At this year’s 3daysofdesign, Fritz Hansen presented a new exhibition, EXPRESSIONS of CHARACTER, located at Charlottenborg in the heart of Copenhagen. Visitors were treated to a diverse range of installations, featuring emblematic design elements designed to bring them face-to-face with both well-known and fresh artistic expressions.

The exhibit showcased the works of visionary design pioneers such as Poul Kjærholm and Arne Jacobsen, along with contemporary designers including Jaime Hayon, Sebastian Herkner, Cecilie Manz, Vico Magistretti, and KiBiSi. Patrons were invited to explore the newly launched outdoor furniture by Skagerak, a Fritz Hansen brand.

Marie-Louise Høstbo, the Creative Design Director at Fritz Hansen, shares her perspective on Danish design: “Danish design is formed from a dedicated consequence of purpose and space. In Danish we call furniture design; MØBELKUNST (literally “furniture art”) and the inherent connectedness to art through the Academy is unquestionable. Poul Kjærholm called himself a furniture architect and Arne Jacobsen wanted to be an artist.”

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.

Aligned through a shared focus on meeting clients’ desired goals and serving them well into the future, Arcadia and IDA Design have connected to create Lineup. The commercial furniture collection – consisting of lounge groupings and modular seating as well as semi-private booths and casual meeting spaces – marks the first collaboration between the furniture manufacturer and product design firm. Arcadia is a leading supplier of seating and table options for contract markets, including office, educational, healthcare, hospitality, government, and sports facilities. Meanwhile, IDA Design is known for working to find the sweet spot that’s in line with a client’s needs and a designer’s vision until both are fully realized. An ideal match for a diverse collection of innovative commercial products meant to aid in collaboration and bringing people together.

With a diverse breadth of products, Lineup provides endless solutions for modern collaborative environments, with each piece in the collection ready and able to be used individually or in combination with others. Lineup was designed to take advantage of Arcadia’s strengths, not only in upholstery craftsmanship and woodworking, but in creating full product families that complement one another. Categories within the collection include lounge/modular seating, semi-private booth spaces, occasional tables, meeting tables, and planters, with seating units available in varying styles and heights for different applications and privacy levels.

Lineup Meeting Spaces, Planters + Occasional Table

The sense of purpose and productivity that Lineup can bring to its surroundings is enticing. Pre-configured, semi-private meeting spaces are available in several combinations, with an optional canopy and vertical wood slats that provide for a more enclosed experience. You can also include power units below all seating units for easy charging access, and through-the-surface power capabilities are another possibility. Lineup’s occasional tables are available in multiple sizes, and are offered in standard and premium paint colors to get the perfect hue for your project.

Lineup High Back Lounge

Meeting tables, occasional tables, vertical wood slats, and booth canopies are made of Ash wood throughout the collection. Furthermore, the meeting tables feature solid Ash wood legs and a metal rounded square ring that’s available in all standard and custom finishes. Top surfaces include veneer, laminate, and Corian, as well as Fenix, a matte soft-touch option that’s fingerprint-free. Finish off the space’s aesthetic with Lineup’s metal planters. Offered in five variations of round and racetrack shapes, they come in standard and premium finishes and are sure to put the finishing touch on any project.

Learn more about the Lineup collection, which will be available the first quarter of 2024, and the rest of Arcadia’s offerings at arcadiacontract.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.

Look closely at Kayla Rumpp’s work – which locates itself somewhere on the border between painting and sculpture – and you might see the echoes of an unusual source material: Popsicle sticks. After earning her undergraduate degree, Rumpp worked as an elementary school teacher – and found all sorts of unlikely inspiration in her students’ arts and crafts, from their Crayola crayons to those distinctively shaped wooden sticks. You can see them in the rounded edges of some of her pieces – rendered both in large and small (mere inches) scale. “I was an elementary school teacher for a few years before I continued my education in graduate school, and I would say that was one of the biggest turning points in my art practice,” she says. “A lot of the supplies in an elementary school – Crayola markers, watercolor paint, Popsicle sticks – that was kind of a revolutionary experience for me, to find all of these Popsicle sticks in these classrooms and to think of them as a really super interesting sculptural tool. It just evolved and evolved into the work that I’m making now.”

