Tree design: In Derbyshire, England, furniture isn't built it's cultivated slowly and deliberately over the seasons. At Full Grown, young trees are gently trained around custom frames, growing directly into the shapes of chairs, lamps, and more. This small company, inspired by ancient techniques and a chance encounter with driftwood, imagines a new kind of craftsmanship, one shaped by nature rather than machines. Native trees like ash, willow, and hazel are used for their flexibility and resilience. Instead of cut and assembled wood, the process lets each tree become its own unique design. The finished pieces carry the marks of time, intention, and care, blending art, ecology, and a little bit of magic.
Clay coolers: Across India, a quiet, ancient solution is helping people fight rising heat without electricity. From simple earthen pots to handmade refrigerators, clay-based tools use evaporation to lower temperatures and preserve food. These porous vessels work by slowly releasing moisture, which cools the surrounding air and water as it evaporates. Unlike fans or air conditioners, they cost little and don't stop working during power outages. Some models, like clay fridges, can chill fruits and vegetables for days using only water. Built from local materials and long-standing traditions, they offer comfort when other options are out of reach. For many, these humble inventions are a lifeline as temperatures continue to soar.
Stonnee vision: In the village of Hauterives in France an unassuming postman built a wonder from the ground up, literally. After stumbling on a peculiar rock during his mail route, he began collecting stones and sculpting them into strange, dreamlike shapes. Over the years, the pile turned into something far more ambitious a hand-built palace of towers, arches, and mythical figures, all shaped without formal training. Driven by a vision he once saw in a dream, the postman crafted the structure piece by piece after work, using only basic tools and an old wheelbarrow. Locals used to mock him, but now his creation attracts visitors from around the world. What began with a stubbed toe became a monument to imagination.
Tree code: In the village of Xilinshui, China, a forest was shaped into a scannable surprise. Planted with 130,000 junipers, the design forms a QR code large enough to be read from a plane. Travellers who snap the code mid-flight are directed to the village's tourism profile, blending nature with promotion. QR codes are already ubiquitous in China, used for everything from payments to donations and ads. But this one adds a green twist to tech. It's part landscape art, part ad, and is fully rooted in modern marketing. As a code you can climb over but also click, it blends digital life with the natural world and is the only QR code that needs watering, pruning, and maybe a little sunshine to stay online.