Samsung makes the right improvements with its latest folding phones, but it could still go further.

10 lessons I learned the hard way so you don’t have to.

Samsung has unveiled three new Galaxy folding phones and a trio of smartwatches in the Galaxy Watch8 series.

When Leta Sobierajski enrolled in college, she already knew what she was meant to do, and she didn’t settle for anything less. “When I went to school for graphic design, I really didn’t have a backup plan – it was this, or nothing,” she says. “My work is a constantly evolving practice, and from the beginning, I have always convinced myself that if I put in the time and experimentation, I would grow and evolve.” After graduation, Sobierajski took on a range of projects, which included animation, print, and branding elements. She collaborated with corporate clients, but realized that she wouldn’t feel comfortable following anyone else’s rules in a 9-to-5 environment. Leta Sobierajski (standing) and Wade Jeffree (on ladder) \\\ Photo: Matt Dutile Sobierajski eventually decided to team up with fellow artist and kindred spirit Wade Jeffree. In 2016 they launched their Brooklyn-based studio, Wade and Leta. The duo, who share a taste for quirky aesthetics, produces sculpture, installations, or anything else they can dream up. Never static in thinking or method, they are constantly searching for another medium to try that will complement their shared vision of the moment. The pair is currently interested in permanency, and they want to utilize more metal, a strong material that will stand the test of time. Small architectural pieces are also on tap, and on a grander scale, they’d like to focus on a park or communal area that everyone can enjoy. With so many ideas swirling around, Sobierajski will record a concept in at least three different ways so that she’s sure to unearth it at a later date. “In some ways, I like to think I’m impeccably organized, as I have countless spreadsheets tracking our work, our lives, and our well-being,” she explains. “The reality is that I am great at over-complicating situations with my intensified list-making and note-taking. The only thing to do is to trust the process.” Today, Leta Sobierajski joins us for Friday Five! Photo: Melitta Baumeister and Michał Plata 1. Melitta Baumeister and Michał Plata The work of Melitta Baumeister and Michał Plata has been a constant inspiration to me for their innovative, artful, and architectural silhouettes. By a practice of draping and arduous pattern-making, the garments that they develop season after season feel like they could be designed for existence in another universe. I’m a person who likes to dress up for anything when I’m not in the studio, and every time I opt to wear one of their looks, I feel like I can take on the world. The best part about their pieces is that they’re extremely functional, so whether I need to hop on a bicycle or show up at an opening, I’m still able to make a statement – these garments even have the ability to strike up conversations on their own. Photo: Wade and Leta 2. Pandas! I was recently in Chengdu to launch a new project and we took half the day to visit the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Pandas and I am a new panda convert. Yes, they’re docile and cute, but their lifestyles are utterly chill and deeply enviable for us adults with responsibilities. Giant pandas primarily eat bamboo and can consume 20-40 kilograms per day. When they’re not doing that, they’re sleeping. When we visited, many could be seen reclining on their backs, feasting on some of the finest bamboo they could select within arm’s reach. While not necessarily playful in appearance, they do seem quite cheeky in their agendas and will do as little as they can to make the most of their meals. It felt like I was watching a mirrored image of myself on a Sunday afternoon while trying to make the most of my last hours of the weekend. Photo: Courtesy of Aoiro 3. Aoiro I’m not really a candle person (I forget to light it, and then I forget it’s lit, and then I panic when it’s been lit for too long) but I love the luxurious subtlety of a fragrant space. It’s an intangible feeling that really can only be experienced in the present. Some of the best people to create these fragrances, in my opinion, are Shizuko and Manuel, the masterminds behind Aoiro, a Japanese and Austrian duo who have developed a keen sense for embodying the fragrances of some of the most intriguing and captivating olfactory atmospheres – earthy forest floors with crackling pine needles, blue cypress tickling the moon in an indigo sky, and rainfall on a spirited Japanese island. Despite living in an urban city, Aoiro’s olfactory design is capable of transporting me to the deepest forests of misty Yakushima island. Photo: Wade and Leta 4. Takuro Kuwata A few months ago, I saw the work of Japanese ceramicist Takuro Kuwata at an exhibition at Salon94 and have been having trouble getting it out of my head. Kuwata’s work exemplifies someone who has