Wood Castings pieces of furniture by Hilla Shamia

Presenting a striking combination never seen before, these wood-casted pieces of furniture were created by designer Hilla Shamia. These Wood Castings promise a constant visual of the merger between two splendid materials – wood and aluminum. The reaction between hot aluminum and burnt wood creates a clear boundary between the two elements, combining them into a raw stand-still moment.
This allows the “negative factor of burnt wood” to become a focal point with a deep visual impact. When using this technique of combining aluminum and wood, there is only so much control, the small details being left to natural forces. Melted aluminum invaded every crack it could find, intimately bonding with the burnt wood.

The original tree trunk keeps its shape, but it split between the elements composing the collection. A square silhouette gives off an artificial vibe, while protecting the material it is forever bound to.

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Volkswagen’s “People’s Car Project”

Volkswagen invited the people of China to submit their best design ideas, and they now have three concepts to show for it. A Hover Car, a Music Car and a Smart Key concept were unveiled at the 2012 China Auto Show, the result of Volkswagen’s “People’s Car Project.” Launched last year, the initiative asked users to log onto a website and submit ideas that could be discussed with others, in what the German described as “mass manufacturing.” 33 million page views and 119,000 submissions later, the “People’s Car Project” will be extended indefinitely, Volkswagen announced.
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Kisai Uzumaki Analog Watch

Adding extra function to a classic timepiece, Tokyoflash Japan has created the Kisai Uzumaki Analog Watch that beams with color. Watches are made to tell time, but are also pieces of art wrapped around the wrist.
The Kisai Uzumaki looks like a whirling vortex of colors. It features a luminous display, bright EL backlighting and reads time like a conventional analog timepiece. The name ‘Uzumaki’ is the Japanese word for whirlpool, hence its swirling design concept.
The colorful swirls aren’t just for aesthetics, they indicate the time in analog format so that a quick glance at the watch will give the time. It’s perfect for night or dark places where there’s no need to squint to tell the hour of day while time is ticking away. The hours are placed on the outside while the minutes are indicated in the inside.
The Kisai Uzumaki is 100% stainless steel and is available in black or silver with blue or green as the display. 
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