As with most furniture, anything large and custom tends to run pricey, but we are equal parts shocked and excited to discover Altitude, a new line of shelving from affordable furniture brand Cozey. The design by Evan Clabots is inspired by the clean lines of traditional Japanese woodworking, though we see similarities to traditional Danish design as well. Altitude features clean, minimal lines and an absence of a back panel that lends itself to the design’s open, airy look.

Installing the Altitude shelves couldn’t be easier. After using the included nails and Allen wrench to assemble the shelves, the installer tapes the included placement poster to visualize placement and mark the nail holes. A nail spacer is included to make sure the perfect amount of the nail is left unscrewed so that the shelf can be sturdily hung.

Altitude’s simple design allows it to stand on its on as a single unit or with multiple units to create a widespread, modular configuration. Each shelf can hold up to 90 pounds and is available in three finishes: Walnut, Oak, and Black Wood. Prices start $165 for a set of one, up to $990 for a set of six.

To learn more about Cozey’s Altitude shelving units or to purchase, click here.

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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.

“London’s favorite design fair is back” reads the London Design Fair’s website – and it is and it isn’t. The show, formerly known as Tent, is under new ownership, much smaller than in its pre-COVID heyday, and less tightly curated, but nonetheless it did contain some absolute gems. One of the highlights, not just of the London Design Fair but of the whole festival, was ‘You CAN Sit With Us’ curated by 2LG Studio, a London-based interior design and styling consultancy, founded by creative duo, Jordan Cluroe and Russell Whitehead (below left).

US Congress member Shirley Chisholm is credited with coining the oft-quoted expression, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring in a folding chair.” But with Russell and Jordan about, you won’t be needing one. You CAN Sit With Us (emphasis on “can” and referencing the 2004 movie Mean Girls) is a curation that responds to prejudice they have felt and still feel from the industry. They placed a long dining table at the heart of an installation designed to explore inclusivity and asked emerging designers to each design one chair, giving them a platform so they wouldn’t experience the same barriers.

Photo: Katie Treggiden

The project also included a collaboration with Granite + Smoke (pictured above with Jordan and Russell) whose colorful blankets featured the words from the exhibition title and with Custhom (immediately above). Other designers featured in the space include Ercol, Helen Kirkum, Wilkinson & Rivera, Sam Klemick, and Amechi Mandi.

Photo: Katie Treggiden

The other part of the fair that really shone was the British Craft Pavilion and the first stand through the door belonged to furniture maker Nick James. Nick describes himself as “a highly skilled craftsman and tree lover.” He’s an advocate of traditional woodworking techniques, uses British-grown wood, making everything by hand in his Newcastle-upon-Tyne workshop, and feeds his creativity by spending every Wednesday in his local woodland.

Photo: Katie Treggiden

Pamela Print spent 14 years in the fashion textiles industry and now relishes the slow pace of natural dying and hand weaving. Her Kantha III artwork (above) is hand-dyed using indigo and logwood plant dyes. As well as artworks, she also makes scarves, cushions, throws, and weaving kits.

Photo: Katie Treggiden

Will James runs Knot Design from a small studio and workshop in central London, making to order and celebrating the natural imperfections of wood. Like many of his products, the Dickens Wall Shelf (above) can be completely customized by size, timber, and number of shelves, so it’s just as perfect for a tiny nook as it is to provide “a sprawling display for your cherished collectibles.”

Photo: Katie Treggiden

Woven Memories cushions’ unique designs are created with an online tool that can turn any typed message into binary code and therefore a visual pattern. They are made from locally sourced and deadstock yarn to ensure their sustainability message is as embodied as the message coded into their designs.

Photo: Katie Treggiden

Barbara Gittings is a Brighton-based ceramicist, specializing in Nerikomi techniques. Inspired by a former career in textiles, these involve adding oxides or stains to the clay to color it and then joining, slicing, and rejoining layers of colors to build up patterns through the clay, which she then slab-builds, biscuit-fires, and sands down before a final smoke firing and polish. The result evokes the multi-layered effects of nature, such as the laying down of strata, weathering, and erosion.

