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August 23, 2016

BioLight’s PizzaDome brings wood-fired pizza to your campground

While the majority of the NYC's five boroughs are a rough and tumble concrete jungle, just beyond the bridges, highways and waterways, city slickers can find solace in the tranquil forests of the northeast. However, there are some city conveniences, if given the option, we'd never want leave behind, and good pizza is definitely one of them. To add to their already cool roster of camping gadgetry, BioLight bring us "PizzaDome," the very first portable wood-fired pizza oven designed specifically for the campground.
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August 19, 2016

App-controlled toaster will sear emojis or the weather forecast onto your toast

Toast can be a bit boring, especially in the days of rainbow bagels and Eggs Benedict, but this app-controlled toaster offers quite a few ways to jazz up your standard morning bread. By working with bluetooth, not only can Toasteroid control the brownness of your toast from your smartphone, but its searing technology can print everything from weather forecasts, reminders, doodles, and emojis on your breakfast.
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August 15, 2016

Ruggie: An Alarm Clock-Rug That Only Stops Buzzing if You Step on It

Tired of sleeping through the snooze every morning, hitting the button over and over again to only wake up sleepier? Then you might want to consider Ruggie, an efficient alarm clock-rug by Winson Tam that will only stop buzzing if you actually get out of bed and step firmly on it. And to help ease the pain of leaving the warmth of the covers, it will then play daily motivational quotes, setting a positive mood for the day.
Learn more about this clever alarm
August 9, 2016

This Pillow Tracks Your Sleeps, Streams Music, and Wakes You Up

If you're not into wearing a Fitbit, there's now another way to track your sleep, and it comes with some added bedtime perks that activity trackers don't offer. First introduced by Mashable, Zeeq is a smart pillow that tracks and optimizes sleep patterns, monitors snoring, wakes you up via alarm at the appropriate point in your REM cycle, and, perhaps most interestingly, streams music and sleep sounds from inside that are low enough for only you to hear.  
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August 4, 2016

Ikea Is Selling a Full Mini Kitchen for Only $112

6sqft has featured a couple compact kitchens before (like ChopChop and Gali), but they've both been concepts. Now, thanks to none other than Ikea, space-starved New Yorkers who actually prefer cooking to delivery can easily purchase a mini unit that offers everything a traditional kitchen would--a cooktop that can be removed to reveal countertop space, a mini fridge, a sink, and back rails to install various storage solutions (h/t Elle Decor). For those who want a bit more storage, Sunnersta also has a matching bar cart with three shelves for just $30.
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August 2, 2016

Ana Arana’s Magnetic Room Dividers Have a Bit of ’90s Kitsch

Room dividers are a great way to maximize space and privacy in small spaces, but in some cases, they can also add a decorative focal point, as well as a temporary storage solution. That's the case with Ana Arana's geometric and playful Tromploeil, which is made of separate perforated, white metal planes that are joined by magnets with colorful geometrical elements. The result has a fun, kitschy 1990s vibe that surely brighten up any cookie-cutter apartment.
Learn more about this playful room divider
July 18, 2016

Shipping Crates Inspired These Simple Wooden Wardrobes By Sigurd Larsen

Living efficiently in a studio apartment has many challenges, but one of the biggest gripes, especially for women, is where to stock all those clothes. If your home lacks a Carrie Bradshaw-esque walk-in closet, these custom-made pieces by architect Sigurd Larsen may work wonders. They take inspiration from the wooden shipping crates typically used to transport or store large, heavy or awkward items, and can also double as attractive room dividers.
Learn more about this wooden wardrobe
July 13, 2016

Get Your Grill On: Rules, Tips, and Products for Indoor and Outdoor Barbecuing in NYC

Nothing says summer like a perfectly charred burger or buttery ear of corn, but for many New Yorkers these warm-weather goodies are reserved for weekend jaunts to the suburbs or sub-par restaurant versions. If you want to get in on the grilling action without leaving the boroughs, there are plenty of options to barbecue both outside and in. It'll just require a little insider knowledge of the city's rules and regulations, so to help in the process, 6sqft has done the research, as well as put together handy tips and some of the best products.
Things are heating up right this way
July 7, 2016

Conserve and Reuse Pre-Shower Water With Aguawell

On days like today, a cold shower is often the only way to cool down, but this overindulgence can get quite wasteful, especially if you're guilty of letting the shower run before hopping in. In fact, designboom tells us that those moments of adjusting the temperature can add up to 12 liters of lost water per minute. That's where Aguawell comes in. The simple, practical unit catches clean water before it hits the drain, so you can then use it for everything from watering plants to keeping pets hydrated.
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July 5, 2016

