The hand-turned, hand-painted Ikiperu collection fuses Etruscan vase-making with contemporary design in homage to the artistic tradition of Umbria. The first work by Norwegian designer Kristine Five Melvær for Poltrona Frau, the ceramics collection unites history, traditional craftsmanship, and modern aesthetics that reference Picenian culture through color and shape. The pieces – a vase, cup, and pyx – are produced by renown Umbria-based manufacturer Rometti Ceramiche, the epitome of local art tradition and Etruscan vase-making.

“Ikiperu” was the name of the goddess Cupra, who was worshiped by the ancient Piceni and Etruscans. The name means “she who protects the land,” and recalls rituals of protection and prosperity of agricultural and manual activities. Poltrona Frau honors the artistic and cultural heritage of the area in the name as well as in the choice of the main material – ceramic – which is locally-sourced, and in the rounded shapes of the objects. These archetypal forms and color choices are imbued with the design language, the ceramics itself synonymous with timelessness and versatility.

Three pieces make up the Ikiperu collection: the Ikiperu Vase, Ikiperu Cup, and Ikiperu Pyx. The vase features a rounded shape with five horizontal bands that are both glazed and unglazed for a tactile finish. The cup works to hold small objects or simply as a decorative element. The design again incorporates horizontal bands, in this case the upper rim uses unglazed ceramic, while the central band and base are glazed. Pyx is a small, round box with a lid and leather cord for easy opening – and a nice nod to Poltrona Frau’s style. The shades used throughout the Ikiperu collection are inspired by the color palette of Pelle Frau® leather: cool Blue Sky and warm Earth Brown tones.

Cup

Cup

Pyx

Pyx

Vase

Vase

Vase

To learn more about the Ikiperu Collection, visit poltronafrau.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.

Designed by Benjamin Hubert’s studio LAYER, the XGIMI Mira short throw projector reflects a brand evolving from a tech-focused venture to one with a growing understanding about the importance of form not solely serving function. A handsome follow up to the HORIZON Ultra  – a more traditional projector requiring a fair distance from unit to screen – the fabric wrapped Mira houses within it not only the means to conjure a 100-inch picture upon a wall or screen from mere inches away, but also integrates a Harmon Kardon 2.1 audio system and smart TV capabilities for a simplified, yet comprehensive home theater experience.

Compared to XGIMI’s current ultra short throw model, the Mira also shares some spiritual similarities with Hubert’s work for Bang & Olufsen. Where the B&O Balance was dressed in wool textile emphasizing the speaker’s drum-spun verticality, the Mira’s fabric-draped form is intended to neutralize the “black box” presence of technology housed within it, softening the silhouette into a shape closer hewn to a piece of home decor.

“At LAYER, we have developed a new approach to home technology, using tactile materials, a soft palette, and gentle forms that make it more welcoming and less obtrusive in the interior,” says LAYER Design Founder, Benjamin Hubert.

The two 8W Harman Kardon speakers are supported by a 15W subwoofer, and support both Dolby Audio and DTS:HD output.

Announced in China, the laser projection TV is listed as capable of creating a 100-inch picture from about 9.4-inches distance, with a maximum brightness of a fairly modest 900 lumens. XGIMI is also including an art frame/projection screen coated to improve the reflection of projected light for a brighter picture with improved contrast. Taking cues from Samsung’s The Frame, the screen is also designed to operate as a museum gallery sized artwork display furthering its utility as a decorative display as much as a home theater solution.

Launched at the 2023 edition of the IFA Berlin trade fair in Germany in September, XGIMI has yet to release pricing for the United States market. But if the exchange rate informs a ballpark figure, the 6,999 Chinese Yuan priced projector should come in at or near $1,000.

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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.

One&Only Mandarina is an ultra-luxury beachfront resort sanctuary located in Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit coastline, designed by Studio Rick Joy. Rare is the combination of an exceptionally well-designed property matched by breathtaking surrounding vistas in equal measure. Much of this integration was by design, with the resort working alongside botany experts in preserving the natural habitat.

