What does a television for Gen Z look like? According to LG, it’s a 32-inch television with a vertical 16:20 portrait mode capable of rotating into a monitor landscape display. Oh, and it also rolls on an adjustable-height stand with small roller wheels underneath, with numerous add-on storage accessories to further customize the display. Or at least that’s what the Korean electronics brand envisions for the creator generation with their highly adaptable and decor-friendly, LG Witty.

The collective effort of Hwang Geonryun, Park Subin, Park Sangwoo, and Hyung Minha within a cooperative industry-academic collaboration between the Korea Design Membership and LG Electronics, the LG Witty can be considered a direct response to generational changes in viewing habits, content creation, and to a notable degree, the physical limits of how and where Gen Z lives.

The LG Witty’s vertical orientation allows for screen segmentation, allocating one top half for connecting with others, the lower half for watching or playing content.

With an emphasis on portability and a space-saving form factor, the LG Witty stands out with a vertically-orientated stand design. This space-saving form is imagined to appeal to a younger generation already adapted to vertical-oriented content and living in small spaces. The stand itself can be accessorized with various add-ons for storing small items, while a roller base allows the entire unit to be moved to wherever desired, making the possibility to move the entire television easily with only one person.

The LG Witty in Cotton White (above) and Khaki Black (below).

The stand rotates for standard horizontal viewing, and can also be separated and reassembled into a smaller height, resulting in a computer monitor style table base for display in either vertical or horizontal fashion.

The display is adjustable up to a 15-degree tilt, with the arm structure connected magnetically to deliver power to the display.

LG has already shown a willingness to explore novel explorations within the television realm. Designs like the LG Totem and their readily available LG OLED Objet Collection are indicative of this spirit. But it remains to be seen whether vertically-oriented televisions will resonate with Gen Z in the same way mobile devices have acclimated content creation and consumption into one experienced at 90-degrees.

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 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.

Diverse spaces help to enrich our daily lives, and when it comes to city living the importance of these opportunities only grow in importance. In a healthy city, people can freely use these amenities – parks, gathering areas, etc. – without constraint. Shenzhen/B.L.U.E. Architecture Studio developed the Symbiotic Urban Furniture Project to further unleash our imaginations by building “protrusions” into the existing fabric of city life. Seating, tables, and more are directly integrated into outdoor spaces where one can find privacy to read, write, or listen to their headphones, as well as a spot to gather and interact with others. In essence, they’re multifunctional spaces for temporary activities that hold value.

A symbiotic relationship is defined as “when two creatures live together closely, one is gaining energy from the other, or they are benefiting mutually.” In the Symbiotic Urban Furniture Project, city spaces and furniture hope to bring back a sense of home and belonging that’s missed more and more. The furniture relies on the spaces and the spaces are given a renewed purpose with the addition of the furniture.

Photo: Shujie Xie

Symbiotic Urban Furniture can be put to use in many ways and places, from a stool attached to the railing of a staircase or a large table for gathering paired with long benches. For individuals seeking solitude there’s the chair and small bench. No matter how the pieces are combined and used, they create a moment for people to stop, stay, and enjoy themselves however they choose.

Image: B.L.U.E. Architecture Studio

Photo: Anson (Araw Culture Communication Co., Ltd.)

Photo: Anson (Araw Culture Communication Co., Ltd.)

Photo: Anson (Araw Culture Communication Co., Ltd.)

Photo: Anson (Araw Culture Communication Co., Ltd.)

Photo: Anson (Araw Culture Communication Co., Ltd.)

Photo: Anson (Araw Culture Communication Co., Ltd.)

Photo: Anson (Araw Culture Communication Co., Ltd.)

Photo: Anson (Araw Culture Communication Co., Ltd.)

Photo: Anson (Araw Culture Communication Co., Ltd.)

Photo: Anson (Araw Culture Communication Co., Ltd.)

Photo: Anson (Araw Culture Communication Co., Ltd.)

Photo: Anson (Araw Culture Communication Co., Ltd.)

To learn more, visit instagram.com/blue_architecturestudio.

Kelly Beall is senior editor at Design Milk. The Pittsburgh-based graphic designer and writer has had a deep love of art and design for as long as she can remember, and enjoys sharing her finds with others. When undistracted by great art and design, she can be found making a mess in the kitchen, consuming as much information as possible, or on the couch with her three pets. Find her @designcrush on social.

