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Scandinavian design is most often associated with a minimalist aesthetic, one emphasizing natural materials as a carefully considered employment of form following function. Wood often plays prominently, as does a subdued palette meant to evoke nature’s colors, with metal only used sparingly as accents. It’s all pretty much the antithesis of the PC gaming aesthetic and ethos, where gaming rigs tend to lean strongly into gaudy LED-illuminated showmanship.
Now imagine if Alvar Alto or Arne Jacobsen as an avid gamer today, and if they put their creative genius towards designing their very own gaming machine for their COD or Minecraft addiction. You might very well see something similar to Fractal Design’s North and Terra PC cases.
Fractal’s North is available with either a mesh or tempered glass side panel design. Either option includes two 140mm fans to keep air flow performance at a maximum within, while wood and metal combine into a handsome mid-century presence on the exterior side.
Fronted tastefully with a real oak or walnut paneled face, embellished with a faux leather tab, and sleek steel or brass detail buttons and ports, Fractal’s North PC case stood out enough from the crowded realm of audaciously outfitted PC gaming designs to earn the Gothenburg-based company a Red Dot Design Award 2023.
An integrated pull tab allows for easy access into the case for maintenance or upgrades.
Fractal’s Terra is a similarly conceived approach to PC gaming, featuring a smaller case option made with anodized aluminum panels and a CNC-milled, FSC-certified solid walnut front face.
Three front USB ports, including one USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C with fast charging support and speeds up to 10Gbps, are available on the exterior; seven bridgeless expansion slots within maximize the customization and upgrade options down the line.
Noting hardware upgrades play prominently in the PC gaming experience, North has designed the Terra case to be easily accessible from the side and top using an integrated tab.
An aluminum power button and two USB ports for connecting devices are integrated into the walnut wood detailing. The sum of the design makes it an ideal aesthetic candidate for a living room media PC or gaming machine connected to a home theater system.
Founded in 2007 in Sweden, followed by Fractal Design outposts opened in Dallas and Taipei, Taiwan, the company has distinguished itself by designing gaming accessories aimed at PC customers seeking an understated presence on their desktop. The company’s North and Terra cases epitomize this understated aesthetic displaying an almost architectural attention to detailing.
Fractal Design’s North PC case retails for $140 here, while the Terra PC case is available for $180 here.
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Tinder’s new headquarters in West Hollywood, California designed by Rapt Studio could be imagined as a thoughtful response to the transformative changes that have affected the corporate workplace dynamics the last few years. The seven-story, 77,000-square-foot project, handled by the same creative consultancy responsible for developing other creative spaces for the likes of Google, Dropbox, and Vans, is imagined to reestablish the pandemic-frayed ties that bind individuals into creative collaborative teams – and by extension, between the app users they seek to support – designing a multi-level headquarters layered with a multitude of opportunities for collaboration and connection.
Rapt Studio began the project by researching existing public space typologies, from the town square to the speakeasy, that empower a progressive deepening of ties that bind workers with their work in an organic manner.
Modeled after a town square, The Commons is the largest and most expansive of the spaces, and also the entry point into Tinder’s new headquarters. The airy environment is intended to encourage casual interactions and large enough to accommodate for company-wide gatherings.
The café — or “Boost Bar” — sits on the second floor, giving employees access to the skills of an in-house barista, and in turn providing an informal space to work away from the desk.
The IT help desk is fashioned after the nostalgic memories of the neighborhood arcade.
Diffuse lighting, custom modular furniture on wheels, and walls clad in top-to-bottom whiteboards all inhabit La Galleria, a room drawing its atmosphere from the workshops and displays of an artist studio.
A custom hot-pink central table with cutouts along the edges offers a surprisingly idiosyncratic hue to the space’s otherwise muted purpose.
Floor six is dedicated to quieter activities and appropriately demarcated as The Stacks, a tranquil communal space fashioned after a library.
Deep blue hues across plush fabrics, with curvilinear walls and curtains framing windows overlooking the LA skyline give the pinnacle seventh floor a nightclub vibe. Seating arrangements are situated to encourage engagement within intimate groups – a “secret” employee getaway of sorts.
“Connection is at the heart of the Tinder brand,” says Rapt Studio CEO and Chief Creative Officer David Galullo. “To design a space that deepens connection within Tinder, we looked to the places where we typically build relationships and then mapped them onto a floor plan. The end project emphasizes how design itself can be a force of connection.”
Tinder’s new HQ shares some similarities to Rapt Studio’s previous project, The Schoolhouse, a creative office for The Google School for Leaders. Each share the goal to spur informal engagements between team members by carving out both shared and intimate spaces, and furnished to empower employees to adapt those spaces to their needs on an as-needed basis.
If names like Yeti, Tundra, and RTIC strike a chord, you’ve likely gone through the sticker shock associated with deliberating between very large rectangular blocks of insulated plastic. Ice coolers fall under the product category of “you wouldn’t believe how much these things cost,” at least when considering options amongst a top performing tier of coolers attached to price tags of hundreds of dollars. Oyster, a new Norwegian brand will still set you back $500, but it introduces a uniquely smaller and more efficient design aiming to suck out the air from its larger and bulkier competition.
