By

Totally Okay’s hand-drawn look for Crossed Wires podcast festival

Totally Okay has created a “fun and accessible” identity for Sheffield’s podcast festival, Crossed Wires.

Launched in 2024, the festival positions itself as “celebration of the podcasts you love, the hosts you obsess over, and the stories that stick with you long after your headphones are off.”

It was created by local entrepreneur James O’Hara, podcast producer Dino Sofos, whose company makes shows like Miss Me? with Lily Allen and Miquita Oliver, and Alice Levine, the writer, broadcaster and host of one of the world’s most successful podcasts, My Dad Wrote A Porno.

Radio One DJ Greg James joined as creative director this year.

The identity is built around hand-drawn elements, like speech bubbles and a device known as the “squiggle,” which come to life in print and on posters, as well as on-stage visuals and digital channels.

Totally Okay’s identity for the Crossed Wires podcast festival

Levine explains that the podcast world is well-served with industry events that “feel like conferences.” But that from the start, Crossed Wires was meant to feel very different.

“Our brief was that this is for listeners and fans of podcasts, and it had to feel really fun and accessible,” she explains.

“Podcasting is obviously quite a solo, insular experience. So we had to put across the idea that this was all your favourite acts in a way you don’t usually get to experience them – something that felt more like a gathering or a party.”

Deakin admits that the initial ideas he presented to the team “went slightly awry” based on visual metaphors around discussion and tussle, like photos of judo matches and West Side Story face-offs.

But in discussions with Levine, he realised the seeds of the identity were already there, in his very earliest explorations.

“I had these initial doddles, which I thought were too unsophisticated to use,” he says. “But they had this really rough, hand-drawn quality that we ended up keeping throughout the identity.”

He also shared visual references from nostalgic 1990s sweets, like Parma Violets and Refreshers.

Totally Okay’s identity for the Crossed Wires podcast festival

This less slick approach fitted with the Crossed Wires ethos, and its home city, which prides itself on not taking itself too seriously.

Deakin says the design and the production – wheatpasting posters outside the venues – worked together to create the desired effect.

“There was a raw, edgy quality to it all,” Deakin says. “You have the liveliness of the speech bubbles, and then these dog-eared posters which I think were essential to how things were communicated. It would have felt very different if we’d had these smooth, clean posters, and vector graphics.”

This year’s Crossed Wires expanded in scope and scale, with more shows at the main venues and a three-day fringe, run by BBC Sounds, which took over the old John Lewis building in Sheffield city centre.

Levine and Deakin were determined to ramp up the identity for year two, doubling down on the graphics and pushing the verbal identity further.

“For the first year we had to do a lot of education, because live podcasting is a relatively new development,” Levine says. “We had to explain to people what it was, and why they should come.

“It felt like we had more freedom this year, and I wanted the copy to be intriguing – a bit more of a sense of humour, and a bit less on-the-nose.”

The writing process centres on “a huge, chaotic Google Doc” and Levine, a comedy writer, says she “freewheels” by throwing lots of ideas at Deakin to see what sticks.

This year’s lines included “On stage, off script” and “Meet the voices in your head,” and Deakin says it could be challenging making them work visually, because the identity uses sentence case text.

“That adds a problematic element, of having ascenders and descenders that need to fit well together,” he says.

The typeface is Founders Grotesk by Klim Type Foundry, while a striking fluorescent green dominated this year’s colour palette, or “that bloody green” as Levine puts it.

They had to find a specialist screen printer who could create that tone, and there were complications with it working on the wheatpaste posters.

“It was a real chore to get that green, but we did, and it looked amazing,” Deakin says. “Its the main thing people commented on, and so it was worth the struggle, because it really lifted up the whole visual language.”

The on-stage graphics were another important visual element. The spaces that host Crossed Wires events are very different, from the iconic Crucible theatre to pop-up stages.

“We needed something that made it feel like a festival, particularly for those shows which are two chairs on a stage,” Levine says.

The on-stage graphics at Crossed Wires festival, 2024.

At Levine’s urging, Deakin worked with local woodworker Giles Grover to create sculptures that resemble the squiggle and the speech bubble. “I think they’re so beautiful, they way they come out of the stage floor, and seem to float and disappear,” Levine says.

After a few weeks’ respite, the team has already started thinking about the 2026 festival – Deakin says the jumbled Google Doc for their ideas is back up and running.