worked with a medium so much to completely use the medium as a medium – if that makes sense. His ability to manipulate clay and glaze and use it to create gravity-defying effects within the kiln are exceptionally mysterious to me and feel like they could only be accomplished with years and years of experimentation with the material. I’m equally impressed seeing how he’s grown his work with scale, juxtaposing it with familiar iconography like the fuzzy peach, but sculpting it from materials like bronze. Photo: Wade and Leta 5. The Site of Reversible Destiny, a park built by artists Arakawa and Gins, in Yoro Japan The park is a testament to their career as writers, architects, and their idea of reversible destiny, which in its most extreme form, eliminates death. For all that are willing to listen, Arakawa and Gins’ Reversible Destiny mentality aims to make our lives a little more youthful by encouraging us to reevaluate our relationship with architecture and our surroundings. The intention of “reversible destiny” is not to prolong death, postpone it, grow older alongside it, but to entirely not acknowledge and surpass it. Wade (my partner) and I have spent the last ten years traveling to as many of their remaining sites as possible to further understand this notion of creating spaces to extend our lives and question how conventional living spaces can become detrimental to our longevity.   Works by Wade and Leta: Photo: Wade and Leta and Matt Alexander Now You See Me is a large-scale installation in the heart of Shoreditch, London, that explores the relationship between positive and negative space through bold color, geometry, and light. Simple, familiar shapes are embedded within monolithic forms, creating a layered visual experience that shifts throughout the day. As sunlight passes through the structures, shadows and silhouettes stretch and connect, forming dynamic compositions on the surrounding concrete. Photo: Wade and Leta and John Wylie Paint Your Own Path is series of five towering sculptures, ranging from 10 to 15 feet tall, invites viewers to explore balance, tension, and perspective through bold color and form. Inspired by the delicate, often precarious act of stacking objects, the sculptures appear as if they might topple – yet each one holds steady, challenging perceptions of stability. Created in partnership with the Corolla Cross, the installation transforms its environment into a pop-colored landscape. Photo: Millenia Walk and Outer Edit, Eurthe Studio Monument to Movement is a 14-meter-tall kinetic sculpture that celebrates the spirit of the holiday season through rhythm, motion, and color. Rising skyward in layered compositions, the work symbolizes collective joy, renewal, and the shared energy of celebrations that span cultures and traditions. Powered by motors and constructed from metal beams and cardboard forms, the sculpture continuously shifts, inviting viewers to reflect on the passage of time and the cycles that connect us all. Photo: Wade and Leta and Erika Hara, Piotr Maslanka, and Jeremy Renault Falling Into Place is a vibrant rooftop installation at Ginza Six that explores themes of alignment, adaptability, and perspective. Six colorful structures – each with a void like a missing puzzle piece – serve as spaces for reflection, inviting visitors to consider their place within a greater whole. Rather than focusing on absence, the design transforms emptiness into opportunity, encouraging people to embrace spontaneity and the unfolding nature of life. Playful yet contemplative, the work emphasizes that only through connection and participation can the full picture come into view. Photo: Wade and Leta and Erika Hara, Piotr Maslanka, and Jeremy Renault Photo: Wade and Leta Stop, Listen, Look is a 7-meter-tall interactive artwork atop IFS Chengdu that captures the vibrant rhythm of the city through movement, sound, and form. Blending motorized and wind-powered elements with seesaws and sound modulation, it invites people of all ages to engage, play, and reflect. Inspired by Chengdu’s balance of tradition and modernity, the piece incorporates circular motifs from local symbolism alongside bold, geometric forms to create a dialogue between past and present. With light, motion, and community at its core, the work invites visitors to connect with the city – and each other – through shared interaction. The Cloud is a permanent sculptural kiosk in Burlington, Vermont’s historic City Hall Park, created in collaboration with Brooklyn-based Studio RENZ+OEI. Designed to reinterpret the ephemeral nature of clouds through architecture, it blends art, air, and imagination into a light, fluid structure that defies traditional rigidity. Originally born from a creative exchange between longtime friends and collaborators, the design challenges expectations of permanence by embodying movement and openness. Now home to a local food vendor, The Cloud brings a playful, uplifting presence to the park, inviting reflection and interaction rain or shine..

