFRIGERATOR POWERED BY EVAPORATIVE COOLING

Signed by industrial designer Lea Lorenz, TONY® is a modern-day reimagining of the clay jug cooler method. Unlike its ancestral design, this portable refrigerator and food container is powered by evaporative cooling, all thanks to its porous raku clay shell. This material naturally absorbs water from a reservoir and, through evaporation, lowers the interior temperature to a range of 13°C-17°C without any electricity. ‘It creates an ideal storage environment for foods that, on the one hand, a fridge is too cold for and that, on the other hand, spoil more quickly at room temperature,‘ writes Lea. The designer elaborates with some food safety facts: fruit and vegetables are sensitive to cold and lose their flavor if stored in temperatures that are too low, which also inhibits post-ripening processes. Incorrectly storing foods leads to unnecessary spoilage and, eventually, avoidable waste. With TONY®, fruits and vegetables could stay fresh much longer than in a standard refrigerator or on the counter. The project was selected as part of the BioArtLaboratories Talent Pressure Cooker programme at Dutch Design Week 2023. 

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ALEXANDER SHAYLE’S COFFEE GRINDERS EMULATE AGRICULTURAL GRAIN SILOS STRUCTURES

image courtesy of Alexander Shayle

Alexander Shayle infuses a touch of whimsy to the world of coffee products with Silo/Mill — a conceptual grinder and vacuum storage jar that draw inspiration from the industrial charm of grain silos and agricultural architecture. The project embodies and transforms identifiable visual elements from these structure structures, such as corrugated steel paneling, robust structural support beams, and raw materiality. As a result, the utilitarian bulk storage concept of grain silos is reinterpreted into a vacuum-sealed container for freshly roasted coffee beans, while the electric grinder, designed to process these beans, takes inspiration from traditional Windmills used for milling grains in households.

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KUO DUO APPLIES KERF BENDING TO MOLD RECYCLED PLASTIC BOARDS INTO VIBRANT FURNITURE

image courtesy of KUO DUO

KUO DUO’s KERF PLASTIC Series is a collection of vibrant recycled plastic furniture that explores new approaches to materiality and construction. Through its ongoing experimental project, WORD PLAY, the Korean design studio has delved into the limitless possibilities of material construction. Inspired by the similarities between plastic boards and plywood, KUO DUO sought to showcase the application of the kerf bending woodworking technique to craft a chair, armchair, and bench for a Korean clothing brand. This approach allows the once rigid and thick plastic boards to transform into flexible, contoured shapes screwed together without the need for heat, glue, or chemicals.

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HAORI REMODELS JAPANESE KIMONO INTO CURVING ALUMINUM AND COWHIDE LAMPSHADES

Atsushi Shindo’s HAORI stands at an intersection between a kimono and a self-standing lampshade, where its gently curving form emulates the folds of the traditional Japanese clothing in aluminum and leather. Becoming both the shade and the base, the minimalist lighting fixture envelops within an internal projection which converts a magnetic LED light into a soft, soothing glow. As the lamps are dressed in a different material, their distinct properties exude a different ambient tone of lighting, from the delicate perforated rays of seeping through the aluminum holes, to the soft semi-translucent grow through the fabric. The project was unveiled at SaloneSatellite during Milan Design Week 2023 at the Fiera Milano exhibition center.

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ORANGE, ALOE VERA, AND PLANT SEEDS MAKE UP O-SOW BIODEGRADABLE TOILET PAPER ALTERNATIVE

image courtesy of Avia Revivi

O-SOW by Avia Revivi is a sustainable biodegradable toilet paper substitute, made from orange, aloe vera leaves, and plant seeds. Intended for hikers who want to make a difference in the field of sustainability, the product adopts a preventive waste hierarchy that includes the complete cycle – production, use, and disposal. The use of the product sets in motion a sowing and fertilization process of various plant seeds incorporated in O-SOW. The product biodegrades quickly thanks to the decomposition of the orange and the active E. coli bacteria in the faeces.

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ADK26’S TWO-PART HANDLE TRANSFORMS IT FROM A HATCHET TO A LOG-SPLITTING AXE

image courtesy of Agawa Gear

In the world of outdoor adventuring, having the right tools can make all the difference. Hatchets are perfect for tasks like kindling creation and carving, but when it comes to heavy-duty log splitting, a long-handled axe is essential. The ADK26 by Agawa Gear is a multifunctional tool that intertwines the precision of a hatchet with the power of an axe to tackle any outdoor challenge.

As a hatchet, the head’s tailored Scandinavian-style bit allows for carving with precision, which with an added handle extension, constructed from impact-modified glass-fiber-reinforced nylon for durability can transform the ADK26 into a 26 inch axe. Its wide-cheeked head enables it to deliver powerful log splitting performance, while a flat poll at the back even serves as a hammer. At the end of its use, the handle can be disconnected and all components can be packed away into one compact cordura sheath for lighter adventuring.

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KENJI ABE REINTERPRETS TRADITIONAL SAKE CUPS WITH DURALUMIN — A ROBUST AIRCRAFT METAL

Tokyo-based designer Kenji Abe puts a contemporary, industrial twist on the age-old Japanese tradition of drinking sake with his metal HAKUSAKU cup ranges. While the nationally-beloved beverage is typically served in a porcelain cup, HAKUSAKU is instilled with the rigor of the aircraft industry, precisely carved from pure ingots of super duralumin — one of the hardest and strongest yet lightweight aluminum alloys used in aircraft manufacturing.

The cup is meticulously molded to an optimal thickness and roundness which allows the flavors of its contained beverage to take center stage while lending a stylistic facade. Slim and elegant, HAKUSAKU is inspired by the kiriko style of traditional Japanese cut glass, engraved with a pattern of curving lines and finished with a thin rim that accentuates the flavors of sake and enhances comfort during drinking.

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