12 Clever Everyday Designs, From Stair Ramps to Bendable Bikes

Who said that swings are only for babies? Their parents can play too!

Good everyday design rarely announces itself. It is the ramp built into a staircase, the plug you can pull out without yanking the cable, or a swing that lets a parent and toddler look at each other. The twelve ideas below take familiar objects, from wall sockets to bicycles, and change one detail to solve a specific annoyance.

Some are products you can buy, some are public works and some remained student concepts or prototypes. We explain what each one does, who designed it where we could confirm it, and the trade-offs worth thinking about before calling any of them genius. A clever photo is not the same as a tested product, so we have been clear about which is which.

The ideas fall into three groups: small fixes around the home, designs that make public spaces and mobility easier, and a couple of inventions built around fun or security.

What makes an everyday design clever

Designers often talk about friction: the small moments where an object makes you stop, fumble or struggle. A clever redesign removes one of those moments without adding new ones. The best examples are simple enough that, once you see them, the old version starts to look strange.

The opposite is also true. A gadget that solves one problem but is harder to clean, more expensive or more fragile may not be an improvement. As you browse, ask what each design fixes, for whom, and what it costs in money, maintenance or complexity.

Small fixes around the home

1. An outlet cover with a built-in nightlight

This outlet cover doubles as a nightlight.

This wall plate looks like an ordinary socket cover, but a strip of LEDs along the bottom edge washes the floor with soft light. Covers of this type draw power through contact with the outlet's screw terminals, so they do not need batteries or extra wiring.

They are handy in hallways, bathrooms and children's rooms. As with any electrical fitting, installation means switching off the power first, and anyone unsure should ask an electrician.

2. A toilet-roll holder that stores the spares

Now you don't need to get up to change the roll.

This wall-mounted holder stacks spare rolls on a vertical rod above the one in use. When a roll runs out, the next one is right there.

It is a neat idea for small bathrooms where cupboard space is tight. The trade-off is that the spares sit in the open, where steam and splashes can reach them.

3. A plug with a pull ring that lights up

Not only is this plug easy to unplug, but it also glows to remind you that it's plugged in.

This concept gives a plug a large ring-shaped grip, so you hook a finger through it and pull straight out instead of tugging on the cable. A glowing band shows when it is connected.

Pulling plugs by the cord is a common way cables get damaged, and an easy grip helps people with arthritis or weak hands. Similar easy-pull plugs are sold today, though the illuminated version shown here appears to be a design concept.

4. A glass doorknob you can see through

Get a glimpse into the next room through this glass doorknob.

This clear spherical doorknob shows a curved view of the room behind the door. It works like a fisheye lens, so you can get a glimpse of what is on the other side before opening it.

It could be useful in offices or between a kitchen and dining room. It also raises an obvious privacy question, so it is not one for the bathroom.

5. A bunk bed built into a bookcase

The most amazing bedroom in the world, isn't it?

In this children's room, a wooden bunk bed is framed by a tall bookcase and a ladder, with a cosy lower bunk set into the structure. Storage, sleeping and reading all share the same footprint.

Built-in bunks make the most of small rooms, but they must be fixed securely to the wall. Safety advice for bunk beds includes guard rails on the top bunk and keeping young children on the lower level.

6. A coffee table with a cat hammock

A glass-topped coffee table hides a woven hammock suspended underneath, just big enough for a cat to curl up in. From above, you can see the cat through the glass.

Cats like raised, enclosed resting places, so the idea has real appeal. Owners would need to be comfortable with fur under their coffee cups and with cleaning the glass often.

Designs for public spaces and mobility

7. The stairs and ramp at Robson Square, Vancouver

The stairs at Robson Square in Vancouver have a ramp designed into them.

At Robson Square in downtown Vancouver, a wide set of steps has a ramp zig-zagging across it, so people on foot, with prams or in wheelchairs use the same route. The complex was designed by architect Arthur Erickson, with landscape design by Cornelia Oberlander, and built between 1979 and 1983.

The integrated stairs and ramp are considered one of the most admired parts of Erickson's design. Not everyone agrees it is perfect: in 2019 an accessibility consultant questioned the ramp's steepness and its safety for people with visual impairments.

8. Cursum, a stroller made to work with a wheelchair

Cursum is a concept by designer Cindy Sjöblom for a baby stroller that can be used in tandem with a wheelchair, with swivel wheels and adjustable height. It addresses a real problem: parents who use wheelchairs often find ordinary strollers impossible to push.

Cursum itself was shown as a concept rather than a product. Since then, other designers and even student teams have built wheelchair stroller attachments, which shows how much need there is.

9. A face-to-face swing for parent and child

This playground swing seats an adult and a toddler facing each other, so they can make eye contact as they swing. It is the Expression Swing, invented by Tom Norquist and introduced by playground maker GameTime in 2015.

GameTime says the design was based on play research by psychiatrist Stuart Brown and is meant for children of roughly two to four years old. The benefits it describes for bonding are the company's claims rather than independent study results, but the appeal of a shared swing is easy to see.

Security, storage and a hidden screen

10. A bike that wraps around a lamppost

This bike, designed by student Kevin Scott, bends around a post to make it harder to steal.

Industrial design student Kevin Scott of De Montfort University in the UK designed this bicycle with two sections of frame that bend thanks to a ratcheting mechanism. The rider curls the bike around a post, and a single lock then secures both wheels and the frame.

The idea was runner-up for a New Designer of the Year award in 2010, and Scott said he would put the prize money into further development. The photos show a working prototype rather than a bike you can buy.

11. A pencil case disguised as a tortilla

This seems delicious... Wait, it's a carrying case!

Opened out, it works as a tool roll:

Rolled up, this fabric case looks exactly like a burrito or wrap, with printed browned spots. Unrolled, it is a flat round organiser with elastic loops holding pens, pliers, scissors and a USB stick.

Novelty cases like this are mostly about fun, but the tool-roll layout is genuinely practical: everything is visible at a glance and nothing rattles around in the bottom of a bag.

12. A TV mount that flips out of hiding

This video from Hidden Vision, a company that makes television mounts, shows an extended flip-out mount that holds a TV flat in a frame and swings it out into viewing position. When it is not in use, the screen tucks away.

Hidden and motorised TV mounts are popular in kitchens, bedrooms and small living rooms where a big black screen would dominate the space. Like any mechanism, it adds cost and moving parts, and installation usually needs a professional.

Questions to ask before buying a clever gadget

First, does it solve a problem you actually have? A design that delights in a photograph may add little to your daily routine.

Second, check safety and standards, especially for anything electrical, anything children use and anything that carries weight. Look for recognised certification marks and follow the installation instructions.

Third, think about upkeep. Moving parts, glass surfaces and fabric all need cleaning or repair eventually. The simplest version of a good idea is often the one that lasts.

For more inventive ideas in the same spirit, see Everyday Design Ideas: Useful Details and Their Real-World Context.

Sources: Product and design photos as originally circulated online; TV mount video by Hidden Vision (HVTVmounts). Robson Square (Wikipedia); Yanko Design: Wheelchair Adaptive Stroller (Cursum by Cindy Sjöblom); Core77: Kevin Scott’s bike design; GameTime: Expression Swing.

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