Living

No, this isn't the beginning of a Jack Kerouac bio-pic—this is the dopeness our eyes feasted our eyes on this week. At first glance, the Klippen Klappen desk looks like a small box on a metal base that wouldn't serve much purpose as a desk. But as you unfold its layers, what was once a glorified side table becomes a fully functional workspace. Inspired by the design of old-school sewing boxes, Gregor... More » A spiral staircase is a gorgeous feature of this Beirut home. And .PSLAB has made the gem even better, by adding a modern circular chandelier above it. More » Typewriters are intricate machines-complex little boxes that require an abundance of ingenuity to produce. They are often beautiful, and they occasionally find wildly imaginative ways to conduct the delicate dance between the hammers and the keys. More » There are a lot of variables that go into brewing the perfect cup of coffee. And unless you fancy yourself an aficionado, you probably don't sweat the details....

Jul 23, 2012 5:00 PM   Having helped the fast food giant improve its image in Europe by revamping the interior design of its restaurants, Patrick Norguet was once again hired by McDonald's to create a more eco-friendly alternative to its disposable coffee cups. The result is the Tasse, a ceramic cup wrapped in an insulating foam sleeve that helps keep the coffee hot, but more importantly, prevents customers from burning their hands. Its minimal design is branded with the golden arches logo, but besides that no one will be able to tell you're drinking coffee from the same place that sells Happy Meals—a culinary crime that's probably even more shocking in a country like France. But it's hard to complain about the branding when McDonald's actually intends to give away five million of the cups absolutely free to encourage its patrons to switch from relying on the disposable variety. In the long run the promotion could actually save the company money, and if it's s...