Decades before the instant gratification of digital photography/video and the entire social media universe that would appear to glom onto it transforming our collective lives, memories were more humbly captured onto Super 8mm film. The accessible cartridge and battery-based format helped democratize filmmaking globally, and from its launch in 1965 and onward, Super 8 remained a beloved medium for amateur filmmakers, artists, and regular households inclined to immortalize anything and everything onto film. Even today its vintage grainy quality is identified as the original nostalgic aesthetic filter.

Now 50 years later the Kodak Super 8 film camera officially returns, refreshed and reinterpreted for the era of digital video by Yves Behar’s multidisciplinary design studio, fuseproject.

But wait, wasn’t the new Kodak Super 8 announced way back in 2016 at the Consumer Electronics Show? Those with a good memory are recollecting correctly, as the “homage to film” updated with a pistol grip handle, 4-inch LCD viewing screen, new materials, and other updated details attributed to fuseproject was indeed unveiled nearly 8 years ago. In time, excitement for its return quelled with only a trickle of news from Kodak every few years.

The new Super 8 is a hybrid aimed at professional and amateur filmmakers operating with a digital workflow, but desiring the aesthetic of analog filmmaking, including the characteristic sound of the film reel, the texture of the imagery, and the limited amount of reel time shooting with the format.

The film camera uses a detachable C-mount and includes a 6mm F1.2mm C-mount lens.

Announced by fuseproject via Instagram the first week of December, the hybrid camera is now a reality. Differing from its progenitor, the Super 8 now captures video onto film in a 1.5:1 aspect ratio, with a built-in microphone saving audio onto SD card. From the sample clips provided by Kodak, the camera does seem to capture the nostalgic vibe in convincing form.

Unlike digital capture, would-be filmmakers need to factor in cost when shooting using the Super 8 format. As report by DP Review, even when shooting at an old-timey authentic stuttering 18fps, you’ll go through “an entire film cartridge in just 3 minutes and 20 seconds” or “just two and a half minutes per cartridge” when shooting at 24fps.

Everything sounded promising until we learned about the price attached to this stroll down memory lane. Kodak once touted a price tag between $400-$750 for the revitalized design. Not cheap, but well within the realm of an affordable gateway into the art and craft of filmmaking using film. Today’s reality is a $5,495 camera that includes a 6mm F1.2 lens, a pistol grip with trigger, and various accessories including a Pelican carrying case, sadly making software filters still a more accessible and affordable option.

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.

Ukrainian artist-ceramicist Serhii Makhno is celebrating his inaugural gallery exhibition currently taking place at Les Ateliers Courbet in New York City. ZEMLYA is a series of large-scale ceramic works, both functional and decorative, that were created in Makhno’s Kyiv studio alongside his team of master artisans. In the midst of the ongoing war in Ukraine and the hindrance of the pandemic, they were somehow able to find ways to gather at the studio to keep creating their work.

With ZEMLYA, Makhno has expanded upon the breadth of his work of sculptural lighting and ceramic objets by exploring new scales, forms, and functions. Ongoing conversations with gallery founder Melanie Courbet led to the two developing this series of unique sculptural, functional pieces. Hand-modeled in ceramic and plaster, they mark his first collection of furniture design that uses ceramic.

Biblioteka Bookshelves

Evidence of the Japanese Wabi-Sabi aesthetic Makhno favors is evident across all mediums used within the studio. He also pulls from traditional artistic methods, authentic techniques, and natural materials to create objects that live at the intersection of cultural heritage, functional design, and contemporary art.

Duta Puzata Chair

Since 2003, Makhno’s work has spanned architecture, interior design, sculpture, and objets d’art. In the last 20 years, the studio has become a reflection of the his multidisciplinary vision – housing a ceramic workshop, functional art, and lighting design studio. There, Makhno and his team hand-form each of the ceramic pieces before layering multiple glazes that give the surface a recognizable, highly textured skin.

Duta Puzata Chair

Khmara Lamp

Khmara Lamp

Khmara Lamp

Pyl Chair

Pyl Chair

Ulamok Table Bench

Ulamok Table Bench

Syaivo Chair

Syaivo Chair

Vushka Mirror

Vushka Mirror

Vushka Mirror

Vushka Chair

Vushka Chair

To learn more about the ZEMLYA exhibition, visit ateliercourbet.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.

If what you’re looking to bring to your outdoor living space is limited edition, casual luxury, and all-season beauty, we have the collection for you: Mediterran by Hommés Studio. The modern furniture brand is based in the Mediterranean, and pulled from all of the best parts of the region as inspiration for these pieces. Clear waters, a warm breeze, lush vegetation, and endless relaxation – it doesn’t get much better.