Outside of these foundational shapes, Rumpp’s work is gorgeously colorful, whether a piece is several feet tall or just several inches. “In my process, I have a lot of vibrant colors that might be included in each piece, but there are usually at least one or two main colors that I like to use as a jumping-off point,” she says. “It’s often based on how I’m feeling that day: ‘Today feels like a green day,’ or ‘I haven’t made a blue painting in a really long time.’ After that, it becomes kind of a game, to figure out what’s the next color in this painting – what two colors look great next to each other, what two colors look really confusing next to each other. [I’m interested in] that point of confusion, where pink is next to yellow, but maybe it starts to change a little bit – maybe it starts to look a little bit more orange, based on what color it’s touching. Magical things can happen when you put different colors together.”

Diplopod

For a closer look at that magic, tune in!

Paipo

“Lilliput Effect” – Ana Mendieta Gallery, Iowa City, IA – Solo Exhibit

“Lilliput Effect” – Ana Mendieta Gallery, Iowa City, IA – Solo Exhibit

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

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

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.

Just in time for NeoCon 2023, MIO has launched a collection of sustainable acoustic design products made from their new acoustic material technology. QuiltForms comprises ceiling baffles, modular wall panels, and curtains to add to their award-winning acoustic solutions catalog.

QuiltForms products expand the brand’s offerings into new categories, including baffles and curtains, that are made with an acoustic grade, quilted polyester material. The new, design-forward products add more flexibility and better performance making them even more appealing to architects and designers using them. The inaugural collection includes modular components that easily clip together to form customizable acoustic solutions with an artful approach. The components or set of components can then be clipped into ceiling tracks, standard ceiling grids, or directly onto the wall.

MIO’s QuiltForm designs are available in 11 standard recycled polyester felt colors (White, Grey, Mustard, Pumpkin, Red, Blush, Pistachio, Moss, Sage, Tropical Wave, and Denim), six standard stitch patterns (Pin Stripe, Grid, Zig-Zag, Overlap, Leaf, and Waves), 12 ready-to-order modular shapes (Large Square 54″, Large Quarter 54″, Small Quarter 27″, Large Half Circle 54″, Small Half Circle 27″, Large Triangle 54″, Small Triangle 27″, Small Straight Baffle 13.5″, Large Straight Baffle 18″, Small Pill Baffle 13.5″, Large Pill Baffle 18″, and Tip Baffle 54″), and tool-free connector clips, making for endless combination options, from monochrome and one shape to a rainbow using all dozen shapes with various stitching. Companies can stick to their branding colors for a new office design or go all the way to create a unique, brightly colored design for a lively office environment. Beyond the aesthetics, the people in these spaces will notice just how well they manage sound in high traffic areas.

“With this launch, we are dramatically expanding our portfolio and positioning our brand as category defining in the world of sustainable acoustics. With QuiltForms technology and products, architects and designers will be able to co-design with us and specify MIO products holistically.”

-Isaac Salm, MIO Managing Director & Co-founder

In addition to the standard options for the QuiltForms collection launch, custom shapes, colors, fabrics, stitches, and noise reduction coefficient results options are available by special order. For more information on QuiltForms, which go on sale June 30, 2023, visit mioculture.com.

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.

It wasn’t that long ago that we shared Caroline Chao’s work in the AAPI exhibition Upon Further Reflection, but she’s on a hot streak! The From: C designer’s inaugural furniture collection, BLOC, includes fives pieces inspired by geometric shapes associated with children’s blocks. It debuted this year at “PLAYSCAPE” at Salone Satellite during Milan Design Week 2023 before going to win big at NYCxDesign 2023. There, the BLOC Collection took home the Emerging/Independent Product Designer 2023 NYCxDesign Award.

“I wanted to create something both playful and sculptural yet familiar and nostalgic,” says Chao, founder of From: C. “Children’s wooden block sets have shapes that are instantly recognizable, and part of a common experience that many people share. There’s a playful lightheartedness, yet sculptural geometric purity, associated with the shapes that I wanted to celebrate. It brings us back to nostalgia for childhood toys and a lighthearted curiosity as people interact with the pieces.”