Typically thermal energy is circulated within a cooler very slowly, affecting the overall temperature within. The Tempo thermal circulation is 380x faster than a comparable hard cooler, the equivalent of 190 watts/meter Kelvin versus 0.5 watts/meter Kelvin.
The Tempo is the most engineered ice cooler, inside and out, with an intelligently designed accessories system allowing easy and fast switches from a metal carrying handle to the included shoulder strap with only a couple turns of a dial. This assembly/disassembly construction also makes cleaning the cooler simpler and more thorough.
Even the best hard cooler requires pouring large amounts of ice to retain a cold drink temperature for hours, making for a laborious haul, ironically heating the carrier while attempting to keep the contents cool. The Tempo proposes something a bit wild: subtracting ice out of the equation. That is, if you start off by throwing in cold drinks or food to begin with. The Tempo’s patented double-wall vacuum insulation technology is so efficient in preventing heat transfer from occurring – keeping cold temps within from escaping and warmer ambient air from intruding. The cooler can keep cold foods or drinks chill for hours without ice… or for much longer aided by two included ice packs.
Two ice packs designed to fit perfectly into the Tempo are included, helping keep food and drinks cold(er) for longer periods. The precise fit of the two accessory packs into the aluminum lined interior illustrates the level of detail the Oyster team put into developing the Tempo over the span of six years. \\\ Photo: Gregory Han
The sleek extruded aluminum cooler essentially works just like those popular double-walled metal flasks you might already carry around everywhere to keep your coffee hot or water cold throughout the day, creating an insulated and vacuumed sealed interior large enough to fit 36 cans of beverages within. The only caveat of the design is if you dent it, it’s going to wear the signs of your mishaps forever (but that’s what strategically placed stickers are for).
The cooler’s rectangular shape is in itself an innovation; previous attempts to manufacture anything beyond a cylindrical vacuum-insulated shape would fail to retain their shape over an extended span of time. Oyster stands by their design so confidently, not only will they replace any broken parts, they claim their replacement policy even extends out to damage if your cooler is “mauled by a bear.”
The lid locks into a vacuum seal by securing two long handle hinges on both sides. Leave one in place and the lid levers open in a clamshell configuration. \\\ Photo: Gregory Han
Photo: Gregory Han
A strap or handle can be switched out quickly and easily thanks to the Tempo’s twist dial securing system. \\\ Photo: Gregory Han
A red nylon shoulder strap attaches easily to the Tempo for longer, heavier hauls after loading the 12.3-lbs (empty) cooler for outdoor destinations. \\\ Photo: Gregory Han
Outward appearances may give off the impression the Tempo is designed only for modest loads. But because of the thin-walled design, the Tempo offers three times the capacity compared to other rotomolded coolers of similar size.
Photo: Gregory Han
As the owner of an enormous and unwieldy rotomolded cooler, the Tempo’s manageable size is revelatory, and to be frank, suitable for more than 80% of our typical hiking, camping, or picnicking adventures. Pair that with the Tempo’s extraordinary ability to keep contents cold without bagfuls of ice, the quick-switch handle or strap carrying system, superior portability, and its subjectively standout industrial good looks, and the Tempo is arguably the coolest cooler on the market.
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Imagine setting out to explore a distant barren alien landscape, or somewhere earth bound like the “tortuous” glacial-carved topography of Sarek, Sweden, all accompanied by an electronic score composed by the likes of Carbon Based Lifeforms. Your imagination might very well conjure adventuring accessories similar to the Teenage Engineering’s Field System, a collection of functional bags and accessories equipped for exploration, earthly or otherwise.
The monochromatic collection is characterized most notably but its all-white minimalist theme, one realized in nylon 66 shell fabric complemented by black detailing across closure and zipper lines. The nylon material is both fire retardant and backed with polyurethane leather offering the wearer a 3000mm water repellent rating, affording confidence the contents within remain safe regardless whether you’re climbing up to investigate volcanic activity, plumb the depths of a glacial carved stream… or simply make it back to your car in the rain in this extremely wet winter.
The series is designed to go anywhere, with dry water repellent Japanese mini ripstop nylon accessorized with aluminum alloy hardware, including zips and rings.
Numerous pieces of the Field Series collection, like the Field Medium OP–Z Bag and Field Large OP–1 Bag, are designed specifically to secure Teenage Engineering’s catalog of synths and other musical devices, but are also adaptable for carrying all shapes and sizes of gear.
The Field Backpack includes a field keychain carabiner and even a sitting pad.
Embroidered graphic patches further play up the Interstellar-themed designs.
Beyond bags and carrying cases, the Field Series full range also includes t-shirts and sweatshirts emblazoned with mission/music oriented graphics, water bottles, notebooks, and bottle openers starting from $9 with the entire collection available now at TeenageEngineering.com.
The effects of climate change paired with the mounting accumulation of global plastic waste will undoubtedly change the landscape and scope of architecture in the decades ahead. Structures, including housing, will need to be adaptive not only in their intended form, but also in the manufacturing and material sourcing process. Noting these challenges, a 3D-printed prototype pavilion designed by architecture studio Hassell, in partnership with 3D-printing studio Nagami and creative collective to.org, propose utilizing a material that isn’t dwindling, but mounting in availability with every passing day.
