We love all things modular and we love Case Study® – so the two together are truly a dream come true. The new Case Study® Furniture Fjord series from Modernica is a modular seating system with individual components that can be joined together endlessly. Create lounge chairs with or without arms, while two corner modules form a loveseat. You can even execute a modern take on the retro “sofa pit!” There’s also the option for different seat heights by simply stacking two modules together. The versatility is incredible and the overall design even better.

Each module in the family is detachable, and features an extremely strong internal structure that’s lined with high resilience HR28 foam for maximum support and long-term durability. In other words, it’s ready to handle whatever you – and life – throw its way. The Case Study® Furniture Fjord series is manufactured from raw materials in Modernica’s California factory. All modules are upholstered in the fabric of your choice, then finished by hand.

To learn more about the new Case Study® Furniture Fjord series from Modernica, visit modernica.net.

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.

Objective Gallery is gearing up to present the first duo exhibition of designers Jeff Martin and Sam Klemick: Please Sit for an Alternate Ending. Martin and Klemick’s selection of functional objects defy industry norms and conventional practices to breathe new life into materials otherwise deemed futile. Opening August 18th and running through September 29th, the exhibition will showcase each artist’s approach to the use of materials that are seen as no longer holding value – and prove disbelievers wrong. In other words, there are many alternate endings that don’t include a landfill.

A highlight of the show is Martin’s ‘Sarcophagus’ series. “Treasure chests, tombs, urns, bank vaults, shipping containers. Sarcophagus. As a species we seem to think we are owners of things, land, and property. The Sarcophagus series is built in the same spirit, but encourages you to realize your duty as a custodian of few, a precious talisman which shifts your viewfinder of life,” he said.

Sarcophagus Console Table, stoneware, glaze, maple, suede

“I realized I was kind of moving towards making these body shaped cabinets to keep custody of our most spiritually reaffirming objects from others,” Martin shared of the process. “And there could be no other title than Sarcophagus. Even though the pieces are not tombs nor granite, they carry the same spirit of wonder that the Egyptian civilization has elucidated the world with.”

Sarcophagus Console Table, stoneware, glaze, maple, suede

Sarcophagus 12 Wall Hanging Cabinet, stoneware, glaze, maple, suede

Sarcophagus 12 Wall Hanging Cabinet, stoneware, glaze, maple, suede

Nap Chair, bleached salvaged Douglas Fir lumber, deadstock off white canvas 100% cotton

The artist’s work with discarded materials make a lot of sense when you see how it aligns with her design ethos, because Klemick draws from her ancestral lineage of craftspeople to create heirlooms of the future. “I see that I am just a continuation of the generations before that worked with their hands. My work pays homage to traditional Amish quilts. There is a sentiment in quilt making that imperfections are to be emphasized, to hide them would erase the human hands that made them, and the only thing capable of perfection exists in the spiritual realm.”

Chubby Stool, bleached salvaged Douglas Fir lumber, deadstock off white canvas 100% cotton

Klemick shared, “In a practical sense I want my works to bring joy to the space they occupy, providing a sense of ease to those that utilize them. Working in shapes that if repeated next to one another would create an infinite pattern, just as the lifecycle of a material is infinite. Even when ‘destroyed’ it is charred into our atmosphere, laying somewhere in decay but never truly disappearing.”

Chubby Stool, bleached salvaged Douglas Fir lumber, deadstock off white canvas 100% cotton

To learn more about the Please Sit for the Alternate Ending exhibition, visit objectivegallery.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.

Coffee connoisseurs abide by the belief even the best roasted beans deliver suboptimal flavor if the wrong grind setting is used. Joining a myriad of other factors, including quality of water, temperature, pour rate, etc., the most dedicated of coffee purists will often bring their own grinder and beans everywhere they go to ensure this level of quality while preparing their favorite beverage. The Cocinare Essence 2-in-1 grinder was designed specifically for this demographic of discerning drinkers of coffee culture.

The 2-in-1 moniker attached to the Essence is in reference to its two modes of use: one attached to a countertop base/holder, the other, a wireless and portable mode that includes its own bespoke carrying case. Both modes operate free from cords and cables, equipped for more than 30 grind sessions before the necessity to recharge the 1600 mAh battery using a USB-C charger.

