While vinyl records have seen a resurgence in recent years, CDs appear to have largely fallen by the wayside. The advent of streaming services and digital music collections, marked by convenience and virtually limitless capacity, has made CDs seem outdated. Despite this, there remains a niche market of music aficionados who cherish their CD collections. Catering to this demographic, a new minimalist CD player has emerged that combines functionality with aesthetic appeal, offering users the freedom to enjoy their CDs anywhere.
Digital music introduced the concept of album art as a digital iteration of the traditional CD jacket. This visual accompaniment to music has largely been lost in the CD format unless the listener keeps the CD cover handy. The ability to display album art on the playback device is almost non-existent, especially in the case of portable CD players that prioritize compactness.
The CD Jacket Player disrupts this trend, presenting itself as a minimalist piece of art. Its boxy shape, akin to a picture frame or an oversized Polaroid photo, features a transparent middle section. This design element reveals the CD’s spinning bed, which is also the ideal spot to insert the CD’s cover jacket. In essence, the device brings back the physical experience of album art.
Beyond its primary function as a CD player, the device also serves as a decorative piece, especially when you hang it on walls. Its built-in rechargeable battery negates the need for unsightly wires, except during charging periods. This feature also allows for portability, providing listeners the freedom to enjoy their favorite CDs at their convenience. For audio output, the device offers a 3.5mm jack for wired headphones or speakers, along with built-in Bluetooth support for wireless devices.
While this CD player may not introduce any groundbreaking features for CD playback, it does take a unique approach by encouraging users to manually insert cover jackets to mimic the digital album art experience. This design highlights how music appreciation can be a multisensory experience, elegantly placing the visual artistry of CDs on display.
Period details are mixed with contemporary interventions inside these renovated apartments in Paris, built in the mid-19th century during Georges-Eugène Haussmann’s reconstruction of the French capital.
In his role as the prefect of the Seine département under Napoleon III, Baron Haussmann was responsible for creating the network of boulevards that still define the city’s urban landscape today.
The homogenous apartment buildings flanking these boulevards were designed to strict guidelines, all made from cream-coloured stone with a steep four-sided mansard roof and no more than six storeys.
Although Haussmann was less prescriptive about the building’s interiors, they generally feature high ceilings and parquet floors alongside elaborate mouldings and boiserie.
Read on for six examples of how architects and interior designers have brought these apartments into the 21st century, including a book lover’s loft and two flats combined to form a family home in the Marais.
Original details such as parquet floors and ornate ceiling plasterwork were retained in the renovation of this apartment, which had been left largely untouched since the end of the 19th century.
But local studio Toledano + Architects tore down several partition walls to create a more open floorplan, traversed by a snaking plywood wall that roughly divides the apartment into three zones while providing tactical storage in the living room and kitchen.
“I really wanted to enhance this dichotomy between ancient and contemporary,” founder Gabrielle Toledano told Dezeen. “It’s very relevant in a city like Paris where both are in a constant dialogue.”
French interior designer Rodolphe Parente made only a few minor architectural interventions when overhauling this apartment in Canal Saint-Martin, exposing long sealed-off doorways and creating a hybrid dining room and kitchen.
Instead, he modernised the apartment by contrasting original details such as mouldings with unexpected contemporary details, colours and the “radical” art collection of the owner.
In the bedroom, a vivid purple rug clashes with caramel-coloured walls while in the living room, period wall panelling highlights the modernity of the sofa and the glossy coffee table.
With several partition walls removed, French office Studio Razavi created a new layout for this apartment by slotting a multi-faceted furniture block made from wood-fibre panels into the remaining gaps.
Its staggered profile creates sightlines between the different areas of the house while framing some of the building’s original Hausmann-style ceiling mouldings.
Painted in a muted slate grey, the furniture block performs a different function in every room – acting as a storage cabinet in the kitchen, a TV mount in the living room and a desk in the study.
Two flats become one 100-square-metre residence in this renovation project that French architect Sophie Dries completed in trendy Marais for a family of four.
Period details were painted in simple white, providing a contrast with new additions such as the Hans J Wegner chairs and the dyed linen curtains in the living room
“The Haussmannian style was refined and pared down, in order to introduce minimal lines better suited to a modern family,” Dries explained.
An additional bathroom is housed inside the three-metre-high birchwood volume at the centre of this residence in the French capital, designed by local studio Atelier 37.2.
The sharp lines of the diamond-shaped structure contrast with the apartment’s ornate ceiling mouldings and white-painted walls.
“This tension generates a fictional potential that plays with the imagination of the inhabitants,” said the studio.