Inspired by Qarmaq, a type of inter-seasonal, single-room family dwelling long used by the Central Inuit of Northern Canada, this concept interprets the indigenous architecture into a 3D-printed pavilion constructed with recycled plastic. Engineered for inclement weather and harsh local climates around the globe – in heat or in extreme cold – the small habitat combines traditional indigenous solutions with technological adaptations to permit modifications as required in response to the structure’s site.
In its most extreme iteration the pavilion will be hermetically sealed with its gently grooved exterior designed to collect snow to create natural insulation similar to the traditional igloo.
From overhead, the pavilion’s ridged design with a center skylight resembles a Danish vanilla ring butter cookie, but something more like a marine bivalve mollusk from ground level.
The shell-like design utilizes plastic refuse as a resource for construction, an idea born from conversations between Hassell’s head of design, Xavier De Kestelier, and Manuel Jimenez Garcia, the founder of Nagami, a 3D-additive manufacturing studio.
In warmer climates where insulation from overbearing heat is a concern, the Pavilion 1 can be adapted to use its overlapping fin design for passive cooling and cross ventilation, as well as water harvesting.
“The implications of 3D printing at this scale are huge for architecture and we hope we can apply this aspect of adaptability across projects,” notes De Kestelier, “We wanted a pavilion that will be able to exist completely off the grid and adapt to local climatic challenges and conditions to create as low as possible embodied and operational carbon footprint.”
Additionally, Nachson Mimran, co-founder & creative executive officer of to.org notes the project’s aim to reuse already processed petroleum-based material as “an inexhaustible resource” is vital in the realization of a “circular economy [to] reduce pollution and reverse the effects of climate change.”
Pavilion 1 is 3D printed at full-scale, using minimum energy with the main structure comprising 24 separate pieces easily transported and assembled on-site.
The Pavilion 1 in its varied imagined applications is currently only in a proof of concept state, with to.org currently seeking partners to invest in its future production and work toward reproducible scalability.
Manuel Jimenez Garcia, founder of Nagami hopes the project note only radicalizes the construction industry, but also inspires future generations of architects to invest and explore eco-innovation as a plausible element of designing the habitats of the future.
If you happened upon the new Sonos Era 300 straight on you might be inclined to shrug, albeit approvingly. Viewed head on, the newly announced Era 300 looks very much the part of the Sonos audio speaker family, down to the typographic palindrome logo and its characteristically perfectly perforated minimalist oblong profile. But veer just a little to the left, right, or from any angle really, and things get a little… different. You’ll then notice the Era 300 looks nothing like any other Sonos product before it, and there’s a good reason behind this unusual hourglass design.
“The Sonos Era 300 is a ‘blank sheet of paper’ design,” explains Dana Krieger, VP of hardware design at Sonos when asked about the cinched form during a video call with Design Milk. “There are six transducers positioned around the product: one facing forward, two tweeters on the left and right, two woofers on each side, and one in the center aimed upward.”
At its core the Era 300’s form is conceived to direct sound not just optimally toward the listener from the front and sides, but also audibly from above, with an up-firing tweeter engineered to produce engaging and immersive spatial playback.
The Era 300 also features a newly designed capacitive volume slider with a subtle shallow channel that intuitively communicates, “Slide your finger here.”
The Era 300 is joined by the release of a smaller Era 100, “a remastering of the best-selling
Sonos One.”
“According to our audio team, the optimal position is somewhere between zero and 20 degrees off the vertical axis,” says Krieger, “And this design positions that [center-top] transducer right at 10º. So taking that 10º angle and wrapping it all around the product puts each of those six transducers in their best location for a spatial experience.”
The Era 300’s design may be configured for the best spatial experience, but it’s safe to say its design may prove aesthetically divisive, an issue the Sonos brand has generally been able to avoid because its existing lineup is so tastefully minimalist. Primarily made up of extruded cylindrical forms that have proven time and time again supremely adaptable to most any room setting, the Era 300 is very much that same signature Sonos form, but with a cinched center that hits a bit different.
Where the Sonos Era 300’s immersive capabilities become a most intriguing proposition is when paired with the Sonos Arc and Sonos Sub. We plan to report about the Era 300’s spatial and Dolby Atmos performance in the coming weeks to determine whether a pinch of new design proves a good thing for the Sonos brand.
Sonos is betting brand devotees and new customers will become quickly acclimated to the divergence in design, instead focusing more upon the wow-factor delivered via the speaker’s spatial audio performance, a proposition that becomes even more interesting and convincing when two Era 300s are configured into a multi-channel Dolby Atmos surround sound rear setup. Paired alongside the brand’s Arc or Beam sound bar and Sub, this twice-as-nice configuration should conjure a convincingly immersive aural realm in 360 degrees from above and around where other up-firing speakers can only half-heartedly perform.
The Era 300 and Era 100 will be available globally starting on March 28, 2023 for $449 and $249, with each listed for pre-order today at Sonos.com.
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I’m going to kick off this round of five favorites with an ultimately satisfying highlight reel of lettering artist Rachel Joy filling in the lines of her optimistic message in near perfect detail. I think I’ve watched the clip 10x already now, rewarded with each and every view of her skills applying acrylic markers onto canvas. Extra points for a favorite Chaka Khan track accompanying her flow.