Who knows where branding will go in the future? However, for many of us working in the creative industries, it's our job to know. So it's something we need to start talking about, and Frontify Futures wants to be the platform where that conversation unfolds. This ambitious new thought leadership initiative from Frontify brings together an extraordinary coalition of voices—CMOs who've scaled global brands, creative leaders reimagining possibilities, strategy directors pioneering new approaches, and cultural forecasters mapping emerging opportunities—to explore how effectiveness, innovation, and scale will shape tomorrow's brand-building landscape. But Frontify Futures isn't just another content platform. Excitingly, from a design perspective, it's also a living experiment in what brand identity can become when technology meets craft, when systems embrace chaos, and when the future itself becomes a design material. Endless variation What makes Frontify Futures' typography unique isn't just its custom foundation: it's how that foundation enables endless variation and evolution. This was primarily achieved, reveals developer and digital art director Daniel Powell, by building bespoke tools for the project. "Rather than rely solely on streamlined tools built for speed and production, we started building our own," he explains. "The first was a node-based design tool that takes our custom Frame and Hairline fonts as a base and uses them as the foundations for our type generator. With it, we can generate unique type variations for each content strand—each article, even—and create both static and animated type, exportable as video or rendered live in the browser." Each of these tools included what Daniel calls a "chaos element: a small but intentional glitch in the system. A microstatement about the nature of the future: that it can be anticipated but never fully known. It's our way of keeping gesture alive inside the system." One of the clearest examples of this is the colour palette generator. "It samples from a dynamic photo grid tied to a rotating colour wheel that completes one full revolution per year," Daniel explains. "But here's the twist: wind speed and direction in St. Gallen, Switzerland—Frontify's HQ—nudges the wheel unpredictably off-centre. It's a subtle, living mechanic; each article contains a log of the wind data in its code as a kind of Easter Egg." Another favourite of Daniel's—yet to be released—is an expanded version of Conway's Game of Life. "It's been running continuously for over a month now, evolving patterns used in one of the content strand headers," he reveals. "The designer becomes a kind of photographer, capturing moments from a petri dish of generative motion." Core Philosophy In developing this unique identity, two phrases stood out to Daniel as guiding lights from the outset. The first was, 'We will show, not tell.' "This became the foundation for how we approached the identity," recalls Daniel. "It had to feel like a playground: open, experimental, and fluid. Not overly precious or prescriptive. A system the Frontify team could truly own, shape, and evolve. A platform, not a final product. A foundation, just as the future is always built on the past." The second guiding phrase, pulled directly from Frontify's rebrand materials, felt like "a call to action," says Daniel. "'Gestural and geometric. Human and machine. Art and science.' It's a tension that feels especially relevant in the creative industries today. As technology accelerates, we ask ourselves: how do we still hold onto our craft? What does it mean to be expressive in an increasingly systemised world?" Stripped back and skeletal typography The identity that Daniel and his team created reflects these themes through typography that literally embodies the platform's core philosophy. It really started from this idea of the past being built upon the 'foundations' of the past," he explains. "At the time Frontify Futures was being created, Frontify itself was going through a rebrand. With that, they'd started using a new variable typeface called Cranny, a custom cut of Azurio by Narrow Type." Daniel's team took Cranny and "pushed it into a stripped-back and almost skeletal take". The result was Crany-Frame and Crany-Hairline. "These fonts then served as our base scaffolding," he continues. "They were never seen in design, but instead, we applied decoration them to produce new typefaces for each content strand, giving the identity the space to grow and allow new ideas and shapes to form." As Daniel saw it, the demands on the typeface were pretty simple. "It needed to set an atmosphere. We needed it needed to feel alive. We wanted it to be something shifting and repositioning. And so, while we have a bunch of static cuts of each base style, we rarely use them; the typefaces you see on the website and social only exist at the moment as a string of parameters to create a general style that we use to create live animating versions of the font generated on the fly." In addition to setting the atmosphere, it needed to be extremely flexible and feature live inputs, as a significant part of the branding is about the unpredictability of the future. "So Daniel's team built in those aforementioned "chaos moments where everything from user interaction to live windspeeds can affect the font." Design Process The process of creating the typefaces is a fascinating one. "We started by working with the custom cut of Azurio (Cranny) from Narrow Type. We then redrew it to take inspiration from how a frame and a hairline could be produced from this original cut. From there, we built a type generation tool that uses them as a base. "It's a custom node-based system that lets us really get in there and play with the overlays for everything from grid-sizing, shapes and timing for the animation," he outlines. "We used this tool to design the variants for different content strands. We weren't just designing letterforms; we were designing a comprehensive toolset that could evolve in tandem with the content. "That became a big part of the process: designing systems that designers could actually use, not just look at; again, it was a wider conversation