Photo: Katie Treggiden

Pointing out negative spaces in the doorway opposite her stand that she is already convinced will inspire future work, Jane Cairns explains that her work (above) “is about finding beauty in the ordinary; about recognizing the accidental poetry in the unnoticed and overlooked,” she says. “Living in the city, this is often found in apparently insignificant visual details of the built environment – the space on a wall where something has been removed, a juxtaposition of materials, the sculptural qualities of found forms.”

Photo: Katie Treggiden

Each lamp by Margate-based Lux Pottery is a slab-built stoneware artwork in its own right, brought to life with a vintage-style lightbulb. She also makes wall hangings inspired by her surroundings in referencing mid-century design motifs.

Photo: Courtesy of Spark & Bell

Outside of the British Craft Pavilion, a couple of stands really stood out, one of which was Brighton-based Spark & Bell – a sustainable lighting company that is even creating its own sheet materials from recycled plastic.

Photo: Katie Treggiden

Another sustainable exhibitor of note was Studio Lia Karras, all the way from Winnipeg, Canada. Lia specializes in custom handwoven textile art for architectural spaces made with reclaimed and reimagined materials – often taken from the very buildings the resulting pieces are commissioned for.

Photo: Katie Treggiden

“I believe that abundance could look different,” she says. “I believe in living and working gently and leading a lifestyle and practice where beauty, quality, and sustainability are in balance. In all of my work, I strive to contribute without taking; to make the best possible use of the resources available to me by thoughtfully re-imagining the materials at hand. I strive to create something beautiful, functional, subtle, and tactile.”

Katie Treggiden is a purpose-driven journalist, author and, podcaster championing a circular approach to design – because Planet Earth needs better stories. She is also the founder and director of Making Design Circular, a program and membership community for designer-makers who want to join the circular economy. With 20 years’ experience in the creative industries, she regularly contributes to publications such as The Guardian, Crafts Magazine and Monocle24 – as well as being Editor at Large for Design Milk. She is currently exploring the question ‘can craft save the world?’ through an emerging body of work that includes her fifth book, Wasted: When Trash Becomes Treasure (Ludion, 2020), and a podcast, Circular with Katie Treggiden.

Cranleigh Lodge is a minimal residence located in London, United Kingdom, designed by OZA Design. Offering more than just shelter, the residence doubles as a space for hosting events while providing an adequate workspace. The structure segregates public spaces on the ground floor while reserving the first floor for private functions.

Natural materials are showcased in their raw form, and bespoke handcrafted elements pepper the interiors. A commitment to sustainability extends to the flooring in the living and dining areas, made from reclaimed British Oak, repurposed to form an intricate marquetry design. The living room stands out with a multipurpose integrated cabinet featuring a fireplace. Light oak panels reveal a mirror-backed cocktail bar and a media unit, transforming the space according to the residents’ needs.

The staircase, a transition point between the floors, is thoughtfully designed – integrating with the panelling and flooring of the adjoining areas, leading up to a hidden marble-lined powder room beneath. In the bedroom, concealed joinery maximizes space utility, while artworks from Sam Lock and furnishings from the OZA collection enhance the aesthetic appeal.

Outside, the garden mirrors the home’s design principles. While it retains a classic layout, it extends the interior’s volume and surface treatment, acting as a serene retreat from the urban hustle. Amongst the natural greenery, OZA-designed furniture weathered with the Shou Sugi Ban technique is placed throughout.

Photography by Edvinas Bruzas.

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.

Biophilic design has been trending upwards in the design industry and shows no signs of slowing down. Award-winning materials innovator 3form is releasing a different take on the movement with the new Ivory Flora Collection – a neutral, all-white palette of botanicals that celebrates materials found in nature. Challenging the greens and browns that we typically see when it comes to biophilia, the series offers up a fresh perspective on what organics can bring to a built environment, from calming to dramatic.

“We’ve shifted the idea of biophilia as a color additive and focused on the texture, detail, and scale these organics offer, and the result is a surface that draws you into a stunning display of materiality,” said 3form’s Chief Creative Officer, Ryan Smith.