I’ve always been enamored how our brains can perceive the illusion of three dimensional shapes and spaces from certain arrangements of two dimensional forms. Understanding what our eyes see and how it is interpreted by our brain is a wondrous reminder the world we deem to perceive isn’t necessarily the world as it really exists. In similar spirit designer Luiza Guidi’s illuminated sculptures offer the framework of space, light, shadow, and movement – the epitome of a mood light, by way of inspiration from the works of architects Luis Barragán and Tadao Ando.
Sure, I glance at my iPhone or Apple Watch while out on-the-go when I need to figure whether I’ve got a minute to spare. But at home I’ve strewn several wall and table clocks throughout to keep abreast of the time. The last thing I need is yet another screen. My personal preference is for analog time pieces. With their soothing seconds to minute metronome, the operate as a sort of a subtle heartbeat of the home.
The Punkt AC02’s Bauhaus-inspired design is subtly satisfying in form (love the sliver of light blue across one of the hands) and is designed to be a bedside alarm clock, and near impossible to tip over unlike plastic counterparts. In my case the AC02 is sitting in front of me as a desk-side companion, always there to remind me it’s time to eat lunch or finally log-off with nary a notification sound.
While perusing House of Spoils collection of photographic art prints – a selection strongly emphasizes people, automobiles, and the natural landscape – it was the vacant architectural patterns captured by photographer and professor of design Danny Franzreb that stopped me in mid-scroll. From several cropped perspectives, the balconies adorning the verticalities of the Spanish city of Benidorm – the city claiming the highest density of high-rise buildings per capita in the world – take on a surreal pattern representative of pandemic times within the context of an urbanist landscape. I imagine all three photos displayed as a triptych would really heighten the hauntingly desolate feeling.
Designer David Umemoto’s LEGO plans are derived/inspired by Danish polymath Piet Hein’s puzzling Soma cube, but there’s more than a tinge of Ricardo Bofill and Escher-esque architecture (or for the younger gaming set, the feeling of the impossible architecture of the puzzle game, Monument Valley) instilled into these puzzling plans. It’s like a grown-up architecture nerd’s version of a Rubik’s Cube.
Why AirBnb when you can bring your own comfortably personalized accommodations nearly anywhere and everywhere you go? That’s the premise behind the Bowlus Volterra, the world’s first all-electric RV, a luxuriously appointed 25-foot-long aerodynamic silver bullet designed for travelers seeking adventure sans the “roughing it” part of the equation.
The Volterra stores up to 50-gallons of water to keep occupants hydrated, while capable of extending the range of an EV tow vehicle up to 65 miles.
You may remember the Bowlus Terra Firma Limited Edition, a similarly styled luxury liner on two wheels outfitted with a laundry list of contemporary technologies and accoutrements delivering glamping galore. The new Bowlus Volterra is basically the same deal as the Terra Firma, but with twice the mobile electric power and few additional updates.
The heart of the new Volterra’s power is its Volterra Battery Management System, a lithium battery management system powered by the brand’s AeroSolar Solar System, resulting in a 17 kWh of all-electric power capacity (for comparison, a Tesla Powerwall offers 13.5kW of storage capacity).
Induction with two cooktops means meals prepared faster and safer.
And it needs every bit of this extended electric and solar power, with the interior cabin outfitted with creature comforts such as in-floor heating, air conditioning and heating, continuous hot water for showering, hot drinking water on-demand, LED lighting, wi-fi networking, and the option to add high-speed satellite connectivity anywhere the RV dares to venture.
Because navigating a 25-foot trailer isn’t always easy, especially at night, Bowlus thoughtfully includes a full-color night vision camera.
This being the brand’s most luxurious and expensive model (the Volterra starts at $310,000), the RV is offered with a limited-edition La Cumbre earthen color palette inspired by the mountain peak behind Santa Barbara, California. The limited-edition interior seating – fully vegan – supposedly draws inspiration from the California sunset, with complementary hues in the bedding area executed in 100% linen duvets.
If this isn’t all luxurious enough, Bowlus also offers a Bespoke Customization Program to allow buyers to tinker and tailor the silver bullet RV trailer to their exact specifications (*Rivian not included.)
The original La Boite concept LX Turntable presented itself as a handsome all-in-one audio system, combining speaker, turntable, and amp onto a furniture-like stand that looked closer to a desk than hi-fi system. Spiritually, its integrated componentry shares the lineage of vintage stereos systems designed to become part of the home decor, rather than impose itself upon the rest of the home. To take this presence further, the hi-fi technologists La Boite concept have paired with textile house Lelièvre Paris for Maison&Objet, in creation of a special edition LX Turntable covered with two fabric options exuding a quintessentially French sense of style and drama.
Available in two fabric sheathed options, the first is the Hera, fabric in a graphic two-tone geometric pattern with rosewood intended to evoke a labyrinth (fans of the show Twin Peaks may be reminded of another mysterious destination).
The second is one sheathed in the Riga fabric, a sporty and chunky dark green corduroy. The dense and supple pile calls out to be touched; fortunately, the fabric itself is “extremely resistant” in texture to endure such temptations.
The Lelièvre fabric-covered turntable itself features a carbon arm tipped with an Ortofon OM10 cartridge, engineered on an integrated anti-vibration board with shock absorbers for optimal stability and to minimize distortion.
