Today I bring you some intriguing product design from Joel Escalona. You may have heard of him before, but if not there’s no time like the present to check out his inspiring and unique work.

On his website, Escalona says that he “loves to create smart storytelling concepts which turn ordinary objects into everyday wonders,” and I think that’s both a great thing to aspire to and an accurate summary of his work.

Above: Mutant Stool – Truly unique stackable stools

 

MyDNA Bookcase – A one-of-a-kind bookcase that adds as much personality to your space as the books and CDs on it

 

Santos Chair – desribed as a “drinking chair” and inspired by a champagne glass

See more of Escalona’s work here.

For those of you who have been around awhile, you might remember back when Six Different Ways was completely about ball chairs with thousands of images of both the original and reproductions getting thousands of hits per day. Well for those loyal readers and anyone who might be on the market for a ball chair, I’ve got a hands on review for you of the most affordable yet best knock off of Eero Aarnio’s ball chair that I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot.

A) Classic Five Panel Interior

The Eero Aarnio Style Ball Chair available through Inmod offers unbelievable accuracy & quality. This was immediately obvious to me as I took it out of the box and it didn’t scratch my prized hardwood floor. As I looked at its bottom I could see that its base had a protective fabric covering, a great feature not common to most ball chairs- and I knew this was going to be good.

Now don’t get me wrong, an original Aarnio Ball Chair will always be an original Aarnio Ball Chair, but these days I feel like that is out of reach for most of us. Believe it or not, your favorite modern design blogger is not about to drop $7,000 on a chair but don’t tell anyone.

B) Fiberglass frame has a bevel where it meets the fabric

So let me tell you what you can get for a very reasonable $899. This chair features a swivel stainless steel ball bearing mechanism, which in simple terms means that it swivels and offers smooth rotation. Beware of many other knock offs that use a single shaft causing a wobble and meaning the chair will inevitably (and sometimes much sooner) break. And no one wants that.  It also features a fiberglass frame, which is a huge advantage over plastic both in looks and quality.  While you may not even think you know the difference, trust me that if you put a fiberglass and plastic chair side by side it will be very clear which one is a better quality. There is even a bevel(B) where the fiberglass meets the fabric, offering an aesthetic improvement over most knock offs and a firmer, solid look. This chair features a classic five panel interior(A) like the original (unlike 10 plus that I’ve seen on some really poor ball chairs). Its plush cushions(C) are removable and feature an inner lining for a really high end look. Both its foam and fabric are fire resistant and Inmod says it’s suitable for commercial use so go ahead and use them in your restaurants and clubs.

C) Plush cushions are fire resistant, and feature an inner lining

Let’s talk about its base(D) for a moment, because while it’s the smallest part of the chair is it one of the most important. The original Aarnio Ball Chair had a shell that directly met its base without any extruding components. This is done for both aesthetic and comfort reasons, and the Inmod Ball Chair is one of the only knock offs I’ve seen that does this. Most have an extended base making the chair higher, less comfortable, and much more likely to break.

D) Shell directly meets base, ensuring quality and comfort

I’ve gotten quite a few things at Inmod –several of which I have blogged about—so I know one of their biggest things is customization. This ball chair is no exception and comes with your choice of fiberglass shell color and interior fabric. 

In terms of knock offs this chair gets an A. For $899 you aren’t going to do any better and honestly I don’t think you would find a better knock off even in the $2000-$3000 range, at least not that I’ve seen.  So unless you got the dollars to spare for the original (which then by all means do) this is the ball chair to get people.  Feel free to comment/email with questions.

Got a product you want reviewed?  Let me know where I can come see it (NYC area) or send me one (I love gifts!). Contact me at Sixdifferentways6@gmail.com for more info. 

Garage doors don’t usually get much attention.  Unless they are in really bad shape, it’s not an area of our home we usually spend time thinking about how it could be improved.  Well, maybe we didn’t, but someone did.

Enter Style-Your-Garage.com, a company that decided garage doors were far too boring and were taking away from the look of our homes.  Now with a little Velcro you can completely makeover your garage with one of its garage billboards.  These go over your door to give your garage a unique (to say the least) look.

From the wishful thinking of the serene beach scene, to the almost realistic classic car, to the downright ridiculous elephant, this company has thought of it all. There are quite a few designs to pick from.

A little crazy and unnecessary? Perhaps, but definitely creative.  Sales must be ok because similar coverings for doors and windows are already in the works.  What do you think- would you use one of these?   See more designs here.

2 in 1 – What’s not to love?  The chair designed by Henrich Zrubec is exactly that. Use it as one really cool looking chair or two more simple looking ones.   This chair is made of injection-molded polycarbonate. One side is transparent and the other red (or your choice of color). I like the use of multiple colors, because you can see the function of the chair, even when it’s put together as one. Cool. More from Zrubec here.

Seems these days home design blogs are always talking about reading nooks. I like the idea, but I thought I’d bring it to you in a much more modern way.   Forget reading nooks, and check out the Reading Cave!

The Reading Cave is not a cave in the scary sense of the word, but more of a relaxing place to enjoy a moment of solitude.  Catch up with your favorite author and watch the outside world disappear if only for a few moments.

I can’t ignore the fact that the reading cave is built right into the bookshelf. How cool is that?!  This design is the work of Sakura Adachi. See more of her work here.

Today I bring you some fun lighting from dform design in Brooklyn.  While these lights instantly catch your attention with their cool look, I was even more fascinated after I learned they are made through the manipulation of flat sheet materials, mostly wood veneer and plastic.  What looks to be effortless 3D design is in fact 3D but brought about my much creativity. dform offers a collection of lighting and screens.  They’ve also done some interiors, my favorite of which is shown below.

This is the interior of Sushi Samba-Rio in Chicago. Stunning. Who wouldn’t want to eat here? I mean I would eat good sushi pretty much anywhere, but this interior design definitely makes it even harder to resist. See more from dform here.