Wittehaus, the architectural firm led by renowned architect Toby Witte, recently unveiled their latest project in Charlotte, North Carolina – the Gerendák Residence. The striking residence incorporates cantilevers overlooking Lake Wylie and a harmonious blend of form and function. The inspiration for Gerendák stemmed from the client’s that are entrenched in Charlotte’s art scene who were fascinated by the Netflix series “The World’s Most Extraordinary Homes.” They sought to create a home that would rival those showcased on the TV show. With a keen eye for detail and lots of back and forth with the clients, Wittehaus was able to create a show-worthy home that met the couple’s needs and desires.

Two significant factors shaped the design of Gerendák. First, the challenge of incorporating cantilevers that extended out above Lake Wylie without the need for staircases. To overcome this obstacle, they built stone walls that are meticulously carved into the hill, forming a sturdy platform that supports the house. With this foundation in place, the house itself seemingly floats on the edge of an artificial cliff, allowing the homeowners to effortlessly access their abode from ground level on one side, while experiencing the sensation of being suspended in the air on the other.

The second defining aspect of Gerendák lies in its musical inspiration. Wittehaus integrated the homeowners’ passion for music into the design, especially in their music room where their baby grand piano lives.

The main living space that houses the kitchen, dining room, and living room feels as if it’s suspended in the surrounding trees. The open room is held up structurally by exposed beams and posts as it juts out with a covered exterior terrace. Thanks to the structural system, three sides of the space could be enclosed with glass giving it the living amongst the trees feeling.

Beyond its artistic allure, Gerendák embodies sustainability and eco-consciousness. The residence boasts a remarkable array of green features, including solar panels, high-performance windows, spray foam insulation, a tankless water heater, and an Energy Star rating. With a low HERS Index rating, the house achieves optimal energy efficiency. The project also demonstrates a commitment to tree conservation, utilizing reclaimed wood from the site to create custom furniture pieces.

Floating wood stairs by the piano room lead downstairs to the guest wing, carrying down the same vertical metal rods that act as balustrades.

Geri Eaker from Freespace Design lent her interior design expertise, helping to bring the architect’s vision to life while creating spaces that seamlessly blend style and functionality.

Architect: Toby Witte of Wittehaus
Builder: Buddy Edwards of Lynn Luxury Homes
Interior Design: Geri Eaker of Freespace Design
Photography: Amanda Anderson

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.

Minimal yet eye-catching, the Nima Bed from Croft House features an asymmetrical paneled oak headboard that adds an unexpected detail to the otherwise deceptively simple piece. Finished in hardwax oil, a low profile footboard and side rails complement the furniture’s timeless design by adding further texture to the bed’s California cool aesthetic. Each Nima Bed is handcrafted in Los Angeles by a small team that’s dedicated to paying attention to detail and meeting your needs and preferences, so much so that each bed is made to order.

To learn more visit crofthouse.com.

Photography by Gigi Aly.

Kelly Beall is senior editor at Design Milk. The Pittsburgh-based graphic designer and writer has had a deep love of art and design for as long as she can remember, and enjoys sharing her finds with others. When undistracted by great art and design, she can be found making a mess in the kitchen, consuming as much information as possible, or on the couch with her three pets. Find her @designcrush on social.

British brand TOAST is leading the way in bringing repair culture into clothing, homewares, and accessories and now employs as many repair specialists (six) as designers. As well as offering a repair service for customers (3,579 mends and counting), the brand has recently launched TOAST Renewed – a collection of creatively repaired pieces. Design Milk spoke to one the very first members of the repair team, Emily Mae Martin, to find out more.

Tell me about your childhood, education, and background and how you first became interested in repair.

I was always a creative child. From a young age, I was drawing and painting, acting, dancing, and singing. Sewing was a much later addition to these hobbies – apart from learning to hand stitch my name tags into school uniforms, I wasn’t doing a lot of sewing at all.

I grew up in a working-class town in the early years of fast fashion and that meant there was a stigma associated with wearing old looking and/or repaired clothes. My parents encouraged us to look clean and presentable (I was never allowed white clothes as a messy child!), to balance out the fact that our clothes were cheap – kids would get picked on if they had unbranded clothing, never mind if it was patched together. I never thought about it much at the time, but I look back and think what a huge and interesting change this has been in my lifetime.