Onto the audio system itself: the LX Turntable Special Edition continues to present itself as an audio system designed for those obsessed with details beyond technological specs, a minimalist 4.1 audio system where nary a cable can be found. The desk style design comprises a floating plywood turntable sitting upon an all-black front base with black stained solid beech legs.
Outfitted with two front-firing speakers, two rears placed at the top-back surface, and a woofer, each channel is powered by its own Class D amp; all five channels are rated for a total power of 285 W (1 x 90 watts + 2 x 25 watts + 2 x 20W) – plenty to inhabit a large room with a lively sound.
The entire system is engineered to be a self-contained solution, but can also pair with other traditional and digital sources, including laptops, tablets, CD players, and other wireless protocols via Bluetooth Apt-X, Sonos, Apple Airplay USB, and Google Chromecast. But at nearly $5,000, the Lelièvre Special Edition Concept LX Turntable is every bit a statement piece, intended just as much to be seen as heard.
Photos by ©Mario Simon Lafleur.
“Currently, we design 3D ergonomic iPhone cases and custom toilet seats” may read like some random word salad spit out by the AI-operated ChatGPT, yet it is the genuinely strange descriptor greeting visitors at Bailey Hikawa’s site dedicated to the disparate category of objects. As weird as that may all seem, the designs themselves are even more surreal…
The self-taught industrial designer takes a sculptural approach to iPhone case design unlike any others out there. Far out there. How else could one describe the Ishi iPhone Case in Lil’ Shrimp as anything but a sizable gummy bear that seems to have indulged in enjoying a shrimp cocktail (or spaghetti) before melting into a slightly amorphous blob reminiscent of colorful indoor rock climbing wall grips? We’d imagine Matthew Barney would be rather envious of these designs.
Or how about the Geta Phone Case in Marigold, a large vented back design that operates as a very secure grip, phone stand, possibly the most protective case we’ve ever seen… and a pressure point massage tool?
“Wave” in Japanese, the Nami phone case’s soft waved edges allow for fingers to slide into each groove for a secure grip while also making it easy to prop up.
My personal favorite is the Nami Phone Case in Onyx, a wavy gripped case made to order and amusingly Hikawa’s “slimmest phone case yet!” Not quite subtle, but compared to this eye-catching design, practically under-the-radar.
Bailey Hikawa
We’ll leave the toilet seat selection to your own imagination.
Graphic designer Paula Scher once attributed the importance of play in opening the doorways to creativity. “I play when I design.” Unencumbered by prescriptive expectations, possibilities, often simple and easily overlooked become obvious. It’s a sentiment similarly drummed up while reviewing industrial designer Chris Granneberg’s collection of lighting designed for Gantri, a joyfully fun collection of colorful cubes offering a literal twist in form in service of function.
Image: Chris Greeneberg
Image: Chris Greeneberg
The easiest way to add joy to someone’s life is through color.
Image: Chris Greeneberg
The childlike spirit effused by Granneberg’s design is rare in the task light category, where the proposition of serious work for serious people too often results in seriously staid designs. The simple, compact shapes of the Analog collection were inspired by the designer’s daughter’s LEGO collection, and whose propensity to anthropomorphize the IKEA FREKVENS inspired the “authentically playful” trio of lights. The result lands somewhere in-between the nexus of plaything, the ethos of Eames designs, and a Lightolier Lytegem.
Image: Chris Greeneberg
Image: Chris Greeneberg
“I stacked 10cm cubes into a directional task light, wall light, and floor light and rendered them in happy colors,” explains Granneberg, “I imagine the collection would be 3D printed.”
Image: Chris Greeneberg
Occasionally wishes are granted. In this case Granneberg’s concept was brought to 3D-printed life by sustainable lighting brand Gantri in the form of a task light, floor light, and wall light, each design revolving around a 360-degrees rotating light cube feature capturing the playful spirit of the designer’s daughter, and now available for all of us to illuminate our inner child… even when attempting to complete the tasks of adulthood.
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We may prefer our coffee strong and unadulterated, but a coffee maker itself doesn’t have to abide by such strict conventions of caffeinated design. Benjamin Hubert’s design agency LAYER takes on a softer geometric approach to the kitchen appliance with a gentle palette and tactile functionality designed to keep simplicity at the forefront of every cup brewed.
The Breeze is a softly modern coffee brewing appliance conceived for Korean food corporation Dongsuh. While the design firm attributes its mild modernity to the influence of mid-century design language, it’s also hard not to recognize some semblance to Naoto Fukasawa’s line of kitchen appliances for MUJI. All share a conscious attention to detail – “micro considerations” – each conceived not just to improve functionality, but also aware of the importance of designing objects imagined to visually and spatially cohabitate within a domestic interior peacefully.
The Breeze is composed of a simple arrangement of block forms, with a head that cantilevers from the body and an adjustable drip tray that doubles as a platform for a glass or coffee mug.
The resulting compact design offers an almost PEZ candy-like charm, inviting a touch across all of its surfaces. The coffeemaker’s concise and narrow profile is accentuated by a tall water tank and a ridged wrap-around base finished in matte white, charcoal, and light pastel pink, while the Breeze’s controls are equally simple, a tactile iconographic interface comprising just four backlit buttons.
