Design Guide

What Comes After the Hipster Apartment

This week Refinery29 posted a fun feature illustrating 32 signs that you’re living in a hipster apartment. From decorative antlers to terrariums, they pretty much hit the nail on the hipster-as-we-know-it’s head, but it got us to thinking. As we know all too well, a hipster shuns the mainstream. Counterculture, independent thinking, and creativity inspire their collective anthem. Ironic then that the hipster home has become so cliché, no? Mass-marketed individuality might just be this decade’s greatest contribution to the world of retail, but we’re calling an end to mainstream mismatched decor. In the same way that over-the-top retro futurism emerged after a decade of mid-century milieu, we see a whole new, much more colorful aesthetic on the horizon, and it’s a far cry from the subdued hodgepodge of perfectly imperfect flea finds combined with practical IKEA staples and select Danish design splurges that have become par for the subculture course.

Today we proclaim the official end of an era: the Edison bulb-lit DIY terrariums displayed on spindle-legged side tables from Williamsburg to Silverlake are officially played out. What’s next you ask? Well, here’s a few trends we’re starting to notice on creative Pinterest pinboards the world over. From the re-birth of the wall hanging to a revolt against the earthy tones of hipsterdom past, click through to check out what we think will make up a seriously cool apartment of the future. … Read More

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The Very Best of Foldable, Functional Furniture Origami

It’s no secret that here at Flavorwire, we love ourselves some good, clever design. We’ve looked at everything from innovative furniture that makes the work day more fun to decadent designs for chocolate lovers. Today we’re exploring a new niche design category that addresses one of the inevitable woes of urban living: the unfortunately cramped spaces we call home.

Offering space-saving solutions for those times when our tiny apartment feels like it just can’t hang, and we dream of airy loft living, consider these fundamental furniture pieces that maximize your minimal environs. From folding your own furniture (check out the free downloadable instructions!) to collapsible chairs that double as wall art, put your inner origami enthusiast to work with these fun, fabulous, and functional designs. … Read More

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