Home & Garden News — Page 2 of 3 « Home & Garden

News: Would You Climb the Empire State Building for a Paycheck?

Back in 2000, photographer Vincent Laforet scaled the Empire State building, a 1250 foot journey that would make me wet my pants.

News: Networked Garden Requires Facebook Messages to Survive

Say hello to "Meet Eater," the world's most social garden. Seriously — say hello! Its life may depend on it:

News: When the Lazy Chair Falls Down, It Gets Right Back Up

UK designers Fresh West's "Lazy Chair" is a prototype designed to collapse by lever, and then slowly, automatically stand back up.

News: For $1.6 Million, You Could Sleep on a Floating Hover Bed

If you've got $1.6 million in spare change, imagine this: you could be sleeping on a bonafide hovercraft. Designed by Dutchman Janjaap Ruijssenaars, the Floating Bed is the world's most expensive bed, employing "never weakening permanent magnetism" to hover above the ground.

News: Meet the World's Most Eco-Friendly Kitchen

Well suited for loft living, Studio Gorm's Flow Kitchen offers an extremely eco-friendly and efficient solution to all your daily actions in the kitchen. The Netherlands based design studio focuses on three major areas: Waste, Water and Energy. My favorite element? A cutting board that sits above a compost bin. Slide it forward, and sweep your scraps right into the (eco-friendly) trash.

News: Wonder Stove Allows You to Cook 15 Things Instead of 4

All hail "The William".

News: The Secret Trick to Self-Watering Plants

There's no longer any need to ask your neighbor to water your plants while you're away. Craftzine's houseplant wicking system offers a very simple solution: Cut some cotton strips. Soak one end in a bowl of water. Bury the other end in the soil of each plant, which in turn keeps the roots moist without drowning them.

The Clip-On Apartment: a Green Solution for Suffocated Living

A group of New Zealand students have designed the ultimate green addition for eco-friendly living: a "clip-on" Plant Room.

News: Grow a Treehouse From Plants and Meat

How would you like to live like Tarzan, except in a sustainable, organic treehouse? Check out TED Fellow and urban designer Mitchell Joachim and his plan for homes of the future. Read the full article here.

News: Careful. Swim off the Edge, Fall 55 Stories to Your Death

This is one serious example of trophy architecture. Extreme engineering in prosperous countries like this one in Singapore is meant to stir envy. The Marina Bay Sands infinity pool opened this month, and is located 200 meters off the ground, 150 meters in length. The entire hotel complex is part of a $5 billion investment, and the opposite of a DIY sensibility.

News: Flipper Bridge

These Dutch architects fear that those Chinese drivers might get confused! You may think I'm making a cheap joke about Chinese drivers. But I'm not. The Hong Kong-Zhuai-Macau bridge is a 31-mile, $10.7 billion project and this unique design is meant to address a clash of two driving conventions.

News: Paint a Mountain, Save the World

55-year-old Peruvian inventor, Eduardo Gold, was one of 26 winners of the "100 Ideas to Save the Planet" competition of 2009. His winning plan? To whitewash a mountain in order to restore it to a glacier.

News: Beautifying London One Pothole at a Time

Guerilla gardener Steve Wheen has a simple solution for urban beautification: grow mini-gardens in potholes all over the city, simultaneously transforming ugly roads AND warning motorists and cyclists of potentially dangerous potholes.

News: The Secret Ingredient to Indestructible 1,500-Year-Old Chinese Architecture

It is widely known that sticky rice is an essential staple in the Chinese diet. But did you know it also plays an important role in their ancient architecture?

WARNING: House-On-the-Go May Induce Nausea

Experimental house, "Roll It", is a collaborative project within Germany's University of Karlsruhe. The basic concept is as follows: using a cylindrical design to maximize space within a minimum housing unit. Not sure how "space efficient" this would actually be, but using it as transport could be fun (until the nausea inevitably sets in).

News: Pee, the Latest Fuel Alternative?

The newest fuel alternative on the horizon? Pee. U.S. researchers have been experimenting with using urine as a method of producing hydrogen. Not only could this virtually free and readily available resource possibly power automobiles, but it could also aid in the clean up of municipal wastewater.

News: If I Had Known Prison Was this Nice, I May Have Considered a Career in Crime

Whoever said crime doesn't pay? Norway's luxury Halden prison may very well be nicer than your home.

News: Wake Up, You're Not Dreaming. Hot, Soapy Star Wars Slave Car Wash

What's better? A Star Wars strip show or a steamy-hot Slave Leia car wash? We know you WonderHowTo fans cannot get enough of the Star-Wars-plus-scantily-clad-female equation. Well, we don't want to disappoint…

News: DIY Vertical Garden Lives and Breathes

Amazing vertical wall gardens with succulents and tillandsias by couple Flora Grubb and Kevin Smith. Inspired? Pick up some HowTo tips to get you started, or learn about the supplies you'll need here. Or try this vertical trellis moss project from Lowe's.

