This week on Dezeen, Japanese electronics company Sony launched a remake of its original Walkman headphones, featuring colorful foam ear cushions and tapping into 1980s nostalgia.
The headphones, called MDR-3R, resemble the model launched with the first portable Walkman cassette player in 1979. However, the new edition has a USB-C connector that works with most modern devices.
Other design developments include Swedish designer Gustaf Westman’s unveiling of his full collection for media company Disney, including a music stand shaped like Donald Duck and a mirror that resembles Pluto.
“Mickey’s ears and the white gloves, Minnie’s bow, Goofy’s playful silhouette – these are instantly recognizable shapes, and that made them really fun to work with,” Westman told Dezeen of his work with the familiar characters.
American architect Steven Holl designed a colorful watch for Swiss watch brand Cauny, inspired by a compliment architect Álvaro Siza once paid him, telling Holl that he used color “like Matisse.”
The colorful watch, featuring a three-dimensional dial with red, green, yellow and blue color blocks, was designed to be a dialogue between the two architects.
A housing estate in Andorra designed by French studio Ateliers Jean Nouvel and Spanish studio Ribas & Ribas Arquitectos has been damaged by fire.
Called La Querola, the project is shortlisted in the housing category of this year’s Dezeen Awards and recently won the public vote for the awards. The cause of the fire is unknown and no official estimate of the extent of the damage has been released at this time.
In Shanghai, access to the Grand Opera House staircase at Snøhetta International Studio has been reserved for ticket holders.
Access to the spiral staircase, which leads to the roof and has become a popular spot for photos, now costs £5.60 per person. Snøhetta told Dezeen that “visitor management is necessary.”
In automotive news, the Swedish brand Polestar has unveiled its Formula 2030 concept car which, according to the brand, “screams performance”.
The low-slung sports car features signature Dual Blade headlights and was intended to project power, with a long hood, wraparound windshield, short overhangs, muscular haunches and 22-inch wheels.
In a summary, we explored five examples of modern Mesoamerican architecture that combine the principles of ancient architecture with modern techniques.
Curator and writer Su Wu chose five houses that she says “reflect the complex aesthetic cultures of Mesoamerica,” from her book on the subject.
Popular projects on Dezeen this week include an old agricultural barn in Cornwall, a viewpoint lit by Viking rings and a fun Portuguese retreat.
Our podcast this week looked at the Cybertruck and asked: was it a design failure or success?
This week on Dezeen
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