“TRAME is dedicated to empowering artists and designers to express their creative visions seamlessly in both digital and physical realms,” Ismail Tazi, Founder and CEO of TRAME shared. “From day one, our focus has been on crafting high-end pieces in collaboration with talented artists.”

At Art Week Miami 2023, the collaborative studio at the intersection of art, design, technology, and craft, showcased RIFLESSI, in collaboration with ARTXCODE. Visionary artists Jeff Davis’ stained glass and Martin Grasser’s mirrored generative artworks seamlessly fused traditional and contemporary artistry to create a unique dimension to the event.

Portraits, by Martin Grasser uses generative algorithms to create mirrors that test the fluidity and interpretative nature of language and typography. Created by Arte Veneziana, this limited edition collection is the first chapter of Grasser’s exploration, inviting collectors to play a significant role in shaping the narrative of this innovative series.

Portraits, Martin Grasser

“In Portraits, my aim is to defamiliarize letters. I detach them from their conventional symbols and assign each one a specific color and rectangular form,” shared Grasser. “So while each letter and the words they make keep their original meanings, the ways in which someone can interpret them multiply. This collection of 12 words and phrases is produced as beautiful, meticulously crafted mirrors, which adds yet another dimension. Viewers standing before a mirror are invited into a dialogue where text, shape, color, and fragmented reflections of themselves and their environments are all in play.”

Portraits, Martin Grasser

Portraits, Martin Grasser

Portraits, Martin Grasser

Portraits, Martin Grasser

Portraits, Martin Grasser

Portraits, Martin Grasser

Tazi explained the avant-garde platform further, saying “TRAME is a collaborative studio but also a prestigious gallery bridging technology and craftsmanship. We’re pioneering the realm of luxury goods with digital provenance, sparking a conversation that reshapes culture and I’m thrilled to be at the forefront of this cultural evolution.”

Optimism, Jeff Davis

Jeff Davis, in collaboration with stained glass artisans Atelier Loire, presented visually striking, saturated pieces that carry narratives. Optimism represents a harmonious fusion of tradition, technology, and creative innovation.

Optimism, Jeff Davis

“I come from a background in physical art, including painting and printmaking, so this project excites me because it marks a return to physical production for my digital art,” said Davis of Optimism. “Stained glass aligns with my fascination with color and light, and I envisioned a human-scale floor sculpture designed to capture and interact with light. Through the collaboration with Ateliers Loire, we were able to achieve a magical effect in which color comes out of the work, is cast on the floor or on the wall, and starts to influence its surroundings.”

Optimism, Jeff Davis

Optimism, Jeff Davis

Optimism, Jeff Davis

Optimism, Jeff Davis

Optimism, Jeff Davis

“These collaborations not only represent a personal journey into the heart of art and design but also echo TRAME’s mission – where tradition and innovation converge. I’m excited about how we’re reshaping the boundaries of art and design through TRAME,” said Jaime Derringer, EIC and Head of Brand.

As TRAME looks ahead, the team plans for a series of showcases at renowned art fairs and events throughout 2024. To learn more about TRAME and upcoming events, visit trameparis.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.

Whether electric, hydrogen, natural gas, or biofuel, alternative fuel vehicles are generally received with a degree of curiosity and excitement. Infrastructure in support of those emerging alternative fuel modes of mobility? Considerably less so. Philippe Starck’s HRS BY STARCK sets out to change that reality with a progressively contemporary approach to the hydrogen distribution terminal that may in turn inspire a more futuristic take on fueling up.

Unveiled at the opening of COP28, the global community climate event hosted in Dubai, the French designer encased his vision of hydrogen refueling inside a polished stainless steel box with a color gradient mirror-like window emphasizing the nothingness of its contents. By utilizing dichroics, the optical effect where a material is used to split light into distinct beam of colors by their wavelength (if you’re into beadwork, you might already be acquainted with the effect), the fueling station seems almost illuminated with color despite hydrogen’s invisibility.

“Hydrogen is clean; it is nothingness, an ether,” remarks Starck. “It is obvious that the HRS BY STARCK hydrogen refueling stations had to be dematerialized. No style or design, for an object that has already disappeared like everything intelligent that exists.”