The top of the grinder displays three colors to communicate battery levels: green for 50-100% charge, yellow for 25-49% capacity, and red for anything below 25%. The Essence is equipped with 38mm high carbon steel conical burrs delivering the precision to tweak our grind across 80 levels, allowing enthusiasts to dial in flavor with a sort of precision not even expensive countertop burr machines always offer.

We cannot attest to the claim ourselves, but beyond the grinder’s sleek design (a form that evokes the shape and dial of a traditional camera zoom lens), the Essence’s other selling point is its low-noise grind mechanism. Whether using a blade or burr grinder, turning hard roasted beans into a medium conducive to a flavorful cup of coffee is a loud affair, so having the ability to use a grinder that won’t bring unwanted attention is a notable perk.

The Cocinare Essence electric coffee grinder is also designed for easy disassembly for cleaning out the burr mechanism within, one of numerous details that garnered the accessory a trio of design awards, including a Good Design Award, Red Dot Award, and iF Design Award.

Cocinare just completed a round of crowdfunding for the Essence 2-in-1, with delivery for those first coffee-passionate adopters scheduled for this month (August), before its eventual TBD general availability offered at $329.

Gregory Han is the Managing Editor of 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.

Today we’re introducing you to a brand new design project – NARA. – and its first collection, FAMILY. Founded in 2022 by Nara Lee and David Luraschi, NARA. is all about creating fun, playful, artsy furniture. FAMILY is a group of six colorful, modular pieces, each featuring their own characteristics, that can be composed into nearly limitless configurations. The collection includes a sofa, two armchairs, a coffee table, a side table, and a foot rest. Each piece is made in France, manufactured with a foam-base and covered in textile designs by Kvadrat. When it all comes together, FAMILY is durable, supportive, comfortable, and interactive. Create a functional seating space for home or work, then let your imagination run free to make other playful forms!

Both Lee and Luraschi are established artists in the commercial arts, who decided after multiple collaborations to launch their own studio. NARA. allows the duo to reach beyond their usual creations and clients to invent their own world and design language.

Photo: Thomas Cristiani

Photo: David Luraschi

Nara Lee + David Luraschi

To learn more about FAMILY, visit nara.world.

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.

Naoto Fukasawa’s imprint upon MUJI’s catalog runs deep, an influence that continues with the Japanese designer’s seat at the brand’s design advisory board. Fukasawa has returned to lend his distinct perspective to the “no-brand quality goods” brand, this time in form of a pair of battery powered 2-wheelers for one of the world’s most popular electric scooter manufacturers, Gogoro.

Created by Gogoro in partnership with MUJI, the Gogoro VIVA and Gogoro VIVA MIX were already available as two different smart scooter models available across Asia. Ideal for zipping through the narrow streets powered by battery rather than gasoline, the scooters offer a fast and economical means of transportation in cities where urban infrastructure rewards the fast and the furious.

Tasked to impart classic MUJI design elements onto the existing scooter designs, Fukasawa styled the pair with a “rustic” and “simple color tone philosophy” distinctly and recognizable MUJI. The nature-hued palette of the Gogoro VIVA ME and Gogoro VIVA MIX ME realized in a range of light grays, blues, and beiges present a more serene impression distinct from Gogoro’s typically more boldly colored scooters.

Naoto Fukasawa first experience with Gogoro electric scooters occurred while traveling in Taiwan, sparking the beginnings of a collaboration that grew from one design into an entire collection.

Sections of the scooters incorporate recycled polypropylene (PP), with any wasted PP materials generated during the vehicle manufacturing process gathered to be used again as a material source.

The new Gogoro MUJI Smartscooters are intended to show the public how recycled polypropylene plastics can be incorporated into everyday products when properly sorted and processed.

Fukasawa also curated a collection of accessories complementing the special edition scooters; part of Gogoro and MUJI’s larger “Recycling for Good” Sustainability Initiative.

Beginning in 1991 with his now iconic MUJI Wall Mounted CD Player, continuing onto various objects as mundane as a broom for the Japanese homewares brand, his minimalist approach to functional design continues to resonate as everyday contemporary for everyone.

The collaboration also includes an entire merchandising strategy further strengthened by a MUJI-fied collection of scooter-focused accessories, including a helmet, backpack, various articles of Gogoro branded clothing, and even a small hand-sized personal electric fan.



The scooter isn’t Fukasawa’s first foray into mobility for MUJI. His work on the Sensible4 x MUJI GACHA, an autonomous shuttle bus with an adorably abbreviated silhouette and friendly front-facing display reveals the designer’s appreciation of various modes of mobility are required for urban dwellers to get around.

