From airplane wing desks to shopping trolley chairs.

Reestore take everyday waste objects and upcycle them into quirky yet functional pieces of furniture and accessories. All products are created with as many eco design principles as possible, reclaimed trolleys, reject barrows, space saving hanging chairs, stools with recycling capabilities. Avoiding traditional eco materials in favor of contemporary finishes, fabrics and above all style. Managing Director Max McMurdo is keen to stress that environmental consideration need not compromise the aesthetics and desirability of reestore’s products.
Deborah, (pictured above) is an aluminum airplane wing supported by stainless steel legs topped with toughened glass.
Dimensions (mm): w2000 d900 h800 Weight: 150kg (yes heavy)

Annie the shopping trolley chair is perhaps the most iconic of ditch fillers. trolleys are generally scrapped due to unaligned wheels or exposed wire. Once transformed by reestore they become beautiful yet functional
upright chairs.

(more…)

Posted in Design, Duann Scott, Furniture + Lighting by Duann | Comments are off for this post

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November 2009

Word spreads and — thanks to Google Alerts — I’m keeping track. Be it shame or praise, Ponoko wants to know what people think. Introducing the Ponoko Monthly Press Feed. Got a complaint? Let it rip. Got a compliment? Don’t be shy. We want to share what the world is saying. And while Google will track down your blog and deliver it to my inbox, if you ever want to submit a user story/concern/etc you can email the blog directly: blog at ponoko dot com.

• In Good Company Workplaces names Ponoko in their list of resources for Unleashing the Inventor in You

• 5Magazine (the international coolhunting magazine) calls Ponoko “the future of manufacturing”

• Branding Strategy Insider lists Ponoko in 9 Digital Trends for 2010

• Business Day asks tips for online success from Ponoko founder David ten Have

• New progress on Russ Nelson’s Ponoko Darwin (you learn more about this Reprap project from a previous post)

• Gilbert Riedelbauch writes about his Ponoko-made lighting design over at his blog virtualterritory

• Mayka Mei visits the Ponoko studio in San Francisco and says our blog is “So cool. It’s like Kanye West’s except not ghosted.” THANK you Mayka!

• San Francisco Gate blog The Wallflower praises Ponoko as “a tinkerer’s dream”.

• EvilMadScientist mentions Ponoko as a way to create typographic coasters

• Canada’s The Globe and Mail talks about Ponoko’s popularity in the world of “micro-manufacturers”

• The Oakland Tribune lists Ponoko amongst the Bay Area’s growing number of “innovation incubators”

• James Harton shows off his Ponoko-made laptop stand and gingerbread toys

• More love for Ponoko-made Gaming Controllers from European gaming site The Sixth Axis and We Heart It

• December issue of Lucky magazine mentions Ponoko as “one of the more brilliant websites” (see page below)

Posted in Kristen Turner, Ponoko News by Kristen Turner | Comments are off for this post

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It is going to be 2010. Doesn’t that look crazy? Very futuristic. It’s the year that Lisa Simpson gets married and Mega Man is asked to save the world for the third time. If 2010 turns out to be anything like it looks typed out, we are in for some major action. Shopping happens to be a lot of people’s major actions. And this is how shopping is done in 2010:

Everyone will either make and design whatever it is they need or purchase it from an independent designer that combines hand-made and digitally fabricated techniques. Shopping will be done primarily online and occasionally at local fairs. Why not get a head start on the new m.o. and buy your holiday presents at the Ponoko showroom?! Ten great gifts and my predictions for 2010 after the jump.

(more…)

Posted in Electronics + Robotics, Functional Art + Objects, Furniture + Lighting, Jewellery, Kristen Turner, Laser Cutting, Maker Stories by Kristen Turner | Comments are off for this post

Make your own stuff using: Laser Cutting

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the difference between designing for free and designing for free

Ok, anyone who has is known who is known as ‘a designer’ in any social circle has been asked to do design work for free. You may have sewn your own skirt, once, and then be asked to design and make someones wedding dress for free. Or maybe you made some flyers for your band two years ago so you are asked to design and build a website, but you will get a share of the google adsense income (read free).
Often people think you design for fun (which is often true) and so do not value your time in the same way they would value that of an accountant, lawyer or pastry chef.

David Thorne has posted what is possibly the funniest correspondence between a ‘client’ trying to get free design work and a ‘designer’ telling them no, in the most beautiful way…

But, David’s website of hilarious stories and correspondence I assume he does do for free, with the freedom to leverage his readership into social and financial capital. For instance you can read of how he tried to settle an overdue a debt he had by sending them a drawing of a seven legged spider, sure it did not work but now he is selling t-shirts and mugs of the seven legged spider drawing and has (hopefully) made way more than the of $233.95 he owed. Also interestingly he is using CafePress to sell his merchandise including his book The Internet is a Playground…

An interesting example of empowerment through micro manufacturing and free design…..

Thank you David and thank you Core77

Posted in Design, Duann Scott, Interviews, Thoughts + Opinions by Duann | Comments are off for this post

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acrylic zodiac necklaces from plastique

Jen Murse of Plastique recently added 12 very cute zodiac charms to her shroom. And today is my twenty-sixth birthday, which makes me a Sagittarius (the hands-down best astrological sign to be). I am always asking people I meet when their birthday is in order to decipher their sign without giving away that I am totally into astrology. I wish everyone would wear one of these necklaces so I could simply scan the room and find a Gemini for a good conversation, a Capricorn for some professional connections, or a Libra for my next fling. Although, I understand why a Virgo would not want to advertise.