The French company HRS, or Hydrogen Refueling Solutions, focuses its business on hydrogen refueling station solutions for captive fleets, trucks, buses, and passenger vehicles, alongside mobility, industrial, storage, and energy markets, so its very unlikely you’ll see one of these shiny boxes of nothingness on a street corner. But those within the European industry of transport may see the first HRS BY STARCK hydrogen dispensers installed some time in 2024.

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.

A palette of serene surfaces and earthy hues all add up to evoke a sense of tranquility and calmness throughout the Grand Bay Residences’ lobby, a residential development located in Key Biscayne, Florida.

Just two hours north of New York City a 3,000-square-foot studio within the Catskill Mountains showcases Coil + Drift’s catalog of work across a series of elevated displays that literally put the studio’s work on a platform – an office, showroom, and state-of-the-art production facility all-in-one.

Drawing inspiration from Montauk’s natural beauty, this beachfront bungalow exudes a welcoming warmth through its palette of whites, creams, and earthy tones that mirror its picturesque coastal surroundings. A blend of vintage and contemporary, the residence is an example of minimalism taken to a calm and inviting conclusion.

Designers Melissa Lee and Erika Chou revel in a New Romantic aesthetic inspired by the Norwegian and English countryside, giving this Federal-style townhouse a gently applied layer of quiet simplicity and mellow minimalism embracing the architecture’s historical context.

Emphasizing a connection to its picture perfect natural surroundings, this environmentally conscious luxury retreat on 140 acres in the Catskill Mountains, designed by architects Electric Bowery and interior specialists Ward and Gray, is furnished with inviting warm woods, handblown glass fixtures, and limewash painted walls.

Baja California Sur as interpreted by WATG and Studio PCH across 60 residence-style accommodations leans in Nobu’s identifiably Japanese tinged minimalist aesthetic, while also incorporating locally-sourced materials specific to Cabo San Lucas – a stunning fusion of Asian and Mexican cultures that may inspire your next vacation.

Designed by Burdifilek, the Forest Hill Residence in Toronto, Canada establishes a quiet dialogue through its commitment to the minimalist ethos, furnishing each space with built-in furniture accentuated with bronze cladding, Canadian black granite, and European white oak elements, alongside subtracting elements such as baseboards, moldings, and door handles to keep things on this side of the serene.

What to do when working with rooms defined by the irregular and asymmetrical? GRT Architects leaned into them within this minimal New York City apartment’s quirky layout. Establishing the foundation of a semi-open kitchen with a low cabinet on brass legs and a suspended storage system, the kitchen and the dining room have been demarcated all without the heavy weight of walls separating the spaces, a minimalist approach echoed throughout the apartment’s living room, bedroom, halls, and bathroom.

Two of three floors are harmoniously interconnected by a swirling exterior circular staircase within a minimalist townhouse located in Brooklyn, New York. Designed by architecture firm Also Office in collaboration with Colony to respect the building’s history while updating it to where the contemporary and vintage can naturally co-exist.

And the most popular Skim Milk post of 2023 is…

Even those who identify as minimalist aspire to invite beautiful and meaningful objects into their lives, something our 2023 holiday gift guide was specifically curated to deliver across a wide variety of categories including products for reading, listening, growing, organizing, and even hammering away.

Check out the rest of Design Milk’s end of the year coverage 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.

We spoke with Valgora about the legacy and importance of cities in civic life – and about the many projects he’s taken on to make cities stronger, better places. He also talks about how architects will continue to respond to updated, flexible ideas about what a workspace can be, even as he designs a new studio for his own practice: “Offices and residential environments are converging, and we really need to create new kinds of spaces to work in and collaborate,” he says.

Catherine and VW Fowlkes of their eponymous studio are quite the powerhouse duo. They share about what it’s like working in one of the world’s power capitals and what makes DC architecturally unique from other big cities in America. The couple also explain why they can make bolder design decisions in the homes of historically preserved neighborhoods: “From an architectural standpoint, they tend to be a little bit more traditional in the front, and then clients give us license to be a little bit more daring in the back.”

Step into the dreamy, nostalgically sweet world of Helle Mardahl, who’s inspired by           and Charlie & the Chocolate Factory when designing her glass collections. The creative director reminisces about the exact moment that inspired her to create her work and how she now designs for all her senses. “Basically I think the more you can get of that, the more fun you can have, there’s so many layers to it. I’ve always thought like that: The more, the merrier,” she shares.