From delicate Star Flower to robust Anahaw Palm and the feathery Mountain Fern, 3form’s design experts want to showcase organic materials with a crisp white twist. The three scaled patterns of Ivory Flora make the collection versatile enough to cover an array of spaces, leveraging their individual sizes to create a variety of aesthetic moods.

The smallest pattern, Star Flower is a delicate, whimsical flora that’s dainty in scale and perfect for use in healthcare and wellness spaces that are looking for subtle design with intricate details. Mountain Fern is fluid in design, with seemingly no end or beginning to its overlapping soft, elegant pattern. Anahaw Palm, the largest of the patterns, is reminiscent of the shade provided by fronds on a white sandy beach, exuding neutrality and deep visual texture that will add a sense of luxury to any space.

To develop the collection, 3form’s designers pressed dried botanicals into the brand’s flagship Varia product before meticulously testing the flora’s interactions with natural light. The dichotomy of crisp cleanliness and warmth comes alive when the patterns are exposed to natural light, creating a depth and texture sought after in biophilic design and beyond. The Ivory Flora Collection in Varia is available in 48″ x 96″ and 48″ x 120″ panels and in gauges ranging from ¼” to 1″ with a four-week lead time.

Whether you choose to leverage 3form’s color system to create a unique look with Ivory Flora, or as a modern neutral statement, the three patterns encapsulate the details of nature in a durable design material that’s sure to last.

3form’s new Ivory Flora Collection is available in the Varia material platform. Varia has certifications in Optimized EPD (SCS), Greenguard Gold (UL), Type III EPD (SCS), and a Red List Free Declare Label (ILFI). This pursuit of certifications and higher product standards is one example of the company’s comprehensive sustainability program – Align – in action. Launched in March 2020, Align represents 3form’s commitment to empowering architects, designers, and consumers to make smart choices about how they buy and build. The latest collection continues to stay true to the brand’s belief system.

To learn more about 3form’s Ivory Flora Collection or order free samples, visit 3-form.com/inspiration/ivory-flora.

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.

Material Matters is one the newest and most exciting additions to the London Design Festival. Only in its second year, it is held at The Barge House on London’s Southbank, making it a bit of a destination location, but well worth the trip. It has been co-founded by industry heavy-weights former editor of Crafts Magazine and Blueprint, Grant Gibson, and former deputy director of the London Design Festival itself and director of both 100% Design and Clerkenwell Design Week, William Knight, so you know you’re in safe hands.

The tempo is set from the moment you walk into the industrial atrium that waits behind the front doors. Likened by Grant to a magazine’s front cover, Planted, an installation by Danish designer Tanja Kirst comprises 10 textile pieces — made from hemp and yarn spun from oranges, seaweed, and pineapple — suspended from the double-height ceiling, inviting visitors ‘to experience new degradable and circular materials through experimental processes.’

Photography by Katie Treggiden.

Inside the exhibits range from the materially adventurous to more commercially applied examples, but this was a favorite – the This is Grown Shoe Upper by designer and creative researcher Jen Keane is fabricated using a process she calls ‘microbial weaving’ in which k. rhaeticus bacteria are encouraged to ‘weave’ a high-performance hybrid material that gives its plastic counterparts a run for their money.

Photography by Katie Treggiden.

MOD+ by Lima-based furniture design studio Retablo is a modular shelving system made from 100% recycled plastic and turned wood, native to where it is made in Peru. The whole thing is shipped flat and can be reconfigured as required.

Photography by Katie Treggiden.

Symposium of Gods and Spirits: Part 1 is London-based Ultramar Studio’s debut collection, inspired by ancient Greek gatherings for intellectual discussion. Hand-crafted by Hong Kong born Ewan Lamm as a response to both global crises and his own personal experiences, ‘as a haven for where Gods and spirits collaborate for global betterment.’ Positioned opposite the bar within Material Matters as it was, that might have been a lofty aspiration, but there were at least a few conversations aiming to put the world to rights. The Torii Stool (above) was inspired by the Japanese mythological structure and constructed with two arched legs joining with two beams to form the seat.

