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How Ikea and Etsy are changing the way we see our homes with AR

The Swedish home furnishing brand Ikea has revealed a new project with its research and design lab SPACE10 that hopes to revolutionise the way we live at home.

The platform titled EverydayExperiments.com provides insight into the eighteen digital experiments that use technologies such as Augmented Reality, Object Detection and Spatial Intelligence to simplify and personalise user experience.

Ikea’s ethos “to create a better everyday life for the many people” combined with their focus on sustainability, is certainly evident in the SPACE10 initiative, particularly in the “Point and Repair” experiment. Designed by Amsterdam based design Studio Random, Point and Repair uses AR to scan damaged or worn-down furniture and aims to provide the user with upcycling tutorials or the possibility to order spare parts to encourage sustainable and circular consumption.

Random Studio says, “We envisioned creating a setup in which the home was as much responsible for informing, making suggestions or questioning the user as the user was for controlling the home.”

Another interesting idea comes from ManvsMachine, a design and direction studio with locations in London and Los Angeles. Their concept revolves around using AR as a tool to allow a customer to visualise what their room could look like under different lighting conditions in order to create a comfortable space all year around. 

ManvsMachine highlights that “The main difficulty was keeping everything grounded in what could be possible within the constraints of near-future technology.”

But Ikea is hardly the first business to implement AR into their business strategy. Recently, online retailer Etsy launched an app feature that lets users place a print or photograph directly on their wall. This makes it easy to envision a specific piece of art in your space and select the right canvas size for your home without having to go through the hassle of measuring.

Though AR is clearly still in its early stages, these experiments have us hopeful for a future where designing the perfect, sustainable home is easily accessible and intuitive. Like Ikea’s founder, Ingvar Kamprad says, “Most things still remain to be done. A glorious future!”

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“Grounded” - short-film. View it here.

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Grimm’s Fairy Tales - Interior Design & Typesetting.

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Brochure designed for class.

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Brochure for a bear shop.

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Short-story: Whatever that means

What makes people fall in love?

To me it has always been about mutual understanding, respect. Maybe a shared set of values.

But then I think of Drake and how we had nothing in common. And I think of his addictions, his hate and how he really never had my respect at all. I think of how indifferent he was about my art, unable to understand my drive to create.

A friend recently said to me, love isn’t about any of those things. For her, love is finding someone who is into the same amount of not talking that you’re into. And I agreed.

But then I think of Katie and how she used to talk without pause. Nonstop. 24/7. And I’d listen. Nonstop. 24/7. I think of ridiculous stories below a clear summer sky. Stories in bars, stories in cafes. Stories in her car on a highway to nowhere, because sometimes words weren’t escape enough.

The other day I read an article claiming that we subconsciously fall in love with people who share similar facial features as ourselves.

But I think of Molly who changed her looks as frequently as she got out of bed. And how sometimes it went beyond a haircut, beyond shaving off eyebrows. I think about the times when she’d come home with a new tattoo, with a new nose.

The movies say love is sparkles and rainbows and metaphors and stars and hope.

But I think of Finn and our screams. About the words I threw, the anger he radiated. How he swallowed his emotions like drugs. No, we didn’t have rainbows, we had thunderstorms. And yet both stars and lightning shine bright in the darkness.

People tell me none of this was love. That if I’d been in love I’d know that you can’t define it. That it’s everything at once and nothing at all. That it’s a rip in time, a new world in an unknown galaxy.

That’s what I told you. And you laughed. “Love is about making the thought of tomorrow slightly more bearable,” you joked.

But then you got serious and said, "Love isn’t one thing and love isn’t everything. It’s the little things. It’s waking up in the morning, seeing your face and not turning away. It’s knowing that if I don’t get up, you’ll be there beside me and it’ll be okay. It’s not growing tired of laughing at the same stupid jokes forever. It’s staying up together to finish that lame TV-show we’ve been obsessed with and then going out because we’re both craving ice cream at three in the morning." I smiled at the memory. You smiled back. "It’s about this. Stupid conversations in bed after a long day at work and wanting to be nowhere else. Ever. Because this right here, it’s the most content you’ve ever felt and you never want this feeling to go."