Ultra modern and minimal in design, Mediterran features smooth rounded lines, strong forms, high-quality fabrics, and elegant textures. Everything that comes to mind when imagining life on the beaches of the Mediterranean. This timeless outdoor furniture collection will transform your garden, terrace, or porch with that same charismatic vibe through its daybeds, parasols, poufs, and more! Then you can start daydreaming about the azure waters and warm sun on your skin, with SPF of course.

Marcel Daybed Fern

Morocco Pouf Set

Massimo Floor Lamp Set

Kalam Fire Pit

To learn more about the Mediterran Collection, visit hommes.studio.

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.

Couture is a word primarily used within the context of fashion – and often abused due to rules so stringent that few can actually meet its standards – but with the opening of Bang & Olufsen’s new Manhattan Flagship showroom on Madison Avenue, it may soon apply to electronics. The makers behind the world’s first Cradle to Cradle certified speaker in the consumer electronics industry introduce another paradigm shift in the way customers can participate in the “future-proofing” of their product investment.

Situated within one of New York’s premiere shopping districts – and adjacent to Lexington Avenue’s renowned New York Design Center – is a grand, new retail location where the patron experience is made fully immersive in B&O’s extensive product portfolio. The 1,549-square-foot venue is loosely designed as an enfilade with three spaces demarcated in programing by sheer floor-to-ceiling curtains, a grid work of track lighting, and a rear glass enclosure. The clean lines and subtle earth tones of the interior design, as well as furnishings by Audo Copenhagen, are additional nods to the brand’s Danish heritage.

“It’s all about the marriage of artful design and music. Our new Madison Avenue home embodies our enduring commitment to the city, and is yet another milestone in our journey towards strengthening our Luxury, Timeless, Technology proposition,” Rick Costanzo, President of Bang & Olufsen Americas, says.

The understated architecture, space planning, and variety of displays act in unison to engineer transitions that move from the visibly public showroom upon entry, with a myriad of dazzling headphones and portable speakers, to intimate settings where visitors can experience more substantial products in the context of a home theater. The store terminates in an elegant glazed enclosure housing B&O’s proprietary bespoke experience where potential buyers have the unique opportunity to originate a one-of-a-kind product in dialogue with their taste and needs. It is furnished with Beolab 28 speakers in six unique colors for a jolt of inspiration.

Participating in the object’s customization imbues the artifact with meaning like that of an heirloom rather than a disposable product elevating the sense of ownership. With the guidance of B&O specialists, shoppers act as designers thumbing through trays of moodboards and material finishes in search of a color story that resonates. Unique compositions abound with over 100 fabric, aluminum, and wood options to choose from.

In addition to its traditional functions, the space will also play host to a series of immersive musical events enhancing the reach and echoing the success of B&O’s bustling SoHo showroom. “With a packed activity calendar, Bang & Olufsen of Madison Avenue will build upon our SoHo showroom’s rich heritage of celebrating the intersection of art and sound and give visitors the chance to experience – and customize – our iconic designs in-person,” Costanzo continues. Madison Avenue is still the place to be.

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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.

In 2013, Tung Chiang set a design challenge for himself. Each year, on a journey of exploration and evolution, the Clay Studio Director at Heath Ceramics asked himself, What is the future of design at Heath? The question has lead him to design ten collections, each one building on the legacy set in place by Edith Heath. In Tung’s 10th and final collection to the Design Series, he realized that he already had the answer: it was – essentially – himself.

Tung shares that if he had known then what he knew now, he would have modified his original inquiry to How do I evolve while staying true to Heath’s core? “The future of Heath is not solely in my hands but my work holds a piece of the ongoing legacy. Being true to myself and understanding what I’ve learned is a far more important outcome than completing the series or finding an answer to the question of what is the future of design at Heath,” the designer explains.

In a perfectly fitting conclusion (a pun in and of itself), Tung’s final Design Series 10 is called Between Open and Close, a series of lidded objects that open and close, a poetic metaphor to the new era of the Heath Clay Studio. Each piece comprises three quintessential parts: two forms and a split line that represents where the two touch to store the hidden secret inside. In this collection, however, the surprise is both the objects stored and the way in which it is concealed.

To further commemorate the milestone, Tung also designed Present Ten, a special collection of several pieces, each one housing ten objects representing the past ten Design Series. Woodwork by Eddie Aye perfectly encases each item.