The entrance features an ancient Higuera tree and an open-air space centered around a reflective black pool. Furnishings include woven settees and rocking chairs made of local woods, enhancing the connection with nature. Guests are welcomed by the sound of a custom-made bronze gong, crafted by the Mexico-based Grez family, renowned for their work in cathedrals across Mexico.

The property encompasses 33 hectares situated along untouched coastal cliffs among a lush rainforest. The all-villa resort boasts 105 luxurious, standalone Treehouses and Villas facing the ocean, all strategically perched on the cliffside amidst the trees. These units emphasize indoor-outdoor living, featuring private pools, terraces, and expansive bathrooms. The materials used – such as clay, wood, and stone – are indigenous to the region, reflecting the local Cora and Huichol cultures.

The Treehouses exhibit a consistent use of Cumaru wood, while the Cliff Villas have concrete floors and high ceilings. Each villa’s bathroom offers unique experiences, such as outdoor showers or soaking tubs, integrating the surrounding jungle or ocean views. Other notable features include outdoor fire pits and side tables by Peca, adding to the resort’s emphasis on natural materials and textures.

Photography by Rupert Peace/One&Only Mandarina.

Leo Lei translates his passion for minimalism into his daily-updated blog Leibal. In addition, you can find uniquely designed minimalist objects and furniture at the Leibal Store.

As another year comes to a close, those of us in the design world know it means one thing – the big announcement from Pantone! The global color authority just announced the Pantone Color of the Year 2024 and it’s… PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz, a warm and welcoming, velvety shade that hovers between pink and orange. With so many living through times of turmoil, the need for care, empathy, and community grows stronger, as does Pantone’s hope for more peaceful times.

A warm and cozy shade highlighting our desire for togetherness with others and the feeling of sanctuary this creates, PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz presents a fresh approach to a new softness.

“A cozy peach hue softly nestled between pink and orange, PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz brings belonging, inspires recalibration, and an opportunity for nurturing, conjuring up an air of calm, offering us a space to be, feel, and heal and to flourish from whether spending time with others or taking the time to enjoy a moment by ourselves,” says Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director, Pantone Color Institute. “Drawing comfort from PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz, we can find peace from within, impacting our wellbeing. An idea as much as a feeling, PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz awakens our senses to the comforting presence of tactility and cocooned warmth.”

The announcement of the heartfelt hue marks the 25th anniversary of Pantone’s Color of the Year initiative. Since the introduction of PANTONE 15-4020 Cerulean Blue as the Color of the Year in 1999, the institute has continued to certify their authority throughout global culture when it comes to the significance of color. (See previous Pantone Color of the Year selections.)

“With this year’s Pantone Color of the Year 2024, we see an increased focus on community and people across the world reframing how they want to live and evaluating what is important – that being the comfort of being close to those we love. The color is one whose warm and welcoming embrace conveys a message of compassion and whose cozy sensibility brings people together and enriches the soul,” added Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute. “In the spirit of PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz, we reflect back on the last 25 years of the Pantone Color of the Year program grateful to provide an avenue where designers and color enthusiasts all over the world can engage in a conversation about color, be inspired by color and showcase their creativity within their communities. We look forward to continuing this for many more years to come.”

Image credit: The Development

Image credit: The Development

Image credit: The Development

Image credit: The Development

In lieu of the Pantone Color of the Year 2024 announcement, Pantone has launched a collection of Pantone Lifestyle goods in Peach Fuzz here.

Pantone is also working with a number of brands on collaborations celebrating the Pantone Color of the Year 2024: PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz, including Cariuma, Motorola, Ruggable, Shades by Shan, and Spoonflower.

Cariuma

Motorola

Ruggable

Shades by Shan

Spoonflower

Head to Design Milk’s Instagram to tell us what you think of the Pantone Color of the Year 2024 pick!

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 designers wanting to add custom seating specific to the architecture of their space, whether it’s a hotel lobby, restaurant, or workplace, it couldn’t be easier to bring their plans into reality than with Luna. Visually, the modern banquette seating collection designed by Anthony Land for commercial furnishings brand Stylex is defined by its elegant curves and sculptural symmetry. Behind the scenes though, its most appealing feature is its customizability. Using Stylex’s design tools (CET and Revit), designers can specify their seating design to fit any space by conforming to the perimeter of a room or transforming an open area.

