Catherine and VW Fowlkes attended architectural school together – not at the same place (Catherine graduated from MIT’s School of Architecture and Planning, VW from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design) but at the same time: “We lived together and had our own shared hell together,” says Catherine, with a smile. “I can’t imagine living with someone who was not understanding of the maybe false urgency that I felt, at all times. It was incredibly stressful as well as exhilarating – so it would be really hard to communicate to someone who wasn’t going through that, what the big deal was. Why are you so excited?”



Now, they share their personal lives and their business, Fowlkes Studio, in Washington, DC. For this week’s Milkshake, we asked them what it was like working in one of the world’s power capitals. “DC has a lot of, let’s say, Type A people – a lot of busy people, though I don’t think that’s necessarily unique to Washington,” Catherine says. “A lot of our clients are stressed, they’re busy, and to the extent that we can make their home an oasis, it can be calm, maybe they even feel like they’re on vacation in their own home – those are parts of the conversation we’re having.” VW adds: “There’s a cliché that people have “power walls” in their houses, like pictures of them shaking hands with senators,” VW says. “I don’t think we’ve done that – but it is true that it’s known to be a conformist town, and there’s a lot of historic preservation regulations in many 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.”

Also in this week’s Milkshake, the Fowlkes share how they integrate craftsmanship into their residential projects, and what makes DC architecturally unique from other big cities in America – from sites like the National Cathedral and the street grid to the design elements that make the city’s embassies relevant to their countries. “The embassies in DC are very unique to Washington for obvious reasons, and the architecture of those embassies varies, of course, from country to country,” Catherine says. VW says: “Some of them are old mansions that have been kind of retrofitted into embassies, but many are reflective of those national identities. And it was really interesting as a child seeing that – in fact, I thought I wanted to go into the foreign service because I was so fascinated by the embassies. It never occurred to me that it was the architecture that was making me excited. Brazil’s, by [Oscar] Niemeyer, is one we drove by all the time – it’s a big glass cube on a smaller glass cube, and it’s out there. It was dazzling as a child.” For more, tune in!

Diana Ostrom, who has written for Wallpaper, Interior Design, ID, The Wall Street Journal, and other outlets, is also the author of Faraway Places, a newsletter about travel.

Milkshake, DMTV (Design Milk TV)’s first regular series, shakes up the traditional interview format by asking designers, creatives, educators and industry professionals to select interview questions at random from their favorite bowl or vessel. During their candid discussions, you’ll not only gain a peek into their personal homeware collections, but also valuable insights into their work, life and passions.

Soft vs. hard, quilted vs. fired. These dualities describe the latest collaboration between award-winning ceramicist Virginia Sin and B-corp certified textile maker Haptic Lab, both who happen to be studio neighbors at New York’s Brooklyn Navy Yard. Created just in time for fall and winter, their newly debuted Quilt Coats bring together two different spheres of craftsmanship in a garment that’s as delightful as it is cozy.

Haptic Lab, known for their quilted coats and maps, made this particular design oversized and roomy, with a drop shoulder sleeve to remove bulk around the arms. There are three designs – Snake Path, Pinwheel, and Nine Patch – and all of them come with a hood, a first for the textile brand. To finish off the coat, Sin, who is associated with a very distinct playful and modern style, designed a single large button, adding a contrast against the soft 100% organic cotton. Each ceramic button is made by hand and left unglazed so that the button can patina with time and use. To launder, simply wrap the button in tinfoil and wash the coat inside out on a gentle cycle. Like ceramics and quilts in their traditional forms, this Quilted Coat is intended to be an heirloom to be passed down for years to come.

Emily Fischer, founder of Haptic Lab, with ceramicist Virginia Sin

To learn more or shop the collection, visit hapticlab.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.

Vestre’s TELLUS bench, designed by Swedish multidisciplinary designer Emma Olbers, has released the first piece of furniture that uses SSAB’s 100% fossil-free steel. The Norwegian furniture company and celebrated designer have both been proponents of sustainability within the industry, and Tellus is the milestone result of their collaboration. By doing so, they hope to inspire others to follow suit.

