Core77

Office for Design's Beautiful Take on the Router

The Playn Router is a damn sight better than anything else on the market

By Rain Noe - June 24, 2021

in Object Culture

Modems and routers are so ugly that there exists a category of object designed specifically to hide them.

Industrial designer Shane Schneck, however, figured out how to make them attractive and unobtrusive over a decade ago. Schneck is founder of the Stockholm-based firm Office for Design, and this Playn Router was one of their early projects for Huawei, circa 2009:

"Modems and related devices are most often intrusive 'black boxes' in the home environment and require tools for mounting," Schneck writes. "As a result they end up on the floor in a cable tangle."

"To elevate the router from this unwanted scenario and optimize antenna performance we employed an archetypal shape. The L form fits comfortably in the domestic space resting on books, corners and the desktop."

It's a pity this didn't become the standard, rather than the Star Trek props we're stuck with now.

o
2

Favorite This
Q
2

Comment

Comments

Hans Marvell

3 years ago

Z

Z

Reply

I don't understand why this is not in production?

!Report as spam
Billy Mack

3 years ago

Z

Z

Reply

Interesting form factor. This looks like a colab with Nickelodeon.

!Report as spam

Share your thoughts

Join over 240,000 designers who stay up-to-date with the Core77 newsletter.
Subscribe
Test it out; it only takes a single click to unsubscribe

Directory Company Profiles

Core77
Industrial Design
Resources

K

{

Welcome

jSign In with Core77 Account

Email or Username
Password Forgot password?
Keep me signed in

Cancel

Don't have an account? Join Now

K

{

Welcome

Create a Core77 Account

jJoin Now with Email

Email Not Public
Username
Password
Confirm Password
Cancel

Already have an account? Sign In

By creating a Core77 account you confirm that you accept the Terms of Use

K

Reset Password

Please enter your email and we will send an email to reset your password.

Office for Design's Beautiful Take on the Router

The Playn Router is a damn sight better than anything else on the market

Comments

Join over 240,000 designers who stay up-to-date with the Core77 newsletter.

Directory Company Profiles

Core77 Directory

K

Welcome

K

Welcome

K

Reset Password

Join over 240,000 designers who stay up-to-date with the Core77 newsletter.