Photography by Katie Treggiden.

Wicker story is an off-shoot of Prelab Design Studio, an architecture and design practice based in Hyderabad, India. It was founded in 2019 by Priyanka Narula in response to a personal quest to define the future of design in the Indian context.

Photography by Katie Treggiden.

‘Our work involves the translation of digital processes for complex designing for easy adaptability to Indian craft and material systems,’ she says. ‘Wicker story, apart from being an effective tool to realize customized and complex geometries, also transcends scale and geometry and defines new protocols for design. Our products are 100% sustainable  and offer a zero waste production methodology.’

Photography by Katie Treggiden.

Made entirely from London-based waste, the curiously titled Growing Up I Never Wanted To Be An Office Chair was designed by Byron to challenge the monotony of conventional seating design and offer a playful alternative that might awake the childlike sense of fun in all of us.

Photography by Katie Treggiden.

One of the most touching pieces showcased at Material Matters was a reimagining of the cremation urn entitled Americano & Newspaper by Simon Frend. Handmade from recycled materials, these ‘ephemeral eco cremation vessels’ are designed to completely biodegrade into the earth when they are buried along with a loved one’s remains.

Photography by Katie Treggiden.

Solidwool has been around for a while. The idea behing the brand is to capture wool from Herdwick sheep – the iconic breed that was historically used in the UK carpet industry, but has fallen out of favor and is now considered an almost worthless byproduct of sheep farming – in eco-resin to create high-value furniture and accessories. The brand has recently been acquired by Roger Oates Design and a process of re-engineering the material, developing production and re-designing the Hembury Chair (above) undertaken. It was good to see that the results felt true to the original intent.

Photography by Katie Treggiden.

Mycelium feels like the material of the moment, so it wouldn’t be a show about materials without at least a couple of examples and fumo panels were one – wall covering panels comprising of fungal mycelium and agricultural waste like hemp and sawdust. ‘We allow biology to create highly sustainable material while transforming natural waste into solid biocomposites using fungi mycelium,’ they say.

Photography by Katie Treggiden.

Material Magic was a showcase from the Minerva Art Academy led by Jack Brandsma into alternative natural binders such as magnesium and potato starch. ‘Natural fibers like hemp are often used as reinforcement in combination with a synthetic binder, which makes the composite material hard to recycle,’ says Jack.

Photography by Katie Treggiden.

Perhaps the most surprising waste material on display was the use of the display lenses that eye doctors pop out of spectacle frames when they put your prescription lenses in. London-based designer and entrepreneur Yair Neuman has a long-running collaboration with British eyewear brand Cubbits, which started with a series of lights he designed for their stores.

Photography by Katie Treggiden.

He has now developed Delerex®, an innovative material made from discarded lenses, without the use of glues or bonding agents, which is used exclusively in his work. In the most beautifully circular move, he has now developed Fused, a collection of glasses frames that you can buy from Cubbits stores across London.

Photography by Katie Treggiden.

British designer Gareth Neal has collaborated with Dutch design studio The New Raw to pioneer a new 3D-printing method that uses three-times-recycled plastic and prints in intentionally imperfect loops rather than layers to mimic craft techniques and reduce errors. The result is a collection called Digitally Woven.

Photography by Katie Treggiden.

Interior leatherwork studio Bill Amberg exhibited the furniture that came out of its collaboration with the Knepp Estate, renowned for its ground-breaking ‘wilding’ project, the driving principle of which was to establish a ‘functioning ecosystem where nature is given as much freedom as possible.’ The collection uses leather from the estate’s English longhorn cattle. ‘We’re delighted to be collaborating with Bill Amberg Studio to honor our animals, in the way our ancestors would have done, by using their skins – with care, craft, and gratitude,’ says Knepp’s Isabella Tree.

Photography by Katie Treggiden.