”For me, it is important that form and design follow the planetary boundaries and aim to be part of the solution in the green transition,” said Olbers. “Therefore, it´s great to collaborate with companies that also want to be at the forefront and have actually realized that we are sawing off the very branch we are sitting on. These are companies that set Science Based Targets (SBTi) to contribute in meeting the Paris Agreement.”

TELLUS is timeless and inviting, with a design that makes it ideal for parks and other city environments. The bench received its name because it was designed “with Tellus in mind,” in accordance with planetary boundaries. ”TELLUS is great example of what steel can be used for. There is little that is more social, tangible, and accessible to people than a park bench in a public space. A place where people can sit down, talk to each other, and get to know each other,” said Bjørn Fjellstad, CEO at Vestre.

Like Olbers, Vestre has made moves to be at the forefront of testing new technologies and solutions to reduce the brand’s overall climate impact. Traditional steel production relies on coal burning – and the large emissions of greenhouse gases that accompany it. Globally it accounts for 7% of all CO2 emissions, and for Vestre, steel makes up more than 60% of its total carbon footprint.

“The main goal was to create a bench with as few emissions as possible. An outdoor bench for public environments must also withstand a lot of wear and tear. Therefore, a strong construction is important,” Olbers shared. “We have striven to use as little material as possible, but still maintain the strong construction. I think it should both radiate a metal feel and a tactility, but also look welcoming, hence the wide armrests which visually is inviting and functionally provides space for a coffee cup.”

Vestre aims to be the world’s most sustainable furniture company, pushing forward developments while transitioning to more sustainable materials and production methods. “To get there, we need to be ahead of the curve,” says Øyvind Bjørnstad, CSO (Chief Sustainability Officer) at Vestre. “Early estimates show that converting all our steel to fossil-free could reduce our overall footprint by around 60 percent.”

To learn more about the TELLUS bench and SSAB’s 100% fossil-free steel, visit vestre.com.

Photography by Einar Aslaksen.

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.

When graphic designer, Bart Crosby, longed for a serene fishing escape outside of the city on a secluded lake in Northern Wisconsin, Wheeler Kearns Architects delivered just that. The Clearwater Lake Retreat marries a single-story modernist structure with its rustic environment in a flat clearing surrounded by 2.5 acres of woods.

The pavilion-style house is oriented on the land to maximize views out of its two sides made of black-framed windows. The floor-to-ceiling glass walls are flanked by two heavy stone walls that anchor the rectangular structure.

The Clearwater Lake Retreat is crowned with a butterfly-shaped roof that seems to hover over the structure. This roof not only adds a contemporary element above the mix of stones but also extends to create a covered porch on each side, offering the perfect spots for outdoor relaxation.

The interior of this fishing retreat features an open-plan living space, that’s ideal for cooking, entertaining, and relaxation. The two private bedrooms offer private escapes, while a central core volume houses essential functional spaces, including a mechanical room, two bathrooms, and ample storage.

The cabin not only provides a visual connection with nature but also ensures a sustainable connection with the environment. Heating is achieved through hydronic floor heat, radiant tubing within the three-foot thick stone walls, and a wood-burning fireplace that adds a cozy touch to the living area. In the warmer months, the retreat relies on natural ventilation and shade from the surrounding trees to keep things cool and comfortable.

The material palette of neutral colors and earthy textures mirrors the natural surroundings. The exterior features sleek black metal-framed windows set against horizontally stacked stone walls in shades of gray. These same stone walls make an appearance inside with their colors complementing the concrete floors.

Photography by Steve Hall.

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.

After a long and successful decade of collaboration with Italian ceramic company Mutina, renowned designers Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby are celebrating the milestone with a new collection, the Rivington Tables. The name comes from the Rivington Bar & Grill Restaurant where Barber and Osgerby had their first meeting with Mutina. Ten years later with five collections under their belt, the duo are adding the Rivington Tables to Mutina Editions, which features entirely handcrafted ceramic objects made in Italy by skilled master potters.