I completed my art foundation in my hometown and focused on costume design (combining my love of clothing and acting), I then moved to Musselburgh and studied costume design for the first semester, but decided it wasn’t for me, mostly due to the technical aspects of garment construction. I reapplied for more creatively open textile courses and began studying at Edinburgh College of Art the following September. I completed both my undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in textiles there, with my postgrad being the gateway to my interest in repair.

My master’s was all about sustainable fashion, mostly looking at new production methods using natural dyes, patchwork, and bespoke clothing. Mending often popped up in my research but I didn’t get much time to explore it during my studies as I was making things from scratch. I took some time in between my master’s years to teach myself a little and mend some items of my own, and I actually wore the first sweater I had mended at my degree show opening night.

What appeals to you about repairing existing objects versus creating something new?

The initial appeal of repair was from a sustainability angle – extending the life of a garment rather than discarding and buying new. Over time, my appreciation of repair has grown. As a maker and someone who loves clothing and textiles, it’s amazing to see a garment constantly evolving. It becomes more than an inanimate object, it is part of someone’s everyday life and holds within it human-made marks.

From a creative perspective, I am often overwhelmed when making something new, the endless options, and the pressure for it to be worthy of existing and not taking from our precious resources will do that! So working with existing items not only eliminates that guilt but also means that there’s something to respond to and be inspired by. I often include elements of the original garment into my repairs as I love how it looks.

I find that mending as a process is such an act of deliberate care that it can be healing for the garment and for yourself. It allows you to focus on one thing with minimal equipment, which is helpful for someone as easily distracted as me. This reduction of stimulus is great for my – and many people’s – anxiety, which is very different when creating something new, with ideas flying around everywhere.

There are many words for repair with slight nuances in their meaning – mending, fixing, hacking, restoring, repurposing… which do you prefer in relation to your work and why?

I either use the terms mending or repair as their meaning is quite broad, then expand the details from there adding terms such as visible or invisible, woven or Swiss darning, etc. I also feel like they are the most relatable terms that are also used outside of the textile world. “On the mend” and “mend a broken heart” – phrases like these already relate to a slow process of recovery and care, and that’s absolutely how I feel about mending clothes too. There’s also the suggestion that the end result could be any of the following – it may not be as it was before, but it may even be better, or you can just “get back to your old self.” The comfort and hope in gaining something back that you thought was lost is quite powerful.

How would you describe TOAST Renewed – the collection of repaired garments recently launched by the brand, that you have been very involved in?

TOAST Renewed is a collection of previously damaged and/or faulty stock that has been creatively repaired by the team of six repair specialists working for TOAST.

Connecting back to the previous question, I would use different mending terms for the TOAST Renewed project. I mean I think the project title says a lot – to renew these pieces; to revitalize them is absolutely the goal. With customer repairs, it’s down to what is right for that particular customer and their lifestyle, whereas the Renewed pieces have to have a broader appeal and excitement to them. Without an already established personal connection, we have the opportunity to repair unused, but damaged stock and create a feature worthy of someone’s investment.

There’s definitely more design thinking that goes into these pieces, and I often use the TOAST current collections as inspiration for the items I work on.

What is the inspiration behind it – where did the idea come from?

Our TOAST Renewed collection extends our long-standing approach to cherishing materials and honoring the hands that make our pieces. It is the most recent addition to TOAST Circle, a space for us to foster longevity, celebrate the art of repair, and connect with our community over treasured pieces.

With each one-of-a-kind item, we demonstrate how mending can give clothing and soft textiles a new lease of life. We hope to shift perspectives that tears, holes, and other flaws diminish the beauty of well-crafted pieces. By renewing instead of replacing, we get to cherish items for a lifetime.

Which repair techniques are you using and why?

I mostly use woven and Swiss darning, and sashiko-inspired patch repairs as that is what most of our garments call for. A handful of times I have used embroidery – mostly when covering stains, pen marks, etc.

There are multiple factors that go into which technique to use where, the two types of darning mentioned are typically used for knitwear repairs, but you can use woven darning on almost anything. I tend to darn the most as I love the process, and I’m a big fan of woven fabric but have never been able to weave on a large scale. It’s great to be able to be playful with color like that on a small scale.