This three-room loft is set inside the mansard roof of a Haussmann-era building in the Arsenale district, which originally served as servant’s quarters for the apartments below.
Parisian firm h2o Architectes opened up its floor plan to make the most of the top-floor views while installing wooden bookshelves to define different areas and house the extensive library of the apartment’s book-loving owner.
Their timber construction creates a visual connection with the original parquet floors, while the white paint used to brighten walls and other structural elements continues onto some sections of the floor.
The 176-metre-high skyscraper will be located alongside the Rio Guayas river in the centre of Ecuador’s largest city and contain a total of 633 apartments.
It is the latest project from developer Uribe Schwarzkopf, which has also commissioned leading architects including BIG, MAD and MVRDV to design residential high-rises in the country.
In other Starck news, we also revealed the French designer’s concept for Qatar Preparatory School – set to be the country’s first vocational school focused on education for the creative industries.
This week we reflected on the Venice Architecture Biennale and nearby Neom exhibition
We continued our coverage of the Venice Architecture Biennale with a pair of opinion pieces reflecting on the event.
In the UK, the London Design Biennale opened at Somerset House. The biennale’s fourth edition was curated by the Nieuwe Instituut and its artistic director, Aric Chen, under the theme of Remapping Collaboration.
Apple hasn’t launched a single new product category since they unveiled the AirPods back in 2016. Sure, the AirPods Max debuted in 2020, but it wasn’t a bold leap as much as natural progression. The point I’m really trying to make here is that it’s been a while since the company was ‘recklessly innovative’, and it seems like we might just get a taste of that three days from now at WWDC.
Augmented Reality has always been Tim Cook’s favorite buzzword, and he’s consistently pushed for Apple to have a presence in this space. It’s expected that all this will culminate in what analysts and leakers call “Reality”, Apple’s first XR headset. This cutting-edge device, expected to be unveiled at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, aims to pioneer the relatively uncharted realm of mixed-reality technology. With a price tag of approximately $3,000, the ‘Reality’ headset has been seven years in the making, and has been apparently filled with controversy too, with a large chunk of Apple’s own employees expressing doubt and disdain. However, here’s everything we know about the Reality headset (or could it be a pair of glasses?) that’s set to launch this Monday.
The headset’s design journey has oscillated between being thick and obtrusive, like your average VR headset, to being as slim as a pair of spectacles, or realistically, a pair of chunky ski goggles. At its heart, however, lies the innovative xrOS, designed to provide an interface that echoes the familiar iOS experience. The new operating system (which is pretty much confirmed thanks to a trademark filed by Apple in New Zealand) is set to revolutionize how users interact with their devices, presenting a traditional Home Screen in an entirely new dimension filled with apps and customizable widgets.
One of the most exciting features of ‘Reality’ is its ability to merge digital elements with the real world. The xrOS software could potentially project AR app interface elements onto actual objects, creating a seamless mixed-reality overlay effect. This represents a significant leap forward in AR technology, blurring the boundaries between the physical and digital worlds. According to MacRumors, the ‘Reality’ device will achieve this using “dual high-resolution 4K micro OLED displays with up to 3,000 pixels per inch for a rich, realistic, and immersive viewing experience.” To operate the device, the user’s hands and eyes will be monitored by over a dozen optical cameras. The user can select an on-screen item by simply looking at it and activate it by making a hand gesture, such as a pinch.
The core of xrOS will feature re-imagined versions of Apple’s staple apps. From Safari to Messages, Apple TV+ to Apple Music, users will have the flexibility to work with multiple apps simultaneously, ensuring a dynamic and engaging user experience. Apple is also set to transform existing services into immersive viewing experiences. Imagine watching videos in virtual reality as if on a giant screen, or engaging in guided meditations enhanced by immersive visuals, audio, and voiceovers. Services like Apple Fitness+, Apple TV+, and a 3D version of Apple’s collaborative Freeform tool are set to offer these radical experiences in xrOS. In addition to the reimagined versions of existing apps, Apple is likely to introduce new offerings tailored to the unique capabilities of the ‘Reality’ headset. These would include a Books app for immersive reading, a Health app focusing on psychological wellness, and a Camera app that can capture images from the headset’s cameras, promising a whole new level of interaction and engagement.
Apple is reportedly also working with a select number of game developers to help them update their existing content for mixed reality. Furthermore, Apple reportedly has a robust set of tools that will allow non-developers to create their own AR/VR experiences, even without coding skills. These user-created AR apps could be distributed on the App Store alongside developer-created apps.
