Survey the parade of upstart home energy storage solution brands and it’s common to see “former” and “Tesla” underlined in a company’s “About Us” page. Simpson & Partners founders, Mandy and David Simpson are a little different. Mandy Andersen’s 18-year career in fashion prior to spearheading the EV revolution may explain why the UK brand’s EV chargers actually look the part of an addition, rather than a subtractive element, for the home.

All three versions of Simpson & Partners Home Series EV chargers – Home 7, Home 7 Plus, and Home 22 Plus – share a common modern industrial design that hews closer to a Bang & Olufsen audio component rather than the sci-fi austerity adopted by the likes of Tesla or Enphase.

Available in 107 different color combinations and a fluted detailed front, the EV charger’s understated case complements an architectural aesthetic instead of intruding onto a residential exterior as a conspicuous eyesore. Customers have the option to top the small charging unit from a selection of four genuine Accoya wood tops or from a range of four metal tops.

The charger’s design also stands out for the fairly small footprint required to install the unit onto a vertical surface; the Home Series chargers are smaller than an A4 sheet of paper, and an optional complementary Cable Hook completes the handsomely integrated finish for EV drivers who must (or prefer) to park and charge in front of their home.

One specification we particularly appreciate is the company’s decision to make all three Home Series 7kW and 22kW cloud-free operable, meaning scheduling, load balancing, solar charging, locking, and other convenience/info features don’t need to be connected online to work. Instead, the Simpsons decided to keep these features local, residing in the charger’s firmware without the dependency upon an internet connection that too many “smart” devices rely upon.

The basic Home 7 lacks the option to charge via solar like the Home 7 Plus and Home 22 Plus, nor does it include the integrated courtesy lights that help illuminate the other two upgrade units. Also, only the two upper tier models include an energy regulation and management system allowing the Home 7 Plus and 22 Plus to automatically load balance power between the charger and the home so maximum charging rates are maintained without stressing a home’s main fuse.

Each of three models include a 6.8m cable when purchased as a tethered unit.

And as its name implies, the Home 22 Plus is equipped with 22kW specs, meaning it delivers much faster recharge rates than the lower rated single phase 7kW chargers, making the top tier model the best investment in the long term, in our opinion.

Simpson & Partners’s cofounder identifies as obsessive about good design as an extension of thoughtful function. An example is the amount of research and effort for the system’s cable route:

We have spent many months developing one of our new products, and we are now fine-tuning the cable routing. Why does this matter? Well, cable routing is important for several reasons. First, it influences the performance and reliability of the charger. Cables are like the arteries that connect all the electronic organs of the charger. A minor rubbing of a cable, or an unprotected cable exposed to a slip of an installer’s screwdriver, or a cable termination exposed to moisture can be disastrous and result in a customer who cannot charge their car. We want to prevent these possible failures by paying attention to the cable routing. Second, it shows our pride in our work. We strive to design and build charging products that look good on the outside. So, it’s only fair that we mirror the same attention to presentation and looks on the inside of our chargers.

For more information about Simpson & Partners EV Home Series chargers, check out their website, simpson-partners.com.

Gregory Han is a Senior Editor at Design Milk. A Los Angeles native with a profound love and curiosity for design, hiking, tide pools, and road trips, a selection of his adventures and musings can be found at gregoryhan.com.

Textile art has often been relegated to the corner of the art world, seen only as utilitarian, everyday decor. But views on the practice have been slowly changing since the Feminist Movement of the 60s and the postmodern theory in the 80s, when textile artists began experimenting with more conceptual, sculptural projects. We can point to the weavings of Sheila Hicks and Tanya Aguiñiga’s immersive installations as a shift from craft to fine art.

Threadwork: Women Redefining Fiber Arts includes 17 female-identifying textile artists, co-curated by India Balyejusa, Associate Curator, and Siting Wang, Assistant Curator at Saatchi Art. Their collective body of work – mixed media tapestries, handwoven art objects, and tactile wall hangings – continues to push the evolution of textile art forward by re-contextualizing traditional techniques and using lots of unexpected materials. What was once considered “women’s work” – needlework, knitting, quilting, and crocheting – is now at the forefront of contemporary art.

Included artist Andie Grande highlights our changing environmental landscape through the use of plastic, synthetic fibers. “Recycling junk for the mere sake of recycling is not enough,” she said. “I strongly feel that praising matter for its own sake is more fulfilling, and art is the best way of looking at discarded materials as a resource for creation.”

Topography by Vanessa Valero, Colombia (Mixed Media, 25.6 W x 53.1 H x 1.6 D in)

Colombian-based textile artist Vanessa Valero has a heavy focus on the process she employs to capture the ephemerality of the human-nature connection in one-of-kind hand-tufted pieces. She shared, “My work captures the passing moments in the natural world, snapshots taken through careful observations and sketches and then preserved in each of my textile designs.”

Holding On 1 by Aby Mackie, Spain (Mixed Media 40 W x 52 H x 0.1 D in)

Elsewhere in the exhibit you can find the textile wall sculptures of Aby Mackie, made using discarded and found objects and materials in the street of Barcelona. She uses these bits and pieces to tell the story of the city’s residents and ongoing cultural concern, such as materialism, consumerism, value, and memory.

