Google Hardware Design Studio takes us deep into our own innate somatic knowledge with their newest exhibition, Making Sense of Color, showcasing the intimate link between color and feeling. Comprised of illuminated squares, each bathed in a unique hue, visitors are encouraged to drop in to our physicality. “We want to make sure that we give our guests an embodied experience. It gets you out of your cognitive mind,” says Ivy Ross, Google’s vice president of hardware design and co-creator of the exhibition.
LEGO returns for our number 9 spot, with another installment in their “Play is your Superpower” series. This initiative aims to bring families together through the joy of open-ended collaboration. Play is essential to child development, and there is clear evidence that it’s equally important to adult happiness as well. Set within La Gaîté Lyrique, a historic arts venue in Paris, each new room offered new ways to interact with the art, showcasing an immersive and collaborative experience for all.
Polaroid pulls on our nostalgia-ridden heartstrings with this collaboration with Eames Office, bringing vintage coloring and form language to a modern audience. Both Polaroid and Eames Office have a storied history of democratizing design, whether through photography or product. This collaboration allows them both to shine, building upon the tech of the past with ideas for the future.
Another LEGO post in our breakdown is unsurprising. This Modern Art Set is perfect for any adventurous kid (or adult). Completely customizable, let your inner creative sing by creating layers of color and form. Best of all, celebrate your work by hanging it up in a place of prominence within your home, elevating the drawing on the fridge to a mature work of art.
Design Within Reach is a global authority on design, allowing admirers a chance to appreciate and own beautiful design for themselves. Founder Robert Forbes was gifted a delicate champagne chair by a dear friend to celebrate the launch of the brand in 1998. Since his late friend’s passing, Forbes has hosted this philanthropic contest for 20 years, giving back to a community he has helped foster over the decades. “Design is universal, and we want to make it accessible through this fun and festive initiative.” says Omar Nobil, VP of Product Design and Brand Creative.
Managing Editor Joseph Sgambati III shares his experience participating in the DWR Champagne Chair Contest mentioned above, traveling to his alma mater Syracuse University to conduct research in preparation. Choosing to imagine his chair in a Beaux-Arts style, he writes, “Once I stopped treating everything as precious, I was able to tap into the ingenuity and resilience my education helped me access long ago.” Elegant, flourishing curves present the finished design floating on a golden stand, creating an overall stunning effect for an object less than four inches tall.
Aleph Geddis is a master craftsman, pulling on his own familial history, the indigenous woodworking of the Pacific Northwest, and the craft traditions of Bali to create stunning works, bridging on otherworldly. A mix of Brutalist influences, mathematics, and sacred geometry combine here to produce indelibly unique pieces.
Storied home furnishings brand Vitra focuses on the deep ties between history and technology. Vintage pieces from the 1960s and 1970s are displayed next to sci-fi relics from movies, some much more modern than others. This exhibit covers a wide range of historic trends, including virtual spaces such as the Metaverse, allowing the viewer to get a holistic sense of how pieces of sci-fi design affect our lives every day,
Kraftwerk has become more of a movement than a group, bursting on to the scene over 50 years ago with a completely new sound, utilizing synths in fresh ways that still inspire artists to this day. Beautiful Losers pays homage to this legacy, releasing nine lacquered skateboards released in tandem with Kraftwerk’s nine night residency with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Over the course of nine nights, Kraftwerk performed each of their studio albums in sequence, each board’s minimal yet powerful artwork remind us of how music fuels our minds.
And the top art post of 2024 is…
Since the Frame TV from Samsung launched in 2017, more and more consumers are wanting to decentralize media within the home. Marimekko has released a collection of 30 iconic designs and 3 seasonal collections of 12 prints rotating throughout the year to add some fun to your gallery wall, with the flexibility of customization to fit the mood. We’re not surprised this was our number one post, what a thoughtful and useful addition to any modern home!
Check out the rest of Design Milk’s end of the year coverage here!
