Drop Your Basic Utensil for a New Experience with a Finger-Shaped Spoon

As far as Emily Post is concerned, eating with your hands is a big no-no. But let’s be real, some of our most delicious and memorable food experiences have often come from this very activity. Eating with your bare hands or sucking your fingers are natural behaviors. We believe it feeds your mind, not just your stomach, by offering a personal connection with your food.

Design studio Michel/Fabian tapped into the sensuality of eating with one’s fingers when developing their genius take on the spoon. The result = Goûte, a teardrop-shaped glass wand designed to eat creamy foods like peanut butter, Nutella, yogurt, or chocolate mousse. Their handcrafted utensil makes the experience of eating creamy foods much more mindful and pleasurable.

Michel/Fabian also collaborated with Oxford University’s Crossmodal Research Laboratory to conduct an experiment testing the effect eating with Goûte can have on flavor perception. Participants reported perceiving the food as tasting significantly better than when eating with a conventional spoon. Some participants even rated the sweetness of the yogurt sample as being sweeter than those eating with a plastic spoon. Lastly, the perceived value of the food went up by 40%.

Goûte can be defined in three ways. Each one below clearly shows how perfect the product name truly is.

goût french |gu|
taste or gustation.
One of the 5 senses that informs about the molecular properties of food.
The sensation of flavor perceived in the mouth on contact with a substance.
goutte french |gut|
drop (of liquid).
A small round or pear-shaped portion of liquid that hangs or falls.
goûte french |gut|
to taste.
“Goûte cela” – “Taste this”.

As for the physical design, the original concept started by 3D printing a scanned finger, and giving it a handle. Then after many failed material trials, they decided to move forward with glass. The versatile material could produce a similar shape to the finger while allowing them to find a balance between tactile qualities, visual aesthetics, and manufacturing capacities. The glass Goûte is made by glass blower Richard Price, in the United Kingdom.

Additionally, they also produced a version in different woods: Pear, Maple and Olive. Their wood is ethically sourced, dry-aged, and hand-turned on a lathe by Dominic Jones, wood artisan in the United Kingdom.

Photos by Joe Sarah.

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The B&O Play Beoplay P2 is Designed for Poolside Playback

One look at Bang & Olufsen’s recently unveiled BeoSound Shape modular wall audio system, and it was hard not to imagine the beehive configuration as a chorus of portable speakers. Alas, the hexagonal array weren’t removable to move and use as individual portable speakers as one might hope (we tried!). Instead, you’ll have to look to their more youthful imprint, B&O Play, for their latest portable option: the Beoplay P2.

Backpack/purse sized portability: check. Splash and dust resistant case: check. Crisp audio output: check. Bluetooth connectivity: check. 10 hour playback: check. Distinct modern Danish industrial design: check. Button and switch controls: ….ahem.

The absence of controls is completely intentional, and B&O Play’s reductive design is the Beoplay P2’s most distinct feature: there’s no physical controls blemishing the profile of this perforated palm-sized pebble (say that 3x fast) besides a subtle power button on the back, lanyard loop, and perpetually agape USB-C port. Everything else one might expect adorning a portable speaker has been reassigned to shake and tap gesture control (customizable using the Beoplay App), in essence making the entire speaker one giant touch device despite the absence of a screen.

A quick shake or an double tap will activate Beoplay P2’s smart features. Play, pause or skip tracks, launch your favorite personal assistant or get Beoplay App to wake you up with the same music you were listening to yesterday evening.

The P2’s exterior construction of pearl blasted anodized aluminum grill, leather, and durable polymer case is designed to evoke the shape and feel of a pebble at the beach. Just don’t try to skipping it across the water.

Users can expect 10 hours of playback after topping off the built-in lithium-polymer in 2 hours charge time via USB-C connection.

B&O Play’s novel portable speaker is available now in Sand Stone, Black, and Royal Blue and priced at $169, inviting anyone who has ever wanted a piece of the storied Danish electronics-design brand a wallet-friendly entry point.

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Friday Five with Rene Gonzalez

Photo by Stephan Goettlicher

Rene Gonzalez is one of Miami’s most renowned architects whose work goes beyond just designing buildings. The award-winning architect is noted for his residential and commercial projects beyond his Miami locale each with a focus on material exploration, innovative compositions, and memorable experiences for all who take them in. After earning his Bachelor of Design degree from the University of Florida, Gonzalez received his Master of Architecture degree from UCLA and eventually opened his eponymous firm, Rene Gonzalez Architect, in 1997. Besides the firm’s long list of prestigious awards, their projects have been featured in over 200 publications, from local to global, including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Architectural Digest, Dwell, Elle Decor, Metropolis, The Robb Report, Wallpaper*, Metropolitan Home, and many more. When not designing, he can be found in the classroom lecturing at UCLA, University of Virginia, University of Florida, University of Miami, Florida International University, Universidad San Francisco de Ecuador, and Universidad Central de Venezuela. Take a look at this week’s Friday Five where Gonzalez shares a mix of modern art, design, scenery, and memories.

