‘Of Salt and Spirit’ Celebrates the Legacy of Black Southern Quilters

You may have heard of the remarkable quilters of Gee’s Bend, but do you know about the Crossroads Quilters, like Gustina Atlas? Or Hystercine Rankin? Mary Mayfair Matthews? You’re in luck if you have a chance to visit Of Salt and Spirit: Black Quilters in the American South at the Mississippi Museum of Art, which shines a light on dozens of incredible Black Southern quilters and takes a celebratory approach to showcasing their myriad styles and techniques.

MMA is home to one of the South’s largest collections of quilts, from which more than 50 handmade and machine-stitched examples were drawn for...

First 3D-printed Starbucks nears completion in Texas

The first 3D-printed store by coffeehouse chain Starbucks is nearing completion in Brownsville, Texas, featuring exposed layered walls overlaid with the brand's signage.

Located along the city's Boca Chica Boulevard, the 1,400-square-foot (130-square-metre) rectangular building has window and door panels sandwiched between 3D-printed concrete walls.

The coffee giant worked with German construction company Peri 3D Construction on the build and recently posted a video of its progress on Instagram.

"Starbucks is always looking for great locations to better meet the needs of our customers, and we are happy to confirm that we will be opening a...

Garage

US government restricts "sustainability" language for its overseas architecture

US agency Overseas Building Operations has released a memo asking its architect collaborators to remove language relating to "sustainability" and "climate".

According to reporting from The Architects Newspaper, the Overseas Building Operations (OBO) agency has asked any contractors to "re-review" language around in-progress projects and given new guidelines for approved language.

The memo from the agency, which is responsible for overseas buildings such as consulates, says that architecture studios must remove "all references to sustainability or diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)" in descriptions or documentation of federal projects.

First released in February, the memo was updated in early April to clarify that the...

Through a Love of Note-Taking, José Naranja Documents His Travels One Tiny Detail at a Time

From postage stamps to jetliner specifications to items he packed for the journey, José Naranja’s sketchbooks (previously) capture minute details of numerous international trips. “I’m lost in the intricate details, as always,” he tells Colossal. Everything from currency to noodle varieties to film references make their way into small books brimming with travel ephemera and observations.

Naranja is currently working on a thicker book than he has in the past, which is taking more time to fill, along with an illustrated card project called 2050, which merges science, tech events, and his signature “beauty of note-taking” aesthetic. The artist has also...

Fourteen furniture and object designers spotlighted at Look Book 2025 at ICFF

Promotion: colourful ceramic lights and mathematically generated wall hangings are among the designs set to be shown at the Look Book exhibition at this year's ICFF in New York City.

Look Book takes place during the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) from 18 to 20 May 2025 and will be presented in partnership with Dezeen.

More than 60 designers will show their work in Look Book, which is a curated event for members of the architecture and design community to connect with North American designers.

In this roundup, we've collected works by fourteen of the featured designers set to bring their designs to...

Single Flippable Lens Eyeglasses for Applying Eye Makeup

If you wear corrective lenses and are applying eye makeup, you've got a dilemma: You need the glasses to see what you're doing, yet you can't apply the makeup with the glasses in the way.

These Magnified Makeup Glasses with Flip Lens, by cosmetics company Donna May London, are designed to solve that. They contain a single lens that can be rotated over each eye, allowing easier application.

The units run $14, and the lenses are available in a range of diopters from +1.5 to +4.

Green terracotta covers Disney New York headquarters by SOM and Gensler

American studios SOM and Gensler have completed a headquarters for media company Disney in New York City that references the local architecture but uses stand-out terracotta cladding.

Officially named the Robert A Iger Building, the structure rises 19 storeys with a valley and peak form created by taller volumes pushed to each side of the building.

The headquarters will serve as a central point of Disney's operations in New York, including administration and production for its new divisions, such as ABC.

SOM was tasked with creating the form of the structure, which...

3 Ways Designers Can Incorporate Sustainable Workflows

https://invidious.privacyredirect.com/watch?v=3hkgrZvnMYo

In today's competitive consumer products industry, incorporating sustainability considerations into the product design process is not just a buzzword but a necessity. However, for many design firms, achieving sustainable outcomes can feel daunting and unachievable due to preconceived notions of cost or what sustainability "should" look like during the design process.

Selecting more sustainable materials tends to be the first path forward that springs to mind, but that’s not the only way to integrate sustainable practices into the product design process. Today, designers are leveraging digital tools to eliminate paper trails, streamline processes, and more. Here,...

Researchers "Discover" a Never-Before-Seen Color

Did you know that, for most of human history, blue was very difficult to come by? While it is the sky and the ocean's default color, blue is otherwise rare in the natural world. Blue flowers are scarce (produced by less than 10% of flowering plants) as are minerals that produce blue pigment.

Image: Delonix, CC BY-SA 4.0

The Egyptians developed a synthetic blue pigment by mixing sand, calcium, copper and ash, but it was labor-intensive and difficult to make.

When Europeans first caught wind of indigo in the 16th century, they went wild for the...