They both want to push the designs again next year, without losing the elements of the identity which have worked so well.

“People say they feel like the event has always been here,” Levine says. “This visual language looks so embedded, and feels so mature, that it feels like we’ve been an event that’s been running for 20 years, not two.”

Totally Okay’s posters for the Crossed Wires podcast festival
Totally Okay’s on-stage graphics for the Crossed Wires podcast festival
Alice Levine and Greg James, wearing the Crossed Wires squiggle on a t-shirt
Totally Okay’s identity for the Crossed Wires podcast festival
Totally Okay’s identity for the Crossed Wires podcast festival

Source

By

soho house lands in ibiza: newly restored farmhouse curated with balearic design

inside soho house’s ibiza outpost

 

Soho Farmhouse Ibiza, located in the inland village of Santa Gertrudis, brings the members-only brand’s rural hospitality to the Balearic Islands. The project transforms a traditional Spanish finca into a countryside retreat, infusing the surrounding nine-acre olive grove with Ibiza’s bohemian spirit.

 

This latest Soho House project is led by interior designer Sophie Baker, who worked with the existing architecture rather than against it. ‘The building originated as a family home, and there’s a real warmth to it from the moment you walk in,’ Sophie Baker says.Given the building’s inherent charm, our aim was to avoid altering its foundation much at all.’ Terracotta floors, timber beams, and thick whitewashed walls remain largely untouched, forming a tactile base for a design approach that favors continuity over contrast.

images © Edvinas Bruzas and Safia Shakarchi

 

 

a design-minded renovation Grounded in Place

 

With the renovation, the Soho House design team references the agricultural typology of a working farmhouse typical of Ibiza. The white exterior facades, low rooflines, and masonry walls anchor the structure within its setting. Spread across approximately 2,246 square meters (24,000 square feet), the retreat includes a central house, a three-bedroom annex, two villas, and an assortment of shared spaces: a club, bar, restaurant, library, boutique, and wellness center.

 

Inside, the interiors respond to Ibiza’s natural palette. ‘We selected the colors, materials and textures carefully,’ designer Sophie Baker continues.We kept a serene, rustic farmhouse aesthetic — lots of wood and organic textures in the furniture, curated antiques, and delicate lighting.’ Elements such as 1970s glassware, plaster lamps from local artisans, and patterned silk rugs echo the island’s history without veering into pastiche. A combination of rattan headboards, four-poster linen beds, and leather-upholstered furnishings reinforces a tactile, textural sensibility throughout.

the art collection focuses on artists living in or connected to the Balearic Islands

 

 

spaces for rest and ritual

 

Bedrooms reflect a restrained design language with gestures toward local craftsmanship and seasonal living. ‘For the colour palette of the bedrooms, we reflected the natural surroundings with hints of orange and green – they make the space feel inviting and respect the original warm wood tones of the architecture,’ Baker explains. Rooms are equipped with details that anticipate the island’s climate — freezers for drinks and ice cream, breathable linen fabrics, and natural ventilation through operable shutters.

 

In the bathrooms, the material choices continue the tactile theme. ‘They feel very luxurious,’ she notes.We added smoked terracotta floors and hand-applied neutral plaster walls. The vanities are made from hand-carved timber with intricate lattice designs, which pay homage to the island’s traditional baskets.’ Across all wellness areas — spanning a gym, yoga deck, steam room, sauna, and treatment huts — the finishes favor softness, durability, and quiet continuity with the architectural envelope.

seventy works by twenty-one artists appear throughout the property

 

 

a curated balearic art collection

 

The art collection at Soho Farmhouse Ibiza is curated by Soho House’s Chief Art Director, Kate Bryan, with a focus on artists living in or connected to the Balearic Islands. ‘Our mission was clear: to showcase a diverse range of artists all of whom have a connection to the island, whether born, based or trained in the Balearic Islands,’ she says.