Wedge Chair

BLOC draws inspiration from these shapes, with the furniture pieces aptly named the Cube Chair, Wedge Chair, Tri Stool, and Cylinder Lounge and Ottoman (available in large and small variations). Lots of juxtapositions are at play with the materials Chao chose to use throughout the collection. Soft versus hard, solid versus transparent, and textured versus smooth. These elements help to elevate something long familiar to what can be viewed as a more abstract, functional form that’s comfortable.

Wedge Chair

All of the pieces in the BLOC Collection are designed and manufactured locally to the designer in New York, with the majority of the collection also being primarily designer-fabricated. Other suppliers and material fabricators are also kept local through small businesses around the New York area.

Cube Chairs

Cube Chair

Cube Chair

Tri Stool

Tri Stool

Cylinder Lounge + Stacked Ottoman

Cylinder Lounge + Stacked Ottoman

Caroline Chao

To learn more about the BLOC Collection, visit fromc.co.

Photography by Pippa Drummond.

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.

Art and design gallery Tuleste Factory and exterior design firm Manscapers recently collaborated on their first project. TFM is a collection of indoor/outdoor planters that bring together traditional and contemporary shapes for some eye-catching results. Available in a selection of both tame and bold colors, the planters are handcrafted by artisans in Mexico using fluted fiberglass. The combination of traditional fluting and high design silhouettes creates a modern moment whether in the garden or the family room. Create an interesting grouping using both standard and oversized planters in different shapes and colors or go completely monotone.

To learn more about the TFM planter collection, visit tulestefactory.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.

Design Milk, along with Clever, were the official media partners for the WantedDesign Manhattan Launch Pad 2023 platform, sponsored by American Standard, and today we’re excited to share the winners: Good Growing for Furniture/Home Accessories and Studio Waah for Lighting. The winners were selected by a jury led by Clever podcast host Amy Devers that included: Giulio Cappellini, Founder, Cappellini; Andrea Cesarman, Co-founder, Design Week Mexico; Jerry Helling, President and Creative Director, Bernhardt Design; Jean-Jacque L’hénaff, Leader, LIXIL Global Designs AMERICAS; Jennifer Olshin, Founding Director and Partner, Friedman Benda; and Kia Weatherspoon, President and Founder, Determined by Design.

Best of Launch Pad, Furniture/Home Accessories: GUS by Good Growing

Gus is a planter for growing mushrooms at home. This ceramic vessel is modular and stackable catering to a variety of edible mushrooms. With Gus, mushroom grow blocks now have a home. Each vessel holds one grow block which can be ordered online or prepared from scratch and mixed with mushroom spawn. Mushrooms are nature’s meat alternative and so many delicious, nutrient-rich varieties are rarely found at the supermarket because of their brief shelf-life. Now you can grow them at home, with Gus.

We caught up with Good Growing’s New York-based founder Tori Deetz who shared more about her background, the importance of biophilic design, and where she’s sees the brand going in the future after winning Launch Pad:

Photo: Marta Caro

Can you tell us a little about your background?

When I was young, I was back and forth on whether to pursue science or art. In the end I chose neither and went to business school, something I do not regret as an entrepreneur. I will never be a specialist; my skills and interests are all over the map. This was a truth about myself that I resisted for many years, but I’ve come to appreciate that it’s a disposition that keeps life interesting. I’ve spent the last ten years building my first business and being involved in a fun mix of side projects. One memorable chapter was during a Bio Art Residency at School of Visual Arts in New York. The residency took place within a state-of-the-art biotechnology lab. The faculty included leading biologists and artists who encouraged scientific inquiry through the open-ended approach of making art. It was such a special experience that has gone on to influence my process, specially when I started to work more in design.

Photo: Marta Caro

Where does your design inspiration come from?

I am relieved that we are collectively recognizing the importance of biophilic design, as we’ve become so disconnected from nature’s rhythms in our daily lives. When you’re designing something that in any way involves another living organism, it’s not enough to let nature be the inspiration, it helps to understand it at a biological level. This is especially true for designing objects for the personal garden space, where you’re dealing with living things that will either thrive or fade under certain conditions. It seems like there is a tendency to turn everything into an app-controlled personal appliance these days, but I keep going back to the brilliance of natural materials and methods that have been successfully used to grow and preserve food for thousands of years. The capability of tech-integration and automation within this category is alluring but is often overkill at such a small scale. I tested a spectrum of designs but landed on an analog ceramic object that highlighted the mushroom’s weirdly beautiful forms and textures. The vessels provide an understated backdrop for the mushroom, from which it can be easily cared for and admired as it grows.