Zodiac Necklaces for $20. Get ‘em here.

Posted in Jewellery, Kristen Turner, Laser Cutting, Maker Stories by Kristen Turner | Comments are off for this post

Make your own stuff using: Laser Cutting

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3D printed jewelery for those with an adventurous architectural soul.

My jewelry objects mimic ancient architectural elements activating the space surrounding the body and altering the viewers perception of the wearer. My work has replaced the traditional embellishments of jewelry objects with the details of traditional architectural form. The objects have become jewelry that have defined architectural space around the body, altering our perception of the figure.

Check out Joshua DeMonte’s Coroflot portfolio for more, If you dare….

via design milk

Posted in 3D Printing, Architecture, Duann Scott, Jewellery by Duann | Comments are off for this post

Make your own stuff using: 3D Printing

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A materials service for manufacturers, agencies and designers.

In short, this is how Material Short Stories works:
- You send in a visual of your product (concept) by e-mail
- Five innovative materials are selected and applied as sketch
- A unique booklet is produced and delivered in a few days


By Tim Oelker and Aart van Bezooyen supported by hamburgunddesign° this is an interesting angle on outsourcing for designers who may not yet have the experience to make an informed choice of what materials and processes are available for manufacture.

Maybe not at the right pricepoint for students though…

Posted in Duann Scott, Materials, Tools + Apps by Duann | Comments are off for this post

Make your own stuff using: App Gateway

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   You thought that you were alone but I caught your bullet just in time

Ponoko user Annie Rawle just let us know that she’ll be attending three gift fairs coming up in Perth, Australia. She will be offering a line of girlie, graphic jewelry under her label Osmosis.

The Perth Upmarket is going down this Sunday (29 Nov) from 10—4. Annie is running a special offer at the Perth Upmarket. For every sale over $30, you are entered in a drawing to win a free jewelry pendant of your choice. Don’t miss out!

Bazaar 09 at the Fremantle Arts Center will run Saturday and Sunday (5 & 6 December) from 9–5. Expect an array of local artists and makers working in fashion, textiles, jewelry, housewares and more.

For last minute shoppers there’s Unwrapped, taking place Saturday (19 December) from 10–5. September’s Unwrapped event was a huge success as noted by Made On the Left.

All of these events are curated, so expect the best. And if you don’t live in Australia and still want a piece of Perth, Annie promises to have a Ponoko showroom up after Christmas.

Posted in Events, Jewellery, Kristen Turner, Laser Cutting, Maker Stories by Kristen Turner | Comments are off for this post

Make your own stuff using: Laser Cutting

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game console controls on a string

Digits aka Dave Rollins recently added an assortment of lasercut video game controller ornaments to his Ponoko showroom. The set includes seven system control ornaments, everything from the original NES to the Wii and the Dreamcast to the PS3. And from the blogsphere buzz, these iconic gaming shapes are evidently proving very popular.

• Gamers Daily News waxes poetic about Dave’s design: “So why not take an extra step & decorate this year, with these awesome ornaments, shaped like gaming gear?”

• Jesty Suggest puts these on their geek shopping list.

• The Technabob blog is “absolutely in love” with them. “Buy a bunch and cover your whole tree. I’m hoping next year that Dave will make some matching console ornaments and maybe an Atari paddle controller or two.”

• Geekologie will out tree-decorate Martha Stewart. “Alternatively, take your controllers from yesteryear and drape them around the tree like tinsel. Thread popcorn onto the cords for a real decorative touch.”

• DVICE likes them too! “I mean, if you have a choice between a boring red ball ornament or a Dreamcast controller, are you seriously going for the ball? Let’s be reasonable here.”

• Apartment Therapy’s Unplgged says: “the ornaments actually look cooler than the real thing.”

• The Awesomer: 8 stars so far

Looks like it’s gonna be a good Christmas for Mr. Rollins.
Ornament assortment available in white, black, red, yellow, or clear acrylic for $25 from digits showroom.

Posted in Kristen Turner, Laser Cutting, Maker Stories, Ponoko News, Toys + Games by Kristen Turner | Comments are off for this post

Make your own stuff using: Laser Cutting

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half-drop your way to a $1k

Textile Republic offers digitally printed products and a way for independent designers to win a thousand dollar payment plus a 5% royalty contract. The company uses a crowd-sourcing model to solicit original pattern designs for fabric and wallpaper products based on a competition theme. There is a new contest theme about every six months, and submissions are voted upon by registered users.

The current contest theme is completely open and ends 1 December.

Along with voting, registered users can also leave comments underneath each design. This provides a thread of feedback which is, at the very least, useful for gauging the popularity of your work. With over 2,000 designs entered since the site launched in the spring of 2001, the gallery of patterns is also a nice inspirational resource. But as anyone who has ever worked in the textile design industry will tell you, “inspiration” has a broad interpretation when it comes to churning out patterns for the corporate machine. I would keep this risk in mind before uploading your entire portfolio in hopes of just one of your patterns scoring the $1k and royalty deal.

Below are the previous winners for which the risk paid off.

Posted in Contests + Competitions, Design, Digital Fabric Printing, Fashion + Textiles, Kristen Turner, Tools + Apps by Kristen Turner | Comments are off for this post

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