Gregory Han is the Managing Editor of 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.

The Burra chair collection, short for burrata – the beloved round, soft Italian cheese – is a study in the same qualities. The newest additions to Normann Copenhagen’s dining and lounge chair selection, Burra invites you to sink into its depths and versatile aesthetic. A round seat and curved backrest that morphs into armrests is Burra’s most distinctive feature, with the dining and lounge chair designs making a strong visual statement.

Designer Simon Legald says of the process, “When designing any chair, it’s important to consider comfort and dimensions. I wanted to create a design that featured an interesting interplay between these two factors using simple, minimalistic lines. Another requirement was for the design to be a sculptural piece, allowing it to become the focal point in the interior. The result is a chair that expresses softness in every sense: its dimensions look almost inflated, and the full upholstery adds to the visual as well as the physical comfort.”

The design’s organic lines all but melt together, resulting in two bold, sculptural chairs bursting with expression. Both the Burra dining chair and Burra lounge chair are fully covered in upholstery, highlighting their plump dimensions and silhouettes with functionality and flair.

Burra Chair

Burra’s high level of relaxation is thanks to the high-quality materials chosen especially for comfort and durability. To achieve the perfect level of softness, additional foam is added to both variations. The dining chair features a slightly inclined backrest, the ideal shape to wile away the hours. The lounge chair is fitted with a swivel base and optional return function for freedom of movement and mobility. Whether commercial or residential, the Burra seating family will bring its visual softness and elevated appeal wherever you take it.

Burra Chair

Burra Chair

Burra Chair

Burra Lounge Chair

Burra Lounge Chair

Burra Lounge Chair

Burra Lounge Chair

Burra Lounge Chair

Burra Lounge Chair

Burra Lounge Chair

Burra Lounge Chair

To learn more about the Burra seating collection, visit normann-copenhagen.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.

“It really did start, like many of the greatest things in one’s life, as a passion turned hobby,” said L’Objet Founder and Creative Director Elad Yifrach of his start in home decor. “I was very young and without any training. My background was in interior architecture and I wanted to expand beyond curating a space to creating the actual objects. I started L’Objet and, about two years in, the market started to react in a serious way to the design language. That was when I realized it wasn’t going to be a hobby, it was already my career.”

Born and raised in Israel, Elad went to school in California and began his interior design career in Los Angeles before making the move to New York. A lifelong traveller and international spirit, his main source of inspiration is the cultures and craftsmen of the Mediterranean. It was while working for discerning clients in Los Angeles that he recognized a gap in the market for luxury tabletop and objects for the home. Having always felt that these pieces should be beautiful while embracing craftsmanship and functionality, he set out to launch L’Objet. Founded in 2004, the brand still employs many of the same families of craftspeople whom Elad met on his early travels.

When we asked Elad what other creative medium he might try, he said it had already become a reality. “I would have said personal fragrances, but we actually launched our first ever Eau De Parfum collection in March,” he shared. “Each creation is an olfactory impression, plunging us into the heart of nature. We’ve been working with home fragrance for a long time, and a few years ago we introduced an Apothecary line. But it has been special to work with olfactory impressions for personal fragrance.”

But if it weren’t personal fragrance, “I would most likely switch to cooking. I love playing around in the kitchen and, once again, the entertainment aspect of it all has essential relevance for me. Cooking is a medium through which I can express my creativity, but it’s also one of my preferred ways to engage with others, to entertain them.”

Elad also has an untapped talent: producing music. “It is a wonderful way to express yourself and entertain others. From a creative standpoint, in my work as a designer I tend to draw inspiration from so many different experiences, inputs, things, people, and so forth,” he said. “I consider myself fairly good at doing the same with music – maneuvering different genres, styles, and artists, and expressing my vision through sound.” There’s no denying creativity when it strikes.

Today, Elad Yafrich is joining us for the weekly Friday Five!

Photo courtesy Luis Morais

Luis Morais is my favorite jewelry designer, as well as my best friend. We met 13 years ago, and even though we live on two different continents, we manage to see each other frequently. I own a beautiful collection of bracelets made by him that I wear all the time.

Photo: Gil Cohen-Magen / AFP via Getty Images

2. Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv is my hometown, so I go there often to spend time with my family, friends, and to reconnect with myself. It’s such an vibrant beach city to spend time in – I love the weather and the food, especially.

