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retro personal computer made of LEGO blocks comes with swappable pixelated screens

Concept set with monitor, keyboard, and mouse

 

Creator PovedaBricks imagines a retro personal computer made of LEGO blocks that features four swappable pixelated screens. Inspired by the personal computers from the late 1980s and early 1990s, the concept model contains 2,286 pieces and includes a CRT monitor, a classic keyboard, and a wired mouse. 

 

On the side of the CPU, there’s even a functional-looking floppy drive that can be ejected, and it doubles as the container of the swappable pixelated screens. For the model, each of the screens revives the retro interfaces: one is designed as a TV flashing the colorful signal error, another shows a desktop opening a file, one is in a paint program, and the last features a black screen with white lines that depict simulating code. 

all images courtesy of PovedaBricks via LEGO Ideas

 

 

Design of retro personal computer made of LEGO blocks

 

For the retro personal computer made of LEGO blocks, creator PovedaBricks adds a wired keyboard with circular keys without any printed letters as well as a mouse with a grip. The wires are a nostalgic touch in the age of wireless devices, with the plugs located right behind the monitor of the model. For the CPU, the creator adds air vents on the left side and the buttons on the right part. Here, the blocks are colored, so the users feel that they’re powering up or switching off the model (at the moment, there’s no news yet whether or not they can be pressed).

 

At the back of the retro personal computer made of LEGO blocks, the CPU still features the vents, and the shape of the monitor faithfully captures the style of the devices back then. There’s a wire connecting the monitor and keyboard, and from behind, users can see the rear of the bricks attached to the display. The creator says, ‘I built this set as a tribute to the early days of home computing, and I believe it would make a great display piece for fans of technology, digital history, and, of course, LEGO.’ At the time of publishing, the retro personal computer made of LEGO blocks by creator PovedaBricks is still an idea and not yet an actual set.

rear view of the retro personal computer made of LEGO bricks

the concept model comes with wired keyboard and mouse

there’s even an ejectable disc drive

view of the screen with the paint program

there’s a functional-looking floppy drive on the side of the CPU that can be ejected

 

project info:

 

name: The Classics Computer

idea: PovedaBricks via LEGO Ideas

brand: LEGO | @lego

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nigel VMU reimagines 90s digital culture with brutalist nike airmax table for offspring

Rebooting Nostalgia: Air max table is an ode to 90s Digital Culture

 

Nigel VMU transforms Nike’s Air Sunder into a brutalist table for Offspring — blending sneaker culture, 90s digital nostalgia, and concrete craftsmanship into a functional artwork that redefines how we experience retail, memory, and design. The sculptural installation, the AirMax Table, is an ode to 90s digital culture, created in celebration of the re-release of the iconic model – part of the bold, nostalgic Hi-Lighter Pack.

 

The 1990s was a seismic era for design and culture — a transition from analogue to digital, from bitmap to 3D render — and as such, the work draws inspiration from the time’s neon-coded optimism to form a hybrid artwork and furniture piece that bridges the digital past and the physical present.  

photographer: Aaron Watson-McNab

 

 

Nike and offspring tap nigel vmu for the brutalist installation

 

Inspired by the neon-coded optimism of that 90s, multidisciplinary artist and designer Nigel VMU reimagined the Nike Air Sunder through a 90s digital lens: bold colours, block graphics, and raw materials reminiscent of early tech environments. At the heart of the piece is a set of life-sized Nike Air Max Sunder sneaker legs, which form the base structure of the table. They’re flanked by chunky, block-lettered ‘AIRMAX’ typography legs — a reference to pixelated typefaces and low-resolution display aesthetics. The tabletop itself is cast in industrial concrete, grounding the work in a material language of construction, durability, and brutalist nostalgia. ‘The 90s were all about raw energy — gaming consoles, digital blocks, bright neon, and graphic overload. I wanted this piece to feel like a time capsule built with that spirit,’ Nigel says.

