Ovenecká 33 is a unique apartment in Prague, Czech Republic, where the design is approached as an art installation, like an immersive experience designed by creative Tereza Porybná and Objektor architekti. Porybná has always been fascinated by the art of connection, whether it’s connecting people or exploring the boundaries between different realms, all while pushing the limits. Her vision for Ovenecká 33 is a space that transcends the ordinary, a place where public and private spaces intertwine, and a home that is ever-evolving, just like life itself.

Walking through the doors of Ovenecká 33 is like stepping into a world full of creativity. Porybná’s collaboration with Objektor architekti, led by Jakub Červenka, Václav Šuba, and Vojtěch Šaroun, brought her vision to life. Initially inspired by the likes of Luis Barragán, Valentina Schlegel, and Bijoy Jain, the project soon took on a life of its own, becoming a space with unique design elements.

Some of the more captivating features of the apartment are its hidden corners and geometric details. The unique interior reveals itself in layers – there’s a home throne, a kitchen that feels like a cave, and a secret doorway in the library. Various shaped niches are carved into the walls, while geometric shapes of stone are embedded into the floors like a giant mosaic.

The horizontal nature of the space offered an unobstructed world for the designers’ imaginations. They conceived the new design as “living scenography of changing and permanent backdrops.” A central core helps create various pathways and unexpected viewpoints, while the sun’s movement continuously changes the patterns of light on the stucco walls.

The main living space is dominated by a massive concrete island that serves multiple purposes.

Ovenecká 33 isn’t just an apartment – it’s also designed as an art gallery. Porybná’s dream is to share the space with creators and invite them for artist residencies, ensuring that the apartment remains in a state of perpetual transformation.

While the apartment is predominately filled with shades of gray, additional colors are brought in, along with warm woods, to make the space more cozy and livable.

A small, minimalist bathroom explodes with colorful light reflections through a stained glass window.

The light-filled entryway leads to a hallway with a built-in throne clad in woven textiles, which doubles as a piece of art.

Photography by BoysPlayNice.

Caroline Williamson is Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk. She has a BFA in photography from SCAD and can usually be found searching for vintage wares, doing New York Times crossword puzzles in pen, or reworking playlists on Spotify.

I recently finished reading Marije Vogelzang’s Lick It. For those unfamiliar with her work, she’s the fairy godmother of food and eating design. In her latest book, she encourages the reader to indulge in curated culinary exercises (her art form) to explore the notion of food beyond sustenance into an expression of culture and desire. She shows you how satisfying a seductive relationship with your food can be.

Funny enough exploring the relationship between food and seduction is the exact theme of Design Museum Holon’s most recent show FOOD. Running until November 11, 2023, this captivating showcase delves deep into the intricate and seductive relationship between humans and food, all while emphasizing the pivotal role that design plays in shaping this connection.

Photo: Elad Sarig

The museum has dedicated its entire space to three distinct exhibitions that provide fascinating insights into the subject.

Nitsan Mayost, Letters to Ofer, 2022 Photo: Eitan Mottahedeh

Curators Liora Rosin and Dana Benshalom aptly observe, “Our culinary choices define and shape our identity, in our own eyes and in the eyes of others. You are what you eat, and sometimes you are what others see you eat.”

Photo: JoDuck

Food seduces us through the sound of a sizzling sunny-side-up egg, the aroma of freshly baked bread, the sight of grill marks on seared meat, and the tactile sensation of holding a ripe avocado. Surprisingly, taste is the last sense to join this seductive dance. The other four senses – sight, smell, touch, and hearing – play crucial roles in kindling desire or repulsion for food.

Photo: JoDuck

From our prehistoric ancestors’ gathering and hunting to modern processes of enhancement and preservation, food has shaped, seduced, and defined us. It categorizes us personally, collectively, and socially based on what we consume and how. For the design world, food serves as both raw material and symbol, with designers involved in various stages of food’s life cycle, responding to contemporary consumer culture. The exhibition is divided into three chapters: “Needs and Desires,” “Attraction and Repulsion,” and “Restraint, Preservation, and Liberation,” all interwoven with the theme of seduction.