No word yet about the machine’s proficiency at preparing a proper cup of coffee, but like a good single origin roast, the Breeze’s softened simplicity already appeals to one of our senses nary any additives.
You would not be completely wrong considering an analog wall clock as a bit of an anachronism. Even luddites are prone to wake up to the alarm chime of a phone, regularly glance at the passing hours from a mobile device, and perhaps occasionally rely on the aid of a smartwatch to provide an update of the time. Even so, there’s something unobtrusive and ultimately comforting about a non-digital display wall clock – its simplicity focused upon singularly displaying the time is a “quiet technology” we will always have room (or wall space) for.
And if so, why not with a timekeeping device that nods to yesterday’s notification-free lives with a design with its feet (and hands) securely placed in the present?
That’s exactly how we’d describe the Wall Clock by Jasper Morrison. Introduced in 2008, HAY retains the Wall Clock’s gently curved aluminum design paired with its minimalist clock face typography, resulting in what is considered an iconic timepiece. What’s new is HAY has given the Wall Clock four fresh colorways retaining the silent, non-ticking design and handsome functionality.
Morrison’s Wall Clock may operate silently, but the British designer is not hesitant to let it be known what he thinks about the incursion of technologies into every corner of the home. No surprise such an elegant and timeless design was imagined by someone who is attributed to saying that the smartest use of smart home technology is “by us using it less maybe.”
Available in Black, Dark Green, Light Blue, and White for $95, the updated palette is noticeably complementary to HAY’s greater catalog of home furnishings and accessories in hue and form. Our personal preference skews toward the two, more colorful options – both silently loud(er) – but we imagine the adaptability of the refreshed original monochromatic options will prove appealing to many.
Each Wall Clock weighs less than a pound, measuring 12.63″ H 12.63″ W 2.2″ D, operating with one single AA battery.
Those with a long memory may recognize the black face colorway as strong evocative of Morrison’s 2007 Wall Clock Watch for Muji, the same company the original Wall Clock was designed for.
To get your minutes and hours hands on your own Wall Clock, visit HAY.
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In time, infrastructure supporting the electrification of vehicles will become robust, reliable, and a wonderfully mundane reality, an evolution that will undoubtedly coincide with everyday vehicle range that will not only match, but exceed internal combustion engines. But even the most confident long range battery-equipped EV owner today has occasionally felt the twinge of range anxiety while roadtripping beyond your normal routine roads. That is, unless you set beyond city limits equipped with your very own EV-charging batteries doubling up as a teardrop 4-person camper to call your own.
The Boulder by Colorado Teardrops sports an attractive design, one evocative of the offspring of a Tesla paired with a retro teardrop camper your grandparents might have once explored the highways with in tow. The softly angular, Cybertruck-ish design is evidently designed to complement the most popular EV today, down to gull-wing doors and aerodynamic wheels.
The Boulder’s skateboard platform and powder-coated steel trailer design sits on top of a 3500 lb. rated suspension, holding a 75 kWh bank of EV batteries, allowing wanderers of the road to recharge their EV batteries with nary a charging station in site.
Other than being a sizable charging station on wheels, The Boulder offers cozy accommodations for a family of four, equipped with a fully insulated cabin with a seating arrangement during the day that easily converts into a queen-size bed with two additional bunk beds. The rear of the trailer reveals space for all of the necessities of the road camping lifestyle, with the option to upgrade to “glamping” grade accoutrements such as air conditioning, propane heater, patio umbrella mounts, awnings, side counters, espresso machine, and an assortment of optional colors.
The Boulder’s compact size belies its price, which will set you back $67,000, more than the starting price of a Tesla Model Y. But considering the double-duty capabilities of a trailer that can comfortably house four people and offer Level 3 or Combined Charging Standard (CCS1) to add an additional 100 miles of range in just ten minutes, those with electrified hearts stricken with wanderlust might find the price justifiable.
Typically, when someone says you’re being strung along, it’s rarely intended to communicate anything positive. But in the case of String Furniture’s modular shelving system, the design classic continues to be associated with the best of modern design – a flexible, expandable, contemporary classic with an airy aesthetic that seems to never wear out its welcome regardless of era or interior space.
If it sounds like I’m an unabashed fan, you’re not mistaken. I recently invested in a 3-panel, 12-shelf configuration for my home office to join a pair of two-tier String Pocket wall units. Designed by Swedish architect Nisse Strinning in collaboration with his wife Kajsa Strinning in 1949, the design retains an inspiring vitality inspiring organization and display.
Today, String Furniture is dipping into their archives to refresh a 1955 classic originally designed by Swedish architect Olle Pira. Designed for the Helsingborg exhibition of 1955 in 1955, the Pira G2 modular shelving system has been updated by architect Anna von Schewen and the industrial designer Björn Dahlström in time for the 2023 Stockholm Furniture Festival, which ended February 11th.
The refreshed design retains the modular spirit of the original, robust yet visually transparent. “The ambition was never to design a retro-style piece of furniture, but rather to embrace the core idea behind the original PIRA and create a taller, wider version” explains Björn Dahlström.
