Our world features lots of terrible design. But really, it isn’t all bad. If nothing else, the bad designs you see can help you appreciate when you see something awesome. These pics run the gamut from “I can’t believe I didn’t think of that!” to “Just…how?”.
Add city lights to any room.
This is super impressive. A standard set of blackout blinds is turned into something spectacular, all thanks to cleverly cut-out holes. The cityscape is obviously a showstopper, but these would also be effective at letting some, but not all, light into a room.
These hands cradle the bridge.
The Golden Bridge in Vietnam provides scenic vistas of the surrounding hills of Da Nang. But if you can distract yourself from the view for a moment, the way these hands appear to support the bridge is pretty cool as well.
Hypnotic.
This seashell-themed sink takes the traditional basin and flips the concept on its head. I love how there’s an upper basin for handwashing, then the water smoothly spirals down toward the drain.
So simple, so elegant.
Anyone who’s spent time in chemistry class can appreciate that it can be difficult sketching stuff out in a neat and orderly way. This graph paper uses hexagonal shapes to help out.
I never thought plyers could be beautiful.
Then again, I’ve never seen anything like this either. A set of plyers is handy to have available, but it’s not exactly a beautiful tool. This creative stand solves the problem.
Looks like you’ve got an electricity leak.
It looks like some nuclear accident waiting to happen, but this faucet-themed plug-in is actually just a super artistic night light. I’d love to see how the green glow looks in a dark room.
Please do this on my street.
I’ve been dodging potholes six feet across all winter and there’s no sign of them getting filled anytime soon. On this street, straight-up tiles are used. They look great, and hopefully work great as well.
It’s-a me!
These slippers are totally cute even if you don’t dig the whole Mushroom Kingdom vibe. Add in the warp pipe-looking holder to keep them neat and tidy and I’m sold.
Trippy.
While we’re talking Mario, check out this 3D-printed Möbius strip of level 1-1 from the original Super Mario Bros . The longer you look at it, the harder it is to make sense of it.
Suddenly my knife rack doesn’t look that good.
Sure, what I’ve got is fine — just a big wooden block with plenty of room for new knives. But I’m not inspired to declare “THIS IS SPARTA” whenever I grab one.
Perfect for rainy nights.
This ultra-reflective umbrella picks up light and reflects it. Not only does it light up the surrounding area for the person holding it, it also helps them stand out for nearby drivers.
These don’t grind my gears.
If you’re the kind of tabletop gamer that requires ten-sided dice, why not lean into your geekdom and deviate from the normal, boring dice you usually see? These gear-themed dice are beautiful and functional.
This Alzheimer’s ward disguised the exit door as a bookcase to help patients from getting lost.
It has become a trend of sorts for Alzheimer’s wards to make the white-walled clinics a little more enriched visually to help provide memory cues for patients.
Makes lighters 1000% more handy.
This clever little sheath slips onto your standard Bic lighter. It barely increases the size of the lighter, but it adds all kinds of Swiss Army knife-type functionality. Just don’t lose it in the couch cushions.
Peel away the darkness.
This looks like a wall is peeling away to reveal a window, but it’s actually just a lamp that’s designed to go in a corner and mimic the effect. The execution here is awesome.
Afrotastic.
I’m not sure what kind of cookie that is, and I’ll admit that it doesn’t look all that appetizing. But who knows, it may be delicious — and that clever afro effect is well worth the price of admission.
RELATED STORIES
These elevator buttons that you can tap with your toes!
Think about it, tap a floor number with your toes and you completely avoid the germs associated with those other floor buttons you have to touch with your hands.
Et tu, pencil?
Like the knife block a few items back, this one is awesome. The Julius Caesar bust looks good enough on its own, but turning it into a pencil holder is a clever nod to history.
The key is the location.
What looks like an unorthodox way to tile a floor is actually a very understated nod to the U.S. Postal Service. Appropriately enough, this is at the National Postal Museum at the Smithsonian.
History in the supermarket.
Historical buildings ought to be preserved, but sometimes they get in the way of new development. Solution: incorporate them, like this grocery store did with these ancient Roman columns in the middle of the produce section.
I’ve seen this in a few spots but it really needs to be in every parking lot or garage.
The extended yellow lines going up the walls act as a guide so you don’t have to rely on floor-level ones.
This mirror that has a fog-free section.
Finally, I don’t have to search around for a dirty shirt to wipe down the mirror so I can partially see myself!
