Throughout the year, Design Milk shared a variety of style + fashion posts, from modern jewelry, a DIY handbag and minimal watches, to Pantone-inspired wares, concrete finds and face masks, to name a few. As the year is quickly coming to a close, we’re looking back to these posts to see which were the most popular in 2020.
10. Pantone Color of the Year 2021: Illuminating + Ultimate Gray
After Pantone chose two colors for the Pantone Color of the Year 2021 – PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray and PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating – we shared 12 products, from clocks to planters, that give nod to the color authority’s selections!
9. Modern Jewelry Perfect for Giving Your Loved Ones
To celebrate love, in February for Valentine’s Day and beyond, we rounded up a variety of modern jewelry selections, all under $290, that make great gifts for everyone special in your life.
8. Nendo Creates a Bag Made From a Piece of Laser-Cut Leather
Japanese design studio nendo partnered with UP TO YOU ANTHOLOGY on a new handbag design called Mai. The nature of the design allows it to be shipped flat inexpensively to the buyer, who then easily assembles it at home with no tools. By pushing a few rivets through the pre-cut holes, the two-dimensional piece of leather becomes a three-dimensional bag.
7. 8 Cool Concrete Finds You’ll Want to Bring into Your Life
Concrete is one material that’s always going to stick around – it’s fairly inexpensive to use and it can make just about anything, as witnessed in recent years. From jewelry, writing utensils, and accessories, to candles and planters, we rounded up 8 cool concrete finds that anyone would love adding to their life, whether to wear, use, or simply enjoy having around.
6. How Designers Are Working Through This New Reality
COVID-19, or the Coronavirus, seemed to disrupt things overnight requiring people and businesses to alter how everything was done. The creative community was especially hit hard with people’s priorities shifting to focus on how to stay employed, and more importantly, alive during these uncertain times. With so much uncertainty, we wanted to reach out to some favorites in our field – Bobby Berk, Kate Balsis, Scott Fellows, Nick Cope, Angie Myung, and Robert Highsmith – to see how they were doing, how things changed, and where they saw things going.
5. The Best of Minimal, Modern Timepieces to Watch Out for in 2020
Wearing a wristwatch isn’t so much about keeping time as life once necessitated – our mobile devices have that covered. Even so, donning a watch satisfies a different desire, one related to fashion and self-expression. Our tastes steer toward modern and minimalism, with just enough novelty to keep things one arm on the side of being too serious. We shared 10 watches that are meant to be worn and definitely seen.
4. IKEA and LEGO Team up on BYGGLEK Storage Boxes You Can Also Play With
When two of the largest Scandinavian brands teamed up, it’s bound to be pretty magical, and probably modular. IKEA and LEGO unveiled their long-awaited collaboration, called BYGGLEK, that cleverly merges storage and play. BYGGLEK (pronounced boog-lee-eck) is a series of storage boxes outfitted with LEGO studs that encourage play and make storage more fun.
3. Games and Puzzles to Keep You and Your Family Entertained
It seems like the entire world has been living through strange times with offices and schools closing and re-opening and closing again, requiring a lot of time at home. There are a lot of hours in the day to be filled and they don’t all have to be spent in front of the TV or tablet. To help keep you from going stir-crazy, we shared 8 fun games and puzzles to help you and your family pass the time during the ongoing pandemic and beyond.
2. Zimarty Turns the Face Mask Into Wearable Architecture With zMask
Inspired by origami design principles, the zMask, by Zimarty, features a 3D folded structure that rests around the mouth while offering more space to breathe and talk. The faceted structure helps reduce irritation around the mouth that typical masks cause, while also protecting the lining from messing up your makeup or getting stained.
And the most popular style + fashion post of 2020 is…
1. 16 Companies That Shifted Their Manufacturing To Make Face Masks
Face masks… the evil necessity of 2020 required to help keep everyone safe. Some areas they’re mandated and others they’re highly encouraged, either way, wearing a mask is a simple and kind gesture we can all do to help reduce the spread of the Coronavirus. There are tons out there to choose from so we tried to make it easier by narrowing it down to 16 that are great options. Stay safe out there, we’re all in this together!
