In Japan, Starbucks Unveils A Sakura-Flavored Drink To Celebrate Spring

To celebrate spring in Japan, Starbucks has unveiled a sakura chocolate latte with strawberry flavored topping.



The new drink was inspired by a dessert called the sakura mocha, which is eaten during Girl’s Day or Doll’s Day on 3 March. The food is made from the leaves from a cherry blossom tree and occasionally its flowers are added as well.



The beverage has a hot white chocolate base, and is made with real sakura flowers and leaves. For the finishing touch, it is topped with strawberry infused whipped cream and crumbled pieces of strawberry chocolate candy.



A cold Frappuccino of this drink is also available, and it is topped with the same candy as the latte.



A cup ranges from US$4.10 to $5.25, and will be available form 15 February to 18 March 2014.



Would you try this beverage?



[via Rocket News 24 image via Starbucks Japan]

Famous Pop Culture Icons Illustrated As 8-Bit Watercolor Paintings

’60s Batman and Robin



Based in New York City, Adam Lister gives traditional watercolor paintings a digital twist by painting famous pop culture icons in 8-bit style.



“Having grown up with a visual language rooted in Atari and Nintendo video games, I've always connected with the minimal, block-like 8-bit depiction of form, space, and movement,” stated the artist.



This influence is apparent in his works as the details have been omitted from his paintings. Yet, many of these famous icons are still recognizable as their essential forms can be made out.



Lister aims to combine “the hard edge geometry of the 8-bit and the softness of the watercolour,” and has succeeded in portraying this contrast.



Through this series, the artist shows us that our pop culture icons can still be easily recognizable even when they are reduced to this pixelated form.



Scroll down to view the rest of his works.





Darth Vader from Star Wars





The Godfather





Walter White from Breaking Bad





Son of Man, original painting by René Magritte





Willy Wonka





A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, original painting by Georges-Pierre Seurat



[via The Verge]

NFL Logos Redesigned As European Football Club Logos

Arizona Cardinals (German style)



Football as Football is a website dedicated to NFL logos redesigned as European football club logos.



The Minneapolis-based founders decided to combine their love of both design and football to reimagine American football logos in the style of German, English, Spanish and Italian clubs. They aim to release four sets of 32 logos over the course of the NFL season.



Scroll down to view some of the designs and follow Football as Football to stay updated.





Chicago Bears (Italian style)





Cleveland Browns (English style)





Jacksonville Jaguars (English style)





Dallas Cowboys (Spanish style)





San Francisco 49ers (English style)





Seattle Seahawks (English)





[via Football as Football]

A Vertical Glass House In Shanghai That Lets You See Into Every Room

Designed by Chinese architect firm Atelier FCJZ, this vertical glass house in Shanghai has glass floors that let you see into every room.



Measuring a mere 40 square meters, the four-storey windowless house features a glass roof and glass floors on every level, allowing its occupants an unobstructed view from the basement all the way to the sky. A steel column in the center spans the height of the house, and together with a series of criss-crossing joists, divides each floor into four separate areas. One quarter on each level is taken up by a steel spiral staircase that descends to the basement from a double-height second floor.



The exterior of the house was purposely left rough and the interior sanded to contrast against the grey concrete walls. To counter the lack of windows, narrow strips of horizontal openings on each floor contain lighting that creates light stripes at night.



According to the project architect Lu Bai in an article by Dezeen, the house structure emphasizes spirituality and materials. “With closed walls and transparent floors as well as roof, the house opens to the sky and the earth, positions the inhabitant right in the middle, and creates a place for meditation.”



Originally designed by the firm’s architect Yung Ho Chang as an urban housing prototype for a competition in 1991, it was finally completed for the West Bund Biennale of Architecture and Contemporary Art last year.



It is certainly a bold and interesting concept–imagine looking up to see someone using the toilet or taking a shower. Would you like to live in such a house, or are the transparent glass floors too open for comfort?

































[via Dezeen]

An Interactive Museum Ad That Can Be Scratched Off By Commuters

To help promote their latest exhibition, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago came up with a brilliant interactive advertisement that can be scratched off by commuters.



Placed at bus shelters, commuters were invited to play archaeologists by unearthing the artworks hidden beneath the ads.



The ads were produced with the help of Classic-Color.







[via Classic-Color, image via The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago]

Funny Photos Of Sexy Male Models And Cats In Similar Poses

French blog Des Hommes et des Chatons, whom we previously wrote about, is back with more photos of attractive men and cats in uncannily similar poses.



The hilarious photos show gorgeous men and cute felines gazing broodingly into the camera, puffing away insouciantly, and coolly staring sideways into the distance. Who knew the combination of handsome men and adorable kittens was so irresistible?



Start your week with some eye candy; check out more hunky model and cat pairings below.

















































[via My Modern Met, images via Des Hommes et des Chatons]

Creatively Assembled IKEA Furniture Made By Ignoring The Instruction Manual

Italian design firm Teste di Legno has created a series of creative yet functional furniture by mixing and matching the parts of various IKEA’s products.



This reassembly project has produced four quirky pieces—a mini kitchen, a hanging plant that doubles as a lamp, a cabinet and a shelving unit.



These pieces of furniture are visually striking and original, a far cry from the generic, mass-produced ones that are sold at IKEA—yet, they are made from the exact same parts.



Showing that one can construct unique pieces with a little creativity, the “Lato B” series proves that ignoring the instruction manual can sometimes lead to good things.



View the rest of this unusual IKEA furniture collection below.























[via Dornob]