Two unusual umbrellas were popular this week as the rainy season made itself felt across large swathes of the Northern Hemisphere, so we've collected together some of the best rain-related designs from the pages of Dezeen.
The two-pronged handle of this 16-spoke umbrella by prolific Japanese design studio Nendo allows it to stand up on its own.
Nendo described the product as "an umbrella whose handle makes it not only stable when in use, but able to stand on its own when turned on its handle, hang securely from tables and stay propped up on a wall when not in use." Find out more about this design »
German design collective ART+COM installed over a thousand rising and falling metal raindrops in Singapore's Changi Airport to create a calming centrepiece for the airport's departure hall.
Suspended by steel wires, the raindrops were computer-controlled to move up and down in choreographed patterns. Find out more about this design »
Sa umbrella by Justin Nagelberg and Matthew Waldman
A pair of American designers launched a crowdfunding campaign to develop this umbrella, which replaces the traditional metal-framed canopy with a flexible fabric structure that folds like origami.
"Since the material is flexible when not in tension, it can easily bounce back into shape, even when exposed to high winds," explained co-creator Justin Nagelberg. Find out more about this design »
Rain Room by rAndom International
Interactive designers rAndom International installed their Rain Room – a space where visitors could play in a perpetual shower of water without getting wet – in London's Barbican Centre in 2012.
Cameras were used to detect human movement and continually move the drops away from visitors as they moved through the space. Find out more about this design »
This umbrella design by Royal College of Art graduate Ayca Dundar is made of just six parts, allowing it to fold down into a flat disc for storage and easily spring back into shape when blown inside out.
Dundar came up with the design after dissecting a number of broken umbrellas found in the street. "Their complex structure makes them fragile and non-repairable," she said. Find out more about this design »
The Weather Yesterday by Troika
Not just about rain, British design studio Troika's lighting installation for the 2012 London Festival of Architecture poked fun at the UK's obsession with weather in general.
The LED lights on the five-metre-high sign changed to show passers by what the weather was like at the same time the previous day, so they could see whether the weather was better or worse. Find out more about this design »
Warriors of Downpour City by Anne van Galen
Design Academy Eindhoven student Anne van Galen created a collection of clothing and accessories for a future world where the rain never ceases as her graduate project, which was shown at Dutch Design Week last month.
"I was fascinated by the behaviour of people in the rain," Van Galen told Dezeen. "How they move, react and function. I spent hours just looking at people in the rain." Find out more about this design »
Sardines wellington boots by Estel Alcaraz
Made of injection moulded thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) – a highly elastic, recyclable plastic – these lightweight waterproof boots can squashed down to a fifth of their original size.
Designed by Barcelona-based Estel Alcaraz, the boots come in a range of bright colours and feature an elasticated strap that can be used to keep them together when folded. Find out more about this design »
Bitfall by Julius Popp of Spherical Robots
Bitfall is a giant rain-printing machine that uses magnetic valves to produce water droplets that create moving imagery as they fall.
It was installed on a street in Paris during the Nuit Blanche festival in 2005, and displayed words selected from news websites by a computer programme to create an "information curtain" of water. Find out more about this design »