In collaboration with architecture firm WRNS Studio, Airbnb has revamped its existing headquarters in San Francisco.

The design of each of the four floors are inspired by different cities – namely Buenos Aires, Kyoto, Jaipur and Amsterdam – and the colours, motifs and materials they’re associated with.

For Airbnb, it’s important to incorporate elements from its global community into the design of its headquarters, forming part of the global company’s Belong Anywhere ethos.

The building’s meeting rooms, which form part of 16 “neighbourhoods” within the space, also take inspiration from the global Airbnb community, this time directly from its listings, from an old jail in Montana to a traditional English castle.

Browse the gallery above to explore Airbnb’s functionally fun design in more detail.

Earlier this year, we sat down with Airbnb Co-Founder Joe Gebbia for an exclusive interview while he was in Cape Town for Design Indaba. You can read it here.

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The eBay offices in San Francisco were created by design firm Gensler with a layout that focuses on the company’s principles: experiences, relationships and stories.

The designers integrated items sold on eBay as part of the design and incorporated them into the furniture, graphic elements and art in the office. The sixth floor office supports a diversity of work styles while connecting employees with the eBay experience. Experiential spaces are scattered throughout the floor with a large open kitchen/lounge area to bring employees together. Small “think” rooms, with height adjustable desks, offer private spaces to work in the otherwise open-plan environment. Teams also have access to more laid-back comfortable areas to work undisturbed.

(h/t) officesnapshots.com

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San Francisco-based artist Becky Margraf created an adorable face made from felt every day for 100 days.

Ranging from popular cartoon characters and food-inspired faces to bright, quirky creatures and art-inspired creations, each face is unique.

“Taking weird things and making them cute is a cool way to look at the world,” explains Becky in her feature on the Instagram blog. “Anytime I was out in the wild running around San Francisco, I’d look for an object that I thought would be cool to turn into a creature.”

She showcases her work on Instagram and her pieces are for sale through her Etsy store.

(h/t) boredpanda.com

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Cape Town-based textile and homeware company Skinny laMinx has collaborated with US-based ceramic creators Heath Ceramics to bring you an exciting range of fabric prints and ceramic tiles called Dimensional.

The Dimensional fabric line by Skinny laMinx is a collaboration inspired by Heath Ceramics‘ range of three-dimensional tiles. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Heath Ceramics are renowned for their legendary craftsmanship and timeless design, while Skinny laMinx are purveyors of chic and simple screen print patterns. The Dimensional Collection is the latest in a long-term collaboration between the two companies – dating back to 2008 – that is a result of a shared interest in great design that elevates the everyday life.

There are three prints in the Skinny laMinx fabric collection and they are based on the Oval, Diamond and Triangle tile shapes that feature in the Heath Ceramics Dimensional Collection. The tiles are slip-cast in three dimensions causing an interesting interplay between light and shadow that occurs when the tiles are laid. The pattern development is inspired by Heather Moore’s (of Skinny laMinx) signature mid-century-inspired style and makes use of a combination of solid and broken surfaces. The corresponding Dimensional fabrics are printed in the same hues of the winter seasonal tones found in the Heath Ceramics Dimensional Collection.

The Dimensional Collection is available exclusively online and at the Heath Ceramics stores in Sausalito, San Francisco and Los Angeles, as well as at the Skinny laMinx store in Cape Town.

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We’ve featured the work of San-Francisco-based artist Jay Nelson before, when he was commissioned to build a little wooden home in Hawaii for a young couple in only five weeks (watch the video here).

We decided to catch up with this talented craftsman to find out what he loves most about creating.

Why timber? What attracts you to working in wood?

Timber is what I know and am comfortable with, and I have been building with it since I was a little kid. In California, it’s easy to find salvaged materials. I use metals too, namely copper, aluminium and steel.

You’ve designed a number of treehouses. What do you love about designing these structures?

Treehouses are fun because you really have to work with the tree; the tree tells you what the structure should be and you have to be open to what that is. 

Nanotecture is a big trend at the moment. What is it about making small structures that interests you?

I started building small because I didn’t have space in my life for large things. It’s also a fun challenge to try and imagine a more minimal lifestyle with just the essential space and objects. I think people are reacting to the trend (at least in the US) of “the bigger the better” (bigger cars, bigger houses, bigger sandwiches). You know, to what end? 

Which of your pieces have you most enjoyed working on, and why? 

My work is pretty varied – I like it that way because it gives me space from my different projects. For example, in May I was working on a show in a gallery with my wife, who I collaborate with. We make paintings and then design exhibition spaces for the work. In June, we went to France and I built us a camper and we drove it all through Spain and France, surfing. Switching gears on a project allows me to take breaks and reflect, so that when I return to painting for example, I’ve had time to think about my direction and approach. The point is that I don’t really enjoy one project over another, the goal is to keep it balanced and not do too much of one thing.

Do you have any exciting projects in the mix?

Yes, but I’m in the planning and proposing stages. This week, I’m heading to Portland to build a cabin for a friend and then in August I’m opening a restaurant with some friends (I’m designing and building the interior). It’s going to be a fish market and restaurant in the Outer Sunset neighbourhood of San Francisco, where we live.

Browse the gallery above to view examples of Jay’s projects, both gallery-based and stand-alone. You can also see more of Jay’s work at jaynelsonart.com.

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