 

Seventy works by twenty-one artists appear throughout the property. These range from large-scale tapestries by Adriana Meunié to gold-leaf paintings by Stefan Brüggemann. In the library, a ceiling installation by Natalie Rich, comprising more than 200 handmade elements, offers a subtle counterpoint to the earthy materials below. Outdoors, a two-meter-tall sculpture by Jesús de Miguel draws from local folklore, while a site-specific light projection by Javier Riera plays out in a looped seven-minute cycle across the garden landscape.

curated interiors respond to Ibiza’s natural palette

a ceiling installation by Natalie Rich comprises more than 200 handmade elements

bedrooms reflect a restrained design language with gestures toward local craftsmanship

design objects include 1970s glassware, plaster lamps from local artisans, and patterned silk rugs

wellness areas span a gym, yoga deck, steam room, sauna, and treatment huts

 

project info:

 

name: Soho Farmhouse Ibiza

designer:  designer | @sophiebakerdesign

brand: Soho House | @sohohouse

location: Santa Gertrudis, Ibiza, Spain

completion: 2025

photography: © Edvinas Bruzas | @edvinasbruzas and Safia Shakarchi@dearsafia

The post soho house lands in ibiza: newly restored farmhouse curated with balearic design appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

By

Luncheon of the Boating Party in the Movie Amélie

The post Luncheon of the Boating Party in the Movie Amélie appeared first on DailyArt Magazine.

By

All the Art in Harry Potter Films

The post All the Art in Harry Potter Films appeared first on DailyArt Magazine.

By

Art in Film: Mrs Lowry & Son

The post Art in Film: Mrs Lowry & Son appeared first on DailyArt Magazine.

By

Iconic Pieter Bruegel’s Hunters in the Snow in Movies

The post Iconic Pieter Bruegel’s Hunters in the Snow in Movies appeared first on DailyArt Magazine.

By

thousands of hand-split bamboo strands weave curved tunnel by cave urban in sydney

What We Leave Behind forms a curved shell in front of MCA

 

Installed in front of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney, What We Leave Behind is a temporary bamboo structure developed by Cave Urban for the 2025 Sydney Festival. Created in response to the festival’s theme, Birth, Destiny and What We Leave Behind, the installation explores spatial storytelling through material assembly, public interaction, and site-specific design.

 

The structure is constructed from 500 locally sourced bamboo poles, hand-split into over 2,500 individual strands. These were woven over a ten-day period to form a curved, tunnel-like shell extending 40 metres in length and rising to over seven metres in height. The installation was developed in collaboration with the public, who contributed handwritten messages directly onto 8-metre-long bamboo strips. These inscriptions, totalling 25,000, were integrated into the structure, becoming both surface and narrative elements. Designed to allow full pedestrian passage, the tunnel widens and rises in height as one moves through it. The curvature is calculated to disrupt a direct line of sight, encouraging users to experience the structure as a sequence of changing spatial conditions. The tunnel’s entrance was positioned to frame a view toward the Sydney Opera House, while its arching form echoes that of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, establishing visual and material dialogue with the surrounding context.

all images by Juan Pablo Pinto unless stated otherwise

 

 

Community members join Cave Urban in the making of the pavilion

 

Material selection played a central role in the project’s design logic. Bamboo was chosen for its availability, tensile strength, flexibility, and ease of manual processing. Its curved form enabled the construction of a lightweight yet stable structural shell approximately 5 cm thick. The golden tone of the bamboo visually connects with the adjacent sandstone facade of the MCA, while its woven construction contrasts with the geometric rigidity of the museum’s architecture.

 

The installation process involved collaboration between Cave Urban’s team and skilled practitioners, as well as untrained participants. The complexity of the structure required a responsive construction method in which community members contributed directly to the making. The site operated as a collective fabrication space, where material preparation and weaving took place simultaneously. This public involvement formed an integral part of the spatial and conceptual outcome. What We Leave Behind functions as a spatial record of participatory engagement, constructed with impermanence in mind. Its formal language and assembly process reflect themes of interconnection, accumulation, and collective authorship within a contemporary urban context.

 

 

image by Victor Frankowski

image by Chloé Lindsay Daye

image by Neil Bennett

image by Chloé Lindsay Daye

image by Neil Bennett

image by Nergal U-Khan

 

project info:

 

name: What We Leave Behind
designer: Juan Pablo Pinto
designer: Cave Urban | @caveurban

area: 200 sqm
dimensions: 40m (L) x 7m (W) x 4.5m (H)

location: Museum of Contemporary Art Forecourt, Tallawoladah Lawn, Circular Quay, Sydney, Australia