Photo: Sydney Buchan

Where do you see your work being used in the world?

I see GUS being used in the homes and kitchens of curious people. Growing food at home might sound like a novelty, but it has the power to become a familiar and joyful ritual in our daily lives. Growing mushrooms specifically, places an emphasis on observation. From the moment you notice the primordia (baby mushrooms) begin to appear, watching them transform in form, size and, even color entirely over the course of just a few days – it’s captivating. I designed GUS to make the experience of growing mushrooms accessible, beautiful, and simple, but it can also be used as a tool for exploring mushroom cultivation and mycology at a deeper level. While GUS’s form is minimalist, the design needed to check a lot of boxes when it came to the science of mushroom cultivation, which makes it more than just a decorative planter. There are certain functionalities of GUS that have been considered specifically for the folks who’s list of family pets might include their sourdough starter or kombucha scoby. GUS and its accessories can be used as a toolkit for cultivating mushrooms from scratch or used with ready-to-grow fruiting blocks that can be ordered online.

Photo: Marta Caro

Now that you’ve won WantedDesign Launch Pad, what do you plan on doing next?

I’ve been dreaming about the chance to fully develop GUS as product line since I made the initial prototypes early in the pandemic, but as a side project it was moving along slowly. Winning launchpad is such an incredible honor and being selected for the showcase was the final push I needed to get the line into production. Each GUS is handmade in New York and will be released as a limited first-run that will begin shipping this summer. My vision for the Good Growing brand is to develop a wide range of products for growing food at home, but for now I’m going to focus on fungi. Some people still cringe at the word fungus (funGUS, see what I did there?) and there will always be mycophobes among us, but the general consensus is that mushrooms have the potential to change the course we’re on, for the better.

For more on Good Growing, visit good-growing.com.

The Orb invites you to interact with a lamp that sparks wonder and curiosity. A calming presence in your space; the lamp is sleek, modern, and designed to leave an impression – of holding the source of light in your hand before it extinguishes. The Orb’s design is an attempt to row the boat against the stream of digital screens. To provide an enchanting tactile and visceral experience, the sphere gradually brightens as it comes closer to the tray, creating a truly magical moment.

We talked to Studio Waah’s Shaunak Patel to hear more about his “endless” journey, inspiration from hands-on activities, and the infinite ways to expand on his design after winning Launch Pad:

Can you tell us a little about your background?

I love this question. Habitually, it makes me want to talk about everything “established” and popularly acceptable as identities. But I’m not going to do that, sorry.

A Gujarati, Indian, Science Student, double degree Industrial Designer and so on, I believe are only but limiting tags. They’re unworthy of the limitless world I inhabit as a child of chaos. I’m a speaker of multiple languages, a student of boundless creations, a traveler of landscapes, an explorer of cultures, an unlearning brain and most of all, a seeker on an endless journey. I don’t know who I am yet, what I can do, and I’m relentlessly striving to explore that.

As someone with an untreated ADHD, I find myself in a constant “explore mode.” Ninety-nine percent of the time my mind looks like the Instagram explore page of 10 different accounts combined where I constantly push, pull, and connect ideas to come up with “waah!” moments. It’s one of the reasons why our design studio is called “Studio Waah!”

Where does your design inspiration come from?

I observe and absorb. Recently, I’ve been observing, the more I speak, the more I deviate from observing. But, every time I go silent, I find myself in this super ✨✨✨ world where there are a million inspiring things all around me. I was having sour cream and chips, with hot sauce a few minutes back and thought, “How crazy of a dips business would it be if people could buy DIY kits of custom dip making condiments from all over the world to build their own sour cream dips every single time?” It’s almost like I’m on an idea train that never stops, even when I’m plucking weed from my mint plant.