Photo: Lernert&Sander

Curated by Lior Hermoni-Gati, this exhibition explores the role of food coloring and how vision influences our interpretation of food colors. It invites visitors to reflect on the cultural context of food and its taste. Color plays a significant role in our perception of taste, and this connection has deep roots in human history. From hunter-gatherers using color to identify food sources to ancient Egyptians enhancing the hues of sweets, color has been a powerful tool in food seduction.

Photo: Elad Sarig

Today, bold artificial colors in foods create expectations of rich flavors. However, the awareness of the dangers associated with synthetic food coloring has led to a demand for natural alternatives. The exhibition questions how dominant color is in shaping our expectations of flavor, examining the symbolism and meanings tied to food colors. It covers everything from the aesthetics of food packaging to the significance of colors like red, green, and even black in the context of food.

Photo: Elad Sarig

Curated by Talia Janover, this interactive, AI-powered sensory installation explores the future of food. It encourages visitors to explore the relationship between scent, memory, and the beauty of imperfection. While human needs for food haven’t changed in over 200,000 years, our relationship with our environment has shifted dramatically. Modern society often seeks to conquer nature, ignoring the ecological crisis we now face.

Cloaca Machine by Wim Delvoye, 2012 Photo: Elad Sarig

This exhibit raises questions about the cultural and nutritional changes needed for our survival. It explores the potential roles of insects, mushrooms, and seaweed in our diets and the techniques we might employ to prepare future foods. It also dives into the multitude of senses beyond the traditional five, offering insights into how these senses shape our perception of food.

Photo: Elad Sarig

Intriguing, thought-provoking, and visually stunning, Design Museum Holon’s current exhibition challenges us to reconsider our relationship with food and its role in shaping our culture and identity. It invites us to savor every aspect of this intricate connection between food and design, leaving us with a deeper appreciation for the artistry of the culinary world and its power to seduce both our palates and our imaginations.

Photography courtesy of v2com.

TJ Girard is a sought-after food designer and creative consultant, celebrated for staging theatrical, interactive food + beverage experiences. She now resides in California where her creativity is solar powered! TJ writes the Design Milk column called Taste.

Ray and Charles Eames have become almost singularly synonymous with a certain style of approachable and playful mid-century design that perseveres in popularity today, in no small part to the various projects and partnerships that have kept their names relevant across generations, occasionally to the chagrin of purists.

No surprise, the dynamic duo’s designs have also become immensely sought after amongst collectors and the general public alike. The Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity is a non-profit organization with a fantastical name dedicated to an essential purpose of promoting and educating the public about the tenets of the iconic designer couple. Their newly released guide, An Eames of Your Own, created with the Institute’s head of research and acquisitions is here to help demystify collecting not only Eames pieces, but most any noteworthy collectible in practice.

As anyone who has first dipped their toes into appreciating and identifying the finer nuances of wine and their provenance, collecting furniture requires a similar foundational knowledge to move up from newbie to informed collector. An Eames of Your Own outlines five key tenets applicable not only to Eames pieces, but any design object of historical and cultural significance.

Accompanied by the whimsical period-inspired illustrations of Catherine Potvin, the guide features artifacts from the Eames Collection alongside advice penned by self-professed Eames aficionado and filmmaker Daniel Ostroff to help demystify collecting vintage modern furniture, accessories, and art. An abbreviated version below:

Story over style: Focus on discovering the object’s history, instead of just its flashy title. Each Eames piece has a background, and its unique journey can make it even more valuable.

Don’t mess with patina: The less a collector does the better, especially if they have a piece in its original condition. Try to make no modifications in order to preserve the original quality, or if you do, channel Ray and Charles Eames by only making changes that increase the longevity of the piece.

Earlier isn’t necessarily better: The oldest dated Eames piece doesn’t always make it more valuable, as Ray and Charles were constantly iterating to perfect their craft. Don’t get caught up in how old it is, and prioritize other aspects.

Beware of FrankenEames: Some non-serious dealers will mix and match original bases and chair seats, creating a “Frankenstein chair,” blending Eames pieces thus reducing the validity of the furniture.

Become an Eames librarian: Read as much as you can about Ray and Charles Eames and their work. Start with vintage Herman Miller Catalogs, Connections.

For the complete guide about collecting Eames designs, steer on over to the Eames Institute’s latest Kazam! Feature, An Eames of Your Own.

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.