What’s next for the upcoming era of Heath? While Tung has no plans to leave, he says that he will be focusing on his team, “helping [them] explore deeper and further with an open door.” That door is not a metaphor either. The Heath Clay Studio, originally on the second story in the Heath San Francisco building, has been relocated to the Boiler Room, aptly named for the pair of massive boilers from the 1930s. This new space functions as a gallery and an open showcase of Heath’s emerging work. It has, and will continue to, host workshops, tours, and daily visits from the public. “It’s an unforgettable space in look, feel, and experience that holds Clay Studio’s most unique work, with new shapes and glaze techniques going from kiln to gallery table. It’s not to be missed, which is why its doors are open,” Tung announces. On the gallery wall is a painted manifesto that declares the intention of the space:

How do you bring ideas to life? For us, it is with our hands.

Heath Clay Studio is a space dedicated to exploration and creativity. Within this space, a small team of craftspeople use their hands to bring objects to life, one piece at a time.

Meet Jay, Jeff, and Nora, our skilled team in the clay studio. Every day, they wheel the clay and dip into the glaze to create something truly special.

In this beautifully lit space we call the Boiler Room, we invite you to enjoy the silence of the wheel, the dance of their hands, and witness the beauty of the work that is created with love.

Yours sincerely,
Tung Chiang
Heath Clay Studio Director

Tung Chiang, Clay Studio Director at Heath Ceramics

Present Ten and the pieces from Design Series Ten: Between Open and Close are available at heathceramics.com.

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.

There are only a few categories of products as unsexy by nature as a heat pump system, the highly efficient HVAC solution more households are integrating as energy efficient updates. The impetus for buying a heat pump is need, rarely desire; you do so with the very modest hopes they won’t exist as an eyesore. But Y Combinator-backed US startup Electric Air wants to change that perception, offering a residential electric heat pump system that we dare say might do for HVAC as the Tesla Powerwall did for residential energy storage: make them covetable.

Electric Air’s heat pump system comprises four modules: a Condenser, Air Handler & Humidifier, wall-mounted Air Conditioner, and a Thermostat. Reimagined by London-based design agency Blond under the direction of James Melia, the Electric Air’s all-electric heating and cooling HVAC system features a design language more attuned to home technology devices than traditional clunky HVAC hardware.

The condenser unit can either be mounted to a wall, or transformed to reveal its legs to ensure sound operation throughout unpredictable weather conditions such as snow.

Blond made special effort to neutralize the most conspicuous component, transforming the traditional form of the condenser with an aesthetic similar to a home battery storage system. The unit is designed to be mounted to a wall or set upon legs to ensure sound operation where inclement conditions are a concern.

All four elements of the heat pump system exhibit a warm, minimal approach, with soft curved edges and monochromatic paneling done in either light or dark finishes, mixing matte, gloss, and textured surfaces to handsome effect. Crucially, the four modules are designed to seamlessly integrate into interior and exterior environments without becoming eyesores.

This warm minimalism is carried over to the brain’s of Electric Air system, the thermostat’s UI, which uses bold, rounded shapes, and an easily discernible typeface with contrasting color palette to improve legibility.

It’s obviously not all looks. Electric Air says their system is rated to be 3-5x more efficient than a traditional gas furnace and over the span of each year able to save hundreds to thousands of dollars with typical heating use.

The system includes a HEPA filtration system to control air quality and humidity and can be further upgraded with optional wall units eliminating the need for duct work.

Electric Air lists three tier of entry points of pricing for small, medium, and large spaces starting at $14,000 with installation (a 1-2 day process according to the company), including the Federal Tax Credit. The company is taking pre-order payments currently, with an estimated Winter 2024 ship date. For more information, check out electricair.io.

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 clever design to help avoid the clutter that horizontal surfaces seem to invite, the Triangle Side Table all but eliminates the possibility. Designed by SouleWork, the side table does hold space for the book you’re currently reading – it will even save your place – and a ledge to put down the beverage of your choice. There’s a small, grooved indent for a writing instrument and an open interior space that can accommodate a few coffee table books, a plant, or even a small pet bed. Beveled edges, decorative yet functional splines, and a minimal base finish off the sharply shaped piece of furniture that any minimalist will love.

SouleWorks founder, Matthew Soule, shared that the Triangle Side Table was inspired by his three-year-old’s wooden toy blocks. “We would build many things, and the triangle caught my attention because it’s not something that shows ups very often in interiors,” he said. In the spirit of SouleWorks’ experimental and innovative approach to design, once he realized the shape could hold a book in a clever way, the piece was born.

To learn more about the Triangle Side Table, visit soulework.com.

Photography by Design Imaging Studios.