Founding Principal of the LA architectural practice OWIU (Only Way Is Up) Amanda Gunawan is very inspired by the aesthetic culture of Japan: “It’s their passion and their dedication to craftsmanship that really impresses me.” This mindset is what Gunawan caries over to OWIU Goods, her line of ceramic works. She also shares a helpful strategy for trying to get everything done: “I don’t aim for 100 percent. I never do – I [usually] aim for 80%. My work, or my life, is a marathon. And because of that, I kind of have to pace everything out.”

Lora Appleton is the founder of kinder MODERN, a contemporary and vintage design gallery and design studio that makes and showcases work for children. In this episode, she talks about how her son has taught her new ways of looking at design by seeing how he interacts with the built environment around him. “I thought that was really fascinating – the memory, the + of thinking, all of that really connects with kids in a way that before being a mom, I didn’t really understand,” she explains.

We step into the ceramicist’s studio in Queens, New York where she creates her highly regarded work: mugs and cups, plates and bowls, and – our favorite – her colorful tiles. Levi talks about her breakthrough moment, a chance encounter with famed retailer Steven Alan. She reflects that “since I had been making pottery for a very long time as a hobby, it kind of lit a little light bulb in me that maybe this was a path that existed.” Levi also shares how she splits her artistic identity between potter and photographer (spoiler alert: she settled on “pot-ographer”).

Like many architects, Aron Himmelfarb has been inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s work which has instilled within him a love for a total experience of design, from the blueprints to the window trim. “What’s funny about Wright is that it’s almost unfashionable to appreciate his work – or maybe easy to overlook in contemporary architecture, due to his popularity,” Himmelfarb says. “But as I’ve grown in my practice, I really find myself looking to his work for inspiration a lot more, maybe with a more mature eye.” Also in this episode, the architect expresses a love for work – his own or others’ – that deepens over time.

Rimes imparts invaluable advice and insight behind her practice: how she ensures that her design world expands rather than shrinks with time – reusing familiar ideas, practices, and motifs – and how her time at Auburn University’s acclaimed Rural Studio has informed her priority of building relationships with the members of the communities who share their lives with her buildings. She also shares how traveling influences her work: “Having just returned from Japan, I’m already seeing how some of those experiences are influencing my design work, whether it be lighting design, or transparency in architecture or connection to nature.”

Trends aren’t a priority for the Yale-trained architect. The designer, who appeared on Bravo’s Top Design in 2007, is instead focused on solving problems as part of a holistic experience. “My big thing about interior design is the whole picture,” he says. “So the mentality of à la carte is really difficult for me to kind of understand and fix. When you’re looking at interior design, I think you should step back and take a look at how things relate to each other in a larger picture.”

And the most popular DMTV Milkshake episode of 2023 is…

You all loved this chat with the CEO and founder of Gantri, the San Francisco-based lighting brand that partners with designers from around the world – like Oakland’s Prowl Studio, Felix Pöttinger in Munich, Heitor Lobo Campos in Brasilia, and former Milkshake star Bradley L. Bowers in New Orleans – to create their modern fixtures at a reasonable cost. “At Gantri, we’re rethinking how lighting is designed, made, and sold using 3D printing,” he says. “We’re supporting independent designers and studios – and making great lighting designs more accessible and more sustainable.”

Check out the rest of Design Milk’s end of the year coverage here!

As the Senior Contributing Editor, Vy Yang is obsessed with discovering ways to live well + with intention through design. She’s probably sharing what she finds over on Instagram stories. You can also find her at vytranyang.com.

While Last Ditch Design may be in a nascent stage, founder and craftsman Todd Hewitt brings three decades of fabrication and production experience to the expansion of his already robust catalog with the introduction of four new pieces: the Silas Daybed, Annie Stools, Gallatin Bed, and BeBop Ottoman. Like the range they join, these fresh furnishings give form to a mid-century modern ethos distilled through a minimalist lens with a look that evokes a sense of future nostalgia.

“My process first comes from a form or shape that sparks something within me. I am often looking outside of furniture for inspiration and find that tech products demonstrate a great use of shape and pattern that I can, with luck, translate into a piece of furniture,” Hewitt says. While some contemporary artifacts strive to be avante-garde for the sake of social currency, his form-first approach does not detract from function, nor does it trade merit for novelty. “I do aspire to honor the past while seeking fresh approaches to my designs. And I also hope these leave a lasting impression for generations to come while telling a story unique to those who live with them.”