Threeasone by thera hillenaar, Netherlands (Mixed Media, 5.9 W x 13.8 H x 3.1 D in)

Netherlands-based Thera Hillenaar has trained experience as a fashion and costume designer and scenographer. Her skills are transferred into the creation of 3D sculptures that use leather strips from clothes and furniture, and wooden toy blocks.

These are just a few of the incredible textile artists featured in “Threadwork: Women Redefining Fiber Art,” keep scrolling to see more or visit the exhibit virtually here.

Sylvaine Nude No. 3 (The last tree) by Andreea Talpeanu, France (Sculpture, 39.4 W x 65.7 H x 15.7 D in)

Diamonds & Rust by Amadi Greenstein, United States (Mixed Media, 27 W x 42 H x 0.2 D in)

Imaginary Topographies by Carmen Mardonez, United States (Sculpture, 28 W x 46 H x 38 D in)

Sewn Study No. 20 by Demi Overton, United Kingdom (Mixed Media, 11 W x 14.6 H x 1.2 D in)

Hot Landscape by Femke van Gemert, Netherlands (Mixed Media, 83.9 W x 63 H x 4.7 D in)

Empiler n°9 by Gourdon Frédérique, France (Sculpture, 11.8 W x 15.7 H x 1.6 D in)

blue note by Jeeyon ‘G’ Roslie, United States (Collage, 17 W x 21 H x 0.2 D in)

Gypsy tapestry by mariadela araujo, Spain (Mixed Media, 35.4 W x 47.2 H x 7.9 D in)

Silent are The Ghosts of Stones by Leili Khabiri (Mixed Media, 23.6 W x 31.5 H x 0.1 D in)

FRAGMENTED PB/FM-01 by Puja Bhakoo, India (Paintings, 16 W x 23 H x 1 D in)

Harbinger by Susan Smereka, United States (Printmaking, 16 W x 21.8 H x 0.3 D in)

Everything Will Be All Right by T U S S A H, Japan (Mixed Media, 14 W x 18 H x 4.3 D in)

Phantom Distinction 10 by Yvette Kaiser Smith, United States (Mixed Media, 28.5 W x 24 H x 0.5 D in)

To learn more about Threadwork: Women Redefining Fiber Arts, visit saatchiart.com.

Kelly Beall is Director of Branded Content at Design Milk. The Pittsburgh-based writer and designer has had a deep love of art and design for as long as she can remember, from Fashion Plates to MoMA and far beyond. When not searching out the visual arts, she’s likely sharing her favorite finds with others. Kelly can also be found tracking down new music, teaching herself to play the ukulele, or on the couch with her three pets – Bebe, Rainey, and Remy. Find her @designcrush on social.

Artificial intelligence is one dicey topic right now. Concerns about how to nudge the evolving technology toward a beneficial and benevolent next chapter for humankind, rather than our epilogue, keeps technologists, politicians, and ethicists awake at night. But while anxieties attached to the great unknowns related to a self-aware AI may be justified, a multitude of singularly tasked artificial intelligence solutions are already here making the world safer. Nobi Smart Lamps is such an example, smart lighting paired with pleasing design and adaptive technology designed to aid in elderly care.

There seems little doubt AI-based solutions will play an important role in the future of elderly care. With an increasing senior population and a scarcity of trained caretakers (not to mention skyrocketing costs), AI-driven technologies are set to fill in the gap. While capable robot caretakers may one day become the norm, in the interim technologies such as Belgian startup Nobi’s smart lamps propose a readily pragmatic solution, tasking an AI system to keep a vigilant eye for moments when an older person may be in danger of falling.

When someone falls, the light first asks whether the person has fallen; once a fall has been verified, Nobi then notifies a caregiver or family member via app for assistance, with the ability for two-way communication to assure the person that help is on its way. The light can also aid in emergency access, granting remote door unlocking for the person contacted to deliver aid.

Noting it is preferable to prevent falls in the first place, Nobi’s lights are also equipped to turn on automatically at night when an older person sits up in bed – for example, to use the bathroom, take their medication, or simply to get a glass of water. With 62% of falls happening at night, the light delivers a proactive and preventative measure.

Nobi prioritizes privacy by giving users the option to record images as “not at all”, “partially”, or “fully visible”, with a stick figure as the default positional setting captured and displayed by the system. Only those assigned permission are offered access to footage, with Nobi analyzing all images locally.

To determine whether Nobi’s AI-controlled lamp could successfully monitor seniors in a real world environment, the company installed 20 of their lamps as part of a six-month pilot test trial at Gerstjens Nursing Home in Belgium in 2022. In the rooms equipped with Nobi lights, 62 falls were detected, an 80% increase in fall detection.

Light adjusts according to time of day, helping seniors with a home or care space to maintain a natural daily rhythm attuned to sunlight.

If we want new technologies to make a difference in the lives of people, we need to start creating solutions people want, not need…empathic product design.

– Roeland Pelgrims, CEO of Nobi

Nobi was recently awarded a 2023 iF DESIGN AWARD and the Health Tech Digital Awards for Best UK Elderly Care Tech Solution. Its laudable design delivers vital healthcare technology with an aesthetically pleasing form that steers clear of the intrusive and stigmatizing fall detection systems often assigned to seniors.

More information about Nobi, the smart lamp for senior care here.

Gregory Han is a Senior Editor at Design Milk. A Los Angeles native with a profound love and curiosity for design, hiking, tide pools, and road trips, a selection of his adventures and musings can be found at gregoryhan.com.