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Steam 1886 directed by Adrian Lazarus and Nicky Felbert, produced by Mercury ProductionsThis short fashion film won the Most Beautiful Object in South Africa competition, which the public votes for via text messaging. Shot on location at Cape Town’s Truth Coffee café, its steampunk aesthetic was designed by Haldane Martin. It’s the first year that a film has been nominated (feature-length Four Corners was also in the running), which seems fitting, given that this was also the inaugural year of the Design Indaba Film Festival. The dozen nominees for Most Beautiful Object in South Africa spanned a wide number of genres, including media and tech, as well as the more expected furniture, dresses, and jewelry.

Gracz (The Player), original Polish film poster by Jerzy Flisak c. 1973

Wyspa Zloczyncow, original Polish film poster by Maciej Hibner c. 1965

My BrooklynIn My Brooklyn, Kelly Anderson and Allison Dean address gentrification in downtown Brooklyn. Watch the trailer here:

Fake Industries Architectual Agonism is an architectural office "of diffuse boundaries and questionable taste," as the NYAIA puts it, run by Cristina Goberna and Urtzi Grau from offices in New York, Sydney, and Barcelona. This is its design for a velodrome in Medellin, Colombia. Image courtesy of Fake Industries Architectural Agonism.

Shape A short animated film by Irish artists seeks to be a catalyst for design education.

Moss-covered rocks and twisted tree trunks give the landscape a fairyland-like quality.

The new upstairs bathroom, inspired by a 1992 Robin Williams movie, juxtaposes hexagonal and rectangular white tiles, as well as blue grout with four pops of yellow metal (matching the color of the original house's front door).

Hebra Arquitectos used charred timber and local stone to craft an elemental home that blends into its rugged setting.

There's a clear distinction between the lower and upper levels, with stone on the bottom and oak on the top.

The rough-hewn stone stairs that lead to the cottage were made by a local stone worker.

“We custom-made the warm green kitchen floor with Huguet, including a large oval ring made of glass and stone aggregates in the centre, which nods to the oval window found in the building’s main entrance,” says Aretio.

In the newly expanded bathroom, large panel tiles, custom cabinetry and a polished cement sink by Mallorcan company Huguet – a favorite of Aretio’s – exude a joyful contemporary Mediterranean feel.

The unusual floor plan includes a long gallery that wraps a grassy courtyard. The family commissioned an aluminum sculpture by Los Angeles–based artist Evan Holloway for the space.

Sabine Marcelis for IKEA’s coveted ‘doughnut’ lamp adds a pop of playfulness to the open-plan lounge area.

Although previous owners built a pool at a lower part of the yard near the piano room, the couple decided to build a new one just off the kitchen. “We thought, it would be amazing to have a pool that was kind of jutting out, with the backdrop of the city,” John says. The patio doubles as entertaining space for summer parties.