 

The Air Table was conceived and built through VMU STUDIO, Nigel VMU’s creative practice known for fusing sculpture, product design, and cultural storytelling. Falling under the studio’s Places & Space division, the piece aligns with the artist’s vision to design interventions that transform ordinary environments into playful, thought-provoking experiences. ‘Places & Space is about designing for a place — creating sculptural moments that activate space and leave a lasting emotional impact,’ says Nigel. ‘The Air Table isn’t just furniture. It’s memory, energy, and nostalgia rendered in physical form.’

Nigel VMU reimagines 90s digital culture

 

 

bringing art and commerce

 

The AirMax Table underscores Nigel VMU’s ability to bridge art and commerce, using bold visual language to reinterpret brand heritage through the lens of contemporary design. Installed within Offspring’s retail space, the piece transforms the store into a site of storytelling — where nostalgia and culture are embedded not only in the product but in the environment itself. It’s a reminder that design can activate physical space, shaping the way people engage with brands on an emotional level. At the same time, the table taps into the growing space where collectibility and community overlap — taking design objects out of the gallery and placing them directly into everyday, culturally charged settings.

 

As a result, Nigel VMU isn’t just a collaborator in this project — he’s a spatial storyteller, expanding the role of the artist into new contexts that blur the boundaries between sculpture, retail, function, and memory. The Air Table is currently on view at Offspring’s Kings Cross Community Store at Pancras Square, London — inviting sneakerheads, design lovers, and digital nostalgists alike to experience the Air Sunder like never before.

transforming Nike’s Air Sunder into a brutalist sculptural table

blending sneaker culture, 90s digital nostalgia, and concrete craftsmanship into a functional artwork

inspired by the 90s’ transition from analogue to digital, from bitmap to 3D render

the tabletop is cast in industrial concrete, grounding the work in a material language of brutalist nostalgia

a set of life-sized Nike Air Max Sunder sneaker legs form the base structure of the table

flanked by chunky, block-lettered ‘AIRMAX’ typography legs

on view at Offspring’s Kings Cross Community Store at Pancras Square, London

the typography is a reference to pixelated typefaces and low-resolution display aesthetics

Nike and Offspring tap Nigel VMU for the brutalist installation

 

 

project info:

 

name: The AirMax Table
designer: Nigel VMU | VMU Studio

producer: Something Made Lab

photographer: Aaron Watson-McNab 

 

 

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

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3D printed ceramics tell brussels local stories in pavilion by elise eeraerts & aparicio ronda

elise eeraerts & roberto aparicio ronda craft pavilion in brussels

 

Elise Eeraerts & Roberto Aparicio Ronda install Folly (Vase), a small pavilion, in the Germinal public gardens of Evere, Brussels. The permanent installation is made not of bricks or timber, but of vases, and is the first in a series of five public follies. This structure turns storytelling into a tangible object, shaped through a collaborative design process and built entirely from ceramic vessels, 3D printed and stacked into architectural form.

 

The surface of each vase tells a fragment of a larger narrative. Patterns and textures wrap around the ceramics like visual memory maps, derived from spontaneous conversations with the local residents of Germinal. These graphic elements hold the imprint of the neighborhood’s stories, moods, and rhythms. In this way, Folly (Vase) functions as both sculpture and archive, where ornament becomes language and craft becomes communication.

Elise Eeraerts & Roberto Aparicio Ronda reveal Folly (Vase)

 

 

Folly (Vase) fuses 3D printed ceramics and community stories

 

Rather than imposing a single design logic, Belgian artist Elise Eeraerts and Spanish architect Roberto Aparicio Ronda embrace informality and openness in this pavilion. Its form is playful and permeable, inviting people to walk through, rest, or simply observe how nature plays off its soft curves and earthy textures. The vases are used as containers for planting, anchoring the folly within the garden.