We lay there for a while afterwards, letting the words hover above us, our love wrapping around us like a hug. And I forget all about the Drakes and Katies and Mollys and Finns of this world. I forget about all the movies and this fragile idea of what love is and should be and I just lay there with you. The last rays of sunshine dancing on our sheets.

And as night knocks on our door, I know it without a doubt. A certainty that should scare me, that should make me doubt, but it doesn’t. I’m filled with ease. A piece has shifted and been put into place. A break up in reverse.

I love you. Whatever that means.

Published in: Ripple

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Review: Our Ruby Girl

Are you looking for the perfect brunch café where even your kids won’t get bored? Or are you on the hunt for divine breakfast dishes? A modern, minimalistic spot to catch up on your work? Then look no further, because this new café is sure to charm you. 

Located outside of the usual Perth hotspots, in Como, Our Ruby Girl is certainly a hidden gem at the moment. The forward-thinking café only opened a month ago, but I am already wondering how I’ve ever lived without it. It brands itself as zero-waste and “Keep Cup Only”, with a focus on native produce. This spot encourages a mindful attitude towards our environment, supported by the various goodies available to buy on sight to get you started on your zero-waste journey.

(Inside the café with the kids area to the left)

Take a seat on one of the wooden tables outside to enjoy the sunshine or at one of the myriad of tables inside, with easy access to a playing area for your kids. Our Ruby Girl makes sure to cater to everyone, which reflects in their diverse customers, ranging from students to families and beyond. Their carefully crafted menu too, has a dish for everybody, from classic avo-toasts over to house-made crumpets, as well as granola served with yogurt and fruits to fill those sweet tooth cravings. But particularly their dazzling winter pancakes have received striking social media buzz, so of course I had to try them!

(Winter pancakes along with a long black)

The three pancakes come loaded with spiced apples and plums as well as a dollop of vanilla mascarpone and caramelised pistachio brittles. And let me tell you, if you only try one thing at Our Ruby Girl, make sure it is this. The pancakes were heavenly soft and perfectly paired with the soft fruits and just the right amount of syrup. A generously sized portion that almost had me rolling my way home.

However, for a Tuesday morning their service left something to be desired. After walking up to the counter to order and being told the café is table service, I still had to wait ten minutes for a waitress to arrive, all while watching a couple sit down at an adjacent table and getting served before me. Additionally, dirty dishes were piling up on surrounding tables, which were not a priority for the staff and remained there for the hour I spend at the café.

(Their small zero-waste display by the counter)       

With small dismay, I also noted the paper napkins provided on every table. Reusable cloths might have been a better fit for a café that describes itself as zero-waste. Yet, I did enjoy the wide variety of sustainable products they had on display, taking up a whole wall of the café plus a small table right next to the counter.

Our Ruby Girl is only getting started and with the lovely dishes already on sale, we can be sure to expect more exquisite food from them in the future. This independent café is certainly one you want to keep an eye on!

 Where to find Our Ruby Girl?

 2/61 Ley St, Como, 6152 WA

Our Ruby Girl Opening Hours

Monday-Saturday       6am–4pm Sunday                        6am–2pm

Target Publication: Foodie Cravings (online)

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Human Interest Story: A Love Letter to London

 If there is a depiction of gloom in the form of a city, it would be London. The sun never shines, rain is a daily companion, the buildings are dark and cramped, shoved into every possible space, and just stepping out of the house is likely to get you run over by someone rushing past. The city is stress and bitterness in its purest form.

But I love it.

A year ago, if you had asked me, “Zoe, how is London?” I would have responded with something along the lines of, “It’s good I suppose. It’s a city, nothing special really.” Oh, how naive I was. The city had taken my heart piece by piece and I had not even noticed. A year later, and all it took for me to recognise this was to move to the other side of the world. To the sunniest city in Australia, where the buildings are wide and flat, where space is an abundance and cafés close at three. A city that feels like a hug. And yet, the hole in my chest yearns for London.