‘Periodic Table of NYC Trash’ Identifies the City’s Garbage and Odors

Easily put a name to New York’s discarded paraphernalia and putrid odors with the help of the Periodic Table of NYC Trash. This nifty design, created by writer Molly Young and graphic designer Teddy Blanks, places 118 recurring New York City elements into a handy tabular array that, like the real periodic table that inspired it, provides a useful framework for analyzing behavior (in this case, that of New Yorkers). All of the trash depicted in the poster was pulled straight off our city's filthy streets and photographed by Young and Blanks. What's featured includes everything from an innocuous Metro Card and stray baby sock to gag-inducing finds like a dead rat and a bottle of pee. Everything has also been handily divvied up into nine different categories that include apparel, beverage, food, hygiene, household, lifestyle, municipal, packing, and vices.
See the full size version here
July 5, 2016

The Shrine Is a Cubic Cabinet That Will Keep Your Valuables Safe

We all have those precious items that we want to keep safe -- grandpa's watch, a childhood diary, a stash of foreign money -- but in cramped apartments it's hard to find adequate space to stash them all. Sigurd Larsen's cubic cabinet called the Shrine, however, has plenty of compartments to keep valuables safe. It's simply a wooden box full of drawers and doors of varying sizes that are only accessible with keys.
Learn more about this intricate cabinet of curiosities
July 1, 2016

Find Peace and Quiet at Home With the Whisper Noise Canceler

Noisy neighbors keeping you up at night? Garbage trucks blaring before the alarm? Drunk revelers making it hard to hear the television? Soundproof your apartment by installing the Whisper Noise Canceler, an innovative acoustical system that promises to silence indoor noise. It works with an outdoor unit that is mounted on the exterior of a wall, door, or window and detects external noise. A corresponding indoor device emits anti-phase sound waves to counterbalance this and reduce the noise.
Learn more about Whisper
June 29, 2016

Trump vs. Clinton: How the Design of Their Merchandise Stacks Up

On the political front, Hillary is racking in donation dollars, while Donald Trump's campaign had a mere $1.3 million to its name as of May 31st. But what about their swag? T-shirts, mugs, bumper stickers, tote bags. Sure, online purchases won't sway either campaign significantly, but it's interesting to look at how the polar-opposite presidential candidates are marketing themselves through merchandise. 6sqft compared the goods from both camps, and found that while Hillary's merchandise is much more colorful, playful, and plentiful, and even features designer collabs, the Donald sticks to his message and caters to a very specific audience.
See how the merch stacks up
June 28, 2016

Furbo: An Interactive Dog Camera That Lets You Talk to Your Pet and Dispense Treats

Pet cams are nothing new, but imagine instead of simply sitting at your desk monitoring your dog, you could reward him for good behavior or even talk to him? All that and more is available through Furbo, "an interactive dog camera with a connected app that lets you see, talk, and even give treats to your dog when you're away." The device comes from Seattle-based startup Tomofun and works using two-way audio, wide-angle live HD video streaming, barking alerts, and an interactive treat tosser, all controlled through a simple app.
Find out how it works
June 24, 2016

For Just $30, the AeroPress Coffee Maker Might Be the Next Big Thing in Brewing

Espresso machines can cost thousands, and traditional drip coffee pots (we're looking at you Mr. Coffee), while inexpensive, can often yield a subpar cup of Joe. But a $30 coffee maker is well on its way to providing a happy medium for caffeine aficionados. Business Insider took a look at the AeroPress coffee maker from Aerobie, which uses an airtight plunger to push coffee or espresso through the filter. The company claims its success is in the product's ability to brew under "ideal conditions"--proper temperature, total immersion, and rapid filtering.
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June 21, 2016

Booken Transforms Your Reading Material Into a Useful Table

By now, everyone has jumped on the bandwagon of organizing bookshelves by spine color. And while we love the look, it's refreshing to see a new, inventive way to display one's reading material. Booken was designed by Yael Mer & Shay Alkalay of Raw Edges as a way to exhibit the book "as an object that becomes material." It's the horizontal version of the traditional bookcase, and with the books hanging by their spines, they create a visually interesting and purposeful console table that doubles as a library.
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June 20, 2016