Luna gets its name from the half-moon shaped arm. The segments of the seating interlock using ganging brackets to form one continuous shape while the base options can be ordered as a plinth, with legs, or specified to integrate with custom built-in millwork. A variety of accessories transforms the seating to meet additional needs and preferences, including wireless charging trays, planters to add a biophilic element, and wood side tables in oak, maple, walnut, and black wood. Luna can be powered by a 3-prong plug if placed near an outlet or hardwired with power to become completely untethered from power sources. With endless ways to configure the collection, Luna invites collaboration and interaction in beautifully designed public spaces.

Anthony Land

To learn more about the Luna collection, visit stylexdesign.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.

Equal parts ultramodern styling, utility, and heritage craft production, the Diesel Living with Lodes collaboration grows by three new fixtures – Magic Mushroom, Reglobe, and U.F.O. – while expanding the existing Spring collection. The versatile selection of contemporary luminaires, suitable for residential and commercial interiors alike, is a product of dynamism between the irreverent international fashion brand and a historic Italian decorative lighting company, respectively. Their introduction fortifies an extensive portfolio of lighting that caters to material tastes and textural finishes found in Magic Mushroom, titillating forms like that of Spring or U.F.O., and sustainability-minded objects like Reglobe.

Funky, fun, fungi. Mushroom silhouettes inspire this lamp and namesake form with its blown glass, aqua finish diffuser that casts light in a kaleidoscopic pattern for a psychedelic effect. The black steel base fixture is available in one size and features an adjustable dimer.

Large, yet lightweight. Minimal, yet high-impact. And available in three sizes. The Reglobe pendant light shines in both visual performance and production prowess employing a special industrial process that uses rotational molding to incorporate recycled plastic grains into a 50% virgin LLPDE (linear low-density polyethylene) and 50% recycled polymer shade for a vibrant terrazzo finish.

The U.F.O. pendant lamp references pop culture iconography of Unidentified Flying Objects crafted through a minimalist lens reminiscent of the late 1990s. Hovering in suspension – and nearly silent in design language – this otherworldly luminary consists of a wide, flattened metal diffuser emitting a downward light beam through an LED house in a canonical element. It is available in two sizes and three finishes: Black, Rust, and Sand.

The existing collection comprising arm and ceiling models expands to include a floor lamp version that follows its iconic safety pin structural form. The floor version trades a traditional shade for an LED strip emitting linear light projection. This new, deep black fixture is available in one size but allows the user to reposition the output cable and base for directional lighting.

For more information on Diesel Living with Lodes lighting, visit lodes.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.

German aesthetics meets Swiss craftsmanship in this exciting collaboration between Braun and Paul Smith with the limited edition release of the Braun + Paul Smith BN0279 Watches. For the first time ever, a Braun watch has been made in Switzerland, pairing an ETA 2892A2 Swiss movement with a featured striped second hand in Paul Smith’s signature colors. The quintessential Braun aesthetic – minimal, uncluttered, clean – is apparent in the absence of numbers (except for the date) and extra sub dials. A small Paul Smith logo commemorates the partnership. “Braun’s products are so beautiful that I’ve always been very sensitive of not wanting to hardly change anything. Just adding a bit of our twist,” Smith shares.

What you can’t see from the photos is that the watch feels substantial in hand and on the wrist. “I like things that feel grown-up and feel correct in your hands. I’ve never been keen on light knives and forks for the same reason,” British designer Paul Smith explained. The matte gunmetal stainless-steel case and black PU strap maintains the monochromatic look, a testament to Braun’s “less but better” philosophy since its first ever watch, the AW10, launched in 1989. Smith also shares a personal connection with the brand, having had Braun’s head of design Dieter Rams pay a visit. Dieter, an iconic minimalist designer who arguably paved the modernist era, visited Smith’s not-so-minimalist office and “didn’t die,” Smith jests. “That was, I think, quite an achievement.”

In addition to the all-black version with a 40mm Gun Metal Grey Stainless Steel case (above), there’s another version with a 40mm Stainless Steel case (below).