The BeBop Ottoman featured in Love House Flatiron

This formula for longevity is equal parts functionality, endearing visual identity, and sustainability. A deep respect for the primary resource and its procurement inform the material palette. Hand-applied finishes of ash, oak, and walnut complement the wood’s natural properties and prove easy to maintain over time. Fabric selections will be broadened in the near future adding to the current earthy hues that further the aesthetic.

The main components of every object offered are conceptualized and created in California by Last Ditch, but in cases of experimentation Hewitt finds himself collaborating with artisans local to his Los Angeles studio. These particular additions are representative of the self-taught woodworker stepping out from his comfort zone to practice with stone, steel, and upholstery. “This education sparks passion, keeps me motivated, and is the reason why I quietly buzz with joy when I see a design take shape,” Hewitt continues. And it is clear his competitive résumé aids in the development of a visual language that carries over from one classification to another.

The Craftsman, designer, and founder behind Last Ditch Design, Todd Hewitt, sitting on his Nostromo Bench

But what’s in a name? Their quirky identities reveal Hewitt’s inspiration as his portfolio grows, pulling various monikers from mountain ranges, lakes, rivers, and trails local to his home state of Wyoming. Other historical references include “Silas,” which is contracted from “Silvanus,” Roman mythology’s god of the forest, as with 80’s pop culture pulling from the Alien franchise to name the Sulaco collection and Nostromo Bench whose sculptural forms are reminiscent of iconic spaceships from the movies of his youth.

Exposed wooden architecture, geometric forms, and the unique integration of upholstery employed in the Silas Ottoman and Lounge Chair echo in their new sibling. A modern interpretation of the classic sleigh bed, the Silas Daybed introduces a regal new form adorned with solid satin brass foot caps.

The Silas Daybed

The Silas Daybed’s geometric cushion and architectural detailing

Multifunctional by design, the Annie Stool is minimalist in its well tailored composition to perform as an object of utility and beauty. The tubular design is softened by upholstery and can be fixed atop a powder coated steel or solid wood base.

The Annie Stools

Detail of the Annie Stool’s upholstered tubular design

Soft yet strong. Bold yet understated. The Gallatin Bed boasts a sculptural wood frame that articulates a natural composition of pattern and flow from within the lumber. The fully upholstered headboard provides contrast to update a classic silhouette into a modern statement piece.

The Gallatin Bed

The Gallatin Bed upholstered headboard in contrast to the wood connection

Somewhere between mid-century modern and Neotenic design stands the oddly proportioned yet adorable BeBop Ottoman. Cousin to the Pouf, it assumes a wide stance on three legs with a low center of gravity and a flat top. It is available in 3 sizes, 7 wood finishes, and 15 fabric options.

The BeBop Ottoman

The BeBop Ottoman’s leg detail

For more information on the expanded collection, visit LastDitchDesign.com.

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.

Industrial designer Jorge Paez describes his creative process as one driven by a “professional daydreamer’s perspective.” If so, his mind must harbor a great degree of appreciation for the architectural alongside aspirations of an audiophile in equal measure, noting the design of his contemporary interpretation of the classic record player, RYTM, which references both with imaginative clarity.

At first the RYTM’s vertical slat arrangement seems merely an aesthetic motif. Then you may notice there’s no tonearm, when in reality the component is slyly integrated into the turntable’s linear arrangement, designed to pop-out when playback is desired. Additionally, a trio of user controls are nestled between the slats to the right of the integrated tone arm, dedicated to powering on/off, adjusting the volume, and choosing between 33/45 rpm speeds.

A hint of red punctuates the industrial-inspired modernity of the RYTM across the turntable tonearm’s counterbalance and across the turntable’s on/off switch.

Unsurprisingly, Dieter Rams’ iconic 1957 Braun SK4/1 turntable is cited as an inspiration, exhibiting a similar linear simplicity as its design classic predecessor. Additionally, Paez lists the Stripes, Rhythm, Direction: Exhibit and graphic design by Stockholm Design Lab for Nordiska museet, the Hermès exhibit from Milan Design Week 2022, and the lines/colors of the Messe Frankfurt cargo center as other sources referenced by his turntable concept.