My heart’s first piece perhaps, I lost to London’s diversity. Soho with its luminous window displays and hipster coffee shops. Kensington with its parks and museums. Notting Hill’s gorgeous house-fronts and flower shops. Brixton, home to the best concerts and night outs. Shoreditch for the best vegan food and street art around every corner. Camden’s markets. Westminster, the Queen’s home. Do I need to say more?

The city took another chunk at Pride. Everybody that has ever attended Pride in London knows how much of a pain, yet immense pleasure it is. Every major road in the city is blocked, which is amazing because it means you can see the parade almost everywhere but at the same time there is nothing more agonising. See, when you are trying to meet up with friends to enjoy the parade, it will leave you wandering around forever, trying to figure out how on earth you are supposed to get to the other side of the barricade. Or it leaves you to find some food in Tescos, only to discover that you have to queue to even get in and when you do, you find all that is left are frozen ready meals. But then, when you sit outside with some fruit you almost gave your arm for, still waiting for your friends that are lost in the crowd somewhere and you start talking to some gay guys next to you, everything is okay. These are your people, this is your city and today is the day you celebrate this, a whole capital joining in.

My next piece fell to the fashion. The street-style is somewhere between hobo-chic and artfully paired designer pieces. The first time I noticed how much it had grown on me was in spring last year after I came back from a trip to Paris. Prior to this, I had just purchased an oversized denim jacket made to look ‘vintage’ with frayed edges and discoloration. Paris had a clean, polished beauty. Paris did not appreciate this height of comfortable fashion. I had neglected to pack another jacket, so I was stuck with it for the rest of the trip and I felt out of place wherever I went. The very day I came back to London, I was sat in a ramen restaurant, wrapped in my jacket and staring out at the red buses driving past, when the waiter came over to ask if everything was alright with the food and to tell me that “oh I really love your jacket” and where had I gotten it? I smiled. I was home.

Now, the next thing is so close to my heart, you better not fight me on it, because I will win. My heart’s next piece went to sandwiches. Whether from a Pret that slowly seem to take over every corner in the city, or in a meal-deal alongside some crisps and a drink, sandwiches are England’s true delicacy. Forget fish and chips, there is nothing better than a store-bought sandwich when you are out running errands or hungry at the end of a long night. At this point, I also have to mention Spoons. There has been no pub-chain more reliable than you, with two for one pitchers and banging meals. I miss you.

The next splinter I passed on to the Metropolitan line. If you ask me it is highly underrated as a tube line. But I also used to live in Harrow, so the Metropolitan line was a literal lifesaver. Later on, the Victoria line got another piece; fast, and free from the usual tourist crowd, it is truly a blessing. London’s transport system in general, although horribly expensive, is one of the best I have seen. Switching tube-lines is effortless, buses go pretty much everywhere 24/7… Just don’t travel at rush hour. Or in the summer.

The last piece of my heart I lost to the people. I have yet to see another city where the ratio of business people versus artists is so balanced. Sure, creatives lean more towards Hackney, with its grungy facades and roomy cafés perfect for spending the day at with your laptop. And sure, you will find more business people near Square Mile, the capital of corporations. But they all share the streets unlike anywhere else, along with families and tourist and celebrities. London is an extraordinary melting pot of social classes and characters. I was lucky to be a part of it.

Yes, London is a metropolis made of exuberant rent prices and constant complains about the weather, but in the midst of it are rainbow flags and passionate people, running towards their dreams. It is the city that accepts everyone and puts a smile on your face with reluctant sunshine. But be careful, you might lose your heart to it.

Target Publication: Time Out London (Print)

[zoe-engels]

Hi there! I’m Zoe, a queer 20-something year old trying to make a difference in the world through my writing. When I am not writing, you can probably find me at a café lost in a book or trying to find the best vegan food in town (which is basically just an excuse to stuff my face, if we’re being honest here).

I am currently studying Creative Writing and Publishing, which took me all around the world—from Germany to London to Perth and next to Fresno. Meanwhile, having just finished my current novel, I have been dedicating more time to delve deeper into other forms of writing, such as short stories. One of which actually got published in the Ripple anthology this year!

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