Be Open think tank

#BeOpenDESIGN Designed by Onurhan Demir, the cuddly TED-I Teddy Bear is an AI-powered companion that’s more than just for snuggling—it’s a mentor, teacher, and playmate all in one. With features like real-time posture feedback, interactive storytelling, and even live video streaming for parents, TED-I blends comfort with cutting-edge technology to support both kids and parents. More AI-powered devices on our blog.

#BeOpenDESIGN Made from 50% recycled paper from Kokuyo’s Campus notebook scraps, RAE is a sustainable, DIY desk organizer that offers a minimalist solution to desk clutter while promoting eco-conscious design. With its origami-style assembly, the design provides a hands-on experience that is both functional and customizable. Available in two sizes and neutral tones (beige and khaki), RAE features a simple folding process and is perfect for storing pens, paper clips, cables, and more. More sustainable and practical desk organizers on our blog.

#BeOpenNEWS Dear students and graduates! The submission period for Designing Future 2050 continues till January 31, 2025. Upload your entry and have a shot at winning up to €5,000! Proceed to the competition website.

#BeOpenART Anna Lomax's whimsical Christmas Tree installation at the Victoria and Albert Museum’s South Kensington Grand Entrance reimagines the traditional Christmas tree with a playful, contemporary twist. Inspired by the museum's iconic dome columns, the design features a spiraling metallic base surrounded by four large columns, illuminated by LED lights to evoke joy and wonder. The installation combines the elegance of a tree with the strength

#BeOpenNEWS

#BeOpenDESIGN Japanese architect Kengo Kuma has designed two Christmas trees for Edition hotels in Tokyo, made from timber components that will later be repurposed into furniture by Japanese manufacturer Karimoku. The first tree, Kigumi, uses six types of wood and will become table legs post-holiday. The second, Komorebi, features curved wood elements and will be transformed into table tops and desk legs. Kuma's design emphasizes sustainability and the enduring life of materials beyond their initial use.

#BeOpenARCH Danish studio BIG and cabin manufacturer Nokken have created Softshell, a mobile, eco-friendly timber-framed tent designed as a sustainable accommodation solution for remote eco-resorts and glamping sites. The tent features a glued-laminated timber structure and cotton-mix canvas walls, offering a blend of portability, simplicity, and durability. Its modular timber foundation requires no invasive groundwork, ensuring minimal environmental impact. Softshell is designed to be easily transported and assembled by its owners, with applications ranging from hospitality to garden studios. Currently being tested in Canada, the Softshell tent is set to be available for order by summer 2025, promising a low-impact, adaptable alternative to

#BeOpenDESIGN In collaboration with architect Alberto Latorre, artist Carlos Betancourt has unveiled a stunning series of 3D-printed star-shaped modules along the shore of Miami Beach for Miami Art Week. These intricate stars, part of the upcoming ReefLine underwater sculpture park, are designed to function as hybrid coral reefs, offering both aesthetic beauty and environmental utility. The installation consists of 46 different modules, varying in size and shape, with some resembling starfish and others floral motifs. The modules, temporarily lit for the exhibition, will eventually be submerged in 15 to 20 feet of water, creating a vibrant habitat to replace marine ecosystems lost to climate change. This project is part of a broader 15-acre initiative spearheaded by OMA and Ximena Caminos, aimed at restoring marine biodiversity through innovative, environmentally functional art.

#BeOpenARCH Wutopia Lab has transformed a former industrial yard in Shanghai into Klein Blue Hills and White Cliff, a vibrant mixed-use cultural space. Located in the Pudong District, the project features two stunning wave-shaped roofs—Klein Blue Hills, with its undulating blue aluminium roof, and the White Cliff, a tent-like structure with translucent PVC walls. This creative transformation is part of a broader effort to turn the old Shanghai Marine Instrument General Factory campus into a thriving arts and industry park.

#BeOpenART Behin Ha Studio has unveiled Circle and Square, a stunning temporary fabric installation at a newly developed mixed-use complex in Hangzhou, China. This vibrant orange artwork features 426 mesh fabric ribbons that stretch from the building’s roofline to the ground, creating two dynamic outdoor spaces for visitors to explore. The intricate design—anchored in circular arrays—plays with density, transparency, and movement, sparking curiosity and inviting passersby to interact with the installation. The bright orange hue grabs attention, offering a unique and temporary addition to Hangzhou's evolving cultural scene. More buildings wrapped in fabric on our blog.

#BeOpenDESIGN Inspired by the rolling dunes and shifting sands of the desert, Dune Chess Set designed by Northern Irish architect Rory Noble-Turner uses cutting-edge 3D printing technology to capture the pure, elemental beauty of sand—solid as stone, yet soft to the touch. Created in collaboration with German manufacturer Sandhelden, each chess piece features an organic texture, alternating between smooth and rippled surfaces, inviting a tactile experience that engages all your senses. The board's sloped silhouette mimics desert hills, where pieces face off across dynamic terrain, influencing both aesthetic and strategy. Discover more art and design objects made of sand on our blog.