The shelves are made of lacquered steel sheets and secure onto extruded aluminum poles, with a choice of walnut or white oak cabinets and bookends, with each shelf rated for over 110lbs of weight capacity – more than sufficient to ease concerns of any dedicated bibliophile and/or to accommodate for a designer’s large tome library.
While adaptable as a wall-mounted storage and display piece, the Pira G2 truly shines when configured as a free-standing shelving unit, operating both as a display and room divider with each shelf creating a window to the other side and carving out smaller, more intimate spaces in the process.
I’ve been on the hunt for a room divider to visually break up a long room for months now, and at first glance the Pira G2 seems to offer everything I would hope for in a storage solution. Alas, I realized I was indeed being strung along the entire time – at least in my specific case – as the Pira G2’s 318cm max height doesn’t quiet extend sufficiently high enough to secure onto our high ceilings. But for most homes, the Pira G2’s modular sheet-steel construction should offer a centerpiece presence engineered to last a lifetime.
Do you remember when the first Apple AirPods came onto the market and their initial limited availability provoked such a level of envy, they became a common target for theft? Owners would even take care to disguise their white earbuds from view, lest someone snatch them right from under their…ears. Thankfully today the exclusivity factor has dialed down several notches, with many equal – if not sonically superior – options available in the wireless earphones category. It makes Bang & Olufsen’s Beoplay EX Atelier Editions an interesting proposition, one that purposefully distinguishes itself from the crowded field – and the standard wireless Beoplay EX earbuds it is based upon – with a very limited, very conspicuous made-to-order bespoke design with a price tag to match.
So what’s the cost of indulging in the luxury of being noticed? Apparently $699. In comparison, the standard Beoplay EX wireless earbuds offered in four colorways of red, black, gold, and anthracite are priced at $399.
That extra $300 brings with it an “ultra rare” Lime Green colorway, a retina-burning hue embellishing the sides of each earbud alongside the whole of the exterior charging-carrying case. It’s quite pleasing, like a small yuzu you can open up and pop into the ears. Strangely, the Danish craft audio brand hasn’t given any exact figures defining the level of exclusivity tied to the Atelier Editions moniker. Instead, Bang & Olufsen notes this is but the first drop of numerous limited colorways. So you may be 1 of 100…or 1 of 5,000. TBD.
Otherwise, the earbuds retain the features and performance of an already excellent Beoplay EX wireless earbud experience, with its elegant amalgamation of aluminum, polymer, and silicone – the work of Thomas Bentzen – delivering Active Noise Cancellation, wireless charging, and up to 20 hours of wireless listening via Bluetooth 5.2.
For those drawn to limited quantity drops, Bang & Olufsen is accepting reservations for the next 13 or so days before closing the charging case till the next Atelier Edition is announced.
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When we see the three letters K-E-F subtly emblazoned across any speaker, expectations are for a realistic listening experienced from speakers realized with industrial design conceived to tastefully coexist in a living space. In short, KEF has always made speakers that look nearly as good as they sound. But speakers like the brand’s $22,000 Reference 5 Meta loudspeakers orbit a stratosphere only few could imagine even consider. The British audio gear brand’s new R Series Meta collection arrives as a welcome attempt to bring some of their flagship performance down to earth with seven models to mix-and-match.
Given enough time any cutting-edge technology eventually parachutes down into the realm of affordability. Of course, “affordable” within the audiophile category is subjective, but KEF’s new seven model loudspeaker line justifies the price tags with flagship details borrowed from the aforementioned top-of-the-line The Reference. To put this into perspective, a pair of these new R3 Meta bookshelf speakers arrive at one-tenth the price of its flagship predecessor, with even the largest R11 Meta option priced at a subjectively reasonable $3,250 (each).
Detail of KEF’s new Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT), a circular plate with a maze-like structure of intricate channels engineered to absorb specific frequencies. The channels act as an acoustic black hole, absorbing 99% of the unwanted sound from the rear of the tweeter.
The R Series is engineered to please ears equally whether while listening to music in a stereo configuration or as a multi-speaker Dolby Atmos capable surround sound home theater solution.
This updated R Series now shares the same proprietary maze-like driver design as the feature towering, The Reference. Metamaterial Absorption Technology, or MAT for short, is reputed to absorb 99% of unwanted frequencies. KEF uses the analogy of an acoustic black hole – a labyrinth where undesirable distortions never escape.
The R Series also includes a slightly modified 12th-generation Uni-Q driver, the same component found in the brand’s LS50 Meta bookshelf speakers, a model we always considered a gateway into audiophile acoustics.
Shown here with the ceiling aimed Dolby Atmos-compatible R8 Meta surround modules seated atop, the R Series is adaptable for a variety of applications and room dimensions.
KEF continues to give their latest line a characteristically handsome finish aligned with the previous R Series, with the latest KEF R Series Meta collection available in White Gloss, Black Gloss, or a handsome Walnut finish. The R3 Meta is also offered in a conspicuous Indigo Gloss. Bump up to the R7 and there’s a subtly automotive metallic Titanium Gloss finish. Head here to see the complete collection with pricing.