 

client: Sydney Festival
lead designer: Juan Pablo Pinto
design team: Nici Long, Jed Long, Mercurio Alvarado, Maeve Corke Butters, Erin Zikos, May Baker, Hamish Shorrocks, Taya Solomon, Honey Long, Prue Stent
engineer: Event Engineering
steel tie-down: Eveleigh Works

harvesting volunteers: Alexia Dermatis, Alfredo Santos Ramírez, Alicia Mardones, Angela Ha, Ashleigh Williams, Atheer Albokhari, Audrey See, Bethany Chamberlain, Célia Lesigne, Dena Rubinstein, Emma Cao, Federico Riches, Isabella Massa, Juliet Nelson, Katie Hubbard, Kevin Zhen, Krishna Patil, Meiling Kwok, Mia Margolis, Nejala Janiola, Pete Deards, Sarah Ong, Sheen Parimoo, Suki Fong, Ting Ting Mabel Loon, Tiresi Kirby, Yuting Zhang

building volunteers: Alessia Francesca Picarel, Alexia Dermatis, Alicia Mardones, Annie Boman, Ashleigh Williams, Bethany Hooper, Billy Hyman, Bridget Annand, Camila Strang, Charu Kukreja, Chloé Lindsay Daye, Christopher Papaioannou, Dena Rubinstein, Emma Cao, Fatima Harun, Iris Xiao, Isabella Zhou, Jason Mumford, Jedda Ayling, Kate Riley, Katie Graham, Kelcie Bryant‐Duguid, Kevin Zhen, Kyo Kim, Laura Cimilo, Laura Fisher, Lilah Shapiro, Linda Agresti, Lisa Stevenson, Liz Mayberry, Lois Hyatt, Maisie Rose Nugent, Meiling Kwok, Mia Margolis, Mikayla Earnshaw, Nejala Janiola, Pete Deards, Rizal Mahoney, Robi Stanton, Sarah Ong, Seamus Fitzpatrick, Sheen Parimoo, Sirintra Sriwattanavanit, Tamara Bowman, Yuanqi Jia, Yuting Zhang, Zoe Hyatt, Zoe Pan

 

 

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

The post thousands of hand-split bamboo strands weave curved tunnel by cave urban in sydney appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

By

World’s First gamer-focused XR Glasses boasts massive 180-inch display with 1ms response and 120Hz refresh rate

Mobile gaming feels like watching a blockbuster through a keyhole. You know there’s something epic happening, but you’re squinting at a 6-inch screen trying to catch every detail while your thumbs block half the action. XR headsets seemed like the obvious fix until you actually try gaming with them. Sure, they’re made for movies, but start playing a game and you notice the cracks – lag mounts up with every head turn, the headset feels like it weighs a ton after twenty minutes, and the visual sharpness that wowed you with slow-paced films turns into a blurry mess in the middle of a frantic FPS firefight. Wires can help a little with latency, but they rob you of the freedom that XR promises. Gamers are left asking, why do all these futuristic glasses keep ignoring gaming, the most demanding and passionate use case of all?

Sentinel XR Gaming Glasses pop up here like the answer to a question nobody in the mainstream XR hardware world seems brave enough to tackle. Instead of chasing after office tasks or passive media consumption, the team at ELO built a device squarely for gamers and power users who want their screen to come with them, no compromises. The Sentinel XR’s headline feature is its 180-inch virtual display, which projects a screen equivalent to a 180-inch TV right in front of your face. Each eye is treated to a dedicated 1920×1080 Full HD 0.68” OLED module from Sony (the largest in the category), giving you true 1080p per eye with a 52° FOV. The refresh rate hits a serious 120Hz, which is what competitive gamers want for everything from Overwatch to Rocket League. That 1ms response time isn’t just a marketing bullet point – it’s a spec that means your moves register almost instantly, avoiding the sluggishness and ghosting that plague most portable displays. These glasses weigh in at just about 80 grams, making them light enough that you won’t feel like you’re wearing a brick on your face after a few matches.

Designer: ELO

Click Here to Buy Now: $429 $699 ($270 off). Hurry, only 8/206 left! Raised over $497,000.