The Rivington Tables collection consists of two wall tables and three freestanding tables, all made using cast molds and colorful glazes. One of the wall tables features a round Tondo top, while the rest of the tables are topped with a rectangular Rettangolare surface. The various shapes that make up the table base, legs, and top are highlighted through the use of color. In fact, the very curated color palette is what gives the collection its defining feature.

With Rivington Tables, we enjoyed the liberty to craft a more compact collection where colour plays a pivotal role. It can be bolder, more vibrant… kind of like candy.

– Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby

Like all of Mutina’s collections, the Rivington Tables are made without any Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC). The tables also comply with the Restricted Substances Declaration and are packaged in entirely recyclable materials.

To learn more about the Rivington Tables collection, visit Mutina.

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.

Hiding in plain site within the nondescript commercial husk of a former Melrose dry cleaner can be found Blue Bottle Studio. The coffee brand’s first residency in the United States, the intimate Los Angeles space hosts a mere eight seats, each awaiting to serve a thoughtfully composed and choreographed exploration of the beloved beverage spanning brewed leaves and flowers, to fermented berries, and across numerous surprising expressions of roasted coffee all surrounded by surfaces, sounds, and aromas curated to elevate all of the senses.

Designed with longtime Blue Bottle collaborators Airi Isoda and Ryan Upton of architecture firm wrk-shp, with the support of Capsule Manufacturing, Blue Bottle Coffee’s founder, James Freeman, Global Head of Innovation, Benjamin Brewer, alongside Global Head of Cafe Design, Cary Cheng conspired to impart every detail of their coffee bar with omotenashi, the deeply-rooted Japanese value of hospitality transcending expectations of guests. The intention inhabits every corner of the interior layout, with each piece of serving ware, ceramic pendant, all the way down to the hyphen-shaped brass chopstick stands used to gently elevate each card presented across the 8-course menu serving a sense of serenity.

“The Studio is our answer to this question: How hard can we work to reveal the essential nature of an extraordinary coffee and present it to a handful of guests in a modest room?” explains Freeman. “We wanted to create a space for the experiential rather than the common educational, informational coffee tasting.”

Embodying the concept of ma – the space around/the space between – the Studio unfolds to offer guests a spatial and holistic experience transcending taste, inviting negative space as a participant. Photo: Gregory Han

That experience begins with guests breaching a wall of coffee-dyed curtains into the Studio. Designed by fiber artists Niki and Yusuke Tsukamoto of Lookout & Wonderland, each patchwork panel was dyed with various blends of Blue Bottle coffee beans, creating both a visual and aural barrier between the world from where guests have arrived and the realm of the senses awaiting on the other side.

Blue Bottle Coffee’s founder, James Freeman. For the first course coffee leaves, flowers, and fermented coffee berry are poured to present an entirely new spectrum of flavors unknown to most. Photo: Gregory Han

One cannot but think of a sushi bar upon sitting behind the purpose-built expanse of the Studio’s bar. Designed to serve hot liquids, the wood is paired with an inlaid brass surface dulled into a darkened patina from where the small team of Blue Bottle baristas operates a studied and purposeful choreography of steeping, stirring, and pouring their coffee omakase throughout the 90-minute experience.

The intimacy of the seating and depth of the Studio’s bar invites those in attendance to lean forward to engage in conversation. Photo: Blue Bottle Studio

Photo: Blue Bottle Studio

Aged brass was selected for its durability and timelessness (Freeman exhibits a habit of wiping away the smallest wayward drop with admirable finesse), complementing the row of walnut Windsor chairs situated across the bar, angled ever so slightly to silently welcome guests on arrival.

Selina Viguera, cafe lead for Blue Bottle Studio, speaks with a guest. Photo: Gregory Han

Mobility and adaptability were emphasized from conception, permitting the Blue Bottle Studio team to move the brass coffee bar, architectural partitions, and curtains without too much hindrance when required.

A pair of vintage Altec Lansing VOTT A7 speakers, turntable, and tube amp selected by noted audio specialist Benjamin Brinkman are stationed to accompany every part of the menu, with personal album selections from James, Benjamin, and other Studio baristas’ personal vinyl library adding yet another sensorial layer. Photo: Gregory Han

Reinforcing the importance of sound, the walls of the Studio are designed to be audio baffles with sound dampening materials such as cork to aid with the overall acoustics of the room.