Slowly, but surely colors are finally seeping back into the kitchen with more visual impact beyond small appliances or subtly shaded cabinetry. In our previous coverage of Samsung’s Bespoke offerings we’ve lauded the Korean company’s efforts to establish themselves as the bold outliers within the kitchen appliance category, adorning the largest kitchen appliance in the home with bold hues and even artwork, abandoning the staid standards of a typical black, white, or stainless steel kitchen format.
Yet, I’ve bemoaned the lack of additional options. More colors, please! Well, Samsung seems to have heard the clamoring for additional options, responding in kind with their first-ever Bespoke refrigerator offering image personalization using nearly any uploaded original design, artwork, or photo using Samsung’s MyBespoke online customization tool.
Of course, we had to test this customization feature with a photo from our personal archives, our Bespoke refrigerator emblazoned with a “favorite photo on the fridge” theme taken to its largest extreme.
Such joyful possibilities can be realized for a paltry $300 extra per panel. But can you really attach a price to something so satisfying as adorning your refrigerator with a favorite photo of your beloved feline wearing a curly wig?
MyBespoke fridge panel customization is now available for one or both French Doors, with the option to assign separate images to each panel door or to designate a single image to adorn the surface across both doors [as shown above]. Other adjoining lower panels can be further customized in colors to complement your truly bespoke kitchen appliance.
Once ordered, Samsung promises to deliver your customized doors directly in give or take eight weeks for self installation.
Noting all the hoopla surrounding AI Generative Art, Samsung has also sought out the partnership with generative artist, Matt Jacobson (a.k.a. numbersinmotion), to create 100 unique generative art prints for Bespoke refrigerators inspired by nature and the elements.
The MyBespoke Generative Art Collection uses four popular Bespoke colors as a foundation, including White Glass, Navy Steel, Morning Blue, and Emerald Green. The algorithmically generated digital art collection draws inspiration from nature, visually channeling how water might flow through a stream or how wind might blow through air.
The collection is available for a limited time and free to download from January 31 – February 13, 2023. The digital prints are sized for Bespoke refrigerator panels, so you can easily upload, edit and print the designs with MyBespoke on samsung.com.
To learn more about Samsung’s MyBespoke Custom Panels, head to samsung.com.
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A rug at its most basic exists merely as a floor cover, protecting the surface and also to provide occupants an agreeable material to tread upon. But a rug of note can be a transformative, if not an artful expression within a room. Muuto’s Relevo Rug designed by Milan-based design duo Studiopepe represents the latter, a beautifully hand-tufted sculptural wool rug with an elevated attention to detail in its color, texture, and dimensions.
Derived from the word for “relief” in Latin, the Relevo presents itself as an engaging sculptural plane of New Zealand wool, trimmed to differing levels and channeled widths, resulting in a dynamic geometric and graphic pattern.
Like the raked sand or gravel of a Japanese karesansui garden, the topography realized in soft wool offers an engaging visual element beyond singular color, with the rug presenting an interplay of tones dependent upon light and shadow as the daylight or interior light source changes. But where raked gravel of a karesansui garden is strictly off-limits, the Relevo invites
footfall with texture and soft touch.
Studiopepe’s Arianna Lelli Mami and Chiara Di Pinot describe the Relevo Rug as an intersection between Scandinavian and Italian design, a design born from line drawings inspired by land art and the furrowed “hypnotic paths in the soil.”
“There is a wonderful tension between Scandinavian and Italian design – both emphasize simplicity with a meaning. Often, it is marked by a particular interest in enduring materials, one that we deeply relate to as we aspire to design objects made to last and only become more beautiful with time.”
Additionally, Studiopepe imparts the design with another standout feature – a rounded corner – adding a subtle implied movement with the semi-circular addition, distinguishing the rug as a centerpiece feature within any space, whether in 5’6” x 7’9” or 6’5” x 9’8” sizes, and across Relevo’s four monochromatic colorway options as available at Muuto.
Digital device and instrumental maestro Love Hultén is back with another WTF-wondrous creation delivering equal parts delight and perplexing function. Titled Desert Songs, the enormous retro-styled console looks like a piece of imaginary bio-laboratory equipment that’s pulled straight from the set of a 1960s Japanese Kaiju film or from the post-apocalyptic setting of beloved video game, Fallout. Did we mention it also plays music “composed” by plants?
Well, not really composed, but perhaps “aurally influenced” by a photosynthetic set, The audio output is produced via a small device engineered to convert biodata sourced from any connected organic material into a MIDI interface. “It’s not magic and the plants are not composing,” explains the prolific Swedish audiovisual artist and woodworker. “It’s simply biofeedback creating true organic ‘randomness’ in the form of tiny changes in electrical current with the plants acting as variable resistors.”
Inside the system’s containment unit/terrarium to conduct performances is a collection of cacti. Chosen specifically for the plant’s “very sparse and sporadic activity,” the mini garden includes a few different specimens hooked up to individual probes with mutable patch points upfront. The MIDI signals themselves are sent to a connected Korg NTS-1 allowing for “simple waveshaping” before being “drenched in atmosphere” using the Microcosm from Hologram Electronics. The sounds are wonderfully atmospheric, if not a bit disconcerting.
Finally, to complete the retro lab equipment aesthetic, a custom circular mounted MIDI visualizer simulates the appearance of plant chloroplasts under observation. We recommend fiddling with the Desert Songs system accompanied with this song for full mad scientist effect.
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