Before you begin counting your pennies in hopes of purchasing a RYTM for your own listening setup, note the turntable was designed by Paez as a personal project, meaning the architecturally-inspired record player only exists as a concept for now.

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.

At this year’s Dubai Design Week, a new design platform made its debut at Downtown Design. Co-founded by Dina Adlouni and Tarlan Vaziri Farahani, Mushy presented an exhibition that spotlighted new and emerging young talents who are creating products that bring happiness and have an inherent carefree and playful sense of design. After all, the term “mushy” describes something as “excessively sentimental,” which is what the platform hopes to curate.

The platform showcased 11 global and Middle Eastern designers: Arianna de Luca, ENTLER, Diego Faivre, Behaghel Foiny, Ornamental by Lameice, Silje Lindrup, Pani Jurek, Michela Castagnaro, Lola Mayeras, and Kouros Maghsoudi. The featured highlight of the booth is Maghsoudi’s inaugural furniture collection, Mehmooni. Inspired by the essence of Persian gatherings, the New York-based designer presented new colorways – chrome and pomegranate – of his Taarof Table and Behsheen Chair exclusively for Mushy. The pieces feature generous curves and soft lines throughout.

Be sure to follow Mushy on Instagram to learn more about the platform’s upcoming website launch!

As the Senior Contributing Editor, Vy Yang is obsessed with discovering ways to live well + with intention through design. She’s probably sharing what she finds over on Instagram stories. You can also find her at vytranyang.com.

This bar cart on wheels includes an extended lamp, exuding happiness as you serve guests snacks and cocktails. The top shelf doubles as a removable tray when needed, which also makes spills loads easier to clean up – just remove and carry it to the sink.

The entirely sustainable Tube series embodies clean, concise design, in a fun color palette. It includes six pieces of streamlined outdoor furniture: a chair, a coffee table, a dining table, a bench, a bar table, and a bar stool that look straight out of a magazine.

Cosmopolitan Cook and Cosmopolitan Buffet Cook both feature optional integrated induction capabilities that remain hidden at first glance. Invisacook is ideal for small spaces where a grill might not be the most practical choice.

La Stanza Che Non C’è (The Room That Isn’t There) is a versatile garden structure with a myriad of uses. Meanwhile, Convivium provides you with all the equipment and space of a traditional indoor kitchen – outdoors. Lastly, Cuordicuoio is a pair of leather and Corden steel armchairs that have been treated for the elements.

HAY relaunched the Crate Collection, their take on the original that was designed by Gerrit Rietveld in 1934. Based on Rietveld’s Crate Chair, the whole of the collection is distinguished by wide planks and a low silhouette.

The bench’s stripped down design features angled, linear solid glulam beams, which rest on laser-cut and bent sheets of galvanized steel. The beams provide a comfortable seat, while the slope allows water to quickly run off the seating surface.

Inspired by biophilia, Balcony and Terrazza’s designs are sculptural and purposeful. Their individually mouth-blown glass pieces add a sense of calm to their surroundings by echoing patterns found in the natural world.

To entice feathered occupants, Ucci’s nesting boxes feature large drainage holes that allow for good ventilation, grooves on the front panel to assist fledglings once they decide to climb out, and a storm-proof hanging system.

Rinse off dirty boots, wash freshly-picked fruits and vegetables, and more. Waterworks can be used however you see fit – whether that’s as a spot to organize your gardening essentials or as the perfect mini bar and ice bucket.

And the most popular Get Out! post of 2023 is…

By day, Hulasol is a haven from the sun, protecting you from UV rays. By night, its illumination sets the mood for time spent outdoors. Hulasol’s design makes it suitable for long-term outdoor use, while its aerodynamic qualities provide substantial resistance against extreme weather.

Check out the rest of Design Milk’s end of the year coverage here!

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.

Inspired by the four seasons and the emotions they evoke, leading materials manufacturer 3form added 10 new pastel hues to its permanent color system. After laying out swatches of current colors in order to identify missing ones. The 3form design team noticed an opportunity to introduce soft, subtle versions of their saturated tones. The new colors – Lavish, Graceland, Alta, Smolder, Honeycomb, Rhubarb, Talc, Cedarwood, Adobe, and Comet – offer fresh ways to brighten up commercial environments.