Another major KEY source of inspiration is that I love hands-on activities, anything that involves making something tangible. Which is another reason why I’m so keen on design in general. I love visiting maker workshops, manufacturing units, homes of craftsmen in India and abroad, etc. I truly believe that the process of “making,” is the most epic way to “the journey of self-discovery.” It takes you into this mode of – where there’s nothing but you and your creation, taking shape in your mind and in front of you.

Where do you see your work being used in the world?

Anywhere, where there’s an opportunity to create a “waah!” moment. And that’s pretty much everywhere. At Studio Waah, our work is driven by a passion for crafting interactions that transcend the ordinary, creating time-stopping moments that leave a lasting impression. We believe in designing the intangible: the emotions, the experiences, the sheer brilliance of a feeling. Our product, “The Orb,” represents just one manifestation, one physical possibility of the lighting technology we’ve developed. Its true magic lies in the joy that sparks in your mind as you hold the orb in your hands – that’s the essence of our design.

With our technology behind The Orb, the possibilities are truly infinite. We are eager to collaborate with artists and designers from around the world to unlock new iterations and co-create more awe-inspiring moments. Picture installations and spaces where the orb comes alive, glowing up and captivating onlookers. By pushing the boundaries of imagination and craftsmanship, we aim to inspire wonder and curiosity in people of all walks of life.

As for myself, at 28 years old, I embrace my youth and the boundless opportunities it presents. I don’t believe in confining my work to a specific location on this vast, beautiful planet. My ambition is to traverse the globe, immersing myself in different cultures, observing the world with fresh eyes, and being able to design in response to the diverse contexts I encounter. By embracing a nomadic approach to design, I hope to explore creations with the richness of global perspectives and bring a touch of magic to every corner of this wondrous world.

Now that you’ve won WantedDesign Launch Pad, what do you plan on doing next?

WantedDesign Launch Pad was a great indicator for me personally. It showed me how much joy and wonder I can bring to the world through my work. I am thrilled about working with designers and manufacturers to bring the joy of “The Orb” into multiple homes across the globe. Along with the lamp, I want to work on my 10,000 ongoing projects at Studio Waah and look forward to meeting more great minds every time I showcase our experiments to the world at events like Launch Pad.

I met some super whooper talented creators at ICFF this year, and made wonderful connections with them during our interactions. I look forward to sharing my work with them and growing together, towards creating “waah!” moments for the world to experience!! ✨✨✨

For more on Studio Waah!, visit studiowaah.com.

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.

Not classified as a pocketknife or utility knife, Grovemade’s Task Knife is designed for lighter duties – though opening boxes is noted as a job at which it excels. Available in Black, Stainless Steel, or Brass finishes, the machined stainless steel is raw, preserving the marks created during the manufacturing process and ensuring no one knife is like another. All of Grovemade’s product are well-designed and thoughtfully created, so you can be sure its task knife is durable enough that you’ll be passing it on to future generations.

I haven’t been able to to get this piece out of my head since first seeing it. At first glance, it appeared to be textile art, but after reading more I learned that it’s actually meant to be used. It can be shaped to sit, sleep, read, cover up, or lie down, actively adapting to your body. Constructed using filled, knitted bands, ‘Knotting Knitting’ is a colorful, uneven composition that looks as good as I imagine it to feel in person. Made in a small Belgian atelier, it uses a combination of handcrafted and industrial techniques and is made of 35% merino wool, 15% viscose, and 50% acrylic on the exterior. The inside padding is made of recycled polyester.

When was the last time you bought a new beach towel? It had been a minute for me – then I saw Brooklinen’s artist-designed beach towels. Made using a combination of velour and terry, they’re thick but not too thick, ultra-absorbent, and extremely soft for lounging (while using SPF, of course). Choose from five prints by artists Josh Cochran, Megan Badilla, and Kathy Nash and carry your style outdoors this summer.

Risograph continues to be one of my favorite printing techniques. The process is similar to screen printing, but made easier through the use of a special printer. Sometimes referred to as “digital screen printing,” riso is known for its textures and extremely vivid colors that other printers can’t create. Northern Ireland-based artist Strangford’s whimsical riso prints are smile-inducing, saturated, and oftentimes unexpected. My favorite is ‘Banana Seal’ – it comes in three color combinations: lilac and light green, red and light pink, and sky blue and fluorescent yellow.