Resolution is usually the first thing that gets sacrificed in the pursuit of portability, but the Sentinel XR skips that trade-off. The micro-OLED panels are from Sony, which is a reassuring name if you care about contrast, color, and clarity. There’s a 120Hz refresh rate per eye, which is the gold standard for smoothness, and it’s a spec you just don’t see in most XR glasses that are built for movies or productivity. That 1ms latency ensures every action in your game world is mirrored on the virtual display without delay, and it’s paired with a 52-degree field of view (the widest in the XR glasses space) without cutoffs, no less. After all, the display is front and center for the Sentinel XR – it isn’t trying to immerse you in some Zuckerbergian Metaverse… but more on that later.

If you’re someone who likes to game on the go, or just hates the idea of being locked to a single room, these glasses are positioned as almost a universal screen. Plug into anything with USB-C video output – laptops, Steam Deck, ROG Ally, mobile phones, and even the latest consoles if they support DisplayPort Alt Mode. The campaign explicitly shows compatibility with PlayStation, Xbox, iOS, and Android devices for both local and cloud gaming. Services like GeForce NOW, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Amazon Luna, and Shadow are all highlighted as compatible platforms. There’s even specific mention of Switch 2 support, with a comparison showing how the Switch 2’s native 7.9″ screen with 5 hours of battery life transforms into a 180″ immersive display with up to 18 hours of battery life when paired with Sentinel XR.

The glasses draw power directly from the connected device, so there’s no internal battery to worry about, which is both a plus and a minus: no charging needed, but how long you can play depends on your source device’s battery. Remote play, cloud gaming, and emulation are all possible, since the glasses act like a portable external monitor. If you want to stream your Xbox or PlayStation library via the cloud, the Sentinel XR’s 120Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time won’t bottleneck your experience. I can already imagine firing up Moonlight on these glasses to stream PC games to my couch without the usual display compromises.

Streaming movies is still on the table, of course. If you want to use these glasses for Netflix, Disney+, or a late-night anime marathon, you’re not going to feel shortchanged. The sense of cinematic scale is real, and the fidelity means you’re not staring through a fog. The 180-inch virtual display size is measured at a simulated 3 meters (9.8 feet) viewing distance, or conversely, a 27-inch monitor from just 80cm (2.6 feet) away – which means you get the big-screen effect even in a cramped airplane seat. The campaign images specifically highlight compatibility with all major streaming services including Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, Disney+, Apple TV+, and YouTube. For anyone who’s tried using other smart glasses for movies and walked away disappointed by washed-out colors or a visible screen-door effect, the Sentinel XR’s promise of “cinematic streaming” isn’t just a throwaway feature. It’s core to what these glasses are trying to deliver. The glasses support HDR content too, with a peak brightness of 1000 nits per eye, which is enough to make highlights pop without burning your retinas.

The Sentinel XR is lightweight at 80 grams, designed for a universal fit, and claims to block up to 99.7% of ambient light thanks to those photochromic lenses as well as side light-blocking fins. That’s a big deal for anyone who’s tried to use XR glasses in a bright room or during the day, only to have the illusion shattered by sunlight leaking in around the edges. The frames are adjustable, and ELO says they’ll fit most adult faces without awkward pressure points. The lack of a built-in battery keeps things cool – no overheating reported in early reviews and hands-ons – so you can play or watch for hours without feeling like your face is a hotplate. The glasses sport built-in myopia adjustment for spectacle-wearers with a diopter correction from 0 to -5.0D, along with “software adjusted IPD” ranging from 52-72mm, which means these glasses can accommodate a wide range of interpupillary distances (the space between your eyes) without physical adjustment mechanisms. For other prescriptions, ELO sells custom magnetically attachable lenses that you can snap onto your Sentinel XR.

With a 52° FOV, the Sentinel XR delivers a fairly expansive 180″ screen when viewed naturally from a distance. With the Sentinel XR, ELO’s priorities were clear: immersive visuals, minimal lag, and real portability. The glasses don’t try to be a jack-of-all-trades AR device with hand tracking or productivity overlays. They just want to be the best damn portable screen you can plug in and use for games, movies, and anything else you’d normally do on a monitor. The pixel density works out to about 55 PPD (Pixels Per Degree), which is high enough that you won’t see the individual pixels unless you’re really looking for them.

Beyond gaming and entertainment, the campaign also positions the Sentinel XR as “your portable workstation” and “your private office.” With support for productivity apps like Slack and Gmail, these glasses could potentially replace a second monitor when you’re working remotely or in a cramped coffee shop. The privacy aspect is interesting too – nobody can peek at your screen when it’s literally inches from your eyes, which could be appealing for those who work with sensitive information in public spaces. The glasses are also certified for various standards including USB, DCP (DisplayPort), Widevine (for streaming services), and Google Play Protect, ensuring broad compatibility with both hardware and content.