and concept around the future and how designers and machines can work together." In short, the evolution of the typeface system reflects the platform's broader commitment to continuous growth and adaptation." The whole idea was to make something open enough to keep building on," Daniel stresses. "We've already got tools in place to generate new weights, shapes and animated variants, and the tool itself still has a ton of unused functionality. "I can see that growing as new content strands emerge; we'll keep adapting the type with them," he adds. "It's less about version numbers and more about ongoing movement. The system's alive; that's the point. A provocation for the industry In this context, the Frontify Futures identity represents more than smart visual branding; it's also a manifesto for how creative systems might evolve in an age of increasing automation and systematisation. By building unpredictability into their tools, embracing the tension between human craft and machine precision, and creating systems that grow and adapt rather than merely scale, Daniel and the Frontify team have created something that feels genuinely forward-looking. For creatives grappling with similar questions about the future of their craft, Frontify Futures offers both inspiration and practical demonstration. It shows how brands can remain human while embracing technological capability, how systems can be both consistent and surprising, and how the future itself can become a creative medium. This clever approach suggests that the future of branding lies not in choosing between human creativity and systematic efficiency but in finding new ways to make them work together, creating something neither could achieve alone.

Last year, MACK Books published Architecture from Below, which anthologized writings by the French Brazilian architect, theorist, and painter Sérgio Ferro. (Douglas Spencer reviewed it for AN.) Now, MACK follows with Design and the Building Site and Complementary Essays, the second in the trilogy of books dedicated to Ferro’s scholarship. The following excerpt of the author’s 2023 preface to the English edition, which preserves its British phrasing, captures Ferro’s realization about the working conditions of construction sites in Brasília. The sentiment is likely relatable even today for young architects as they discover how drawings become buildings. Design and the Building Site and Complementary Essays will be released on May 22. If I remember correctly, it was in 1958 or 1959, when Rodrigo and I were second- or third year architecture students at FAUUSP, that my father, the real estate developer Armando Simone Pereira, commissioned us to design two large office buildings and eleven shops in Brasilia, which was then under construction. Of course, we were not adequately prepared for such an undertaking. Fortunately, Oscar Niemeyer and his team, who were responsible for overseeing the construction of the capital, had drawn up a detailed document determining the essential characteristics of all the private sector buildings. We followed these prescriptions to the letter, which saved us from disaster. Nowadays, it is hard to imagine the degree to which the construction of Brasilia inspired enthusiasm and professional pride in the country’s architects. And in the national imagination, the city’s establishment in the supposedly unpopulated hinterland evoked a re-founding of Brazil. Up until that point, the occupation of our immense territory had been reduced to a collection of arborescent communication routes, generally converging upon some river, following it up to the Atlantic Ocean. Through its ports, agricultural or extractive commodities produced by enslaved peoples or their substitutes passed towards the metropolises; goods were exchanged in the metropolises for more elaborate products, which took the opposite route. Our national identity was summed up in a few symbols, such as the anthem or the flag, and this scattering of paths pointing overseas. Brasilia would radically change this situation, or so we believed. It would create a central hub where the internal communication routes could converge, linking together hithertoseparate junctions, stimulating trade and economic progress in the country’s interior. It was as if, for the first time, we were taking care of ourselves. At the nucleus of this centripetal movement, architecture would embody the renaissance. And at the naval of the nucleus, the symbolic mandala of this utopia: the cathedral. Rodrigo and I got caught up in the euphoria. And perhaps more so than our colleagues, because we were taking part in the adventure with ‘our’ designs. The reality was very different — but we did not know that yet. At that time, architects in Brazil were responsible for verifying that the construction was in line with the design. We had already monitored some of our first building sites. But the construction company in charge of them, Osmar Souza e Silva’s CENPLA, specialized in the building sites of modernist architects from the so-called Escola Paulista led by Vilanova Artigas (which we aspired to be a part of, like the pretentious students we were). Osmar was very attentive to his clients and his workers, who formed a supportive and helpful team. He was even more careful with us, because he knew how inexperienced we were. I believe that the CENPLA was particularly important in São Paulo modernism: with its congeniality, it facilitated experimentation, but for the same reason, it deceived novices like us about the reality of other building sites. Consequently, Rodrigo and I travelled to Brasilia several times to check that the constructions followed ‘our’ designs and to resolve any issues. From the very first trip, our little bubble burst. Our building sites, like all the others in the future capital, bore no relation to Osmar’s. They were more like a branch of hell. A huge, muddy wasteland, in which a few cranes, pile drivers, tractors, and excavators dotted the mound of scaffolding occupied by thousands of skinny, seemingly exhausted wretches, who were nevertheless driven on by the shouts of master builders and foremen, in turn pressured by the imminence of