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Lostine Launches Four New Forms in The Modernism Collection

By in Design

Lostine Launches Four New Forms in The Modernism Collection

A storied creative journey conspires with the distillation of abstract shapes and material experimentation in Lostine’s expanded Modernism Lighting Collection. The Philadelphia-based marketplace and design studio adds four fresh fixtures to the range: Onslow Floor Lamp, Onslow Table Lamp, Cora Table Lamp, and Malcom Table Lamp. What was originally intended to be fashioned from clay is now fully realized in a variety of woods, which anchor the furnishings in a natural richness and warmth emanating from the variegated patterns.

“This new collection of table lamps was inspired by a direction of strong, simple forms that would allow the material to speak for itself. Exploring that concept in our material vocabulary of wood was really interesting,” explain Natalie Page and Robert Ogden, the husband-and-wife creative duo behind the brand. “We also found that in evolving this idea we talked a lot about the primitive but sculptural style that we revere in African antique furniture as well as the abstract, curvaceous shapes of the Bauhaus Period that inspired us.”

The offerings effortlessly navigate a smattering of aesthetics often bridging the gap between traditional, modern, and organic design languages – proving to be a useful lighting solution for eclectic spaces. Each new edition is offered with a variety of curated customizations, which include a homespun linen shade in black or ivory, wood bases in aspen or walnut, and beige or hazelnut rayon cords. The designers also hint at the possibility of introducing products in the ceiling and wall light categories, but there is plenty to love until then.

Svelte yet understated. Impressive in stature but not overpowering. The Onslow Floor Lamp manages to scale the elegance of a tabletop sculptural form up while maintaining an approachability and organic materiality without pandering to campier aesthetics.

The smaller sibling to the floor lamp, the Onslow Table Lamp is equally alluring while being self-assured in its compact form. Like the other objects, it marries an organic material palette with a streamlined, modern silhouette more practical for smaller spaces.

The Cora Table Lamp is reminiscent of a bottle shape boasting a gracefully slender neck and bulbous base. The contrast in thickness articulates a unique form that can read as ultra-modern while still being classically romantic and oddly beguiling.

With a sturdy build and slightly more traditional silhouette, the Malcolm Table Lamp helps round out the expanded collection. Its presence exudes a timeless style while flirting with the contemporary making this a great option for those who want something more reserved.

Learn more about the design studio and their marketplace at Lostine.com.

This post contains affiliate links, so if you make a purchase from an affiliate link, we earn a commission. Thanks for supporting Design Milk!

With professional degrees in architecture and journalism, Joseph has a desire to make living beautifully accessible. His work seeks to enrich the lives of others with visual communication and storytelling through design. A regular contributor to titles under the SANDOW Design Group, including Luxe and Metropolis, Joseph serves the Design Milk team as their Managing Editor. When not practicing, he teaches visual communication, theory, and design. The New York-based writer has also contributed to exhibitions hosted by the AIA New York’s Center for Architecture and Architectural Digest, and recently published essays and collage illustrations with Proseterity, a literary publication.

‘I don’t get a permit for my cherry picker. I just wear an orange vest’: Jeroen Hofman’s best photograph

By in Photography

‘I don’t get a permit for my cherry picker. I just wear an orange vest’: Jeroen Hofman’s best photograph

I first used a hydraulic platform to take photographs when working on my Playground series in 2011. I’d been trying to capture training sessions atthe facilities in the Netherlands where members of the fire brigade, police and Ministry of Defence are put through their paces. Initially I was balanced on a stepladder. But when I sent through some of the pictures, I was told they worked aesthetically but lacked a sense of where these ghost towns actually were – away from civilisation. To achieve that, I knew I was going to have to get higher.

