There is something weird and mysterious about stairways that don't go anywhere, and yet they're surprisingly common: inside and outside old buildings, among demolished walls, in big cities and small villages, or in artists' imaginations. They get your mind going, spurring you to imagine secret places and invisible doors. Try climbing the next one you encounter. Or just imagine climbing these. Read More >>

The X House is not the name of a popular rave venue, it's an awesome X-shaped home hanging off a cliff outside Barcelona. Read More >>

ITV's just launched its total rebrand, the biggest change to the UK's second biggest broadcaster in the last 12 years, and it's not exactly gone over well. The critical response has been pretty much universally bad, but what do you think? Has ITV just become hip, or is a logo that looks like a child practicing joined-up writing the embodiment of fail? Read More >>

Most of us look can look at this beautiful hand-carved X-Wing themed coffee table and appreciate the craftsmanship that went into its creation—even if we would never even think of putting in our living rooms. But for die-hard Star Wars fans, this could very well be the holy grail of Lucas-inspired home decor. Read More >>

We just went to CES and saw a lot of the gadgets we'll be playing with in the future. But it didn't make me as excited as seeing all of these old products with vintage packaging. I wish every product could go back to its vintage packaging. Read More >>

It's a simple trick that serves no other purpose than to impress your friends, but that doesn't make these sunglasses from Parabellum and Oliver Peoples any less awesome. The shades feature almost no branding, until you breathe on and fog up the lenses—then the company's logo is conspicuously revealed. Read More >>

Commemorate your recent continental travels and turn any loaf of bread into a pile of shredded crumbs with this trio of knives that feature serrated edges mirroring the silhouettes of the Alps. Pricing and availability haven't been locked down yet, but the famous peaks include the Zurich Panorama, the Lake of Constance Panorama, and the Berner Alps Panorama. They're all about form, not function, so make sure you have a way to display them instead of burying the set in a knife block. [PanoramaKnife via swissmiss] Read More >>

What better way to start the year than to make predictions – some obvious, some not so obvious – as to what trends will become more widely used in the design community. Each year seems to bring new ideas to the community and once they gain enough traction, they eventually become the norm (we're looking at you, "pull to refresh"). Read More >>

Who cares what colour the walls are when there's beer in front of you? That's exactly what the guys between Beertone thought, when they decided to put together a colour chart that takes you on a journey through the entire spectrum of beer. Beertone explains: Read More >>

In case you haven't picked up on it by now: Anything goes at CES. But at least this collaboration between Technics and custom bike builder Roland Sands is easy on the eyes and ears. Inspired by the Technics DH1-1200 and SL-1200MK2 turntables, Sands reworked a Harley Davidson Iron 883 and I'd say he nailed it. I don't like Harleys at all but I am a fan of Sands, so I'd be down with this ride. And if you're wondering who that Billy Ray Cyrus-lookalike in the video is, it's Andy Bell of Nitro Circus fame. [Roland Sands] Read More >>

If you really hate your guests, looks no further than Jay Watson Design's thermochromic furniture. Before they sit down it looks like any normal old table and bench — but when they rise, their sweaty arse will leave a large bright patch that would make any man blush. Read More >>

Whatever your opinion on the whole smartwatch thing is, don't worry/get excited; this isn't real. This is just a concept design called "Google Time" by Adrian Maciburko. That said, they look kind of, well, nice. Read More >>

The brain is all about connections. Little jolts of electricity jumping from between thousands of interconnected neurons to send a message. It's a crazy house up there. This brain is sort of the same way, made with hardly anything but thousands of drops of solder—metal neurons, if you will—and coursing with the energy to light up an LED. Sure, that's not quite the same as thinking, but it's still pretty cool. Read More >>

Facebook is what church and bathing used to be: a daily, comforting, familiar ritual. And so it's not without cause that people go nuts whenever it's redesigned. But if you thought Timeline was radical, check out this (unofficial) prototype. Read More >>

Penguin publishing just rereleased five of George Orwell's best works—1984, Animal Farm, Down and Out in Paris and London, Homage to Catalonia, and Politics and the English Language—as "Great Orwell" editions. Read More >>