I had high hopes that weighted blankets would be the answer to turning the volume down in my mind come bedtime. But, that didn’t end up being the case. While I enjoyed the weight distribution, after about 20 minutes I’d start feeling claustrophobic – not exactly relaxing. The Original Weighted Pillow is more targeted, and I find its size and heft perfect for snuggling up with or laying on top of my chest for comfort. You can also reach for it during sensory overload, for pain relief, to lower stress levels, or to help increase your attention span. It comes in three sizes and weights and two colors.

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.

Hem X, a platform for creative collaborations, works with curators, artists, and designers to hand-make signed, limited editions of 100 pieces or less. The latest collection – PROPS – is curated by Modern Design Review and challenged six emerging creatives with the task of using a stool as a blank canvas. A brief laid out the criteria that needed to be met, including size, usability, and their own brand of personal expression.

Petrus Palmer, Founder and CEO of Hem and Hem X said, “Since its launch, Hem X has established itself as an emporium for the aesthete, empowering the next generation of designers with Hem’s own industry expertise and allowing for people to invest in contemporary collectibles. PROPS represents our foray into producing more comprehensive collections of these future heirlooms.”

The final PROPS stool designs are unique, individually incorporating the key characteristics of each designer’s practice into their piece. What’s revealed are processes, materials, and expressions translated into a single, everyday object. Because PROPS is a series of limited collectibles, the result is six editions, each with five signed and numbered stools available exclusively through Hem X.

“The launch of PROPS comes four years after we produced the first limited edition design for Hem,” said Laura Houseley, Founder and Editorial Director of Modern Design Review and MDR Gallery. “The ambition now is just as it was then: to bring the most exciting, most avant-garde, and most covetable of studio-produced collectible design into the heart of Hem’s world.”

Regen Stool by Wendy Andreu

Andreu’s unique ‘Regen’ technique winds cotton rope around a bespoke frame before sealing it with silicones. Tactile and soft, but surprisingly structural, the Regen Stool turns textile into three-dimensional shape.

Mirror Block Stool by Seongil Choi

Choi works with industrial processes, uncompromising forms, and a tough material palette. The Mirror Block Stool distills it into the most basic shapes and volume in the form of a pixelated design. The chunky object may appear sliced from solid metal, but is actually made using sheet steel that’s cut, welded, and then mirror polished.

Bo Stool by Destroyers/Builders

Capturing her love of tulip wood, Linde Frey of Destroyers/Builders pays homage to architect and designer Lina Bo Bardi. Bo Stool’s form is inspired by decorative flamed tulip wood that’s been cut into blocks and assembled like primitive structures.

Mass Stool by Odd Matter

The Mass Stool embodies Odd Matter’s (Els Woldhek and Georgi Manassiev) practice rooted in the environment that we inhabit. The stool is made of a cork and plaster mix original to the studio’s work, and molded for the first time to create objects that are textural, contained, and colorful.

Slurp Stool by Henrik Ødegaard

Ødegaard’s playful approach to creating forms is demonstrated in his Slurp Stool. The wood base creates a perforation-as-pattern effect, then paint is applied in thick, glossy layers for final forms that feel soft and cartoon-like.

Surfaced Stool by Sho Ota

Somewhat resembling a pixelated image, the Surface Stool is constructed from pieces of off-cut ash to create a profile and object with plenty of depth and surface interest. Each stool has been painstakingly pieced together, making each unique.

To learn more about Hem X and PROPS, visit hem.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.

“My paintings teeter on the edge of sculpture and my sculptures are mostly painted,” said Czechoslovakian contemporary artist Jan Kaláb. His view on the evolution of his own art, from what began as lettered graffiti, is interesting and a real story of following what’s possible. As an artist, it’s easy to start off with one style, one medium, and then remain pigeon-holed for the rest of your career. Others, like Jan, see the potential that lies beyond, looking ahead and naturally evolving into an artist who works across mediums and techniques. We had the opportunity to talk with him about his creative trajectory and how it came to be.