And finally, one of the absolute highlights of the show was a mini-exhibition called Material Change by London-based design studio Pearson Lloyd. Reflecting on the changes they have made to their own practice over recent years, they explored themes such as ‘design with data,’ ‘design with waste materials’ and ‘design for circularity’ with honesty, pragmatism and clarity – qualities that are all-too-often missing from the environmental debate.

Katie Treggiden is a purpose-driven journalist, author and, podcaster championing a circular approach to design – because Planet Earth needs better stories. She is also the founder and director of Making Design Circular, a program and membership community for designer-makers who want to join the circular economy. With 20 years’ experience in the creative industries, she regularly contributes to publications such as The Guardian, Crafts Magazine and Monocle24 – as well as being Editor at Large for Design Milk. She is currently exploring the question ‘can craft save the world?’ through an emerging body of work that includes her fifth book, Wasted: When Trash Becomes Treasure (Ludion, 2020), and a podcast, Circular with Katie Treggiden.

Designer Antonio Citterio and Vitra’s history of collaboration now spans an impressive three decades. Beginning in 1988 with the first AC task chair, followed by numerous iterations after, the architect/designer has investigated the science of seating adorned with an artful eye for making ergonomics as visually comforting to the eyes as the chairs are to the body. Citterio’s tenth task chair with the brand, the Vitra ACX, arrives as an evolution of that long-lasting partnership – a chair not only serving the tenets of universal ergonomics for the home or office, but also one embracing the goal of producing an object with a “long service life with the smallest possible carbon footprint.”

Citterio and Vitra’s first collaboration took form in the AC1 in 1988, a juxtaposition of forms, patterns, and colors reflective of that postmodern era.

Vitra is calling the ACX “arguably the most sustainable task chair available,” a claim supported by the chair’s 100% recyclable construction (with the caveat the percentage does change according to specific customization options). Constructed with a limited number of components to simplify service and maintenance, Citterio explains, “The use of up to 100% recyclable materials was the single most important factor in the design process.”

Aesthetically, the ACX’s three-dimensional form-fitted knit covering the backrest is intentionally minimalist and without the intrusion of seams, yet the fabric retains a tactile imprint design promising supportive softness. The airiness of the mesh fabric design will appeal to those who prefer a lightweight presence across the back versus a traditionally padded support.

Made from 100% recycled polyester the knit cover is expressed in muted tones, resulting in a slight melange effect to complement both the ACX’s dark- and light-colored frame options.

The ACX is my tenth office swivel chair with Vitra and embodies the extensive know-how acquired throughout 30 years of close collaboration.

– Antonio Citterio

There has been an ongoing trend of subtracting controls from task chairs and the ACX follows suit. The elimination of physical controls can be attributed to reducing weight, cost, and in turn any confusion related to adjustment operation. In lieu of buttons and levers, the ACX’s mechanism automatically adjusts to a wide range of user weights, with only the seat’s height manually adjustable. Otherwise the chair is engineered to respond and adapt immediately to a person’s body, offering comfort and optimal support without a single control push, turn, or pull.

The lower part of the ACX backrest is a frame designed to offer lumbar support and optimal air circulation. Paired with a mesh or knitted cover stretched over this structure, the shell construction offers a great freedom of movement in the upper back and shoulder area unhindered by a frame.

The chair’s adaptive mechanisms are seamlessly integrated into the panel under the seat – an “adaptive” design, as described by Citterio – contributing to the chair’s compact design and uncluttered appearance. The mechanism is available with or without forward tilt, while the other features – height, seat depth, backrest lock, and two counterweight settings – are always included as standard.

“When you use a recycled material, the design needs to adapt to its inherent characteristics, while the overall production process has to take the physical and mechanical qualities of the material into account,” explains Citterio. “The structural elements in ACX are made of up to approximately 60% recycled materials, depending on the model.”

While Citterio’s ACX design alludes to concerns about the environment, its adaptive nature is also a response to the evolution of the work environment itself. “I see the office environment becoming more and more collaborative, more relaxed, less hierarchical, with the emergence of more informal, flexible, multi-purpose meeting spaces and ‘disruptive’ elements derived from residential ambiances.”

