Armadillo Tea Canopy
- Coleman Instant Canopy - $169.99
- Quik Shade Go Hybrid Backpack Canopy - $56.67
- AmazonBasics Pop-Up Canopy Tent with Sidewalls - $163.02
- 13 x 13 Pop-Up Canopy Gazebo - $148.00
- Coolaroo Kool Kolors Party Sail - $23.09
The belly of a beast doesn't have to be Old Testament-style miserable and wet and reeking of rotting fish. Unlike Jonah, you'll be able to relish some shade from the blaring sun, some shelter from the summer rains, and hours of comfort sprawled out on a lounger, cold drink in hand, nestled in the belly of Ron Arad's Armadillo.
OK, fine, it's not a real armadillo. It's the architect's Armadillo Tea Canopy.
Arad designed his modular canopy as an indoor / outdoor enclosure for privacy and shelter. Use it for reflection or use it to party--the structure's application is up to you. So too is its configuration. The Tea Canopy consists of 5 molded shells. Each is made of repeatable modular components connected by exposed fixings and stiffening brackets. Install it as a long 215-square-foot back of armadillo armor, a smaller, contracted overhead cover, or a series of separated modules that let the sun in at their gaps.
Armadillo shells can be finished with anything from oiled plywood to weather-resistant PVDF-coated timber composite.
/gablok-diy-wood-block-house-45510.jpg?mode=crop "Gablok DIY Wood Block House Kit")
Gablok DIY Wood Block House Kit
Gablok had a vision: a LEGO house that was life-size. Structurally sound. Insulated and livable. Up to code. And like the building bricks and blocks of our childhoods, constructed by our own hands...
Glow Stones
Ambient Glow Technology's Glow Stones combine with concrete--they either mix in freestyle or nestle in methodically--to create everything from illuminated pathways to Fairyland to sculpted lawn ornaments to mood-setting...
Noria Window Air Conditioner
Granted, when it's hotter than a dragon's undercarriage out and I'm tasked with sleeping through the night, I don't really care if the air-circulating device that makes that possible looks like Jabba the Hutt's butt crack...
/spyra-one-water-bullet-water-34339.jpg?mode=crop "Spyra One Water Bullet Water Gun")
Spyra One Water Bullet Water Gun
Nothing like the thought of pelting my friend Cornelius with a Spyra One water bullet to get me amped up on this Tuesday afternoon! Well, that and tacos. The Spyra One calls itself a next-gen water gun, a battle toy that...
The Tree Tent
I wish it didn't look like the wasp nest I fell on as a result of being clumsy when I was kid, but other than that the Tree Tent seems pretty cool. An environmentally-friendly suspended abode that can comfortably accommodate...
/swing-convertible-table-31455.jpg?mode=crop "SWING Convertible Table & Shelf")
SWING Convertible Table & Shelf
The SWING convertible table-to-shelf is magic! Not quite Fletcher Capstan magic, but still a pretty sweet design from EVE Collection, especially for those with limited space for furniture...
AbleNook: Rapidly Deployable Modular Dwelling
I'm nearly sold on AbleNook, a collapsible housing unit that requires neither appreciable time nor skill to assemble, based on its Kickstarter project's opening quote alone. From Albert Einstein: "We can't solve problems...
/et-standout-gifts-to-wow-61874.jpg?mode=crop "19 Standout Gifts to Wow Design Enthusiasts")
19 Standout Gifts to Wow Design Enthusiasts
I wouldn't go so far to call myself a design enthusiast, but I do like me some cool shizit, and I think you will see that level of admiration reflected in this 2023 holiday roundup of standout gifts to wow design enthusiasts...
/lotus-belle-luxury-canvas-17188.jpg "Lotus Belle Luxury Canvas Tents")
Lotus Belle Luxury Canvas Tents
I recently learned a new word from my girlfriend, She-Ra: Princess of Power, and although I swore I would never use it, it's all I can think of when I look at these canvas tents from Lotus Belle. The word is "glamping."...
Geizeer Ice Cube Air Conditioner
Make that "Geizeer Super Cheap and Eco-Friendly Ice Cube Air Conditioner." (And it's actually pronounced "Guy-zer," not "Gee-zer," even though in my head it will always be the latter.) At an operational cost of less than...
/tentsile-stingray-tree-tent-12521.jpg?mode=crop "Tentsile Stingray Tree Tent")
Tentsile Stingray Tree Tent
Here's a tip about stingrays: if you fear getting slapped or impaled by one while walking across the ocean floor, shuffle along the sand instead of taking normal steps. Rays like to lay low, and your disturbance of the...
Heat Sensitive Tile
I thought the Heat Sensitive Table was the pinnacle of cool in the realm of thermochromatic commmodities, but this Heat Sensitive Tile has just upped the ante. Inspired by the stunning lights of Alaska, Moving Color's...