ELO, the company behind the Sentinel XR, actually made its name with the Vagabond – a high-end mobile gaming controller, not a portable monitor. The Vagabond is all about transforming your smartphone into a serious gaming handheld, complete with console-style ergonomics, Hall effect analog sticks, responsive triggers, and full compatibility with both iOS and Android. It’s clear ELO knows what competitive mobile gamers crave, and they’ve leaned into drift-free hardware and a modular, travel-friendly design. Their hardware chops are rooted in tactile control and making phone gaming genuinely satisfying, not just functional. The jump from Vagabond to Sentinel XR shows ELO’s knack for reimagining how gaming hardware should feel and perform, taking their gamer-first attitude from your hands and putting it right in front of your eyes.

So what comes in the box? Inside the sleek retail packaging, you’ll find the Sentinel XR Gaming Glasses themselves, a premium hard-shell carrying case to protect your investment, and a 1.5m Pogo Pin USB-C cable for connecting to your devices. ELO hasn’t skimped on the accessories either – there’s a microfiber cleaning cloth included to keep those micro-OLED displays free of smudges and dust. Documentation comes in the form of a comprehensive user manual and a separate safety guide, which is reassuring for a device you’ll be wearing on your face for extended periods. The packaging has that premium tech product feel to it, with each component neatly organized in designated compartments. The bundle starts for $695, although if you want just the glasses, they come with a $429 price tag. The best part? A lifetime warranty on your headset, which seems unthinkable in today’s day and age. Plus, a 30-day money-back guarantee on your purchase, just in case your wife grills you for ‘yet another impulse-buy’…

Click Here to Buy Now: $429 $699 ($270 off). Hurry, only 8/206 left! Raised over $497,000.

The post World’s First gamer-focused XR Glasses boasts massive 180-inch display with 1ms response and 120Hz refresh rate first appeared on Yanko Design.

By

Vollebak’s Electromagnetic Shielding Jacket creates a NASA-grade Faraday cage around you and your gadgets

“But why?!” is a question I often find myself asking Vollebak when they create some of their oddly fascinating garments. A glow-in-the-dark puffer, a jacket that can survive mars, another garment literally made from woven metal, Vollebak tends to push the limits of what materials can be incorporated meaningfully into fashion. Their latest apparel? A silver-infused jacket that blocks most electromagnetic radiation.

Unlike a mere fashion flex, this jacket’s origins are rooted in hard science. The same type of shielding once used to protect NASA’s Mars Rover from terrestrial electromagnetic noise is now reimagined for the city streets. Vollebak’s Electromagnetic Shielding Bomber borrows its technology from a laboratory in Bremen, Germany – a place better known for armoring satellites and hiding them from thermal cameras than for designing streetwear. The outer shell is no marketing gimmick: it’s nylon that’s been meticulously “grown” through with pure silver, making up nearly a fifth of the entire material by mass. But why, you ask? Let me explain.

Designer: Vollebak

So what does that actually mean for the wearer? For a start, the jacket can block radio and microwave frequencies ranging from 0.2 GHz to 14 GHz. That covers everything from your standard WiFi and Bluetooth to certain satellite and radar signals. There’s even a dedicated phone pocket, engineered as a wearable Faraday cage, that can render your device invisible to the outside world – no calls, no tracking, no hacking, no matter if the phone is switched on or off. It’s a level of privacy that feels almost subversive in today’s hyper-connected landscape. Perfect for people who want to go off the grid while living in it. Boeing whistleblowers, add this to cart.

But the science doesn’t stop at signal blocking. Silver, aside from being an exceptional electrical conductor, is also naturally antimicrobial. That means this jacket isn’t just about digital security; it’s also about hygiene. The silver ions embedded in the fabric are constantly on patrol, punching holes in bacterial cell membranes and neutralizing threats before they can multiply. Given how we’ve all become a little more germ-conscious, this is a subtle but very real benefit that’s baked right into the jacket’s DNA.