The Reality headset doesn’t come without its fair share of controversy. It remains one of the most divisive products even within Apple’s own company, with multiple people leaving the project to move to other divisions within Apple, or leaving the company entirely. Multiple engineers have expressed their opinion that Tim Cook should wait before the product is “good enough” for consumers… a feeling that people on Apple’s board have expressed too. Cook gave multiple key executives and personnel a preview of the Reality headset a little over a month ago, one of them being credible Apple reporter Mark Gurman of Bloomberg. However, it seems like Cook’s been adamant about releasing the headset as soon as possible, although as a developer product rather than a consumer-ready gadget. This will probably help set the groundwork needed to make a much more consumer-friendly Reality headset somewhere down the line. Until then, we have our fingers crossed and our calendars set for June 5th, 10 am PST!
In the midst of anticipation for Apple’s long-rumored mixed reality headset, Meta has made a splash by unveiling – through Mark Zuckerberg’s official Instagram handle – the upcoming Meta Quest 3. Building upon the success of its predecessor, the Quest 2, the Quest 3 boasts a sleeker and more comfortable design, featuring a 40 percent slimmer design and a more powerful device.
Meta Quest 3 would stand apart with its rumored high-resolution mixed reality output and promise of an unparalleled visual experience. With its thinner profile and enhanced comfort, the Quest 3 will combine Meta’s highest resolution display and pancake optics, ensuring the delivered content looks better than ever before.
Under the hood, the Quest 3 is to be powered by a new Qualcomm Snapdragon chip that will likely deliver twice the graphics performance compared to its predecessor. This next-generation chipset will make sure the Quest 3 offers smooth and stunning visuals, pushing the boundaries of mixed and virtual reality to an unexplored high.
One of the most enticing aspects of the Meta Quest 3 still is its compatibility with the entire Quest 2 library. It, however, will be accompanied by an array of new titles as well. Scheduled for release this fall, the Meta Quest 3 will be available in a 128GB version priced at $499.99. An additional storage option will also be launched, but the price for it is not disclosed yet.
In addition to this exciting announcement, Meta has also made significant price adjustments for the Quest 2. Starting June 4th, the 128GB version of the Quest 2 will be priced at $299.99. Similarly, the 256GB version will see a price drop to $349.99, providing enthusiasts with the most powerful headset presently at an affordable cost.
Prepared to be astounded by jaw-dropping virtual reality experiences of Quest 3 still? You can sign up here for more information about the state-of-the-art headset or wait until Meta annual Connect event on September 27.
What is time for a dedicated automotive enthusiast? Well, it’s just a number, especially when you’ve put 18 years of tears and sweat into a build. Reason enough for Hot Wheels to acknowledge the build and move it forward to the final round of the 2023 Legends Tour!
Meet Michael Scire of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, who stunned onlookers with his custom-modified Camaro at the Legends Tour stop in Atlanta, Georgia. Originally purchased as a 1981 Chevrolet Camaro when Michael was just 15 years old, the classic car underwent 18 years of hand-crafted perfection into a glossy green hotrod of dreams. And just for the record, it’s 18 inches shorter than the donor Camaro it was built on!
Designer: Michael Scire
The transformation holds even more weight since there was an added layer of challenge for Michael who suffered from spine injury during the make. He was ably helped by his close friend and father to bring this one-of-a-kind classic to life. To give this cool roadster a distinctive Hot Wheels-ish vibe, he modified the front end to have a big grille and contoured headlights. The open front wheels stamp the classic Hotrod DNA onto the Camaro which otherwise flaunts a muscle car character.
The classic Hotrod influence doesn’t end there, as the modified Camaro gets six round lights at the rear and big pods on both sides get rearview mirrors. There are no doors on this one – not by chance but by choice – and for that reason, the driver and passenger need to be agile enough to hop in easily.
The Interior has also been thoroughly worked upon here as Michael choose a three-spoke steering wheel to keep the masculine theme going. The same follows down to the instrument cluster and the gear selector salvaged from a more modern ride. Just so that the riders don’t get bored, the hotrod is fitted with a Pioneer head unit. The seats of the modified Camaro have been reinforced with more cushioning to alleviate pressure from Scire’s spine which is totally understandable.
For now, Hot Wheels hasn’t revealed the full specs list of the roadster and just a few little details are known. There’s a hand-built 350-cubic-inch 5.7-liter V8 which is a part of the Small Block engine family. The choice holds relevance since it is easier to tune and exhale through a custom-made exhaust system with side-mounted outlets. Also, the automatic transmission of the Camaro has been retained here. All this suggests the hotrod will be faster than the donor car, and it’s stunning to look at after all!
