[Marie] Kondo’s decluttering theories are unique, and can be reduced to two basic tenets: Discard everything that does not “spark joy,” after thanking the objects that are getting the heave-ho for their service; and do not buy organizing equipment — your home already has all the storage you need [...] “When we take our clothes in our hands and fold them neatly,” she writes, “we are, I believe, transmitting energy, which has a positive effect on our clothes.” — NY Times

The sterility of the photos, especially the images of prisoner bedrooms, hints at the degree to which the Stasi kept a tight lid on dissenters. In prison culture (or at least prison culture as it’s portrayed in the movies), there’s a lot of graffiti: on the walls, in library books, between cells. “We were searching for any scratching or anything in the cells—usually you would think they were sending messages—but it was very clear you couldn’t see anything” — wired.com

IKEA has a little known secret: the company is a non-profit. Ingvar Kamprad the founder of IKEA created the philanthropic Stichting Ingka Foundation whose mission is to “further the advancement of interior design.” IKEA’s bizarre business model looks like this: the nonprofit Stichting Ingka owns a private Dutch Company, Ingka Holdings that owns the majority of individual stores at the franchise level. — onlinemba.com

Using tracer viruses, researchers found that contamination of just a single doorknob or table top results in the spread of viruses throughout office buildings, hotels, and health care facilities. Within 2 to 4 hours, the virus could be detected on 40 to 60 percent of workers and visitors in the facilities and commonly touched objects. — ScienceDaily

Pretty much every architect in the alphabet has produced a chair, a miniature version of their particular aesthetic. [...]

Buildings are all very well, but it seems you haven’t truly made it as an architect until you’ve given us something to sit on. [...]

“Mentally, it’s a very good exercise, to go from [designing] a building to the smallest bit in a building,” [Alex Michaelis] says. “You go back to the detail of the human body." — moreintelligentlife.com

Street furniture is mostly used during the day and not used during the night, except by some homeless, who spend the night on the public benches in parks and on squares. RainCity Housing, a non-profit that provides specialized housing for people living with mental illness and addiction, has launched multi-functional street furniture that can be used as seating during the day and ‘comfortable’ sleeping places for the homeless at night time. — popupcity.net

This year's Designs of the Year jury have chosen their crème de la crème of the world's most cutting-edge design. Since London's Design Museum announced the 76 nominees in February, the competition has narrowed down to seven category winners. In the final step of the competition, one of these category winners will be announced as the overall winner by June 30 at an event hosted by St. Martins Lane London. — bustler.net

The results are in for the Workplace of the Future Design Competition, presented by Metropolis and Business Interiors by Staples. The design competition questions the blurred definition of the workplace and the present-day possibility that work can be done just about anywhere now, with wireless and cloud technology readily available. With this in mind, entrants were challenged to design an ideal workspace fit for the mobile work environment. — bustler.net

David Kohn Architects won the World Interior of the Year 2013 title at the INSIDE: World Festival of Interiors awards ceremony in the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, Singapore on Oct. 4. The INSIDE festival occured within the same week of its parent event, the World Architecture Festival 2013.

David Kohn Architects won the top interior design award for their refurbishing of the Carrer Avinyó apartment in Barcelona. — bustler.net

The winners of the 5th annual UK and International Restaurant and Bar Design Awards were announced during the London awards ceremony on Sept. 12. Every year, the competition receives entries from the best architects, designers and hospitality operators in the UK and worldwide. The judges also usually consist of several influential figures including designers, creative and hotel directors, editors, and food critics. — bustler.net