Photo: Bela Silva, © Angela Martin- Retortillo, courtesy Gallery Rui Freire – Fine Art, Lisbon

Now that I’m based in Lisbon, I love to discover local artists. Bela Silva is an extremely talented Portuguese artist and ceramist whom I had the pleasure of meeting recently. Her work is so inspiring. The ceramics, especially, are very appealing to me. They are simple, yet so strong and elegant.

Photo courtesy Sahbi Sahbi

Sahbi Sahbi is my new favorite restaurant in Marrakesh. As my family are from Morocco, it is great to know a place that serves authentic Moroccan food, cooked by empowered local women. The space is so beautiful, designed by Studio KO. Design, light, music, and food mix perfectly at Sahbi Sahbi.

Photo courtesy Casa Reia

Casa Reia is one of my favorite spots around Lisbon. It’s the perfect place to go to relax on sunny days. Located on the beach in Costa da Caparica, the food is really good and they have the best live music curation. I love to go there and watch the beautiful sunsets, whilst spending time with my son and my friends.

Work by Elad Yifrach:

Neptune Bowl Centrepiece From L’OBJET’s newest collection, L’ATELIER, The Neptune Bowl Centrepiece is hand-crafted in porcelain and gilded three times in 24-karat gold to achieve the perfect glow.

Apothecary A collection of essentials for the bath ritual. It comes in three different scents and includes a Bath Salt, Hand and Body Soap, Bar Soap, Hand and Body lotion, and Room Spray.

L’OBJET x Haas Brothers L’OBJET’s collaboration with the Haas Brothers, turns the ordinary into the extraordinary, bringing to life characterful creatures with the highest quality of finish and function.

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.

Located in Snoqualmie Pass in The Pass Life community in Washington State, 160 Cascade is a prefab A-frame designed by Stephenson Collective and built by Buildhouse. The 1,721-square-foot cabin embraces modern mountain living with stunning views of the surrounding area full of evergreens.

The Weekend House in Beskydy, located in the Beskydy Mountains in the Czech Republic, is designed by Pavel Míček Architects to blend into its mountainous location while also proudly showing off its angular design. Choosing both heavy and light materials, the house is built with a concrete base that will eventually be covered in moss and a lightweight larch wood A-frame top floor that will slowly patina to a grey-silver.

Photo: Courtesy Scott and Scott Architects

This modern A-frame cabin, by Scott and Scott Architects, is designed for a family of snowboarders who longed for a weekend retreat in Whistler, Canada. The cabin is built into the bluff with an exposed frame of local Douglas fir, offering coziness within its snowy backdrop.

Photo: Maxime Brouillet

Cabin A, by Bourgeois / Lechasseur architectes, rests on a steep slope in the Charlevoix region with an A-frame design that gives nod to naval architecture. The triangular roof gives nod to sails in the wind, while the large wooden covered terrace references the upper deck on a ship.

Photo: Ian Balmorel

Located in the Eastern Townships, near Montréal, Chalet A is a 1950’s property that’s been renovated by Matière Première Architecture into a modern cabin on the lake that peeps out from the evergreen forest. The A-frame silhouette is clad in black metal roofing, while the interior boasts shades of white and sage for a cozy, relaxed feel.

Photos: Rasmus Norlander

Quite possibly one of the most unique A-frames out there, the PAN Cabin in Hedmark, Norway, designed by Espen Surnevik, lives on stilts raising the structure high up to live amongst the treetops. With views in every direction, this cabin rental makes you feel like you’re camping in a comfortable hotel in the forest.

Photo: François Dantart

With strict building codes to follow, NODE architectes designed a modern white A-frame that blends into its Arradon, France neighborhood. The POG House, plastered with white masonry and topped off with a dark aluminum roof, stands out with its dramatically sloped to 60 degrees roof line.

Photo: Martin Gardner

AR Design Studio designed The Climber’s Cabin in southern England on property where the forest and stream meet. Standing at approximately 269 square feet, the A-frame structure was built to house guests on a homeowner’s property offering a tranquil spot to escape to while visiting.

Photo: Mick Couwenbergh

Belgian firm dmvA renovated and designed an addition to a black A-frame vacation house in Brecht, Belgium, that resulted in a trapezoid-like form extending off the main structure. The extension added much needed square footage while respecting the original design.