The ACX is available with height-adjustable armrests or 3D armrests, alongside in a range of natural muted tones.

Antonio Citterio Photo: Gianluca Di Ioia

The Vitra ACX is available in three versions: Mesh, Soft, and Light. The ACX Mesh starts at $990 and is outfitted with a knitted semitransparent fabric backrest, the ACX Soft starting at $1105 with a padded knit cover, with the entry-level ACX Light starting at $875 with a standard mesh knit cover (but only available in black).

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.

Mother Goddess of the Three Realms: Cross Encounters, Joining Threads was the title of “a celebration of UK and Vietnam’s cross-cultural and shared design heritage” curated by WAX Atelier (London) in collaboration with Blue H’mong craftswomen of Po Co village (Mai Chau Province) and KILOMET109 (Hanoi) as part of both London Design Festival and Vietnam Design Week.

The same group collaborated on Mother Goddess Rope (top and above), which is made from collectively sourced hemp, linen, nettle, silk, and wild yam root and bound together in song and dance.

Photo: Katie Treggiden

Using rope as both medium and metaphor, the exhibition explores cross-cultural ideas from a wide range of practitioners whom the curators describe as “a collection of individuals and organizations who are contributing to the preservation and proliferation of ancient material knowledge for one of humankind’s greatest technological inventions.” Above a selection of bast fibers show the ropes and cords that can be made from materials such as nettle, bramble, and raspberry.

A film screening area featured theater curtains and a backdrop made from naturally fire-retardant hemp, wool, and bast by British textile brand Camira and a pink theater rope made from cotton and silk by Brian Turner Trimmings Ltd, commissioned especially for the occasion. Two films were shown – Domestic Spinner by Yibing Chen, which explored the connections between spinning and women’s identities, and Mother Goddess of the Three Realms by Rocio Chacon and Yesenia Thibault Picazo (co-founder of WAX Atelier), which gave the exhibition its title and follows three groups of women as they create a 20-meter-long braided rope as an offering to the Mother Goddess to represent heaven, water, and forest.

The Nine Lives Shoe by Jennifer Duong and Natasha Hicks is made from recycled rubber, cotton, and nylon 4-stranded braided Caliga. It was designed for the “urban explorer” during Walking the City – a free summer school program led by STORE Projects to address the social imbalance in the creative industries.

Aimee Betts is an embroidery and textile artist specializing in traditional forms of stitching, knotting, and fabric manipulation, which she translates into contemporary designs. For this exhibition, she was showing ash batons, crapped and overhand stitched with wax cotton cord, leather cord, jute cord, and ceramic coated cord as well as samples made from the same types of cord and soutache cord, brass, tassel mould, dowel, rope, and vintage linen, combining traditional stitches with ones she has conceived herself.

Designed and made by Nice Projects, the simply titled Bench is made from hemp rope and wood to provide visitors to the exhibition with a place to rest, “converge and commune.”

Rope in Action is a sculptural structure running through the space that uses ubiquitous hardware items to showcase the rope strung and knotted through space.

Studio Raw Origins showcased Hemp, Earth + Politics – a demonstration of UK hemp decomposition processes into yarn, fiber, nutritional protein, and hemp seed oil – a small selection of their ongoing research into the thousands of uses for this carbon sequestering, zero waste, soil regenerating crop.

A Study in Bamboo by artist and molecular scientist Cynthia Fan is made from bamboo harvested over the summer from a garden in the area of London where the exhibition took place and is one of a series of compositions that enable an opportunity to gather field notes about the plant’s strength.

Sanne Visser, better known for her ropes made from human hair, was running rope-making workshops throughout the exhibition to demonstrate the process and offer visitors the chance to try it for themselves. She also had a dog lead made from human hair on display – part of her ongoing project, The New Age of Trichology, that connects hairdressers with spinners to promote this regenerative, non-extractive material for rope-making.

WAX Atelier collaborated with Brian Turner Trimmings Ltd to repurpose rope used for the recent British royal wedding into a temple decoration simply named Temple Tassel.