This Hive Lets Urbanites Raise Bees in Style

When 6sqft interviewed beekeeper and founder of Andrew's Honey Andrew Coté, he described how when he first started beekeeping in the city he placed his beehives wherever he could -- "on top of the bridge cafe in the Financial District, community gardens, friends’ rooftops or balconies." Though he now has an entire system of rooftop hives, other New Yorkers looking to get buzzing can still employ his small-scale take on apiculture. It was with this urban beekeeper in mind that German illustrator Maria Emmrich designed her modular Manufaktur Eins, which takes up less room than a standard hive. Designboom notes that it "combines the natural needs of the insects and the ergonomic requirements of the beekeepers" to create a stylish way to raise honeybees anywhere from a balcony to a garden.
More on this design-friendly beehive
June 15, 2016

Lighting Science’s Fred Maxik Discusses How to Use Interior Light to Improve Sleep and Health

Studies have shown that getting a good night's sleep is critical to keeping one's self happy, healthy and fully functioning. But with advances in technology, modern humans have increasingly found themselves typing and swiping into the wee hours of the night without any regard for what time it is. Unfortunately, exposure to light before bed can have serious negative effects on our body, messing with our circadian rhythms and suppressing our ability to produce melatonin—the hormone that controls our sleep and wake cycles. But beyond feeling tired and irritable the next day, not getting enough sleep also has tremendous long-term effects that include, but are certainly not limited to, depression, immune stress, weight gain, premature aging and disease. Luckily, there are researchers out there harnessing the power of the light spectrum to engineer light bulbs that work with our bodies and environment, rather than against them. To help urban dwellers sleep better, we tapped Lighting Science Group founder and Chief Technology Officer Fred Maxik to learn more about the challenges we face when it comes to city and indoor light, as well as for some tips on how to improve health, productivity, sleep, and even happiness by simply switching bulbs. Lighting Science is one of the world’s leading LED manufacturers and they've worked with everyone from NASA to national sports teams to the creators of the Lowline Underground Park.
Learn more about what lighting is best for your home and health here
June 13, 2016

Get Rid of Mosquitoes and Stop Bites This Summer With These Simple Tips

6sqft’s series Apartment Living 101 is aimed at helping New Yorkers navigate the challenges of creating a happy home in the big city. This week we’ve rounded up tips on how to get rid of and deal with mosquitoes this summer.  New York's hot and humid summers bring all sorts of agony, but the bites of unrelenting mosquitoes may be the worst of all. While in past years these buzzers haven't been much more than a itchy nuisance, this year, the Zika virus has everyone on high alert. In February, the World Health Organization declared the virus a threat to public health across the globe. To date, no vaccine exists. As of June 8th, there have been 133 cases of Zika reported in NYC. However, the species of mosquito spreading Zika (the Aedes aegypti) has not yet been spotted in the city and all cases caught the virus while abroad. Nonetheless, with a potential threat looming, the city has launched a campaign to get New Yorkers to do their part, which includes tips on how to prevent the mosquito population from propagating. Ahead we'll cover some of the same ground, on top of other tips to keep mosquitoes from entering your home and attacking your body—because any way you look at it, mosquito bites are no fun!
What you can do, this way
June 10, 2016

KPF’s William Pedersen Designs an Ultra-Modern Doghouse With Green Roof

KPF is best known for transforming cities with supertall towers, but for the firm's founding Design Partner and Principal, William Pedersen, there's no scale that should be left unchallenged. Pedersen teamed up with fellow KPF architect Trent Tesch to create the One Jackson Square (OJS) Doghouse, a pint-sized structure for pets that boasts a striking curved form. According to the KPF pair, the OJS is "designed for the city dog, the country dog, and the spoiled dog."
more on the design here
June 9, 2016

Zen Out in Your Apartment With the Meditation Tipi

Even the most cynical, high-strung New Yorkers need a little "namaste" time. If committing to a yoga membership seems like too much, why not get one of these Meditation Tipis, which allow you to "create your own sacred space for meditation, connection, writing, reading and more." Made in Bozeman, Montana by Little Turtle's Tipi, these handmade canvas teepees come with an imitation fur rug and a salt crystal aroma lamp for your favorite essential oils. And with a diameter of only six feet and height of seven, they're perfect for even the smallest apartments.
Find out how to get your own
June 8, 2016

6 Products to Make the Most Out of Your Fire Escape This Summer

If your fire escape is the closest you'll get to a backyard this summer, fear not--6sqft has dug up some products that will turn this tiny space into much more than a place to set up some potted herbs. From grills to desks, we've found six clever items that require nothing more than the railing of your fire escape. Of course, consult your lease and talk to your landlord before installing them (technically putting objects on the fire escape is illegal, however they're becoming a thing of the past due to safety concerns), but once you get the go-ahead these designs are sure to maximize your outdoor enjoyment.
See them all this way