A patch repair with reinforcement stitching is mostly used to repair holes or tears, especially when the surrounding fabric is wearing thin too. More recently I have taken to using simple patch repairs with whip-stitched edges as I love the look of these, especially on our workwear items.

How did you learn the techniques you use in your work?

I’ve been doing a lot of hand stitching, embroidery, and quilting in my textile work for a few years now, so just a few visuals online allowed me to pick up patch repair techniques quite quickly. For the darning side of things, I did a few online workshops and did a fair bit of research too. That all feels like a long time ago now though and I have developed these skills immeasurably while working at TOAST. I’ve been working in the repair specialist role for around two and a half years now, I’m working on approximately 9–15 items a week, so it’s almost become second nature to me – it feels very intuitive.

Having said that, I am definitely still learning all the time, and it’s exciting to get something challenging, whether it is working with delicate fabric, damage in a tricky area of the garment, or really anything new! Also, the online community of menders is endlessly inspiring and I see new tips and tricks and approaches to repair all the time.

How do your repairs change the function or story of the object?

I feel like with customer repairs it’s varied whether the function changes or not, plus we don’t always get to hear about the garment’s life once it is back with the wearer. I do find that most people are excited to just be able to wear the garment again without fear of further damage. There is such joy and relief in customers who can get an item repaired that they have become very connected to. It seems that often people don’t truly notice the value in some of their clothes until they might not get to wear them again.

One definite function change I do remember is that I had to do a very large patch repair on the seat of some beautiful silk trousers, which turned out to have been damaged by the owner wearing them to cycle in! I did advise her to maybe not do that in the future and use them for less active pursuits!

How visible or invisible is the repair and why is that important?

For the Renewed collection all items are repaired visibly in order to celebrate the craft of repair and allow customers to purchase a unique item. Having a repair be visible embraces aging, change, and imperfection, and this message imbued in something worn so close to the body can be a powerful one.

Practically I think that having a repair already visible on a garment will encourage future repairs or will at least make them less daunting. The pieces in the collection also provide a great resource for inspiration for our customers, especially those who are new to visible repairs and aren’t always sure what they’re asking for.

Having said that, the option for our customers to have invisible, or at least discreet, repairs is also important. Not everyone enjoys the aesthetic of repair work, and it isn’t always suitable for the garment and how or where it is worn. For example, clothes worn in corporate professional settings provide this challenge.

How have people reacted to this project or body of work?

It seems to have been very positive from the feedback I’ve heard and the items are selling well too. I’ve had a few customers who are seeing visible mending like this for the first time and are then really encouraged to use our repair service.

How do you feel opinions towards mending and repair are changing?

People definitely seem to be embracing it more as an option for them, whereas previously they just saw it as something their parents or grandparents did. I feel like the wartime connection of the “make do and mend” era is slowly dissolving and people are seeing how it can be applied in our modern wardrobes. It is increasingly being seen as a viable way to add newness and individuality to their clothing without investing in a whole new garment. I would say this is largely thanks to the growing bunch of incredible repairers out there that have such a variety of styles and great craftsmanship. It does seem to be creeping away from something shameful and into being aspirational.

Working at TOAST in this role over the past few years, I have seen the popularity of the repair service grow and grow. To then see other larger brands begin to offer a similar service is incredible. It feels as though it is slowly developing into something that is part and parcel of the consumer experience – hopefully anyway!

What do you think the future holds for repair?

Hopefully just more of it. I always say “the more the merrier” when it comes to repairers – there’s plenty more to textiles to be mended (even just in my personal pile!). It would be great to see basic sewing and repair skills being taught to younger people, both for the planet and for themselves. Most people I’ve had the pleasure to teach have spoken of how relaxing and meditative mending is, and how empowering and rewarding it can be. No one loses in the art of repair, and an “art” it is. I hope that more people come to learn this in years to come.

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.

With the arrival of the Apple Vision Pro augmented/virtual reality device just on the horizon, technologists are already prognosticating a post-smartphone society, one where we’ll abandon reaching into our pockets for a phone and instead don enhanced spectacles projecting all varieties of interfaces and notifications. We’d maintain the near-term demise of the phone is greatly exaggerated for a variety of reasons. Designer Andrea Mangone’s novel proposal envisioning a quieter and less intrusive relationship with our smartphones points toward an alternative where we fold into a state of focus.