#BeOpenDESIGN Spanish studio Takk has created a whimsical winter-themed bedroom for their young daughter, affectionately named Winter Bedroom (for a Big Grrl). This 3.5-meter-high igloo-shaped structure is crafted inside the couple’s Barcelona 400sqm warehouse-home, blending functionality with playful design. Repurposing materials from Takk’s previous projects, the bedroom combines foam, steel-chain curtains, and a flexible, adaptive design to create a warm, insulated sanctuary in the industrial space. A "sky of bulbs" integrated into the ceiling creates a magical, starry effect for a serene, dreamlike atmosphere.

#BeOpenDESIGN Part of the Intelligent Instruments Lab, E-Textiles project by researcher Sophie Skach explores the fusion of textile design and digital music making, challenging traditional notions of musical instruments. Unlike rigid, cold materials like wood and metal, textiles offer a soft, flexible, and familiar interface that invites new forms of interaction with sound. By embedding conductive elements such as silver yarns and steel fibers into fabrics, these textiles become Electronic Textiles or E-Textiles, transforming them into sensitive, gestural interfaces for music creation.

#BeOpenDESIGN Pizza Hut Canada has recently unveiled the PIZZAWRMR concept, a DIY laptop-style warmer designed to rest beneath a horizontally placed PlayStation 5. The warmer uses heat emitted from the console to keep your pizza warm during those intense gaming sessions. Pizza Hut has made the 3D printing files available on their website, allowing users to print the warmer themselves. To ensure food safety, Pizza Hut recommends using food-safe PLA filament, as the warmer will come into direct contact with the pizza.

#BeOpenDESIGN The Blooming Decay Stool by London-based designer Gisung Han is a nature-inspired, sustainable design that embraces the impermanence of materials. Created for outdoor use—especially at festivals and campsites—this stool is intended for short-term use before it decomposes and blooms into wildflowers. Han experimented with bioplastics like potato-based material, which is embedded with flower seeds. Over time, the stool grows into a plant, turning from functional furniture to a living piece of nature. With a minimalist tripod design and petal-like motifs, it’s a perfect blend of simplicity, sustainability, and beauty—returning to the earth once its life cycle ends. More sustainable chair designs on our blog.

#BeOpenDESIGN NYC-based designer Nik Bentel has created a quirky collection of wallets inspired by the digital era’s skeuomorphic design, blending the virtual with the real. These wallets mimic the iconic folders seen in operating systems like Windows XP, Windows 11, and macOS, turning digital file folders into physical, functional accessories. Made from vegan leather, the wallets are sleek and minimal, with just two pockets, making them more of a nostalgic collector’s item than a practical everyday wallet. Perfect for tech enthusiasts and lovers of computing history, each wallet comes in a box matching the operating system it’s inspired by—making it an ideal gift for anyone who appreciates design, tech, and a bit of digital nostalgia.

#BeOpenDESIGN Takk founders Mireia Luzárraga and Alejandro Muiño have created a mobile bedroom for their daughter, Roma, inside their industrial loft in Barcelona. Built with concrete blocks, recycled insulation, and wood, this unique space is designed to move around the apartment and adapt to the family’s ever-changing layout. Inspired by Roma’s love for her own space, the bedroom features a pitched roof, wheeled base, and a yellow door—all reflecting the playful simplicity of a child’s drawing. It also offers two modes of living: interior for winter and exterior for summer, thanks to the clever use of recycled materials from previous projects.

#BeOpenDESIGN Made from 94% recyclable paperboard, Frugal Bottle is an eco-friendly alternative to conventional wine bottles made of glass. It is 5 times lighter than traditional glass bottles, which means lower shipping costs and less carbon emissions The key innovation behind the Frugal Bottle is its ability to be fully recyclable. The outer layer is made up of 94% recyclable paperboard, and inside, a durable polyethylene pouch holds the wine. The bottle holds the same 750mL of wine as an usual bottle, all while reducing its carbon footprint by 6 times. More unconventional wine bottles on our blog.

#BeOpenDESIGN Designed by Shu Kanno, DAVI Can Opener is a simple yet innovative tool that removes the entire top of a can, allowing users to drink freely like from a cup. This design gives the option to add ice or other ingredients, enhancing the drinking experience. The opener is easy to use and portable, resembling a large carabiner that can be stored in a bag. To use, simply hook the clear plastic section under the can's pull tab, and the clamp opens around the lid, providing a wide, customizable drinking opening. via yankodesign

#BeOpenDESIGN Alkesh Parmar, founder of London-based Studio Arp, has presented the Citrus Sinensis project, which transforms orange peel waste into versatile, leather-like materials. Using an innovative technique called APeel, rooted in his British-Indian heritage, Parmar works with citrus peel in its pliable state—before it dries—allowing it to be molded into lighting, objects, and artworks. The result is not only environmentally sustainable but also deeply connected to the origins of the orange, which traces its roots back to the Himalayan foothills.