Leica’s iconic red circle logo may stand alone in the realm of photography as one transcending ordinary branding. Leica’s cameras are more closely associated with an aspirational lifestyle than just gear for capturing photos, with a devoted following willing to invest a sizable sum for their combination of precise optical engineering and minimalist design. And now the German company is focusing its lens toward projecting, rather than capturing, images in our living rooms with the arrival of the Leica Cine 1 laser TV.

First announced at last year’s IFA 2022 in Berlin, Germany, Leica Camera AG’s first laser TV garnered a bit of attention for its combination of 4K triple RGB laser technology, Teutonic modern design, and of course, that small yet conspicuous red circle logo. Unlike the LG Cinebeam with its softly decor-friendly approach, or XGIMI’s lamp-as-projector chameleon approach to projectors, the Leica Cine 1 demands a bit of attention. The projector’s perforated silver aluminum case design aligns with Leica’s past efforts in camera design, but it’s also near impossible not to think of the Bauhaus, Dieter Rams catalog of work, alongside Apple’s original 2009 Mac Pro tower design when looking over the precise surfacing and perforated detailing stretching across the projector’s exterior.

Those perforated plates on the sides aren’t just for looks, but designed to improve the projector’s built-in Dolby Atmos surround sound speakers while also allowing the projector sufficient ventilation. And yes, the Cine 1 is just like a Leica camera, outfitted with their signature optics, a Summicron lens.

Wi-fi 6 and Ethernet connectivity are both supported, alongside ports for two HDMI 2.1 (one designated for eARC Support) and one HDMI 2.0 connection, one USB 2.0 port and another USB 3.0, as well as Google TV and Apple Airplay 2 compatibility. The Leica Cine 1 also features a cool automatic dust cover that opens and closes upon command, protecting its Summicron lens when turned off.

One interesting note is, unlike other ultra-short throw systems, the Leica Cine 1 comes in two fixed projection image size options – one set for a 100-inch image, the other, a 120-inch model (there’s also a third 80-inch model available in other markets outside of the United States) – the projector equivalent of a prime lens on a camera. All Cine 1 models output around 2500 lumens. Consider us curious whether this single image size approach is discernibly improved compared to other 4K UST projectors using this single format approach.

The Leica Cine 1 is available now as a 100-inch laser TV for $8,995 or $9,495 as a larger 120-inch option. If you’re looking for the most optimal experience, Leica sells a matching 100 or 120-inch ALR (Ambient Light Rejection) high-contrast screen to eke out the very best picture from the projector.

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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.

Shoreditch Design Triangle was established in 2008 to celebrate the creative industries in East London, and is hosted by the companies who live and work there. “Blending together product launches, exhibitions, installations, workshops, talks, tours, and culinary delights – the event gives visitors the opportunity to spend the day wandering around the East End on foot and still not see everything there is to see,” say the organizers. I did my best…!

Dan Tobin Smith’s Letter C – Collapse (above) is a new piece as part of his ongoing Alphabetical Series. “Inspired by the Bell inequality test, Dirac’s three polarizers experiment with the hidden nature of materials and perception, the sculpture exploits the strange phenomenon of polarization and material,” he says. “The typographical form, concealed in plain sight, is then revealed by the materials’ previously unseen characteristics.”

Inside, a series of tiny models of playgrounds by Tobin’s Optical Arts Studio cast dynamic shadows as they spun alongside films and stills that found typographic forms within the playground structures.

Photo: Katie Treggiden

Just down the road Lee Broom, who opened his Shoreditch showroom in 2010, has recently expanded by taking on the space next door. Design Milk has been following his career since day one, so it was wonderful to see this new expansion and to see so many of the pieces launched in Milan ’22.

Photo: Katie Treggiden

New for LDF23, was the Chant Chandelier (above) inspired by the glass bricks often used in places of worship built in the 1970s in place of stained glass. Lee also said he designed the light to be looked at from underneath and wanted to evoke the feeling of looking up from a basement through a lightwell in the floor above.

Photo: Katie Treggiden

B Corp-certified lighting brand Tala launched the Mantle Portable Lamp (shown above in cobalt blue), which comes apart so the bulb, battery, and interior circuitry can all be replaced. I love the use of portable lights for, not only outdoor spaces, but also indoor nooks where a trailing cable would be problematic.

Photo: Katie Treggiden

Shoreditch stalwart SCP worked with Carl Clerkin and friends to bring some much-need levity to proceedings with its tongue-in-cheek Federation of Furniture Fanciers SCPeep Show hosted by the Closed Curtain Club which riffed on Victorian sensibilities around the female form, but applied to furniture and accessories. The Doorknob Feeler Theatre (above) invited visitors to “have a good feel” of this cast aluminum Jasper Morrison FSB Doorknob. 

Photo: Katie Treggiden

The Confession Bucket by Poppy Booth is made of galvanized steel with confession grill holes and invited visitors to “pull bucket over head and confess, release slowly after use.” Its gentle and silly humor was so very welcome as LDF returns to form after some very serious world events.

Photo: Katie Treggiden

On a more sensible note, SCP was also presenting a new collection of WonderGlass pieces by British architect and designer John Pawson including Berg, a glass coffee table that creates mesmerizing shadows underneath.

Photo: Katie Treggiden

Carl Clerkin was also presenting Sons of Beasley with designer and colleague Alex Hellum. Alongside a new collection of chairs, there was a fully equipped live workshop where Carl, Alex, and friends were be making things by hand from offcuts, components, and materials donated by local cabinet maker Plykea – makers of door fronts and worktops for IKEA kitchens.

Photo: Katie Treggiden

Upstairs SCP was showcasing its new foam-free method of upholstering furniture that comprises all natural materials including burlap, latex, and coconut fibers, recycled wool, latex, needled wool, multi-density wool, feathers, solid beech, birch and poplar plywood, webbing, and metal springs – upholstery foam is horrible for both the environment and the people who make, work with and use it, so this is a really important development.

Photo: Katie Treggiden

This approach is now used across all of SCP’s sofas – including the low-lying Peonia by Wilkinson & Riveria, which they describe as a “family and friends sized sitting space.”

Photo: Katie Treggiden

Element by Philippe Malouin is a modular “sofa system” that can be arranged perfectly traditionally, or into this playful “enclosed conversation pit” for the “ultimate comfort, conversation, and conviviality.”

If SCP is a Shoreditch Design Triangle stalwart, The Collective is the new kid in town. Designed by Studio Cass, its new Charlotte Road home is housed in a former button factory, and instead of looking like a showroom comprising a series of spaces – a kitchen, a bar, meeting rooms – that enable it to showcase the products, expertise, and quality behind The Collective and its associated brands.

Photo: Katie Treggiden

One of those brands is EchoPanel® – acoustic panels made from PET offcuts – and even as the drinks started flowing and the evening’s party moved into full swing, the quality of sound in the space was palpable.

Katie Treggiden is a purpose-driven journalist, author and, podcaster championing a circular approach to design – because Planet Earth needs better stories. She is also the founder and director of Making Design Circular, a program and membership community for designer-makers who want to join the circular economy. With 20 years’ experience in the creative industries, she regularly contributes to publications such as The Guardian, Crafts Magazine and Monocle24 – as well as being Editor at Large for Design Milk. She is currently exploring the question ‘can craft save the world?’ through an emerging body of work that includes her fifth book, Wasted: When Trash Becomes Treasure (Ludion, 2020), and a podcast, Circular with Katie Treggiden.