Mangone’s 0/1 Phone concept shares the folding form factor of the already available Samsung Galaxy ZFlip4. But 0/1 Phone’s clamshell design is expressed with more of a squared-off and significant aluminum body than the Galaxy device. Covered in a pebbled vegan leather cover and adorned with an orange nylon weaved tag (the SIM card tray pull), the design communicates a tactile fashionability tempering its technology into the background.

The foldable form factor offers two distinct usage modes: smartphone when open, minimal phone when closed. In opened Smartphone Mode the 0/1 Phone operates just like any other phone today, with a 1080 x 2640 pixels color screen allowing for viewing in either portrait or landscape orientation (with a third perpendicular viewing mode).

When closed, 0/1 Phone switches its display over to a front-facing, square e-ink display dedicated to only the most necessary of information. The designer takes a minimalist typographic approach to notifications with the e-ink display dedicated to widgets such as an analog or digital clock, calendar, checklist, music player, timer, quote of the day, and incoming calls. (the phone appears only a few shades distant from complementing Polestar’s typographic and color interior treatments).

Where the 0/1 Phone distinguishes itself is when folded up and set vertically onto a surface in a notification-silenced mode. The extra bit of thickness transforms the device into a small and stable desktop digital clock with the additional benefits of delivering a filtered stream of notifications in a more hushed fashion.

Andrea Mangone also designed a matching wireless charger for the 0/1 Phone sharing the same material and design language.

The 0/1 Phone isn’t alone in its attempt to bring digital minimalism into our everyday lives. Devices like Wisephone simply curated WiseOS and Nothing Phone (1)’s Glyph interface, the Leica Monochrom, and the lasting popularity of analog music formats are all indicative of a growing desire for the radical notion that we remain more connected to the world the less we feel the compulsion to perpetually connect.

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 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.

Premium paint and wallcoverings brand Backdrop has joined forces with Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (PCNA) to create a limited-edition paint collection that pays homage to the iconic Porsche sports cars on their 75th anniversary. The partnership revisits historic Porsche paint colors and brings them into the realm of home interiors for the first time, allowing car or color enthusiasts to infuse their living spaces with the vibrancy and spirit that defines the Porsche legacy.

Color has always been an intrinsic part of the Porsche DNA, as recognizable as the sleek contours of its cars. The selection of the heritage colors for this collaboration was a process between Backdrop’s co-founder and creative director, Natalie Ebel, and the Porsche team. The result is a vivid, four-color series of hues that have historical importance: Ruby Star, Irish Green, Riviera Blue, and Speed Yellow.

Backdrop, founded in 2018 by Natalie and Caleb Ebel, set out to revolutionize the world of home painting, simplifying the arduous task of selecting the perfect color. With a curated palette of over 75+ colors, Backdrop has amassed a devoted following by celebrating bold design, playful style, and unconventional color names that inject a sense of whimsy into the typically arduous painting experience. Their philosophy centers around the belief that paint is not merely a hardware store purchase but a deliberate design choice that has the power to transform spaces and evoke emotions.

From Natalie: “Everything we do at Backdrop centers around our love of color. Naturally, we jumped at the chance to work with an iconic brand like Porsche, which has always been synonymous with its bold, statement-making color palette. It has been an absolute dream come true to collaborate with Porsche, especially during their 75th year, and to be inspired by its rich history. I am incredibly excited to translate our shared love of design and spirit of self-expression into a collection that will take on new life in our homes and on our walls.”

Since its inception in 1948, Porsche has established itself as a global icon, synonymous with cutting-edge technology and visionary design. The brand has long recognized the significance of color and has offered its cars in an astonishing array of shades. Currently offering 180 colors through its Paint to Sample program, Porsche lovers have the freedom to create truly personalized vehicles that reflect their individuality. This parallel focus on customization and self-expression resonates deeply with Backdrop’s belief in the profound impact of color on our personal spaces.

Ayesha Coker, Vice President of Marketing at PCNA, shared: “Individualization is at the core of Porsche. Whether it’s a custom-built Taycan or your home office, we want to inspire all to dream in full color. Together with Backdrop, we’ve curated a series of bright, saturated colors that hold significance to us and are certain to infuse your home interior design with the beloved Porsche aesthetic.”