As the camera I was using was bulky and expensive, I didn’t want to risk attaching it to a drone. Besides, drones attract attention. A cherry picker offered the perfect solution, allowing me to shoot securely from much greater heights. I’ve been using them for my high-perspective work ever since. Some of the people from the company I rent the equipment from now follow me on Instagram. They always get it squeaky clean for me, because they know I’m one of the few clients who will bring it back in the same condition.

This picture, taken 10 years ago, is part of my Park series. In the Netherlands, we’re quite cramped for space, meaning the parks in Amsterdam and Rotterdam are used pretty much as people’s back yards, gathering points for city-dwellers. Terrible things are going on in the world, but here is proof that within Amsterdam, a vibrant city full of people from all over the world, we can coexist peacefully next to each other.

I’d visit each park on my bike first, to work out my shooting position, check for solid ground for the crane, and work out where the sun was going to be throughout the day. The season, the weather conditions, everything had to be taken into account – it’s quite mathematical. When it comes to actually setting up, I don’t get permission first. In the Netherlands, it’s easier to ask for forgiveness afterwards than to ask for a permit beforehand. I would just turn up with the cherrypicker wearing an orange vest and a white helmet – I’ve found the brighter you dress, the less visible you are. If people do ask questions, I usually say: “I’m making a 3D scan.” It’s a boring answer that helps deflect attention.

This is Westerpark. What you can’t see is that there’s a huge festival going on behind the fence to the left, which made it even easier to work without anyone bothering me. Because the landscape, for me, is as important as the people in it, I always try to make sure the people are equally divided around the frame, to balance the image. Once I did ask a family: “Would you mind going a little bit over there?” But then they constantly looked at my camera, so that’s not something I do any more.

As a kid, I was dragged to museums and galleries by my parents, which I’m now very grateful to them for. The way 17th-century Dutch masters painted light ended up influencing my work. Sometimes, on a cloudy day, I’ll wait an hour and a half for a beam of light to burst through, as if the sun is painting on the landscape. When everything comes together, it’s like one symphony orchestra, with all the elements working together.

I become very focused and will wait as long as it takes. When I was shooting Playground, I’d sometimes be working in the snow. People from the army would be calling up: “Please come down. You’ve been up there for nearly five hours, you must be freezing.” The height I shoot at depends on the subject. For the Park series I wanted to give a sense of what people were doing, so I worked between 10 and 15 metres up. In some instances, I’m 20 metres up, because I want the figures to show the scale of the landscape. Above 15 metres, I can barely hear people below. It feels like I can reach out and grab birds flying by. I move around in an “in between” layer, a kind of a divine perspective. It can get lonely, though. I always say: “When I start talking to myself, I have to go home.”

This image is part of Human.Kind, a group exhibition at the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum in Geneva until 14 April, in collaboration with Prix Pictet.

Jeroen Hofman.

Jeroen Hofman’s CV

Born: 1976, Brabant, the Netherlands.
Trained: The Royal Academy of Art in The Hague, graduated in 2002.
Influences: Edward Burtynsky, Gregory Crewdson, Andreas Gursky.
High point: “My first big solo exhibition in The Hague’s Photography Museum in 2022.”
Low point: “I am a fanatical snowboarder and got stuck in a glacial crevasse in Austria. The mountain rescue service got me out.”
Top tip: “This advice from Nadav Kander back in 2013: ‘Never try to be someone else.’”

Samsung’s AI-Powered Ballie Robot Is the Future of Personal Home Assistance

By in Design

Samsung’s AI-Powered Ballie Robot Is the Future of Personal Home Assistance

Attend enough CES shows and you’re guaranteed to feel a sense of deja vu. That’s because many concepts revealed at the annual consumer electronics trade show are in reality years ahead of becoming a product – proof of concept designs – and they come back to reappear over and over as various iterations. Samsung’s Ballie falls within that category, an AI-powered personal home assistant that rolled into our hearts way back in 2020. The spherical robot has returned for CES 2024, this time with a more impressive array of household functions serving family members, right down to the four-legged variety.