To shop the all-black version of the Braun + Paul Smith BN0279 watch or the Braun + Paul Smith Gents BN0279 stainless steel case watch, visit braun-clocks.com. Each is limited to only 100 pieces.

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.

The machined minimalism of the Tesla Cybertruck is possibly the most divisive design in years, sporting angles and a finish that makes the DMC Delorean almost seem Isetta-ish. Wherever you fall in opinion, there’s no debate the design stirred up a great deal of hype and enthusiasm for its stark futurism, something the Infinite Machine P1 electric scooter’s sharply inspired two-wheeled transport hopes to reproduce.

Let’s begin with a subjective take about the P1’s design: compared to anxiety-inducing amalgamation of stainless-steel angled panels sheathing the Tesla Cybertruck, the P1’s smaller scale presents a more cohesive profile from all angles (at least in these press photos and videos).

With fewer surfaces to align than the unforgiving precision required of a truck-sized vehicle, the electric scooter’s aluminum and steel mono-chassis and front fascia give the appearance of a vectorized 80s Honda scooter. And that in our book is not a bad thing.

A pair of 72-volt 30-aH batteries powers the P1’s 6-kilowatt hub motor, with three speed modes accessible using a handlebar switch. Borrowing again from Tesla, the P1 also includes a red Turbo button to push it to its maximum 55 mph capabilities.

Cribbing from its 4-wheeled counterparts, the P1 forgoes a traditional instrument panel and is instead equipped with what almost appears likes an Apple iPad mini in landscape mode adhered to the handlebar dash. The all-digital display supports Wireless CarPlay – a first in its class, with a built-in speaker – and offers riders a clean and large GUI when accessing Maps/Google Maps (or their Spotify playlist).

On the topic of speakers, the P1 can be customized with an attachable, battery-powered speaker system, to transform it into a mobile boombox.

An optional rear trailer system offers extra hauling capacity.

The P1 is built around app integration, allowing remote locking/unlocking, theft prevention, tracking, and the all important ability to check on remaining battery power.

Two removable batteries power the P1 for up to 60 miles of range, with the option to add two more batteries for even more power.

The P1’s seat lifts to offer storage underneath, alongside other storage opportunities below the steering cluster, and between a rider’s legs, with the option to add additional side-saddle cargo modules.

With a top speed of 55 mph and estimated range of 60 miles per charge, the Infinite Machine P1 – available in Silver or Black – has its aspirations to appeal to urban commuters, bringing riders from point A to point B daily with the occasional C or D entering the equation without any range anxiety. At $10,000, Infinite Machine is putting out a pricey proposition, and you’ll need a Class M driver’s license to access Performance mode speeds past the standard 35mph. But you’ll be guaranteed plenty of attention riding upon this knife-like moped alongside the fact only 1,000 First Editions will be made to launch.

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.

Cloud Swing is monumental in many ways, but none more so than how the interactive public installation encourages accessibility and play for all. Two years in the making, Isometric Studio set out to prove that accommodating the disabled community in design is a must – not an afterthought. It is good design, not a barrier to achieving it. Cloud Swing includes two wheelchair accessible swings and three plank swings that are suspended from an electric blue, cloud-shaped curved steel pipe canopy on tripod legs. The swings face each other, creating an inclusive gathering space for community and visibility for all.

After multiple proposed locations, accessibility workshops, architectural iterations, and safety tests, the first-of-its-kind cloud-shaped, accessible swing set has been installed at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, New Jersey. Nestled between trees, it’s a space for community gathering, rest, and imagination for all to enjoy.

Isometric Studio also had help from Trina Hazell, an activist and Ms. Wheelchair New York 2018. She began the journey during the design development phase of the project, offering advice on safety and comfort. Hazell was also the first person to test the accessible swing and to ride it at Grounds for Sculpture!

Trina Hazell

Trina Hazell

Cloud Swing was developed with support from the Wellcome Trust Mindscapes program and INCLUDEnyc, the most prominent New York City non-profit dedicated to equity and access for young people with disabilities. The project was engineered and fabricated by Serett Metalworks and installed by Oliver Construction. The installation is the perfect example of how public spaces should celebrate inclusion.

To learn more about Cloud Swing, visit isometricstudio.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.