Ruby Star: Dating back to 1991 and seen on Porsche 911, 928, and 944 models over the years, Ruby Star is a deep magenta red that is distinct, bold and joyous.

Irish Green: First seen in 1964 on a 356C sports car, the dark hunter green shade is also one of the first colors to grace the Porsche 911. It’s a color as timeless as the sports car itself.

Riviera Blue: An electric bright blue, the head-turning and audacious color was developed in 1994 and has been seen on the 911, 928, and 968 models.

Speed Yellow: This vibrant yellow first appeared on the Porsche 911 in 1991. Not for the shy or Sunday driver, the color is distinctly tied to the sports car and the Porsche brand.

Backdrop’s collaboration with Porsche marks another milestone in their remarkable series of sell-out partnerships, from teaming up with Barbie and Dunkin’, to collaborating with New York design shop Coming Soon and introducing an exclusive color line with Madewell.

Backdrop co-founders Natalie and Caleb Ebel

The new, Backdrop x Porsche four-color collection is available in a custom co-branded collectible paint can that retails for $75 per gallon at backdrophome.com.

Photography by Ian Evan Lam.

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

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.

London-based designer Conor Hacon of Common Design released his latest series of furniture pieces, all inspired by the idea of collectivity and kinship. The collection, which consists of a set of chairs, a coffee table, and a fruit bowl, is named Invitations, for the details of the pieces that help foster connection.

The Cruz Canteen Chair is instantly memorable for the design of the back, characterized by two panels that leave a negative space in the backrest and also serve as the back legs. If you look closely, there is a repeating pattern that the designer intended as a metaphor for being together. It’s not each chair that is one “unit” of the pattern but instead, the mirrored halves of two adjacent chairs that make the inconspicuous pattern.

Unlike typical and perfectly linear coffee tables, the Invitations Coffee Table features hand-shaped, fin-like edges that tilt down. This detail was intended to foster closeness; an invitation, so to speak, for those gathered around to lean closer into and across the table.

Lastly, the Wood Warped Fruit Bowl, a modern interoperation of a vessel made for communal and informal grazing, recalls the natural tendency of wood to cup and bow. The perimeter of the wood is painted to further highlight the warp and is reminiscent of how wood is typically received from the timber merchant.

For more information on the Invitation collection by Conor Hacon of Common Design, visit commondesign.co.uk.

As the Lifestyle 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.

Add some personality to your sink by ditching chrome and brass in favor of matte poured resin faucet handles. Known for effortlessly cool geometric bath and kitchen fittings, Australian design studio Wood Melbourne has teamed up with design editor Georgina McWhirter for a different spin. The circular and square faucet handles are typically made using concrete and reclaimed timber, but McWirter’s Chromablock collection is playful and full of color… and made of resin.

Both resin faucet shapes in the collection – the cylindrical Kahn and the cube Corbu – borrow their names from high design. Louis Kahn and his love of circular voids, and Le Corbusier’s nickname. Pair a matching set or juxtapose shape and color for bathroom basins, tubs, showers, or kitchen sinks. They can be paired with any of the brand’s faucets and backplates – in brass, concrete, Blackbutt wood, and Carrara marble – or mounted sans backplate, flush to a sink or wall.

Choose between 12 colors that feel slightly off due to their exploration between primary and secondary hues. Inspiration for the palette was found everywhere, from Le Corbusier’s Polychromie Architecturale keycards to Douglas Sirk’s Technicolor cinematography, as well as Frunge eyeshadow by Terry Barber, William Eggleston’s 1970s color photography, and the Memphis Group. Even interiors by Italian studios Dimorestudio and Marcante-Testa, and retro 1950s pastel bathroom tile. Whatever shape and color combination you choose, it’s impossible to go wrong.

To learn more about Chromablock faucet handles, visit woodmelbourne.com.

Kelly Beall is senior editor at Design Milk. The Pittsburgh-based graphic designer and writer has had a deep love of art and design for as long as she can remember, and enjoys sharing her finds with others. When undistracted by great art and design, she can be found making a mess in the kitchen, consuming as much information as possible, or on the couch with her three pets. Find her @designcrush on social.

