Here's what we looked at this week:Objets d'esign: Lexon is releasing speaker and lamp versions of Jeff Koons' Balloon Dog sculpture. Volvo's new Multi-Adaptive Safety Belt compensates for different sizes, shapes and crash severities.Dometic's designey coolers use a different manufacturing method. Wandercraft's Eve, the world's first self-balancing exoskeleton, allows people to walk again.U.C. Berkeley's tiny pogo robot has a unique locomotion style.BARE designs a better—and less expensive—Dutch oven featuring a host of UX improvements.Clever materials use: How to clear standing water on a flat roof using rope.Architecture that works with challenging terrain, not against it: The Zig-Zag Resort, by JA Joubert and UNS Architects.Industrial design firm APE creates the Echo Pro, a perfect-fitting bike helmet with a novel adjustment mechanism.The Splay Max: A folding portable 35" monitor.Industrial Design student work: Dashiell Schaeffer's Curvesse rocking chair, made from a single sheet of plywood.These unusual, "anti-ligature" doorknobs are designed with a grim functional purpose.Designey tool kits: A trend with legs.BareBag's unusual design approach: Bags that serve as hanging points for other bags.From Germany, the NOHRD SlimBeam is a handcrafted, attractive piece of home exercise equipment.Why America's streetlights have been turning purple.When industrial design is subject to aftermarket modifications: BoxPlates to undo the PlayStation 5's look.This ShowerClear design fixes the mold problem all showerheads have.Industrial design case study: Curve ID tackles industrial kitchen equipment for JAVAR.

Kai Cenat became Twitch’s top showman long ago, but the secret to his ongoing success is continuously finding new ways to take his streaming stunts to the next level. Last year it was turning a 1,700-death-filled Elden Ring marathon into the gaming event of the season. In 2025 it was a riff on reality TV and Hogwarts called Streamer University that crammed a bunch of streamers into a dorm and let the algorithm-fueled drama unfold. Suggested ReadingGameStop Doubles Down On Crypto With Massive Bitcoin Purchase As Stores Close Share SubtitlesOffEnglishSuggested ReadingGameStop Doubles Down On Crypto With Massive Bitcoin Purchase As Stores Close Share SubtitlesOffEnglishGameStop Doubles Down On Crypto With Massive Bitcoin Purchase As Stores CloseThe multi-day event got underway on May 22 with 120 rising streamers handpicked for an all-expenses-paid stay at the University of Akron to participate in Cenat’s Saw-like social experiment of watching his peers and protégés vie for attention, clout, and maybe learn something about getting famous monetizing that fame in the modern creator economy along the way. There were fights, expulsions, late-night parties, and actual classes. It was heavily manufactured and also brought in tens of millions of views. Streamer University Best Moments!A great report by Vulture interviewed some of the participants and offers an incisive recap of the entire spectacle. One “student” named Winston Groves recalled getting hazed with a hot dog in a condom left around his doorknob and said the cafeteria food tasted like it was gruel out of Minecraft. One of the floors was called the “demon floor” because of the stink. “The whole floor smelled like wild fumes, mysterious funk,” Groves told Vulture. Nobody slept. Everyone was constantly filming. There were apparently a lot of hot dogs and baby oil, seemingly the modern-day prank comedy equivalents of whoopee cushions and cream pies. “They had this prank where they made fake poop with fart spray and it had literally stank up our room to the point where my roommate’s eyes were tearing up,” said attendee Kieya Jennings, “There was water everywhere, baby oil, baby powder, noodles,” recalled Mari Franklin.There are over 10 hours of streams on Cenat’s Twitch channel from the weekend-long saga, and many, many more from the channels of the individuals in attendance. Comments on a video for the final day’s awards ceremony were filled with nothing but love for the streaming world’s current master of ceremonies. Streamer University’s valedictorian was Tylil James, a rising star with a big following that’s still only a fraction of Cenat’s. “Kai put on so many different type of creators and let them just create and do whatever they was great at,” reads the top comment. .

This modern take on the doorknob is by L.A.-based industrial designer Will Zhang. Called the Spoke knob, it's made of solid brass. If you prefer alternatives to the brass look, it comes in a number of finshes.One thing to note: "The Spoke knob requires handing to ensure that the spoke itself is directed towards the bottom right when at rest, as intended in the design.""Handing" means you've got to pay attention to whether the door you're spec'ing this for is right- or left-handed, in order to get the knobs oriented the way the designer wanted it. I guess the idea is that if you've got a room where multiple Spoke knobs are visible at once on differently-handed doors, you want visual consistency. The installer had better be on their toes. d The Spoke is in production by door hardware manufacturer Emtek, where Zhang is the Design Director.