Although SPACE10 closed in August 2023 after almost a decade of inspiring forward-thinking design and innovations, we’re glad to have shared about the last iteration of the Copenhagen-based research and design lab. In February, the main floor was fully transformed into a community-centric space, even more so then before. New additions, including a public library with a take-a-book-leave-a-book system, fostered an environment that’s conducive for community exchange and creative ideation.

San Francisco-based office brand Pair created SOMA as a locker system that meets the needs of an office in a post-COVID world. Because there are now four types of workers (full-time, part-time, hybrid, and temporary), SOMA helps define office spaces for those who are routinely coming in and out on varied schedules while also maximizing storage space.

Is it a home? Is it in office? It’s both! The Pink Villa is designer Luca Nichetto’s new studio in Stockholm, Sweden. The renovation and refurbishment of the home began in 2021, along with the interior design, which was done in-house. From the sofas to the chairs to the lighting to the plant holders, most of the furnishings throughout were designed by Luca himself.

We all fell in love (pun intended) with Tinder’s new headquarters designed by Rapt Studio. Inspired by existing public space typologies, from the town square to the speakeasy, the studio transformed the seven-story, 77,000-square-foot project into a multi-level headquarters layered with a multitude of opportunities for collaboration and connection.

Known for its modern cookwares in a myriad of delightful, muted colors, Our Place tapped on Ringo Studio to design its second storefront in West Hollywood after the success of its Venice location. The retail space is the definition of “aesthetically pleasing,” showcasing products in homey vignettes and features the Building a Bigger Table Room that exudes their mission to “welcome everyone to have a seat at the table.”

Designed by Stefan Borselius and Thomas Bernstrand for Blå Station to expand the BOB family, the three new additions – BOB Solo, BOB Biz, and BOB Corner – make the office a more versatile, worker-friendly space with their presence. BOB Solo gives one the ability to roam about at will, thanks to a set of wheels underneath its base while BOB Biz is an ideal setup for face-to-face meetings, brainstorming, and collaboration. Lastly, BOB Corner is an important addition to the adaptable BOB sofa system because it now adds the ability to create 90-degree angle connections.

From the 20th to the 26th floor of the Accenture Tower, Gensler created a sensorial experience that takes visitors and clients on an immersive innovation journey through a digital and physical landscape. This “vertical city” offers workspaces, specialty labs, hospitality areas, immersion rooms, production spaces, and even a broadcast studio.

Step into the French artist’s new digs designed with Our Department! The vibrant new studio is 100% inspiring, with touches of Memphis, Pop Art, and post-modernism. While fairly modest in size, it’s where Walala produces a plethora of work, from large-scale public project collaborations to smaller scale art, including paintings, sculptures, and ceramics.

And the most popular At The Office + commercial post of 2023 is…

Worktop is a custom woven covering that helps protect large surface areas while also adding a textural element. It was originally designed for hospitality applications and a Michelin-starred restaurant even shared that it estimated they spent $33,600 per year on regular tablecloths before converting to Worktop. Now, Worktop is available to consumers and can be extended for use in bathroom vanities, desktops, and more.

Check out the rest of Design Milk’s end of the year coverage here!

As the Senior Contributing Editor, Vy Yang is obsessed with discovering ways to live well + with intention through design. She’s probably sharing what she finds over on Instagram stories. You can also find her at vytranyang.com.

Black sand, cutting-edge 3D-printing technology, and experimentation. All three of these elements – plus sunflowers – are behind Rollo Studio’s Aureole Collection that debuted during London Design Festival 2023. Each lamp exudes an otherworldly aura, inviting curiosity through a spiral structure that intertwines, folds, and curves to create layers of depth. It’s an ode to nature’s beauty and the studio’s biophilic design principals, with each lamp’s uniquely textured surface distributing and diffusing light in different ways. Stand directly in front of an Aureole lamp and it can become a visually hypnotic experience.

To make the collection a reality, Rollo Studio collaborated with companies Exone and Sandhelden. While sand molds are primarily used for metal casting in the auto industry, the trio looked beyond convention to see sand itself as the final object. They developed a method that sustainably enhances the strength and durability of the 3D-printed pieces, an advanced binder jetting process. When applied to the black sand it opens new doors to possibilities while pushing the boundaries of organic design.

To learn more about the Aureole Collection, visit rollostudio.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.