Photo: Toshiyuki Yano

Located in Tochigi, Japan, the House in Utsunomiya is a unique A-frame designed by Suppose Design Office with strategically placed openings along both sides of the roof. The cutouts bring natural light to the interior without compromising privacy, along with a rooftop deck that also allows the occupants outdoor time without prying eyes.

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.

Situated along the jungle-lined coast just an hour north of Puerto Vallarta in the bohemian surf town of Sayulita, Mexico, Seattle-based architecture and development firm, HYBRID in collaboration with Mexico City-based architecture firm Palma, have opened a 3,000-square-foot architectural rental operating on numerous levels of luxurious comforts.

From street level, NICO Sayulita’s front facing impression presents itself as a two-level structure. Only after guests cross a bridge over the main pool does the entirety of the structure reveal itself with a tiered sunken site imprint designed to disappear into the canopy of tropical foliage.

Aimed at travelers seeking a refuge from loud luxury for intimate privacy, NICO’s open architecture is carefully planned for surprising seclusion.

A series of elevated suites and open-air common spaces are connected by floating staircases in Escher-esque style. Indoor and outdoor spaces intermingle into a concrete grid structure, maximizing the welcome cooling effect of the ocean breeze across both private and shared spaces.

The efficient grid-like design allows for a “gradient of privacy and openness.” Sections of the building can be connected or closed off in accordance of desired level of privacy, making the rental ideal for families or a large group of friends staying together.

NICO was conceived to offer a micro-boutique tropical getaway experience while retaining several hotel-style options to keep any stay north of just a typical home rental (suites can be rented in combination with the option to rent out the entire house). These include practical needs, including airport transportation, daily cleaning, and laundry services, but NICO’s owners also remember being on vacation means feeling pampered, so there’s also the option to hire the services of a bartender, chef, yoga instructor, massage therapists, surfing instructor, or a guide for local excursions.

NICO Sayulita’s Jungle suite resides on the floor level, with lush tropical foliage and its own built-in concrete tub for a spa-like experience situated indoors.

“The suites are generally calming tranquil spaces with views to the jungle environment,” says Robert Humble, Founding Partner and Design Principal at HYBRID. “A neutral color palette of concrete, steel, and wood imbues a sense of craft and refuge. The common spaces are more brightly colored and playful to excite the senses and create a memorable experience.”

An open air kitchen invites communal meal preparation and dining.

Loma Alta’s 5 bedrooms are furnished with either a king size bed or two individual beds. Two daybeds are also available for guests staying individually.

Every room is furnished in a serene organic-modern style, with pieces sourced from emerging Mexican designers.

Guests cross a small bridge over a small saltwater lap pool detailed with artisanal turquoise-colored tile and surrounded by greenery.

What: NICO
Where: Calle Loma Alta 7, 6373 Sayulita, Mexico
How much: Starting from $840/night for 5 bedrooms; 5-12 guests with 5-12 beds, 6 bathrooms
Highlights: A rooftop plunge pool offering spectacular views of the bay, and the Jungle suite’s built-in concrete circular tub.
Design draw: The NICO’s multi-tiered tropical modernist concrete structure interconnected by floating staircases is an inviting interplay between public and private spaces, the natural landscape in relation to its architectural imprint. Furnishings within are sourced from emerging Mexican designers.
Book it: NICO

Go virtually on vacation with more design destinations right here.

Gregory Han is the Managing Editor of 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.

The Empírea series chair and table found their design inspiration in one of the most recognizable symbols in the world: the cross. A mark that can bring together culture, religion, and spirituality can also add structural strength and character to objects. Designed by Ogmma, a Mexico City-based design studio, the Empírea series looks to the emblem as a reflection of opposites that are connected: earth and sky, day and night, good and evil, as well as the fusion of male and female.

“We find important similarities among verticality, which can be the history and knowledge in an artisan’s lineage, and horizontality which allows us the use, application, and learning of contemporary technologies,” the studio added.

The Empírea series is their take on the ideology of opposites converging, as seen in the cross-shaped bases of both the chair and the side table. Constructed using vine for the backrest and table legs that are fused to metal, both furniture pieces stand out for their soft curves and sharp angles. A bold gradient cascading downward seems to be the final point of two things joining together – white and pink.

To learn more about the Empírea Series chair and table, visit instagram.com/ogmma_mx.

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.