Here's what we looked at this week:Crucial Detail's Ona Wine Chiller is an unusual-looking object for keeping wine bottles cool. Marc 3DP's love letter to 3D-printed fidget toys.A jeweler shows you her method for making Trinity Rings.The Newave: A modular surfboard that breaks down for transport.Inside the design of the Delta Three Oscar Halo system, a high-end ballistic helmet liner.China hosts world's first humanoid robot fighting competition, and more are on the way.Remedial design: Touchscreen backlash prompts aftermarket control knob and buttons for Teslas.Mafell's crazy pull-push portable table saw.A Dutch-Danish housing crunch solution: Build floating neighborhoods.MAFGA (Make American Fonts Great Again)?Swatchbox's Second Life Samples program is an easy way to recycle your firm's material samples.Extreme package design: The Art Edition of the "Calatrava - Complete Works" book.Once known for scissors, Fiskars has a hit with a demolition tool, their Pro IsoCore Wrecking Bar.A modern take on the doorknob by industrial designer Will Zhang.Industrial design case study: PDR brings dignity to catheter bags.

When Tom and Lia Higgins (Barbara Corcoran's son and daughter-in-law) acquired their prewar apartment on New York City’s Upper East Side, they wanted to maximize every inch of the 1,900-square-foot interior. So the high school sweethearts, who have young kids and love to entertain, called upon Hee Designs to fully gut renovate the unit, requesting a balance between “child-friendliness and a sense of sophistication,” says the firm’s founder, Kellyann Hee.Hee, along with the firm's design director Julia Berner-Tobin, reworked the original three-bedroom, three-bathroom footprint, moving walls and ripping out flooring to fit everything from a large kitchen with a pantry and dining area for eight to a private bedroom wing so that the family could host guests without disturbing sleeping children. From there, they completely reimagined the home's furnishings, turning to durable-yet-timeless pieces that could grow alongside the family. The result is an elevated yet practical retreat that balances versatility with a timeless, tailored feel—an extra impressive feat, considering the quick nine-month timeline and the fact that the project was the hospitality-focused firm’s first foray into residential design.Fast FactsDesigner: Kellyann Hee and Julia Berner-Tobin of Hee DesignsLocation: New York City's Upper East SideThe Space: Three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath across 1,900 square feetENTRYWAYGreen velvet wall art sets the tone for a muddy yet dimensional palette.Andrew BuiTable: Interior Icons. Ottomans: Lulu & Georgia. Rug: Design Within Reach. Ceiling lights: custom, by Studio Luddite. Wall art: Leonard Meoni. Wall paint: Soft Chamois, Benjamin Moore. Ceiling paint: All White, Farrow & Ball. Door paint: White Dove, Benjamin Moore.Throughout the home, the design team thoughtfully selected furniture with rounded rather than sharp edges and opted for soft materials, like wood over stone, “to create a safer environment for rambunctious kiddos,” Hee says. “We framed wall art behind glass or plexi to protect it, and used cordless window treatments.”As far as the color palette goes, the couple wanted to mix it up from their historically white-on-white style, so the team introduced warm neutrals and layered textures. In the entry, the velvet Leonard Meoni wall art, one of the only items the clients brought with them to the apartment, inspired further green accents throughout the space. “The entry opens into the kitchen and dining area on one side, where we have a dark green mohair banquette, and on the other side it opens to the living room with green accents in the art, book spines in the bookshelves, and mirror.”The finished design totally surprised us, in the best way.LIVING ROOMA plethora of seating caters to activities, day to night.Andrew BuiBuilt-ins: custom, by Rockaway Custom Cabinets & Restoration Shop Inc. Hardware: Lo & Co. Table: McGee & Co. Ottoman: Maiden Home.Andrew BuiSofa: Restoration Hardware. Mirror and lamp: Anthropologie. Throw pillow: Rejuvenation. Side table: Maiden Home. Sconce: Lumfardo. Ceiling light: Long Made Co. Wall paint: Soft Chamois, Benjamin Moore. Wall art: Eberhard Ross.Multiple seating arrangements ensure plenty of opportunity to work or unwind in the often naturally lit space. Custom-built-ins are encased in glass to keep everything out of reach of the kids but still allow the mix of books and decorative objects, like jewel-toned vessels, to be on display. “Our clients really love low lighting in the evenings,” Hee says. “So we backlit these shelves and included a few small lamps. At night, the bookcases become a warm and cozy element in the space.” KITCHENClever storage solutions keep the cookspace neat.Andrew BuiRange: Aga Elise Range. Cabinet hardware: MyKnobs.Andrew BuiCabinets: custom, by Rockaway Custom Cabinets & Restoration Shop Inc.Hee and Berner-Tobin