James Freeman concluding with a coffee digestive. Photo: Gregory Han

A small selection of ceramics and extremely limited coffee products are sold at the front entrance. Photo: Blue Bottle Studio

It’s a bit of bittersweet realization that it was twelves years in the making for the Blue Bottle Studio to arise in Los Angeles Studio (a followup to 2023’s Kyoto and Hong Kong outposts serving similarly conceived menus). But impermanence was always intentionally designed into the Blue Bottle Studio. Like a haiku, the Studio’s nature is intended to be brief, and only open until November 5th with reservations.

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.

If the best tools are the ones that you use, it’s also true those very tools should be conveniently at hand – a perspective complicated when it comes to robot vacuums. The cleaning appliances are designed to run with increasing autonomy, but perform best when stationed conspicuously out in the open, a requirement that comes into direct conflict with our propensity to want to hide away devices and appliances that just don’t quite mesh with the rest of the home, in turn making them less effective in the process.

It’s this very dilemma that motivated Director of Industrial Design Insun Hong and her small team at iRobot to design the Roomba Combo j9+ robot vacuum and mop with a base station that softens the line between necessary functionality and welcoming form. We spoke with the iRobot designer via Zoom about the challenges of imagining a smart home cleaning device you might come to love… but don’t necessarily ever want noticed.

Hi Insun, could you introduce yourself and tell us what you do?

Yes, I’m Insun Hong, the Director of Industrial Design at iRobot. I’ve been with iRobot for about six and a half years, and in that time I’ve built a small team of seven designers whose core function is to design the look and feel, alongside the user experiences, around our hardware. We work closely with the software design team, and also have designers in China who work closely with our manufacturers there.

Let’s jump right into the design of the newly announced Roomba Combo j9+, specifically its docking base unit. It’s been designed with a wood(like) top and cabinet style storage that opens like a piece of furniture. Could you share the inspiration behind the design?

With the Roomba Combo j9+ we began with the core question: “How can we really keep the house always clean?” The obvious answer is add more features, improving the sensors, and make the vacuum even more powerful. But the other answer to keeping the house clean is recognizing it’s important to keep those cleaning devices nearby – where you eat, where you hangout, where life unfolds – and not hidden away in the closet or in the basement. We want our product to be right there in the living room or in your bedroom.

This seems very similar to the issue hampering air purifiers, an appliance that can seem like an imposition within the home. The device’s efficacy operates in conflict with the user’s inclination to hide it away.

Yes, we identified that as a major hurdle when we first kicked off this project around two to three years ago. We wanted to design a combination of hardware and technology that not only could co-exist, but integrate into the home environment like a piece of furniture.

We knew we had to come up with a new form factor, because the market was already filled with the same “trash can” docking station form factor that opens from the top. Our inspiration was furniture with a cabinet door that opened to the side. So we designed prototypes with a fixed top surface, and in doing so created a shape that could be identified and used as a side table, an object that makes it obvious you’re welcome to place something on top of it.

Insun Hong also noted the Roomba Combo j9+ robot vacuum and mop includes a physical button rather than touch capacitive design, further emphasizing its tactile presence.

That seems like an obvious direction, but noting the status quo, there must have been reasons why everyone else shares a very similar design?

It seems simple, but we actually had to work with our engineers to develop a new architecture permitting the cabinet-style design. It’s actually very difficult to design a black plastic box made to safely store liquids and house electronics – a design ready for mass production.

While the top looks like wood, it’s not real, is it? 

Genuine materials like wood or marble were not an option for us for a variety of reasons. So we had to explore different design solutions to elevate the design. For example, inspired by modern architecture, our design team wrapped the base dock with vertical lines. We integrated a soft leather-style pull tab, a primary touch point the user will interact with to open and store accessories. Those small details create an emotional experience more closely associated with opening a cabinet instead of a robot vacuum.

In the “Co-Exist” illustration the docking base station was taller and more side table in dimension. If the intent was to make this dock more furniture-like, why was the size diminished?