Compared to the simple spherical launch design, Samsung’s newly updated Ballie robot rolls back into the spotlight with a much more polished and capable 3-wheeled mobile design. It ditches the mostly faceless, Dune stillsuit ribbing of its predecessor for a form reminiscent of the Pixar-designed robot that Samsung’s device rhymes with – with a colorful dash of Among Us thrown in.

Person placing yellow 3-wheel Samsung AI robot Ballie onto desk to use as a projector

Most noticeable is Ballie’s front facing monocular visage that gives the AI-powered assistant its “face.” It’s also a port from where Ballie can project images from to communicate or to be used as a mobile video projector that can be aimed at walls, floors, or ceilings via an onboard projector.

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Ballie is being promoted as an autonomous personal home assistant, one that can greet you at the door with the enthusiasm of a beloved canine companion. Your pet may be cuter, but Samsung hopes to make AI robot companions an invaluable member of the household by interconnecting them with their own network of home appliances while also operating as a mobile monitoring system.

Golden retriever looking at yellow 3-wheel Samsung AI robot Ballie on floor projecting video of a hummingbird onto kitchen floor.

Yellow 3-wheel Samsung AI robot Ballie sending signal to network compatible pet food dispenser

Samsung’s CES presentation conjures situations where Ballie is tasked to dispense treats via a connected compatible pet food dispenser (cool!), while also keeping the dog entertained using projected video (questionable).

A small pop-up remote control emerges from the top of Ballie to send signals to turn manage lights, air filtration units, laundry, and other smart home devices.

Samsung AI robot Ballie projecting architectural interior renderings of a supermarket onto desk for review

Ballie is also presented as a home office assistant, summoned to aid in video conference calls and projecting images during collaborative work sessions.

We’re old enough to remember the Sony Aibo and the brief excitement it created with its promises of companionship and robotic services. AI and robotics have evolved considerably since those early days of rudimentary electronics, and an entire emerging market of AI-powered home assistants and other partial-to-fully autonomous robots will pervade spaces interconnected by their devices and appliances. Whether it will be a cute little yellow Samsung droid is yet to be seen, noting the Korean manufacturer has yet to reveal pricing, specs, or availability.

This post contains affiliate links, so if you make a purchase from an affiliate link, we earn a commission. Thanks for supporting Design Milk!

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.

Considering surroundings with public art

By in Sculpture

Considering surroundings with public art
Griffin Loop is the brain behind the resting giant paper airplane in Osage Park in Bentonville. Ozarks at Large’s Kyle Kellams met with Loop to discuss his inspirations, expression and how he takes advantage of the unexpected through his pieces.

Presentation explores the work of early photographer in Alexandria

By in Photography

Presentation explores the work of early photographer in Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA — Taking a photograph today is as easy as whipping out your cell phone, but before the turn of the last century, it was a large-format affair involving glass plates.

One local early photographer was N. J. Trenham, who worked in the Alexandria area from 1875 to 1903.

On Thursday, Jan. 11, as part of the Hot Chocolate and History series, two albums featuring Trenham’s work were explored in a presentation at the Discovery Middle School. The series is organized in part by Alexandria Community Education.

Trenham 2.jpg

The Congregational Church on Seventh Avenue was one of the featured images at the recent Hot Chocolate and History presentation.

Contributed image / Douglas County Historical Society

Brittany Johnson,

Douglas County Historical Society

‘s executive director, said many of the images Trenham took were used as a way to draw people into the area, either to live or to visit.

The first album comes from 1876, and the second from 1889.

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The first album features more documentary-style photographs, with pictures of farms and churches, while the second features some “very intentional tourist advertising” placing Alexandria at the center of the famous Park Region area, Johnson said.

“We’re going to be talking about, this is a green space perfect for picknicking, there are lakes full of fish,” she said.