the fateful inauguration date. Surrounding or huddled underneath the marquees of buildings under construction, entire families, equally skeletal and ragged, were waiting for some accident or death to open up a vacancy. In contact only with the master builders, and under close surveillance so we would not speak to the workers, we were not allowed to see what comrades who had worked on these sites later told us in prison: suicide abounded; escape was known to be futile in the unpopulated surroundings with no viable roads; fatal accidents were often caused by weakness due to chronic diarrhoea, brought on by rotten food that came from far away; outright theft took place in the calculation of wages and expenses in the contractor’s grocery store; camps were surrounded by law enforcement. I repeat this anecdote yet again not to invoke the benevolence of potential readers, but rather to point out the conditions that, in my opinion, allowed two students (Flávio Império joined us a little later) still in their professional infancy to quickly adopt positions that were contrary to the usual stance of architects. As the project was more Oscar Niemeyer’s than it was our own, we did not have the same emotional attachment that is understandably engendered between real authors and their designs. We had not yet been imbued with the charm and aura of the métier. And the only building sites we had visited thus far, Osmar’s, were incomparable to those we discovered in Brasilia. In short, our youthfulness and unpreparedness up against an unbearable situation made us react almost immediately to the profession’s satisfied doxa. Unprepared and young perhaps, but already with Marx by our side. Rodrigo and I joined the student cell of the Brazilian Communist Party during our first year at university. In itself, this did not help us much: the Party’s Marxism, revised in the interests of the USSR, was pitiful. Even high-level leaders rarely went beyond the first chapter of Capital. But at the end of the 1950s, the effervescence of the years to come was already nascent:  […] this extraordinary revival […] the rediscovery of Marxism and the great dialectical texts and traditions in the 1960s: an excitement that identifies a forgotten or repressed moment of the past as the new and subversive, and learns the dialectical grammar of a Hegel or an Adorno, a Marx or a Lukács, like a foreign language that has resources unavailable in our own. And what is more: the Chinese and Cuban revolutions, the war in Vietnam, guerrilla warfare of all kinds, national liberation movements, and a rare libertarian disposition in contemporary history, totally averse to fanaticism and respect for ideological apparatuses of (any) state or institution. Going against the grain was almost the norm. We were of course no more than contemporaries of our time. We were soon able to position ourselves from chapters 13, 14, and 15 of Capital, but only because we could constantly cross-reference Marx with our observations from well-contrasted building sites and do our own experimenting. As soon as we identified construction as manufacture, for example, thanks to the willingness and even encouragement of two friends and clients, Boris Fausto and Bernardo Issler, I was able to test both types of manufacture — organic and heterogeneous — on similar-sized projects taking place simultaneously, in order to find out which would be most convenient for the situation in Brazil, particularly in São Paulo. Despite the scientific shortcomings of these tests, they sufficed for us to select organic manufacture. Arquitetura Nova had defined its line of practice, studies, and research. There were other sources that were central to our theory and practice. Flávio Império was one of the founders of the Teatro de Arena, undoubtedly the vanguard of popular, militant theatre in Brazil. He won practically every set design award. He brought us his marvelous findings in spatial condensation and malleability, and in the creative diversion of techniques and material—appropriate devices for an underdeveloped country. This is what helped us pave the way to reformulating the reigning design paradigms.  We had to do what Flávio had done in the theatre: thoroughly rethink how to be an architect. Upend the perspective. The way we were taught was to start from a desired result; then others would take care of getting there, no matter how. We, on the other hand, set out to go down to the building site and accompany those carrying out the labor itself, those who actually build, the formally subsumed workers in manufacture who are increasingly deprived of the knowledge and know-how presupposed by this kind of subsumption. We should have been fostering the reconstitution of this knowledge and know-how—not so as to fulfil this assumption, but in order to reinvigorate the other side of this assumption according to Marx: the historical rebellion of the manufacture worker, especially the construction worker. We had to rekindle the demand that fueled this rebellion: total self-determination, and not just that of the manual operation as such. Our aim was above all political and ethical. Aesthetics only mattered by way of what it included—ethics. Instead of estética, we wrote est ética [this is ethics]. We wanted to make building sites into nests for the return of revolutionary syndicalism, which we ourselves had yet to discover. Sérgio Ferro, born in Brazil in 1938, studied architecture at FAUUSP, São Paulo. In the 1960s, he joined the Brazilian communist party and started, along with Rodrigo Lefevre and Flávio Império, the collective known as Arquitetura Nova. After being arrested by the military dictatorship that took power in Brazil in 1964, he moved to France as an exile. As a painter and a professor at the École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Grenoble, where he founded the Dessin/Chantier laboratory, he engaged in extensive research which resulted in several publications, exhibitions, and awards in Brazil and in France, including the title of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in 1992. Following his retirement from teaching, Ferro continues to research, write, and paint.