relocated the kitchen from the floor plan’s center to a former bedroom location to bring in natural light, make the cookspace larger, and open it up to a formal dining room. “The combo of an open-concept kitchen and dining room is really popular in the city—and perfect for dinner parties,” Hee says.When customizing the kitchen, the duo prioritized storage with wide, pull-out drawers to hide appliances, pots, and pans, as well as narrow cabinets for stowing baking pans and cutting boards. The Caesarstone counters ensure the homeowners need not stress about stains, while the marble slab backsplash from ABC Stone adds a dramatic touch. “The fluted wall paneling softens a huge column that could not be relocated in the space, and similarly, a concealed pantry door opposite the kitchen sink,” Hee says.DINING NOOKThe customized spot mimics the feel of a luxe NYC eatery.Andrew BuiChairs: Restoration Hardware. Art lights: Pooky. Wall art (right): 1stDibs. Wall art (left): TRNK NYC.To fulfill the couple’s request for a dining area that seats eight, Hee and Berner-Tobin designed a custom banquette in green mohair fabric and a white oak dining table. Since the nook is open to the kitchen, it allows for easy cooking, serving, and dining for daily life with kids and evenings spent entertaining. “There’s a hidden table in the space behind the curve of the banquette that we had made custom to match the fluted wall, so the edges line up perfectly and no food or dust collects back there,” Hee says. “Also, it’s a nice place for a tiny vase for dinner party nights.”Overhead, simple flat crown molding “really adds that little extra layer of polish,” Hee says. The minimal, easy-to-execute detail is carried throughout other parts of the home, as is the parquet wood flooring. The team invested in permanent elements, like the flooring, over high-end, irreplaceable vintage furnishings that may not stand up to wear and tear.POWDER ROOMMetallic wallpaper maximizes light while creating an enchanting look.Andrew BuiWallpaper: Holly Hunt. Mirror: Rejuvenation. Faucet: Kohler. Sconce: Rich Brilliant Willing.Located off the kitchen in a small wing with a hidden pocket door is the glamorous powder room. “The [Holly Hunt] wallpaper here is a real stunner,” Hee says. “It has a raised foil pattern reminiscent of antique lace and acts as the perfect backdrop to a beautiful velvet photo collage commissioned for the room by Brooklyn-based artist Roxana Kadyrova.” PRIMARY BEDROOMA serene space reminiscent of a luxury hotel room.Andrew BuiTable: CB2. Chair: Residence Supply. Bench cushions: Custom, in Holly Hunt fabric. Throw pillows: Restoration Hardware. Rug: Enkay. Wall art: Brian Merriam, from Tappan Collective. Sconce: 1stDibs.Natural elements and rich textures drive the calming atmosphere in the primary bedroom. His-and-hers closets allow the main bedroom to remain minimal and uncluttered. Behind the door—which is modeled after the apartment’s original entry door to expand on the existing pre-war architecture—is the primary bathroom. Opposite the bed is a projector for movie nights.PRIMARY BATHROOMA calming backdrop for self-care rituals.Andrew BuiMirror: Wayfair. Sconces: Etsy, Smile Lamp Works. Fixtures: Brizo. Wall tile: NY Stone. Floor tile: Tilebar and NY Stone. Vanity hardware: Lo & Co. Wall art: Simeoni Art Studio.Travertine tiles maintain a serene, spa-like feel in the bathroom, which boasts a full built-in tub and separate shower.SON'S ROOMThe animal theme adds whimsy and wonder.Andrew BuiTable and bedding: Pottery Barn Kids. Doorknob: Baldwin Hardware.Andrew BuiSconce: Pooky. Rug: Crate & Barrel. Bear pillow: Fair Trade Winds.“We chose a subtle bear theme for the couple’s son’s room, with bear throw pillows on both beds and a soft bear-shaped chair in the corner opposite [from the side table,]” Hee says, noting they also customized the wallpaper into a printed mural to work better for the room’s specific layout. The couple requested a bunk bed for sleepovers, “and a bed low to the ground as he transitioned from his crib to the twin bed,” Hee says. An arched bunk bed from West Elm adds softness to the space. About the DesignersBased in New York's Hudson Valley and Portland, Maine, Hee Designs is primarily a hospitality design firm. But now, the team has also fallen in love with residential projects. Founder Kellyann Hee's approach aims to respect history while pushing forward to a sustainable future. With design director Julia Berner-Tobin, she creates deeply personal, intentional spaces that transcend time through a mix of vintage pieces, existing elements, thoughtful new additions, and custom creations. “We believe, when a home is designed with care, honesty, and a real understanding of both the people who live there and the place they live in, you can feel it,” Hee says.SHOP THE SPACEMulberry Ottoman$1,000 at maidenhome.comArches Bunk BedNow 20% Off$2,799 $2,239 at West ElmNodu Rug$548 at enkay.comGrey Marble Bistro Table$1,699 at CB2