At Yanko Design, we believe in constantly innovating, creating, and evolving. It’s a philosophy that serves as a lifeline for us, and one of the results of this lifeline is the YD x KeyShot Inspiration Hub! The Inspiration Hub is our ‘ever-expanding encyclopedia’ of design work for you to participate in, to inspire designers, and to get inspired by. Created in collaboration with KeyShot, the Inspiration Hub is your one-stop space for inspiration where designers like you can submit your impressive designs and be awarded to stand out in the crowd and to inspire other like-minded designers.
To kickstart your journey and send some motivation your way, we’ve curated some of our favorite desk accessories from the Inspiration Hub. These unique and uber-cool desk accessories will motivate you to create something spectacular and submit the design, as a gateway to sharing it with the best of the design world. Additionally, we will also be picking our favorite Design of the Week, Design of the Month, and Design of the Year – every week, month, and year from the submissions on the Inspiration Hub. Keep an eye on our Instagram page and the Inspiration Hub to see if your design gets picked. Fingers crossed!
Click here to Download KeyShot Pro (Use Code ‘KSYANKOHUB’ during installation for a full Pro + KeyShotWeb trial) to take your sketch from concept to render!
1. The Logitech Signature Series
The Logitech Signature Series is a family of sleek and innovative mice created by Benjamin Ehrenberg to simplify the mid-range with one substantial and significant experience. The collection includes six different mice with a contoured shape, soft thumb, area, and rubber side drops designed to provide you with the perfect grip, allowing your hand to always be snugly fitted in place. You can pick the perfectly sized mouse for your hands, with the right amount of buttons and features you need for your daily work.
2. Molo
Designed by Fuso Design, the Molo is a sleek and good-looking desktop stand with a static and monolithic form and a streamlined function to keep our desks well-organized and efficient. The base of the desktop stand is made using a transparent material, which gives it a rather mystical floating effect, and also allows the keyboard to be placed under it, leaving the rest of the desk free.
3. Ryoko Air Purifier
Designed by Jacobus Oosthuizen, this minimalist desktop air purifier was created for optimal purification and equipped with a unique aesthetic appeal. The unique pattern seen on the Ryoko air purifier is inspired by a blossoming wave facade and was created using Grasshopper 3D Generative Software. The purifier was built using plasma-cut sheet metal and is equipped with replaceable HEPA and active carbon filters to provide the user with a clean environment.
4. MOMO Monitor Arm
Designed by RAAK Design, the MOMO monitor arm is a sleek and futuristic-looking computer accessory that comes in a clean matt white color. The arm has a minimal and simple form, accentuated by white and metallic highlights. The design seems to be a concept at the moment, but we would love to see such a neat design on your work desk someday.
5. Square Tray
This minimal, clean, and compact tray features a square form and is designed to be the ultimate universal desk organizer you’ve been searching for. Designed by One Object Design Studio, the desk organizer has been equipped with a recessed tray on one side, and multiple little slots on the other, creating a versatile and inclusive design, that allows people to build the desk setup of their dreams.
Click here to Download KeyShot Pro (Use Code ‘KSYANKOHUB’ during installation for a full Pro + KeyShotWeb trial) to take your sketch from concept to render!
Italian architecture studio Network of Architecture creates a stunning hillside extension to the Olympic Spa Hotel, located in the Dolomites in Val di Fassa, Italy. The extension is defined by a sweeping and sloping roof that is inspired by the mountain skyline of the Alps. It is designed to be “in symbiosis” with the landscape.
The new addition to the hotel consists of ten guest suites and a gym. An exciting aerial walkway leads to a raised timber sauna, which was also designed by the Network of Architecture (NOA). This fresh space was commissioned by the Pellegrin family, which has been operating this hospitality business since 1963. “[The] new extension [aims] to enhance and integrate the facilities with the surrounding landscape. [The] project camouflages the new, plays with the profile of the mountains, and gives guests the emotion of [a] sincere bond with nature,” said NOA.
The mountainside side gently slopes down, and leads you towards a forest and a stream. The main hotel is in the form of a four-story chalet which sits on the hill, on the west side. The new addition is placed as an extension to the east of the pre-existing hotel, allowing the new rooms to be concealed by the slope while providing beautiful views of the forest. An underground passage connects these new rooms to the main hotel. The extension has an intriguing mountain-esque form and features a double-heigh spike on one end. The roof subtly slopes downwards from this point, with the smaller spikes placed atop the rest of the suites and the gym. “This silhouette, highly recognizable in its graphic simplicity, is intended to become the hotel’s architectural signature,” said the studio.
