This week’s DMTV Milkshake guest is Michael Green of Michael Green Architecture.

If Michael Green’s name is well known outside of design and architecture circles – and it is – this is due at least in part to his viral 2013 TED Talk on “wooden skyscrapers.” For many viewers, the idea of a massive building made of wood was a bizarre paradigm shift – for Green, whose Michael Green Architecture works exclusively with timber buildings, it was another step on the long path toward building a lower-carbon future. “At MGA we’re focused on two primary issues: how do we address climate change, and how do we address affordability – how do we look at solutions that will actually dramatically make a difference,” says the Vancouver-based architect. “We, as designers, are responsible for a whole lot of things: We’re responsible to our client, to our community, and really to the … Read the rest

Graypants is the modern design team behind the Scraplights lighting collection. The company, which got its name because the founders first met while wearing the same pair of gray pants, approaches design as an extension of people with stories that extend beyond the physical designs – and this flagship collection exemplifies that. Scraplights, handcrafted from recycled cardboard, tells the story of the process and the people who take great pride in the quality of their work. The meticulous attention to detail that each worker puts into the lighting shines through in innovation and craftsmanship.

The lights are made from natural recycled cardboard, which gives the edges their classic dark appearance and enhances the warm light projected through the corrugation. The fixtures also come in custom-made entirely white corrugated cardboard that elevates the original layered cardboard design.

Scraplights offers warm, intimate and functional lighting for any purpose or space. Tough and … Read the rest

Design Milk is publishing this story in partnership with REP CO, a brand new storytelling collaborative that covers issues of racial and social justice and is powered by volunteer media professionals. To read their other stories or to find out how to join them, visit representcollaborative.com.

Thanks to Melissa Goldstein, Shayan Asgharnia and Damaris Garcia for words, photos and styling.

“I’m obsessed with posting something you’ve never fucking seen – or, something you’ve seen, but I get to recontextualize it,” says Jerald Cooper, founder of the creative studio Things We’ve Made, and the man behind the Instagram account HOOD CENTURY. “The latter is almost more powerful than the former, because it opens your mind.” It was that sort of epiphanal moment that inspired him to start the 20k-strong account, whose tagline attests: “Yes, there is mid-century modern design in the hood!”

Courtesy of Jerald Cooper

By working with a team of 3D developers and artists, Virtual Design Destination by Adorno was able to present at London Design Festival 2020. A standout among the fourteen participating countries taking part was Poland’s LIVING OBJECTS showcase, curated by Agnieszka Jacobson-Cielecka.

The curators of the countries involved were asked to think about specific experiences, thoughts and themes from the COVID-19 lockdown for their curation, art direction and choice of location for their country’s collection. “The ‘New Reality’ for design means a juxtaposition of craft and technology, serial and individual, customized and mass-produced – all of those you can see in the selected items,” said Jacobson-Cielecka.

Curator Agnieszka Jacobson-Cielecka

LIVING OBJECTS brings together the past and present through an exploration of how artisanal knowledge is carried through contemporary design. The collection shares several unique methods of creation, from Arkadiusz Szwed’s porcelain pieces created using an analog, pseudo-3D printing … Read the rest

Photo: Amy Bartlam

Los Angeles-based interior designer and owner of JDP Interiors, Joyce Downing Pickens’ love of design was born during travels as a child. Her goal with every project is to create beautiful, comfortable and textural spaces, while also providing clients with superior customer service and project management. Joyce continually collects and curates to achieve the perfect blend between vintage and modern styles and loves watching her visions come to life. JDP Interiors is a full service interior design firm that focuses on providing clients with beautiful spaces that seamlessly blend new and old world design aesthetics. Their goal is to create a bold but timeless space with sophisticated design that’s rich in texture. JDP tends to gravitate towards simple, earth-toned colors coupled with well-crafted furniture and one-of-a-kind vintage pieces. Today Joyce is joining us for Friday Five!

Photo: Clozette

1. Dr. Gross Peel Pads
I can’t … Read the rest

We as consumers are more motivated than ever to make conscientious decisions about where and what our dollars go towards when we shop, maybe especially so when it comes to skincare. Questions like how effective is this product, does it work on dry/oily/acne-prone/sensitive skin, and what are the ingredients weigh on our mind and are layered on top of questions like are the ingredients toxic, is the product fairly produced, is the packaging sustainable. No one brand gets it right 100% but brands like Circumference NYC are goal-driven to get as close as possible.

Founded by husband-and-wife team Chris Young and Jina Kim, Circumference is a minimalist skincare brand that ticks off your skincare non-negotiables: high-efficacy formulas; nontoxic, high-quality ingredients; and state-of-the-art extractions and testing methods. However, as motivated as Chris and Jina are to take care of our skin, they’re just as driven to take care of the … Read the rest

With many of us still under some type of quarantine and some going back into it thanks to spiking COVID-19 cases, finding things to do while stuck at home is essential for making it through. Instead of going stir-crazy or spending all your spare time on your tech devices, bust out a new puzzle, like the 10 modern puzzles below. From abstract to realistic, tasty to trippy, we’ve got you covered with some fun, colorful puzzles that will keep you and your family entertained!

>>> Buy >>> little puzzle thing® | Series 2: Munchies by Areaware <<< $15 for one, $81 for all 8
Seems like everyone has the munchies while being socially distanced at home because, well, there’s not much else to do! Keep your hands occupied by taking your munchie habit to puzzle form and jump on these playful, snack-related puzzles.

>>> Buy >>> Great Shapes Puzzle by … Read the rest

This week’s DMTV Milkshake guests are Stanley Felderman and Nancy Keatinge of Felderman Keatinge & Associates.

Stanley Felderman and Nancy Keatinge are not just designers but seers — and perhaps no one is better able to intuit what the future of the work space will look like. “People hire us because we’re futurists,” says Keatinge. With the way we work undergoing an unprecedented paradigm shift, Felderman and Keatinge are now laying down tracks the rest of the industry may follow — from how Zoom can (and cannot) replace the “casual collisions” that brought such energy to FKA spaces like the West Coast headquarters for MTV to the evolution of “seamless” post-covid air circulation technology. “We’re designing furniture now that has its own ventilation system — that’s not only an object in space but also defines the space,” Felderman says. “Or room dividers that are art but also provide filtration.”… Read the rest

Circular by Design, a fortnightly column by longtime contributor Katie Treggiden, explores the reuse of waste as a way to keep materials in use and bring the legacy of the linear system full circle.

Award-winning London-based designer Ella Doran set up her homewares business in the late 1990s, quickly winning fans and plaudits for her pioneering application of photography-based images and patterns onto functional, household products. Her involvement in the RSA’s Great Recovery project – and specifically, the restoration of a sofa that was bound for landfill simply because its fire safety label had been removed – sparked a renewed interest in, and commitment to, the circular economy. We spoke to her about her latest project, the Clean Up Plastic Camo Chair.

Tell me a little bit about your childhood, education and background in terms of how you first became interested in creativity, design and sustainability.

I … Read the rest