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.

The handmade and imperfect is a realm where husband and wife Michael and Mariel Upton of eponymous design studio Upton seem very comfortable operating within. The San Diego-based designers approach to everything from throw blankets, wall hooks, sculptures, to LP stands all exhibit a relaxed modernist approach to the practical – with a little bit of the graphical playfulness reminiscent of Marimekko thrown in for good measure. Taken as a whole, the Uptons’ body of work shares a playful perspective not too far removed from another famous creative Southern California pair, exhibiting a similar “approachable and accessible” design ethos.

Their latest offerings – HERU, CUNA, and MARA – are a trio of wall lights with a very SoCal origin story behind their illuminating spirit. Each of the oval-shaped lights was originally intended to live their life as a new skateboard deck. Alas, as anything manufactured, not every piece came out perfect and pieces were cast aside and deemed factory seconds, each destined for the landfill. Fortunately, Upton had the imagination to envision these pieces of ply living a new life as an illuminating feature for the home.

Even with a cursory glance, most eyes will recognize the 7-ply maple wood piece once aspired for a life dedicated to ollies and kickflips. After recutting each piece, Upton adds a splash of graphic design color printed across the deck’s top surface, then pairs each with lighting hardware and an easy-to-install custom wall-mount to complete the package.

The resulting trio of wall lights offer a surprisingly elevated home decor option for anyone who once or still loves skating, but who may also want to whisper rather than shout out that affinity within their home.

Each light measures 8.5”W x 13.5”H x 4.5”D, and can accommodate either a 20W LED bulb or 60W incandescent bulb.

All three Upton light designs are assembled to order in Upton’s San Diego studio and priced at $169 each.

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.

Located in Klaipeda, Lithuania, VVV is a minimalist townhouse renovation by Ieva Baranauskaite of i.B Archstudio, who worked with a compact floor plan of only 110 square meters (approx. 1184 square feet). The ethos of VVV revolves around the use of line and rhythm as the main design elements in the project’s overall scope. The townhouse posed a challenge – incorporating all essential functions while preserving a sense of spaciousness. The solution? A departure from traditional walls and the addition of a multifunctional, custom furniture piece ingeniously divides the space into distinct functional zones without closing it off.

This unit is a three-sided design, serving as the anchor for the entrance zone with a bench and wardrobe. It transitions into the kitchen area where tall cabinets offer extra storage, and culminates in the living space with a high table and bar.

The space remains mostly void of color, keeping surfaces and furnishings in white or soft shades of gray. The occasional use of pale yellow pops up on the lower kitchen cabinets and exterior staircase panel.

The main floor continues with a living room and dining area, featuring two bespoke wall cabinets that float above the ground. These objects, designed to provide essential storage, are more than mere utilitarian pieces – they are artful elements that enhance the open living space. Designed to match the color of the wall behind, they become integral components of the room, playing with composition, geometry, and shadows that create an interactive and visually engaging environment.

The floor above, which houses three bedrooms and a bathroom, maintains its commitment to uniformity, eschewing strong contrasts, textures, and materials. Instead, the focus shifts to meticulous detail refinement and the strategic use of warm shades of light gray, complemented by pale yellow and orange. The result is a living space that breathes freshness into the residence, offering a tranquil place to retreat in the evenings.

Photography by Norbert Tukaj.

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.

For this year’s Miami Art & Design Week, Lexus unveiled its latest designer collaboration with Marjan van Aubel, a Dutch solar designer who reinterprets the Lexus Future Zero-emission Catalyze (LF-ZC) concept car using solar cells. The installation is titled “8 Minutes and 20 Seconds” in reference to the approximate time it takes a light particle to reach the earth. Using 15 Organic Photovoltaics (OPV) solar sheets, van Aubel harnesses the power of the sun to fill the batteries that are hidden in the sculpture’s base. During the day, the transparent yet colorful installation looks like a mirage, a true-to-size representation of the LF-ZC. By night, it comes to life, a futuristic light show that interacts with people passing by.

“8 Minutes and 20 Seconds” was actualized with the help of spatial and experience design firm Random Studio. Four individual motion sensors detect the presence of viewers and create a kaleidoscopic and melodic reaction using colors and sounds by Sabina SweetRice and Malloy James. Light bounces across the installation’s base which represents the car’s EV platform while an ambient melody of string instruments, soft piano, chimes, birdsong, and bamboo notes transports viewers to a zen-like auditory experience.

Marjan van Aubel

The installation is on view through December 17, 2023 at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami (ICA Miami).

Photography by Steve Benisty.

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.