 

Folly (Vase) is the first of five planned pavilions as part of Follies, a permanent intervention initiated under the framework of 101e%, by BGHM (Brussels Housing Authority). The project reimagines the role of architectural follies within public space — not as whimsical decoration, but as participatory, materially experimental, and site-specific elements. As new follies are added to the park, each one will take on a different character while remaining rooted in community engagement and ecological integration

this small pavilion is installed in the Germinal public gardens of Evere, Brussels

the first in a series of five public follies

Folly (Vase) functions as both sculpture and archive

the surface of each vase tells a fragment of a larger narrative

patterns and textures wrap around the ceramics like visual memory maps

these graphic elements hold the imprint of the neighborhood’s stories, moods, and rhythms

the permanent installation is made of vases

ornament becomes language

 

project info:

 

name: Folly (Vase)
designer: Elise Eeraerts & Roberto Aparicio Ronda

 

 

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: thomai tsimpou | designboom

The post 3D printed ceramics tell brussels local stories in pavilion by elise eeraerts & aparicio ronda appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

between the walls preserves shell rock from soviet past at sculptural showroom in kyiv

between the walls introduces PAPAYA showroom in kyiv

 

Design studio Between the Walls unveils PAPAYA, a retail showroom in the heart of Kyiv that brings emotional depth to interior design through material memory and sculptural sensitivity. Situated within a former Soviet-era store, the project features shell rock fragments, natural stone, anodized metal, and soft fabrics that honor history while rewriting it. Rather than creating spectacle, the showroom cultivates a sense of care, both in the way materials are treated and in the emotional atmosphere they generate.

 

The designers approach the project respecting the existing structure and beginning with the preservation of the main elements from the previous incarnation of the space. Original shell rock walls are restored and integrated into the fresh design, paired with natural stone from Ukraine’s Rivne region, a material introduced to the area during the Soviet era. These geological textures form the foundation of a design language that is at once grounded and sculptural. A polished concrete floor adds a sense of monolithic stillness, while ceiling panels emit soft, diffused light, allowing every surface to reveal its material richness.

images courtesy of Between the Walls

 

 

Tamara Turlyun’s sculpture adds emotional level to the project

 

Bespoke furniture by the Kyiv-based team of Between the Walls continues the language of sensitivity and tactility. Clothes rails made of matte metal repeat the gentle curves of the showroom’s existing arches, recalling both architectural rhythms and the gravitational presence of Richard Serra’s sculpture. These linear elements introduce a sculptural fluidity that allows visitors to move through the space in waves. In one section of the showroom, rich green velvet curtains enclose fitting rooms, while a Dedar-upholstered sofa and a Noguchi floor lamp complete the intimate corner.

 

A commissioned work by Ukrainian artist Tamara Turlyun, made of paper and wire, appears to grow directly from the architecture of the space, embodying care and continuity across generations of women, a theme central to Turlyun’s practice. Developed specifically for this space, the piece responds to its materials and proportions while introducing an emotionally charged element. 

clothes rails made of matte metal repeat the gentle curves of the showroom’s existing arches

a commissioned work by Ukrainian artist Tamara Turlyun anchors the space

situated within a former Soviet-era store

the project features shell rock fragments, natural stone, anodized metal, and soft fabrics

the showroom cultivates a sense of care

the piece responds to its materials and proportions

rich green velvet curtains enclose fitting rooms

α polished concrete floor adds a sense of monolithic stillness

 

project info:

 

name: PAPAYA
architect: Between the Walls | @between.the_walls
location: Kyiv, Ukraine

 

 

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: thomai tsimpou | designboom

The post between the walls preserves shell rock from soviet past at sculptural showroom in kyiv appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

olson kundig frames new zealand coastline with modern beach house ‘te whare tupu kirikiri’

a home emerges from the dunes

 

Te Whare Tupu Kirikiri, a coastal residence by Olson Kundig, has been completed on New Zealand’s North Island. Sited among the dunes and Pohutukawa trees of Mangawhai, the project reinterprets the modest architectural language of the bach, a style of beach house typical to the area.