News: Tiny Apartment Shapeshifts into 24 Different Rooms

Space is tight (not to mention expensive) in Hong Kong. What's the solution? Architect Gary Chang has come up with an ingenious design: a small, 344 sq. ft. "accordion" apartment that can transform into 24 different rooms, simply by employing the use of sliding panels and walls. Via the New York Times,

News: The Lazy Man's Jerry-Rigged Lawn Mower

One rope + a little yankee ingenuity, and you've got yourself THE lazy man's lawn mower. Korey99's self-propelled mower runs on autopilot:

News: Smart Chairs With Butt Memory

Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka (creator of the crystal chair) is back with a new "shape-shifting" chair, set to debut at Milan Design Fair this upcoming week.

News: Mutate Your Garden Spoils

Horticulture mad-science offers a slew of marketing possibilities. How is it that our grocery stores aren't filled with Mickey Mouse shaped melons or, as in the case of Chinese farmer Hao Xianzhang, baby shaped pears? Xianzhang isn't the first to come up with the idea of young produce grown into a specifically shaped mold; the Japanese have been growing square shaped watermelons for the purpose of refrigerator space efficiency. And (as pictured below), decades ago an Ohio farmer grew a real-l...

News: Bedtime... Millenium Falcon Style

Another addition to WonderHowTo's collection of Star Wars mania. We've seen lots - the Star Wars wedding cake, the Sexy Stormtrooper, Star Wars moneygami, the 30,000 LEGO brick Star Wars droid control ship. And now the geek-sexy millenium falcon bed, created by Kayla Kromer (images by Heather Leah Kennedy).

News: Spill-On-Purpose Tablecloth Reveals Secret Pattern

Norwegian designer Kristine Bjaadal flips the concept of accidental stains on its head. Her Underfull Table Cloth when "untouched" features a simple damask pattern. However, when a colored liquid is spilled on the textile, a secret butterfly pattern emerges. Previously, Malleable Wooden Textiles.

News: The "White Goat" Eats Office Paper, Spits Out Toilet Paper

A Japanese company called Oriental [JP] has invented an eco-friendly machine that turns office paper into toilet paper. Called the "White Goat", the machine's process is simple: feed it approximately 40 sheets of paper and thirty minutes later it deliver one perfectly constructed roll of toilet paper.

Do-It-Yourself: Bookshelf Rafters

Apartment Therapy posts this neat, space-saving idea for bookshelf rafters. No explicit HowTo, but pretty self-evident.

News: Homegrown Root Furniture

Conceptual furniture project by designer Kai Linke proposes the idea of growing furniture from plant roots.

The Urb Garden: The City Dweller's Solution to Growing Food at Home

Designer Xavier Calluaud offers a simple solution for the urban dweller with a green thumb. The "urb garden" enables those living in small spaces (without a yard) to grow food at home, or more specifically, herbs. The best part? The eco-conscious system has an integrated worm farm.

News: The World's Biggest Machine

Introducing the Bagger 288, built by Krupps in Germany. Weighing in at 45,000 tons, this bad boy is the biggest moving machine on the planet.

News: 1200 Old Light Bulbs Make One Dazzling Chandelier

Tim Fishlock’s piece entitled What Watt? showcases 1,243 suspended retired light bulbs, the center illuminated by one low-energy fluorescent bulb. Beautiful eco-friendly design.

News: Amazing Wooden Gear Robot Claw

Unfortunately there's no information in English on this Japanese craftsman's incredible mechanical wooden sculptures. His YouTube profile lists his occupation as pharmacist (apparently he's a pharmacist with some crazy woodworking skills).

News: Catch a Mouse! (Humanely, Of Course)

Simple enough. You will need: 1 toilet paper tube, a dab of peanut butter, and a bucket or trash can.

News: Mod Your Sewing Machine Into a Scroll Saw

From sewing machine to scroll saw, check out Instructables member bongodrummer's in depth HowTo. Says bongodrummer,

News: Teeny Tiny Winter Terrariums

Design Sponge has posted some very pretty, tiny terrariums and air plants to brighten up these cold winter months. Buy them through Etsy seller Tortoise Loves Donkey or make your own. Scroll down for Design Sponge's terrarium how-to.

News: Malleable Wooden Textiles

Elisa Strozyk's wooden textiles fold and drape in beautiful forms. Incredible how a hard material combined with a simple, pieced construction can take on both sculptural and fluid qualities. Truly innovative.

News: World's Most Magical Treehouses

What is it about the fantasy of the treehouse? Escapism. Other worldly, bird-like elevation. Beauty and peacefulness. Backwoods simplicity (although in some cases, truly elaborate works of fine architecture). Whatever the draw is, I'm dying to have my own treehouse in the woods, and I'd gladly take any of the examples below.