Good question! The design was mainly driven by the the tank volume. We wanted to give users the freedom not to have to refill the tank for 30 to 60 days. So that was what originally informed the dimensions before we began building different prototypes. We had three designers working at different locations at that time, mocking up models with foam core and wrapping each top in fabric or wood, then took them home to test each to see what they looked like in the bedroom, living room and others locations in the house. It was during this time I found myself putting stuff on top of it. I remember testing hundreds of different heights, depths, and widths before landing on the most acceptable size that met our original requirements and that could function as a side table. One version was too low and my son began using it as a stand!

Was there any thought about taking the side table concept even further? For example, making the docking unit cylindrical and hiding the round circular vacuum flush once docked?

Noting there are things like the motor and internal tank required inside, a rectangle is a more efficient use of space. So, yes, we did test a cylindrical model, but the increased size required to accommodate the same volume as the rectangular-shaped tank was not met with positive feedback.

Where have you found most of your users tend to keep their Roomba vacuums?

Mostly in the living room. But it really depends on a home’s layout. For example, if you’ve got a lot of open space without obstacles, walls, or doors, people like to place them between the living room and kitchen. But we’ve also noticed people like to station them in a big bedroom or even in the closet.

Will we see more color options to better match a wider spectrum of decor?

As a designer, I’d love to create more options for the customer. In the North American market we identified black as still being perceived as the most premium color. But we’re a global company, and we’ve noted customers in Europe and Asia, especially in Japan where white is popular, want different options.

But it’s important to note this is not just about color trends. Choosing different colors adds layers of challenges. A brief explanation is the robot’s sensors reacts differently to different colors and textures. Even the glossiness and grain of objects “seen” by the robot can help or hinder how it navigates and returns back to the dock. Any time we change colors, we have to recalibrate the robot.

Finally, I noticed you originally studied automotive design. How did you find yourself designing autonomous vehicles of a much smaller scale?

Designing cars is such a slow process [sigh]. It takes four years to bring a design to market if you’re lucky. I wanted to learn faster and do more. So before joining iRobot I began at HP where I was able to put out five products in the market within one to two years. It was really really fun for me to see my work go from a sketch and to the market that fast. And when I got married and I moved to Boston, I joined iRobot. Seven years later, I can say it’s been a great place to work!

Many thanks to iRobot’s Insun Hong. We plan to follow-up with a hands-on review of her team’s Roomba Combo j9+ robot vacuum and mop in the near future.

This post contains affiliate links, so if you make a purchase from an affiliate link, we earn a commission. Thanks for supporting Design Milk!

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.

In 2013, Ugo Rondinone’s 20-foot stone figures took over Rockefeller Plaza. In 2016, his 35-foot towers of fluorescent-colored boulders landed in the Las Vegas desert, and now this month at Gladstone Gallery in New York, Ugo Rondinone debuts his newest astounding sculptures: 3 solid “lightning strikes” made from bright yellow painted bronze, each reaching over 20 feet tall.

Rondinone’s work often ignites surprising contrasts between the natural and unnatural while twisting perceptions of material, time, and scale. His latest exhibition, bright light shining feels like a dream while you’re still in it – both familiar and bizarre. The sculptures initially appear to be upside-down trees or massive roots – but are in fact bronze. The large skylight and gray walls (painted for this exhibition) give an odd sense of time – neither day nor night, while the lightning itself invites you to perceive a phenomena that naturally occurs in a millisecond to the blink of an eye on permanent pause.

Ugo Rondinone, glorious light, 2023

Ugo Rondinone, sublime light, 2023

Ugo Rondinone, blissful light, 2023

Visitors who walk under the jagged 3-dimensional forms may experience another strange suspicion: If these were cast from real trees, the branch structure isn’t “growing” like any familiar tree on earth (even if upside-down). The texture, grain, and splinters look hyper-real, and yet the form feels impossible.

Ugo Rondinone: bright light shining. Gladstone Gallery New York

The answer may lie in Rondinone’s 2021 exhibition in this space. There, the artist presented a series of work titled nuns + monks that looked like gigantic boulders but were actually created from bronze enlargements of much smaller 3D-scanned limestone rocks.

