Smartphone-based intercom enables homeowners to see who’s at the door remotely
LaunchKey has already helped web users to boost their online security with logins verified on their smartphone, but what about security in the real world? Doorbot is a system that aims to replace the doorbell with a camera that broadcasts direct to homeowners’ smartphones. READ MORE…
On crowdsourcing platform, architects compete for home-improvement projects
We’ve already seen an iPad app that lets consumers seek guidance from the masses on design plans for their homes. Now taking that crowdsourcing premise a step further, Italian CoContest is a site through which homeowners can set their own design competitions, getting architects to fight for the chance to work on their renovation projects. READ MORE…
Decentralized cloud service turns servers’ waste energy into household heat
When energy is transferred, heat is always a waste product – however, if the heat can be captured it can be converted back into useful energy. This is something that the creators of the BioLite stove and device charger has already recognized, and now Germany-based AOTERRA hopes to place cloud servers in people’s homes, using the waste heat they produce to keep the properties warm. READ MORE…
3D-printed rocking stool can be made anywhere and is constructed in seconds
Flatpack goods are meant to make installing new furniture easy for homeowners, but they can often be more hassle than they’re worth, especially when they’re made of cheap materials. Fabsie is enabling customers to purchase a locally-made flatpack stool from anywhere – or even cut it themselves – and assemble it in seconds. READ MORE…
Site for roommates offers household goods by custom shared subscription
Good fences make good neighbors, as the old saying goes, but the solution for roommates isn’t quite so simple. Enter SpaceSplitter, a web application that helps roommates divide up everything from household chores to the cost of frequently used supplies. READ MORE…
International relocation made easier through site
Relocating from one city to another is challenging enough within a single country, but when the move is international, that difficulty is compounded considerably. Enter MOVE Guides, a UK-based site that aims to make the process easier. READ MORE…
In Poland, designers turn unused crack between two buildings into a home
We’ve already seen efforts to come up with a design for a home on a restricted budget, with the $300 house. In a similar vein, Poland-based architectural firm Centrala are now working with limited space in an attempt to fill the unused crack between two houses with a domestic building entitled Etgar Keret’s House. READ MORE…
App prepares, informs and guides households at risk of wildfire
Keeping citizens informed about extreme weather conditions or other emergencies that may affect them can be the difference between lost and saved lives. We’ve already covered CiviGuard, which delivers location-based alerts in the case of a natural disaster, and our latest spotting is going one step further to help residents be ready for an emergency. Prepared.ly is a web and mobile application that helps households organize efforts to make their home less susceptible to wildfires as well as set up custom alerts. READ MORE…
Recycled stool helps clear the seas of plastic debris
Using recycled materials in the creation of a new product can imbue it with a sense of time or place, a fact Portuguese company House of Wonders used to their advantage with their furniture made from old sailing vessels. Now, UK-based Studio Swine has produced the Sea Chair, a stool made entirely of waste reclaimed from the sea. READ MORE…
Home seekers offered points based on value of property bought
Real estate platform Iggy’s House has already provided one way to benefit buyers and sellers of properties by encouraging them to remove the middle man. Now, New Jersey-based Realty Perks is connecting those in the market for a home with local estate agents, offering rewards based on the value of the property. READ MORE…