The Bee Skep Hut by Lyson Marchessault, Jesse Beagle, and Hayatsu Architects comprises a coppiced chestnut frame and a hazel and corrugated hemp fiber roof, wattle and daubed with London clay, hemp, and sand.

Katie Treggiden is a purpose-driven journalist, author and, podcaster championing a circular approach to design – because Planet Earth needs better stories. She is also the founder and director of Making Design Circular, a program and membership community for designer-makers who want to join the circular economy. With 20 years’ experience in the creative industries, she regularly contributes to publications such as The Guardian, Crafts Magazine and Monocle24 – as well as being Editor at Large for Design Milk. She is currently exploring the question ‘can craft save the world?’ through an emerging body of work that includes her fifth book, Wasted: When Trash Becomes Treasure (Ludion, 2020), and a podcast, Circular with Katie Treggiden.

If you’re one who fancies a cuppa tea on the daily, you’re apt to understand the importance of choosing a proper electric kettle to bring water to a boil quickly and accurately while steeping your favorite leaves, ensuring optimal taste and aroma. Swedish brand Aarke’s new sleek and modern Aarke Kettle is designed to bring water to a boil in satisfying silence, a stainless steel kettle engineered to elevate the daily ritual of preparing your favorite beverage.

Stockholm-based Aarke was founded in 2013 by industrial designers and friends, Jonas Groth and Carl Ljungh. The two established the brand as a premium alternative to the likes of Sodastream, releasing a pair of water carbonation devices featuring the pair’s discerning eye for modern industrial form and functional simplicity, expressed through their affinity for stainless steel. That same level of contemporary Scandinavian design and made-to-last construction is what sets apart their new Aarke Kettle from other electric kettles.

Sleek, simple to operate, and easy to clean, the Aarke Kettle abides by the notion “less is more,” with nothing extraneous added to its stable cylindrical 2-piece form. The base’s single button controls allows for variable temperature settings – 104°, 167°, 185°, 203°, and 212°F – alongside a memory function for those users who prepare a tried and true favorite tea every morning and want to get quickly to their first sip.

The Aarke Kettle’s user interface is pared down to the essential, with an LED temperature indicator allowing for easy temperature selection, while also displaying the temperature as the Kettle cools down. And in an era of features overload, how we welcome the kettle’s single button operation.

Aarke’s reductive approach to designing water preparation tools is contrasted by the brand’s obsessive focus perfecting those essential features. For example, the kettle vessel’s stainless steel exterior houses a heat-retaining double wall construction, keeping water warm/hot for hours on end. The kettle is also engineered to bring water to a boil with a hushed silence, a welcome feature for those of us who prepare tea (or coffee) with a preference for a more meditative state of awakening (it beeps when it reaches the desired temperature).

Functionally, in hand the Aarke Kettle allows for a gentle pour thanks to its  stainless steel handle that never becomes hot, alongside a non-drip spout for accurate pouring over loose leaf teas or for coffee pour-overs (a gooseneck spout tends to be better for this method, but the Aarke Kettle is a capable as a stand-in and also works perfectly well for French Press preparation).

The nearly 11-inch tall kettle can be a tad unwieldy in smaller hands when completely filled with water, weighing 3.52-lbs unfilled, so caution is warranted if you’re still working on those pour-over muscles.

Stainless steel isn’t just classically beautiful and long lasting, but also a hygienic material that makes cleaning simple. Aarke Kettle’s heating element is hidden, allowing for easy maintenance between brews (typically all you’ll need to do is give it a quick rinse and allow it to dry, but Aarke also recommends the occasional descaling if the water you use is mineral heavy).

The Aarke Kettle is available for $259 at aarke.us (with a 10% discount if you sign up for their email list).

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.

NEON creates some of the best site-specific public artworks out there, and Born to Be Wild stays true to that statement. The permanent installation is centrally located within Keepmoat’s Cable Wharf development in Northfleet, UK, designed so that the public can interact by climbing, sitting on, and walking through it. But Born to Be Wild is more that what meets the eye, as it’s been installed above the buried remains of a bear pit that was a focal attraction of 19th century Victorian gardens.

