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The boom box is back—again. Portable sound in the age of the IPad and Iphone has taken the form of an electronic picnic basket—the Beolit 12. The Beolit 12 features Apple’s AirPlay technology. Place a device in its tray top and it charges and plays. That link is simpler and surer than the Bluetooth used in such devices as Yves Behar’s brick like Jambox for Jawbone.
The basket, in graphite or blond colors, was designed by a 40-year-old Danish designer Cecilie Manz. She said, “I wanted Beolit 12 to have a clear expression showing its functionality and at the same time blending in naturally in people’s home. The natural leather handle invites you to move Beolit around—it makes it more approachable somehow.”
The look is new for B&O known for its Scandinavian modern space age electronics in the 1960s and 1970s. The work of Jens Jensen and his British born heir David Lewis, B&O was at its height in 1978, when the Museum of Modern Art gave the company’s work a show and has included some 20 of its pieces in the collection: the Beogram phonograph with its sliding tone arm, the CD player that magically opens when a hand approaches.
But B&O audio was never taken very seriously by audiophiles of whom there were many in the 1970s, before the focus of cool tech switched to computers. B&O stuff was for well off guys who wanted to impress women; in films of the 1980s it signaled the cad or villain.
The bright aluminum and glass of that look is absent in the Beolit 12, which just won the Red Dot design award in Europe, also echoes portable tube radios from the 1950s. Manz has designed several hand blown glass products, as well as lighting fixtures and furniture. On her web site is a wicker basket rendered in composites, foreshadowing the Beolit.
The company’s long time design consultant, David Lewis, died in November of last year. One of B&O fans of course was Steve Jobs, who happily adapted the wheel style controls of the first iPod from B&O phones. In January the company announced a new sub brand, supposed to be more accessible. But the Beolit 12 lists at $770. [ b&o ] [ cecile manz ]
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There is no doubt that all of these items will be found in a museum shop near you. Design-driven producers / museum shops seek each other out. Join the museum and you get 10% off. It beautifully all adds up.
JAMBOX delivers stunning hi-fi audio in a portable wireless speaker so compact you won’t believe it when you hear it. It’s loud. With an output capacity of 85 decibels, JAMBOX fills even the largest rooms. Unlike other portable speakers, JAMBOX is powered by a pair of proprietary, highly sophisticated acoustic drivers, unmatched in their ability to produce extreme high (tweeter) and low (woofer) frequencies from a single, ultra-small dome speaker. They work in concert with an innovative moving-wall passive bass radiator and airtight enclosure to deliver shimmering highs and thumping lows that you can literally feel – the richest sound all in the palm of your hand. Designed by [ yves behar / fuseproject 2011 ] Colors/Finish | grey | blue | red | black | silver price: $200 usd
NEKO WATCH | 2010. Japanese architecture team Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of SANNA created a modern Neko wrist watch for Italian design company [ alessi ] Made of Polyurethane and available in five colors, Neko watch does not have a fastener but simply embraces your wrist. price: $100 usd
FREDRICK ELEPHANT. Bholu creatures are the creation of [ Australian designer Jodie Fried ]. Each Bholu piece is individually hand embroidered or hand woven by artisans in India using ancient techniques, giving each product its own unique and original personality. By using their traditional skills, the artisans gain an income, hence independence and opportunity as well as keeping a traditional craft alive. Bholu is a Katchchhi term of endearment, and also denotes the naivety and free expression of a small child. This is in keeping with the expressions of the Bholu creatures themselves, who will appeal to children and adults alike. Plush, expressive Frederick Elephant is 10″ x 4.5″ x 7. Bright red with big white ears. Each creature is packaged in an organdi bag. Made of wool and acrylic. Slight variations will exist, as creatures are hand embroidered. price: $55 usd
point us to a musuem shop. we’ll add it to the list… [ bauhaus archive museum | berlin ] [ cooper-hewitt | nyc ] [ design exchange | toronto ] [ design museum shop | london ] [ mad museum | short hills nj ] [ mca | chicago ] [ MODA | atlanta ] [ moma | nyc ] [ triennale design museum | milan ] [ tate | london ] [ victoria and albert | london ] [ vitra design museum | weil am rhein de ] [ wolfsonian fiu | miami ]
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