Are these new works also bronze enlargements of small twigs, technologically transformed into a giant scale where physics is simultaneously familiar and impossible? Whatever their origin, Ugo Rondinone’s sculptures float between material categories, time perception, and the scale of the natural universe – providing a unique sense of wonder that spans across all his work.

Ugo Rondinone: bright light shining (detail) Gladstone Gallery New York

Ugo Rondinone: bright light shining. Gladstone Gallery New York

Ugo Rondinone, alluring cloud, 2019

A quiet final sculpture becomes visible only once inside the space. The gray alluring cloud is a blob-like form made from sand, gravel, and concrete. It too is a material transformation – heavy stone describing weightless vapor – as if it too is frozen in time.

Ugo Rondinone: bright light shining. Gladstone Gallery New York

The author with Ugo Rondinone’s bright light shining. Gladstone Gallery New York, 2023

Ugo Rondinone’s bright light shining is an exciting must-see experience that changes the air in the room while prompting a sustained and altered curiosity about the environment beyond the gallery’s walls.

What: Ugo Rondinone: bright light shining
Where: Gladstone Gallery, 530 W 21^st St, New York, NY
When: September 14 – November 9, 2023

All images © Ugo Rondinone, Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery
Final image photographed by author David Behringer

David Behringer visits over 200 galleries every month to uncover and share the most exciting contemporary art in New York today. Subscribe to his exclusive weekly newsletter at www.thetwopercent.com and learn about his private gallery tours. And be sure to check out his YouTube.

Located within the Pilsen–Lochotín district of Pilsen, Czech Republic, the Double Gable House, designed by PRO-STORY, breathes new life into a once-forgotten row of semi-detached family houses, each of which have been reimagined thereby changing the neighborhood’s original scale. After the surge of renovations and additions where the original character has been altered, the Double Gable House is doing more than just preserving history – it’s helping to redefine it.

The most striking feature of the renovation is the introduction of two archetypal gabled roofs, elevating the property’s exterior while creating a dynamic and inviting interior. The house now boasts different floor levels, wooden mezzanines, and an open roof volume that invites an abundance of natural light. To balance the light with privacy, PRO-STORY incorporated windows adorned with wooden battens, offering a play of light and shadow while maintaining the occupants’ seclusion.

What sets the Double Gable House apart is its seamless blend of old and new. The project preserves the historical elements of the facade, contrasting them with contemporary additions. The original plastered facades now match with a fresh coat of white paint, while new wooden windows embrace a minimalist yet modern design ethos. The gables, roof, and garden facade are clad in wooden slats, creating a visual unity that marries the past and the present.

The side entry leads visitors through a passageway clad in vertical wooden slats before arriving at a sunny yellow door.

The ground floor features a children’s room, bathroom, and a spacious living room that connects to the rear garden. Meanwhile, the top floor boasts a second children’s room and the primary suite, complete with a private bathroom and access to a mezzanine.

The primary bathroom secures natural light through its glass wall, which also allows views from the living room downstairs and the mezzanine across the void.

The same yellow from the front door carries over to the kitchen cabinet uppers, adding visual interest with the happy hue and offset design.

In lieu of a typical staircase handrail, PRO-STORY incorporated a doubled-sided wall of bookshelves for maximum storage.

PRO-STORY architects

Photography by Petr Polák.

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.

Designed by Filippo Mambretti for Italian jewelry brand Bijouets, the Bharata bracelet is a piece of jewelry inspired by ethnic and tribal art. Its name comes from Bharatanatyam dancers, who wear inspiring jewels while performing a common dance in the Indian and Middle Eastern regions. The Bharata bracelet is designed to celebrate the tactile and emotional bond that’s formed between a human and their body through dancing. Combining modern technology with humanity, the bracelet is entirely 3D printed out of nylon but then hand finished and colored, giving it a hand-made feel. When worn, the bracelet acts as a reminder of the tactile relationship between human beings, the earth, the dance, the body, and the feelings conjured between all of the above.

Available in four different colors, the Bharata bracelet is 3D printed out of nylon in a single size. To purchase, visit bijouets.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.