The new suites have been equipped with large windows and a massive terrace that overlooks the forest. The interiors of the room have been inspired by the natural landscape, with four of them being influenced by the forest, and the remaining five paying tribute to water. The suites were built using locally sourced oak and larch wood – especially for their floors and furnishings. “The emphasis is on direct contact with nature, which is also supported by the used materials, by the facade design that plays with the mountain skyline, by the terraces and the special interior patios embedded in the larger rooms,” the studio concluded.
California studio Kadre Architects has used bold graphics and vibrant colours to transform a dilapidated motel into The Alvarado, which offers beds for families experiencing homelessness.
Designed by local firm Kadre Architects, the adaptive reuse project involved converting a 20,000-square-foot (1,858-square-metre) motel built in 1984 into a shelter for families transitioning out of homelessness in LA’s Westlake neighbourhood, one block north of MacArthur Park.
Kadre Architects transformed a former motel into a homeless shelter
The Alvarado project was led by Los Angeles County and its nonprofit partner, Hope the Mission. It was designed and completed in eight months.
The four-storey building contains 43 units with a total of 172 beds, along with support spaces and offices.
The building has a graphic blue and white facade that spells HOPE
The Alvarado project was led by Los Angeles County and its nonprofit partner, Hope the Mission. It was designed and completed in eight months.
The four-storey building contains 43 units with a total of 172 beds, along with support spaces and offices.
Bold colours feature throughout the building
The majority of tenants are single mothers and children. The project is part of the state of California’s Project Homekey initiative, which provides funding for local governments to rapidly create housing for the homeless.
Working on a limited budget, the architects opted to use bold colours and graphics to bring “new life to the blighted building”.
The entrance facade formerly had a pale green colour and Italianate-style detailing. The team replaced it with a blue-and-white graphic that spells out “Hope”.
“Paint goes a long way when budgets are low, and the welcoming graphic greets each resident with an inspiring message, creating a sense of belonging and dignity,” the team said.
Graphics in hues such as yellow, purple and green are also found indoors, providing a sense of “moving through a colourful composition”.
The shelter contains space for 172 beds, offices and support spaces
“[We] used the palette to enliven spaces and bring about a sense of ownership, with each floor having its own graphic identity throughout each of the rooms, floors, walls and furnishings – like one’s own neighborhood,” the team said.
The ground level holds a covered gathering area and support spaces. The upper three levels encompass the living units, each of which has bunk beds, a bathroom, a microwave and small refrigerator. The units average 280 square feet (26 square metres).
The building was originally built in 1984
An outdoor area has been transformed into a dining deck for tenants, who are provided three meals each day.
The project has a number of sustainable features, including drought-tolerant landscaping and a white-painted roof that helps reduce heat gain. A photovoltaic array meets about half of the building’s energy needs.
A gathering space is located on the ground floor
“Collaborating closely with the contractors and specialty consultants, the architects were able to eliminate fossil fuels completely and switch the entire building to electric power, in-step with the goals of the California Energy Commission,” the team said.
The project marks the first of three designed by Kadre Architects and Hope the Mission. The other two are slated to open later this year.
It forms part of California’s Project Homekey initiative
They are all part of the state’s Project Homekey initiative, which aims to address California’s escalating homelessness crisis. In 2022, there were over 171,000 homeless people in the state. About 30 per cent of the nation’s homeless population lives in California, according to a federal government report.
The founder of Kadre Architects, Nerin Kadribegovic, is a third-generation architect who has experienced “chaotic social and environmental disruption” due to being a refugee of the wars in Yugoslavia and Bosnia.
His refugee experience ignited his interest in addressing complex urban problems like homelessness.
It is located in the Westlake neighbourhood in Los Angeles
“This awareness evokes deep empathic connection to critical issues facing metropolitan urban centers around the world,” said his studio.
Prior to launching Kadre, Nerin was a partner at the LA-based studio Lehrer Architects, which has designed a number of housing projects for the homeless in Los Angeles. These include an apartment complex in the Willowbrook neighbourhood with shared patios and splashes of yellow, and a tiny home village on a narrow plot in North Hollywood.
Will plastic be premium? After providing the winning design for Milan Design Week’s Best Packaging contest, SIPA Packaging has announced their plastic sparkling wine bottle is coming to market.
Bookman Urban Visibility has designed a variety of form factors for lightweight, rechargeable visibility safety lights for pedestrians and cyclists.
The Hammer Fist is a baffling tool design that seems to remove all of the advantages of a standard hammer. We asked if you could think of any benefits.
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