Living in a small space doesn’t mean you have to feel cramped or boxed in. With the right design tricks, you can make even the tiniest room feel open, airy, and inviting, no renovation required. Whether you’re in a compact apartment, a small home, or just trying to make the most of a single room, smart styling and layout choices can dramatically shift how the space looks and feels. From strategic lighting and paint colors to furniture swaps and clever storage solutions, there are plenty of easy, affordable ways to stretch your square footage visually. Ready to transform your space? Here are some practical, design-savvy ideas to make your home feel bigger without tearing down a single wall. 1. Opt for Multi-Functional Furniture Image Source: House Beautiful In a small space, every piece of furniture should earn its keep. Look for multi-functional items: ottomans that open up for storage, beds with drawers underneath, or coffee tables that can extend or lift to become a desk. Not only do these pieces help reduce clutter, but they also free up floor space, making the room look more open. Bonus points for furniture that can be folded away when not in use. By choosing versatile pieces, you’re making the most of every inch without sacrificing style or comfort. 2. Keep Pathways Clear Image Source: The Spruce One of the simplest yet most effective ways to make a small space feel bigger is to keep pathways and walkways clear. When furniture or clutter blocks natural movement through a room, it can make the space feel cramped and chaotic. Take a walk through your home and notice where you’re dodging corners or squeezing between pieces,those are areas to rethink. Opt for smaller furniture with slim profiles, or rearrange what you have to create an easy, natural flow. Open walkways help your eyes move freely through the room, making everything feel more spacious, breathable, and intentional. It’s all about giving yourself room to move,literally and visually. 3. Use Glass and Lucite Furniture Image Source: The Spruce Transparent furniture made from glass or Lucite (acrylic) takes up less visual space because you can see right through it. A glass coffee table or clear dining chairs can provide functionality without cluttering up the view. These pieces practically disappear into the background, which helps the room feel more open. They also add a touch of modern sophistication. When you need furniture but don’t want it to dominate the room, going clear is a clever design choice. 4. Don’t Over-Clutter Your Space Image Source: House Beautiful In small spaces, clutter accumulates fast,and it visually shrinks your environment. The more items scattered around, the more cramped the room feels. Start by taking a critical look at what you own and asking: do I really need this here? Use storage bins, under-bed containers, or floating shelves to hide away what you don’t use daily. Keep surfaces like countertops, desks, and coffee tables as clear as possible. A minimal, clean setup allows the eye to rest and makes the space feel open and intentional. Remember: less stuff equals more space,both physically and mentally. 5. Utilize Your Windows Image Source: House Beautiful Windows are like built-in art that can also dramatically affect how big or small your space feels. Don’t cover them with heavy drapes or clutter them with too many objects on the sill. Keep window treatments light and minimal,sheer curtains or roller blinds are perfect. If privacy isn’t a big concern, consider leaving them bare. Letting natural light flood in through your windows instantly opens up your space and makes it feel brighter and more expansive. You can also place mirrors or shiny surfaces near windows to reflect more light into the room and maximize their impact. 6. Downsize Your Dining Table Image Source: House Beautiful A large dining table can dominate a small room, leaving little space to move or breathe. If you rarely entertain a big crowd, consider downsizing to a smaller round or drop-leaf table. These take up less visual and physical space and still offer enough room for daily meals. You can always keep a folding table or stackable chairs nearby for when guests do come over. Round tables are especially great for small spaces because they allow smoother traffic flow and eliminate awkward corners. Plus, a smaller table encourages intimacy during meals and helps the whole area feel more open and functional. 7. Use Mirrors Strategically Image Source: The Tiny Cottage Mirrors can work magic in a small room. They reflect both natural and artificial light, which can instantly make a space feel larger and brighter. A large mirror on a wall opposite a window can double the amount of light in your room. Mirrored furniture or decor elements like trays and picture frames also help. Think about using mirrored closet doors or even creating a mirror gallery wall. It’s not just about brightness; mirrors also create a sense of depth, tricking the eye into seeing more space than there actually is. 8. Install a Murphy Bed Image Source: House Beautiful A Murphy bed (also known as a wall bed) is a game-changer for anyone living in a tight space. It folds up into the wall or a cabinet when not in use, instantly transforming your bedroom into a living room, office, or workout area. This setup gives you the flexibility to have a multi-purpose room without sacrificing comfort. Modern Murphy beds often come with built-in shelves or desks, offering even more function without taking up extra space. If you want to reclaim your floor during the day and still get a good night’s sleep, this is one smart solution. 