One description of Alexandria from that time reads, “It is a neat and attractive little city of 2,500 inhabitants. The surrounding country is about one-third timber, one-third prairie and one-third water. These diversified topographical features make it an inviting home for all kinds of game, from the deer which abound in the forests to the inhabitants of the innumerable lakes and streams. This country is a natural home for geese, ducks (and) prairie chickens.”

The sales pitch must have worked, because all of the prairie chickens had been hunted by 1920, Johnson said.

Trenham 3.jpg

This view of Glenwood dates from 1889 and was taken by photographer N. J. Trenham.

Contributed photo / Douglas County Historical Society

Another photograph showed a train, sending the message that Alexandria is easy to get to, Johnson said.

“It’s easy to get here,” she said. “You don’t have to come on that bumpy stage road anymore. You literally just grab your trunk (and) hop on a train.”

Other photographs showed people engaged in summer pastimes like fishing.

“One of my favorite tourist broadsides of the area describes how women are just as successful at fishing in Douglas County lakes,” Johnson said.

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Trenham stayed in Alexandria for almost 30 years, and in that time owned galleries at several different locations, one of which was on the northwest corner of Fifth Avenue and H Street, or Hawthorne Street.

Trenham 4.jpg

This photo shows attendees of the State Firemen Association’s convention, which was held in Alexandria in June 1889.

Contributed photo / Douglas County Historical Society

By 1900, a new era of photography was beginning, with the proliferation of smaller cameras and post cards, and Trenham’s style of photography was largely phased out. He closed his final gallery in 1903.

In 1913, Trenham and his wife moved to Florida, although his sons were involved in local businesses for several more decades, Johnson said. He died in 1924 in Fulford, Fla., about a month shy of his 84th birthday.

The albums he left behind are now part of the collection at the Douglas County Historical Society.

By
Travis Gulbrandson

Travis Gulbrandson covers several beats, including Osakis School Board and Osakis City Council, along with the Brandon-Evansville School Board. His focus will also be on crime and court news.

Make a Statement With Haldane’s Contour Day Bed

By in Design

Make a Statement With Haldane’s Contour Day Bed

Mentally out of office, dreaming of sun-filled days and owning enough beachfront property to recreate this setup of the Contour Daybed. Haldane’s architectural statement piece features circular geometries and oversized details, inspired by organic shapes and, fantastically, body positivity. Designed by Haldane Martin, the Contour Daybed instantly upgrades the luxury level of any alfresco situation through its impressive color, form, and materials.

The designer’s organic approach is evident in the object’s lines. The outdoor piece is also a nod to Ubald Klug’s layered Terrazza sofa from the 1970s. Martin started there, working his way through to a fresh prototype that would ultimately become the daybed. The canopy is a definitive highlight, inspired by a honeymoon visit to Mauritius, where these types of furnishings are common.

modern outdoor daybed on the coast

Available in eight fabrics and 22 powder-coated colors, the choices offered remain consistent with Haldane’s palette. The hues reference Cape Town’s triple union of sea, land, and sky, while greens and pale browns of the West Coast provide even more inspiration.

modern outdoor daybed on the coast

The Contour Daybed’s framework is constructed using Marine grade stainless steel (SS316) tubing. To maintain its luxury and durability, Haldane uses Crevin Fiji, a high-end jacquard weave blend that features a unique texture, is cleanable by bleach, and UV-resistant. It performs great outdoors against the elements, thanks to an internal laminated water-resistant lining.

detail of modern outdoor daybed

The upholstery foam is resilient and high quality as well, providing the daybed’s seating with shape that holds. For the shade-providing canopy, Haldane turned to fabric by Screentex, specifically an open-basket weave that’s long-lasting while ensuring optimum transparency and control of natural light.

detail of modern outdoor daybed

detail of modern outdoor daybed

detail of modern outdoor daybed

modern outdoor daybed on the coast

modern outdoor daybed on the coast

To learn more about the Contour Daybed, visit haldane.co.za.

Photography by Emma Jude Jackson.

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.

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