Bear Pit Overlay

To preserve the historical structure from further weathering and erosion, English Heritage advised it be re-buried. In response, NEON used the lines of the archaeological drawings of the bear pit to define the sculpture when viewed from overhead. Gently undulating details evoke tree branches, which are of course a part of a bear’s natural environment. This particular way of interacting with Born to Be Wild is intended to be thought provoking – what’s the future relationship between animals and humans?

Mick O’Farrell, Regional Managing Director at Keepmoat, said: “It’s important to us that we celebrate the local history of our sites and their surrounding areas.” Added Mark Nixon of NEON, “We were keen that this project might allow the public to understand what lies beneath their feet while also providing an engaging, functional, and interactive experience. A key component of the project’s success was engagement with the local school children from Rosherville primary school who encouraged our team to make the sculpture even more wild!”

The group of Key Stage 2 students from Rosherville Church of England Primary Academy went through a series of online workshops during Covid that allowed them to explore the artwork and provide feedback. Their responses encouraged the NEON team to make the form much more curvaceous for a more exciting experience when used for play.

“The art installation was originally commissioned to ensure the heritage at Cable Wharf was preserved and based on its popularity within the local community, we believe this has been achieved by the team NEON with the public artwork commemorating the historic bear pit within the Italian garden,” shared Adam Knight, Regional Managing Director at Keepmoat, South Midlands.

The artwork was manufactured by Steeline in ten sections that were bolted together onsite. Born to Be Wild is constructed from 316 stainless steel and painted in a marine grade epoxy paint for durability. Special attention was paid to the foundations that were designed to be shallow so they wouldn’t impact the historic bear pit structure beneath. The artwork was engineered by Elliot Wood.

To learn more about Born to Be Wild, visit neon.uk.

Photography by Simon Anning.

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.

In the heart of Bali’s lush jungle, a mesmerizing architectural structure has taken root, challenging conventional notions of residential living. The Loop, a jaw-dropping spiral house in Pajangan, Bali, has redefined the essence of living amidst a tropical paradise, thanks to architect Alexis Dornier, with the help of interior designer Silvia Fairman.

The design behind The Loop began with a desire to eschew the ordinary. The simple design brief – “We have lived in boxes our entire life – we now seek the opposite” – allowed Dornier to break free from architectural norms and create a space that captures the essence of freedom. Leaving the typical box behind, Dornier dreamt up a design that defies gravity, embraces fluidity, and invites inhabitants to live life on their own terms.

Inspired by the beauty of the natural world and motivated by the challenge of pushing architectural boundaries, The Loop’s design concept took shape as a figure 8 spiral. This innovative and daring approach offers a continuous, ever-changing experience, allowing residents to explore its unique radial design. It’s a journey into uncharted territory where the house itself becomes a work of art, transcending the confines of conventional living.

One of the project’s most remarkable achievements lies in its seamless integration with the surrounding jungle. Carefully chosen materials such as concrete, wood, and natural stone effortlessly connect the structure with the greenery, creating an environment that exudes sophistication and modernity while respecting the jungle it calls home.

But The Loop wasn’t without its challenges. Bending materials in two dimensions and solving complicated geometrical situations required close planning with skilled artisans. It was a journey that tested the boundaries of architectural possibilities, resulting in a unique and captivating house.

Throughout the process, the collaboration between the architects and their clients was key. The homeowners actively participated in material selection and design decisions, fostering a connection with the home and a feeling of shared ownership.

The house itself, appears to float above the ground on a steep slope, blending seamlessly with the jungle’s natural environment. Careful landscaping blurs the lines between the structure and nature, transforming it into “a living entity that symbolizes unity with the surroundings.”

Strategically laid out, each room in The Loop offers breathtaking views and a sense of discovery as one moves throughout. From bedrooms to communal spaces, every corner of the house becomes a tranquil spot, immersing the residents into the surrounding serene beauty.

Photography by KIE.

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.