9. Paint It White Image Source: House Beautiful Painting your walls white is one of the easiest and most effective tricks to make a space feel bigger. White reflects light, helping the room feel open, clean, and fresh. It creates a seamless look, making walls seem to recede and ceilings feel higher. You can still have fun with the space, layer in texture, subtle patterns, or neutral accessories to keep it from feeling sterile. White also acts as a blank canvas, letting your furniture and art stand out. Whether you’re decorating a studio apartment or a small home office, a fresh coat of white paint can work wonders. 10. Prioritize Natural Light Image Source: The Spruce Natural light has an incredible ability to make any room feel more spacious and welcoming. To make the most of it, avoid blocking windows with bulky furniture or dark curtains. Consider using light-filtering shades or sheer curtains to let sunlight pour in while maintaining some privacy. Arrange mirrors or reflective surfaces like glossy tables and metallic decor to bounce the light around the room. Even placing furniture in a way that lets light flow freely can change how open your home feels. Natural light not only brightens your space but also boosts your mood, making it a double win. 11. Maximize Shelving Image Source: House Beautiful When floor space is limited, vertical storage becomes your best ally. Floating shelves, wall-mounted units, or tall bookcases draw the eye upward, creating a sense of height and maximizing every inch. They’re perfect for books, plants, artwork, or even kitchen supplies if you’re short on cabinets. You can also install corner shelves to use often-overlooked spots. Keep them tidy and curated,group items by color, size, or theme for a visually pleasing look. Shelving helps reduce clutter on the floor and tabletops, keeping your home organized and visually open without requiring any extra square footage. 12. Keep It Neutral Image Source: House Beautiful Neutral tones, like soft whites, light grays, warm beiges, and pale taupes,can make a space feel calm and cohesive. These colors reflect light well and reduce visual clutter, making your room appear larger. A neutral palette doesn’t mean boring; you can still play with textures, patterns, and accents within that color family. Add throw pillows, rugs, or wall art in layered neutrals for interest without overwhelming the space. When everything flows in similar tones, it creates continuity, which tricks the eye into seeing a more expansive area. It’s an effortless way to open up your home without lifting a hammer. 13. Choose Benches, Not Chairs Image Source: House Beautiful When space is tight, traditional dining chairs or bulky accent seats can eat up more room than they’re worth. Benches, on the other hand, are a sleek, versatile alternative. They tuck neatly under tables when not in use, saving valuable floor space and keeping walkways open. In entryways, living rooms, or at the foot of a bed, a bench offers seating and can double as storage or display. Some come with built-in compartments or open space beneath for baskets. Plus, benches visually declutter the room with their simple, low-profile design. 14. Use Vertical Spaces Image Source: The Spruce When you’re short on square footage, think vertical. Use tall bookshelves, wall-mounted shelves, and hanging storage to keep things off the floor. Vertical lines naturally draw the eye upward, which creates a feeling of height and openness. Consider mounting floating shelves for books, plants, or decorative items. Hooks and pegboards can add function without taking up space. Making use of your wall space not only maximizes storage but also frees up floor area, which visually enlarges the room. 15. Add a Gallery Wall Image Source: House Beautiful It might seem counterintuitive, but adding a gallery wall can actually make a small space feel bigger,if done right. A curated display of art, photos, or prints draws the eye upward and outward, giving the illusion of a larger area. Stick to cohesive frames and colors to maintain a clean, intentional look. You can go symmetrical for a polished feel or get creative with an organic, freeform layout. Position the gallery higher on the wall to elongate the space visually. Just be sure not to overcrowd,balance is key. A thoughtful gallery wall adds personality without cluttering the room. Finishing Notes: Creating a spacious feel in a small home doesn’t require a sledgehammer or a major remodel, it just takes a bit of strategy and smart design. From downsizing your dining table to letting natural light pour in, each tip we’ve shared is an easy, budget-friendly way to visually open up your space. If you’re looking for even more inspiration, layout ideas, or style guides, be sure to explore Home Designing. It’s packed with expert advice, modern interior trends, and visual walkthroughs to help you transform your space, big or small, into something that truly feels like home.

