Minimalist

In its first year the Black and White Minimalist Photography awards presents a sublime collection of esoteric monochrome imagery. From surreal architectural abstractions to desolate snowbound compositions, the contest is a reminder of the power of minimalism.

Three young designers have hit Kickstarter with a stylish turntable that can be cabled to your living room hi-fi setup or be wirelessly connected to Bluetooth speakers for "those who like it slow but sometimes prefer the fast and easy way."

The Mudita Pure is a minimalist phone with an e-ink screen and no internet browser, designed for the basics of a phone without everyday distractions.

Casa Nell'Orto was built with the purpose of creating a simple, sustainable home that connected its owners directly with their much-loved vegetable garden.

The art of minimalist photography involves stripping an image back to just a few key compositional elements – be it a color, shape or texture. The images celebrated in this year’s Minimalist Photography Awards highlight how beautiful, and compelling, this deceptively simple aesthetic can be.

Nakefit is one of those products that regularly crops up on crowdfunding sites squarely straddling the line between "why?" and "of course!". They're hypoallergenic elastic adhesive pads that stick onto the soles of your feet, providing some protection for those who don't like wearing shoes.

Photography marketplace EyeEm recently held a competition to highlight the beauty of minimalism in architecture. The call was answered with some 45,000 photos, which were whittled down to these 20 standout entries.

As cities are become ever more populated, living spaces are getting smaller and we need to find clever ways to make the most of the space we have. The 5:1 Apartment in New York is one such small space. It uses a sliding wall to transform itself from daytime to nighttime functionality.

The Ora Unico may be just another analog watch, but with a unique face which hides the time inside a doodle, it's likely to turn heads. A white squiggle reveals all, with one end pointing to the hour, the other pointing to the minute.

Camcorder and stills camera rigs can be complex, heavy and bulky affairs. Dutch inventor Mees Baayen has designed a modular camera rig system called the Ultra which breaks down into components that can be carried in a user's pockets.

Android Wear is nearly here, but will mainstream consumers notice? Gizmag's Eric Mack spent a month with the Android and iOS-compatible Martian Notifier smartwatch that doesn't run Wear, but is already on the market. He concludes it may offer the best introduction yet to the world of wearables.

The local cultural association of the small Austrian market town of Krumbach has invited a range of international architects to submit their takes on the humble bus stop. The results are in, and one minimal design has already been built.