 

Approached by a winding drive through shifting sands and native vegetation, the house gradually appears as a quiet extension of its landscape. Its low-slung form and concrete exterior echo the grain and tone of the surrounding terrain. A curving roof anchors the composition, casting controlled light and sheltering the structure from the high-exposure coastal environment.

 

‘One of my favorite parts of this project is the roof design,’ says Tom Kundig, FAIA, RIBA, Design Principal. ‘We developed what we called ‘the surfboard’ — a roof structure that curves both above and below. This unique shape not only channels water efficiently but also shapes how light enters the space below.’

images © Simon Devitt

 

 

olson kundig’s composition of shelter and exposure

 

The architects at Olson Kundig hide Te Whare Tupu Kirikiri among New Zealand’s coastal landscape so that it might unfold gradually upon approach. A steel gate leads to a central courtyard framed by three earthen wings and a floating roof plane, which blurs at its edges into the sky. The surface of the roof reflects light from the adjacent pool and ocean beyond, softening the threshold between structure and landscape. Guillotine glazing and sliding walls connect the courtyard to the open-plan living areas and exterior deck, creating continuity between interior and exterior zones.

 

‘One of the most compelling parts of this home is how the experience unfolds through the courtyard,’ Kundig elaborates. ‘As you enter, the architecture opens up, guiding you through the courtyard to the shoreline. The structure seems to dissolve into the horizon, blurring the line between interior and exterior.’

 

The architect continues: ‘New Zealand has such a high-exposure, coastal environment. We created a refined shutter system that transforms the space with a simple gesture and responds dynamically to that environment. It opens and closes to protect the interior from harsh winds while allowing it to fully open to the shoreline in calm conditions.’

Te Whare Tupu Kirikiri is a coastal home designed by Olson Kundig on New Zealand’s North Island

 

 

Material Palette and Landscape Integration

 

Inside the New Zealand beach house, Olson Kundig introduces a restrained material palette of concrete, teak, and stone, bringing together regional textures with careful detailing. Teak-paneled ceilings and custom cabinetry carry a weathered quality, resembling sun-bleached driftwood. Bedrooms are oriented for privacy and views, each with a path leading directly to the nearby wetlands and beach.

 

‘Architecture is experiential — it’s something that must be felt physically, not just seen,’ says Kundig. ‘As you move through Te Whare Tupu Kirikiri, it seems to float and open up, creating a connection to the landscape. The way the architecture engages with both the protected courtyard and the distant horizon is something you have to experience to fully understand.’

a curving concrete roof with softened edges reflects light and channels water

the structure is embedded in dunes and framed by native Pohutukawa trees

a steel gate leads to a central courtyard framed by glass walls and earthen wings

a restrained palette of concrete teak and stone brings regional textures into the minimalist interior

 

project info:

 

name: Te Whare Tupu Kirikiri

architect: Olson Kundig | @olsonkundig

location: North Island, New Zealand

area: 6,685 square feet

completion: 2023

photography: © Simon Devitt | @simondevitt_photographer

 

project team: Tom Kundig, FAIA, RIBA, Design Principal; Edward Lalonde, Principal; Simon Clews, Project Manager/Project Architect; Michael Cady, AIA, Project Architect; Hilary Schanck, AIA, LEED, AP, B+C, Connor Irick, Architectural Staff

 

key consultants: 

contractor: Lindesay Construction

local architect: Studio John Irving Architects

interior design: Kerry Joyce Associates

interior design support: Studio Ost

building performance: Oculus

client rep: Carnoustie Management LTD.

local client rep: Karae Ltd

kinetics: KB Architectural

structural engineers: Structural Design Solutions Ltd

landscape architect: 02 Landscapes

civil engineer: Earthtech

mechanical engineer: Celsius Consulting Ltd

electrical engineer: Level Electrical Morningside

lighting design: Niteo

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