Of course, all this technical bravado would mean little if the jacket didn’t also deliver on aesthetics. Vollebak has modeled the Shielding Bomber after the iconic MA-1 flight jacket – the sort of gear worn by jet-age pilots when cockpits got tighter and the need for maneuverability became paramount. The result is outerwear that feels both futuristic and classic: cropped, unfussy, and practical, but with a quiet confidence that comes from knowing you’re wrapped in something extraordinary.

So, why would anyone need a NASA-grade Faraday cage built into their clothing? The answer is partly about today’s threats – cybersecurity, location tracking, electromagnetic smog – but it’s also about tomorrow’s unknowns. As our lives become ever more entangled with wireless tech, and as concerns around privacy, health, and even space travel grow, Vollebak’s vision feels more like a form of practical foresight. Sort of like storing your crypto on a hardware wallet, or changing your passwords every 2-3 months out of an abundance of caution.

And while you might not be planning to test satellite hardware in a sealed NASA tent or jet off to Mars, there’s something compelling about having that level of protection at your fingertips – or, more accurately, on your shoulders. At £2,495 ($3,295), this isn’t impulse-buy territory. Whether you need it depends entirely on how you feel about being constantly connected, potentially tracked, and electromagnetically exposed. For some, it might seem paranoid; for others, it’s simply prudent. Either way, Vollebak has once again created something that makes us question the boundaries between clothing, technology, and personal security. And in 2025, that’s a conversation worth having.

The post Vollebak’s Electromagnetic Shielding Jacket creates a NASA-grade Faraday cage around you and your gadgets first appeared on Yanko Design.

By

Steel & Glass A-Frame Home Shows Off Soaring Ceilings, Treehouse Deck, & A $1.8M Price Tag

You know that moment when you stumble across a house that completely shifts your perspective on what’s possible? That’s kind of what happened when I discovered this stunning 1965 A-frame by Sandler-Kilburn Architects tucked away in Issaquah’s forest. While most Pacific Northwest homes from this era leaned heavily into the whole rustic cabin aesthetic, these architects took a completely different approach. They created one of twelve original Mirrormont homes using steel and glass instead of the expected heavy timber, and the result is absolutely beautiful. The 1,950-square-foot structure sits on over an acre near Tiger Mountain, creating this amazing conversation between industrial materials and ancient evergreens that just works on every level.

They’ve handled the material palette well, too. Instead of trying to blend in with fake rusticity, they went bold with steel framework and floor-to-ceiling windows that practically erase the line between inside and outside. Inside, custom walnut cabinetry frames the kitchen, bringing in just enough warmth without going overboard on the wood theme. The Tulikivi soapstone fireplace becomes this incredible sculptural centerpiece that heats the space efficiently.

Designer: Sandler-Kilburn Architects

The spatial planning here is excellent, especially if you’re into compact living done right. The A-frame shape creates these soaring ceiling heights that make the interior feel way bigger than its footprint suggests. Two bedrooms upstairs connect via a floating staircase that keeps the visual flow intact throughout the space. The primary suite becomes this perfect retreat with a Japanese soaking tub that turns everyday bathing into something almost meditative—exactly the kind of refined detail that elevates the whole living experience.

The main floor flows seamlessly from living to dining to kitchen, then spills out onto this extended deck that reaches into the forest canopy like a treehouse for adults. Standing out there must feel like you’re suspended among the trees while still being completely connected to the house. Most people think forest homes need to look like log cabins, but Sandler-Kilburn showed us that modernist principles can thrive in wooded settings. Their steel and glass technique weathers better than traditional materials while creating this timeless aesthetic that still looks fresh today. That curved roofline over the entrance adds such beautiful sculptural interest while being completely practical for shedding rain.

The market clearly agrees with the architectural significance here. This house went from $875,000 in 2016 to $1.8 million today, which tells you everything about how people are finally recognizing quality mid-century modern design.  This Issaquah A-frame embodies everything I love about fearless residential architecture. Sandler-Kilburn created something that honors its forest setting without pandering to clichés, using materials that age beautifully while maintaining their modern edge.

The fact that we’re still talking about this house nearly sixty years later shows what happens when architects pick spatial quality and honest materials over trends. If you’re someone who appreciates a simple yet powerful architecture, then this steel and glass gem in the Washington woods is essential viewing for you.

The post Steel & Glass A-Frame Home Shows Off Soaring Ceilings, Treehouse Deck, & A $1.8M Price Tag first appeared on Yanko Design.