Jan’s creative roots are based in graffiti, street art, and murals – he’s widely recognized as being a founding pioneer of the Prague scene. Since the early days of his practice, paintings, sculptures, and 3D graffiti have been added to his portfolio, and his work has been shown in galleries around the world. It’s through the continuous exploration of new techniques and structures that Jan takes what you think you know and recognize into another dimension – the unknown. What doesn’t change is the artist’s commitment to the joy of playful discovery and infinite possibilities that lie ahead.

Zone of Mystery, 2021, Orleans Photo: Jan Kalab Studio

“I did my first graffiti piece in the fall of 1993, when I was 15-years-old. I used to draw and I studied at an art high school, but I didn’t call myself an artist just yet. Graffiti was a mystery at that time, there were just a couple of pieces around Prague; no information, no magazines, no internet,” he shared.

“You have to understand that all this culture started to penetrate in my country after the Berlin wall fell in 1989, so our scene in Eastern Europe was 10-15 years behind. But once it began in the late 90s the streets exploded and you saw painted subway cars everywhere. We were traveling lots between cities to paint and to meet new friends, it was amazing. This is what lit up the real passion for creation in me.”

Cosmos, 2015 Photo: Jan Kalab

Shape and color are the main factors in Jan’s work, which he pushes, blends, exaggerates, or minimizes to express himself. Nature and the micro and macro cosmos inspire him, but he has no desire to capture or replicate an existing image or story. Instead, Jan looks for universal beauty through a new perspective or a fresh way to tell an existing story. “The sensations you get when you remember any special moment or melody; this feeling of déjà vu is what I strive to achieve and wish to resonate with my audience,” he said.

Infinity Light, 2016, Rag & Bone, New York City Photo: Jan Kalab Studio

“I paint with acrylic on custom-sized, organic shaped frames made in my studio. I create sculptures from different materials, such as wood, resin, or bronze. I like to do light suspended installations. It is also important for me to work in a virtual space, so I can translate my physical art into digital forms, such as augmented realities or animated NFTs. My sources of inspiration for my work are inexhaustible.” He added, “Also, seeing others succeed gives me inspiration for how to present my work in order to succeed as well.”

Blue Cloud, 2018, 1234 pm, Powel Street, San Francisco Photo: Jan Kalab Studio

When I asked Jan when he began picturing his graffiti as art, he said that’s how he’s always viewed it, because it was created with heart. “I spent around 20 years of research and creating to find out graffiti does have its limitations, and art has more universal appeal. I transformed my [graffiti] letters into abstract elements, and from that point my approach shifted as well. Until that time I believed art in galleries was dead and the only vivid form was on the streets, which is nonsense, of course. In my 30s I have learned how to use brushes, how to stretch canvases; I changed my opinion that artwork doesn’t need to be ephemeral and it is actually really challenging to create something that has an ambition to stay forever. I transformed myself into an abstract artist, but still with love for graffiti.”

CALOR, 2022, Movimento Gallery, Rio De Janeiro Photo: Movimento Gallery

Jan noted that each technique he uses is challenging it its own way, and those experiences can then influence what he creates in other formats. “Painting is most relaxing in terms of the process; I’m in my studio, listening to music, and playing with colors. Creating a sculpture is amazing because it is something that stands on its own, and it is much more challenging in the production process. The digital format, like animated NFT, light projections, or objects allow for different effects, but it is not that physical. You have nothing as soon as you lose electricity.” Which is something I doubt many of us think about from that perspective.

KakaoTalk Photo: Jung Joo-hwan

I couldn’t resist asking Jan about his favorite piece created so far, and he was able to narrow it down to three. “Gold wholecar” we did with Romeo in NYC in 2000, and proved to ourselves that we can do anything. The “Red Point” installation in MASP Museum in Sao Paulo in 2011 was the first time the whole crew of carpenters built this big thing based on planes we did with an architect. And a series of paintings I created in my Brooklyn studio and photographed in the streets of Manhattan in 2014, because I found my authentic style.”

Rainbow 911, 2022 Photo: Maximilian Balasz

Blue Horizon, 2023, Bluerider Gallery, Taipei Photo: Bluerider Gallery

Jan Kalab

To learn more about Jan Kaláb and his body of work, visit jankalab.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.