Photo by Rene Gonzalez, Tangerine Haze from RGA and Germans Ermičs ‘Sea and Sky’ collaboration

1. View of Biscayne Bay when crossing Venetian causeway in Miami
On a daily basis, the experience of traversing the islands between Miami and Miami Beach during my commute reveals a sequence of views of the bay that amplifies the special environmental qualities of the city and its relationship with the natural landscape.

Photo source

2. My grandfather’s guayabera shirt
This type of shirt is a very functional and fundamental piece of tropical fashion that has strong cultural ties to Cuba. Traditionally made from linen or cotton with pockets, it is perfect for the heat and also protects against sun. It is a versatile piece of clothing that can be worn casually, or in its long-sleeved version, to formal occasions in lieu of a tuxedo.

Photo by Rene Gonzalez

3. Anish Kapoor lamp
This light, produced as a limited-edition piece by the Tate Modern in the early 2000s, creates a sort of fragile tension in its softly flowing shape of a hovering teardrop.

Photo by Rene Gonzalez

4. Robert Melee, Neglected Sober Substitution (2001)
This piece by my friend Robert captures highbrow and lowbrow. Utilizing very ordinary materials – flour pasta noodles painted glossy black – he transforms something from daily life into something sophisticated and glamorous.

Photo by Wright Chicago

5. Arne Jacobson cutlery for Georg Jensen
Designed in 1957, this classic set of eating utensils is both minimal and sculptural. I am drawn to the way something as simple as a spoon can transform the daily activity of dining into a more deeply sensorial experience.

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10 Modern Gifts to Show Your Mom Some Love

Mother’s Day is barely 2.5 weeks away so it’s time to think about how to shower all the moms in your life with a little bit of love and appreciation. We must adorn them, self-care them, and cozy them up with something they might not buy themselves. Out of ideas? We rounded up 10 gifts we think any mother (or human) would love to receive.

1. Grid Zips by Chilewich $40 2. Rollerball Pen by YSTUDIO $99 3. Glass Sound Speaker by Sony Life Space UX $799 4. Antwerp Necklace by AR.M | Anna Rosa Moschouti $52 5. Intensive Body Cream: Rosa, Damascena, Acai & Pomegranate by Grown Alchemist $31 6. Evo Big Date Stainless Steel Watch by Mondaine $265 7. Pulcina Espresso Coffee Maker MDL02/1B by Michele De Lucchi for Alessi $80 8. “Girlfriend” Hoodie :: Teal from JENNIFER™ $140 9. Urbanears Plattan ADV Wireless Bluetooth Headphones $99 10. Tint Throw Blanket by Normann Copenhagen $135

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Finding Shapes in Drapes with Society6

Society6 thinks of it all. With their latest launch of curtains, your windows can now go from drab to fab with all the designs available thanks to their collective of artists and creatives. These window curtains are made with thick 100% polyester and are 50” wide x 84” tall, which means tons of real estate for showing them off. They’re also machine washable, so it’s one less thing you have to put on your “dry clean only” list. I rounded up a few that caught my eye while I was shopping and it’s clear that I’m currently having a moment with abstract shapes and colorful patterns (that may or may not be a giveaway about our booth at ICFF…).

Rainbow ray window curtains by Picomodi

Rosa marble hexagons window curtains by Marbleco

Wild Flowers window curtains by Picomodi

Pattern #23 window curtains by Daf.Alex

Memphis One window curtains by Atelier Seneca

Spiral Springs window curtains by SidelineArt

Geometric shapes 1 window curtains by ArtDeco

Neo Memphis Park window curtains by Elle Moz

DODODO window curtains by Art From Memory

Charcoal Slate Confetti window curtains by Studio Lake

In an ongoing effort to support independent artists from around the world, Design Milk is proud to partner with Society6 to offer The Design Milk Dairy, a special collection of Society6 artists’ work curated by Design Milk and our readers. Proceeds from The Design Milk Dairy help us bring Design Milk to you every day.

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A Backyard Pavilion and Pool for the Perfect Escape

For a family of four in King City, Ontario, Canada, Amantea Architects designed the Clearview Pavilion within a bare backyard surrounded by a line of Norway Spruce trees. The goal was to save the trees while incorporating privacy, along with a design that included a swimming pool, pool house, outdoor kitchen, lounge, and play area.

The pool house was built underneath the canopies of the trees, following the same line, to reduce the view of the house behind the property. The wooden structure with screens of Douglas Fir lets natural light through while offering privacy.

A large white oak table was custom designed to sit underneath a steel and wood trellis. Built-in planters run alongside the table, as well as a fire pit.

The partially covered shower was built around an existing tree bringing in an element of nature while rinsing off from the pool.

Photos by Tom Araban.

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