If you’ve ever pined for the romantically anachronistic mechanical sound of a flip board similar to those found notifying travelers at Parisian train stations to quicken their step, look no further than the Vestaboard, a smart messaging system with a surprisingly delightful method of displaying messages, weather reports, news updates, sports scores, quotes, and color block art with an audible flair unlike anything else you might ever consider mounting onto your wall.

Vestaboard sent us one of their smart messaging displays in white to test out within a residential setting. We had an ideal testing space/case for the unit: a separate guest house frequented by friends and family for overnight stays. Even so, installing a Vestaboard is a commitment, noticeably more demanding of a task than required when wall mounting a television of similar size (a task of which we just finished by installing the similarly sized, but considerably lighter, 43-inch Samsung The Frame).

There’s a degree of gimmicky delight trying out the various messaging and color “art” display options, but over time the weather report proved the most useful display. Photo: Gregory Han

Don’t let the modest size of the Vestaboard fool you. The 41-inch wide rectangular display weighs in at hefty 55lbs, and is best handled by a team of two. An extra pair of hands is advisable while installing the unit to ensure level and secure alignment, and you’ll want to measure twice to see whether the included 19.7-inch cord is sufficiently long enough to reach an outlet (a longer cord is available via Vestaboard).

This weighty spec is attributed to the entire unit being composed of a considerable amount of metal parts, housing 132 individual “Bits” modules within. Each of those parts in turn hold 64 die-cut matte-printed characters of letters, symbols, punctuation, numbers, and colors layered into one rotating card display. And the sum of those Bits equals a dizzying total of 8,448 spinning mechanical flaps engineered to coordinate into a choreographed movement when the Vestaboard updates or changes its display.

132 character modules, or “Bits” in Vestaboard parlance, combine to work in an orchestration of movement, sound, colors, and characters. It’s hard to deny how much audible joy the Vestaboard delivers with its mechanical movement, perhaps reflective of our desire for simplified notifications harkening to simpler times. Photos: Gregory Han

Once installed onto a wall, the Vestaboard becomes an immediate conversation piece. Adults and children alike will find its mechanical design a curiosity, especially when watching the 132 Bits do their thing with lively aplomb before settling in to display whatever it is the user sends via iOS and Android mobile app or a web-based application.

These display options include the ability to text personal messages, “draw” using a visual editor, pair with news and sports sources like CNN and ESPN, connect to Google calendar, and automatically update from a databank of famous quotes. The modest amount of characters available to display are intended as a feature rather than a bug, the equivalent of a succinct Tweet versus a long-winded TD:LR Facebook post.

Sadly, Vestaboard keeps many of its best features behind a membership plan requiring an additional monthly or annual fee to access. Even so, its ability to report the weather on a daily and/or weekly basis proved satisfying enough to warrant its place on our guest house wall.

One of the more interesting smart home integration options is the ability to pair the Vestaboard with a Sonos system as a “Sonos Now Playing” display board.

Each Bit snaps into place and can be removed by sliding the small metal tab located in the upper left hand corner of each module. Photo: Gregory Han

While it may share the dimensions of a television, the Vestaboard requires significantly less energy than a traditional screen to operate. The difference is somewhat similar to the power-sipping performance of an e-ink display versus that of a light emitting screen. The company also tested the Bits against UV exposure discoloration for an equivalent 10 hours per day in direct sunlight for a year, and backs their product with a (non-transferable) 2-year warranty covering limited parts and labor.

Beyond character and numerals, the Vestaboard can also display blocks of color to incorporate into a variety of display types (e.g. yellow for a sunny weather forecast) or to display rudimentary decorative “art.” Photo: Gregory Han

That brings us back to the price. At $2,895 for the display alone, minus the option to pay an extra $95 annually to access additional Vestaboard+ display options, the Vestaboard is a hard sell for the average person where its endearing novelty is outweighed by its significant price tag (Vestaboard told us they’re working on a more affordable version 2.0, one we hope delivers a close degree of the same ASMR-pleasing flippin’ action as this model).

The Vestaboard is also available in a chic matte black. Photo: Vestaboard

The best use cases for the Vestaboard would be in an office/studio environment, within a retail or restaurant space, or as a messaging system inside a short term rental unit permitting owners to message/welcome guests. In each of those instances, the ROI becomes subjectively an argument for the undeniable gratification of operating your very own train depot messaging system from your phone. And what a joy it is.

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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.