Your everyday carry setup says a lot about who you are. Whether you’re a craftsman who demands precision tools or an outdoor enthusiast who needs reliable gear, the right knife can make all the difference. The Ezsharp 2.0 Titanium Folding Utility Knife isn’t just another blade for your pocket. It’s a game-changer that combines premium materials with innovative design. Most folding knives force you to choose between strength and weight, but the Ezsharp 2.0 throws that compromise out the window. Built from premium titanium alloy, this folding knife delivers incredible strength while staying remarkably lightweight in your pocket. You get the durability you need without the bulk that weighs you down during long days on the job or weekend adventures. Designer: Alan Zheng Click Here to Buy Now: $79 $138.6 (43% off). Hurry, only 16/170 left! Titanium brings some serious advantages to the table that make it worth the investment. Unlike traditional stainless steel options, titanium offers natural resistance to rust and corrosion, so your knife stays sharp and reliable whether you’re working in humid conditions, caught in unexpected rain, or dealing with extreme temperatures. This means your tool performs consistently regardless of what Mother Nature throws your way. The real genius of the Ezsharp 2.0 lies in its dual-blade storage system. Instead of carrying multiple cutting tools or constantly searching for the right blade, you can swap between different scalpel blade types depending on your task. Need precision for detailed work? Switch to a fine-point blade. Tackling heavy-duty cutting? Pop in a robust utility blade and get to work. This innovative storage design uses powerful magnets to secure blades in both the active position and the backup compartment. The magnetic retention system ensures your blades stay exactly where they should be, eliminating the wobble and play that plague cheaper alternatives. You can trust that your cutting edge will be stable and precise when you need it most. The engineering extends beyond just storage, though. The Ezsharp 2.0 accepts six different scalpel blade formats, including #18, #20, #21, #22, #23, and #24. This compatibility gives you access to specialized blade geometries for everything from cardboard breakdown to precision crafting. Having options means you can tackle any cutting challenge without compromise. Craftsmen will appreciate the attention to detail in the construction. Every component except the replaceable blades comes from precision CNC machining, ensuring tight tolerances and smooth operation. The stainless steel blade holder receives proper heat treatment for longevity, while the frame lock mechanism provides a secure lockup that you can depend on during demanding tasks. The flipper opening system makes one-handed deployment effortless, perfect when your other hand is busy holding materials or managing your workspace. This practical design consideration shows that the makers understand how working professionals actually use their tools. You shouldn’t have to fumble with complicated mechanisms when time matters and precision counts. For EDC enthusiasts, the compact profile means the Ezsharp 2.0 disappears in your pocket without printing or creating uncomfortable bulk. The titanium construction keeps the weight down to levels that won’t throw off your carry balance, yet provides the strength to handle serious cutting tasks when called upon. The combination of premium materials, thoughtful engineering, and practical functionality makes the Ezsharp 2.0 stand out in a crowded market. This folding knife represents what happens when designers listen to users and create solutions for real-world problems. Whether you’re a professional who depends on reliable tools or an enthusiast who appreciates quality gear, the Ezsharp 2.0 delivers performance that justifies its place in your everyday carry rotation. Click Here to Buy Now: $79 $138.6 (43% off). Hurry, only 16/170 left!The post Ezsharp 2.0 Titanium Folding Knife with Swappable Blades Changes the EDC Game first appeared on Yanko Design.

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.