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DM 15th Anniversary: A Look Back at Our Most Popular Columns

Happy birthday to us! Our 15th anniversary celebration is underway! Stay tuned for more special 15th anniversary content and fun surprises as our celebration continues!

In celebration of Design Milk’s 15th Anniversary, we’re doing a column roundup to share the ins and outs of our weekly and monthly columns. Some of the columns go back 5 years while others are in their 12th year and going strong. Take a look back to see some of the regular posts you can count on living throughout our Design Milk archive.

06.17.21 | By
DM 15th Anniversary: A Look Back at Our Most Popular Columns

At the Office
As more commercial brands and architects began to think outside the box when it came to the modern day office and how people work, office furnishings and workspaces became much more appealing. Most of us spend a good portion of our time in workspaces, so making them more comfortable, functional and practical has been a game changer for productivity and employee happiness. Every year the options keep improving, whether it’s actual office spaces or contract furniture, and we like to document it every week in our At The Office column. Over the last year and a half, we’ve even thrown in quite a bit about home offices as they became our only workspace through the pandemic.

Circular by Design: Weez & Merl coasters

Circular by Design
Our longtime contributor, Katie Treggiden, kicked off our Circular by Design column in 2020 focusing on the potential of waste as a valuable new raw material. The circular economy is a proposed alternative to our traditional ‘take, make, waste’ model of production and consumption – one that offers hope in the face of environmental catastrophes from climate change to ocean plastic. Designing out waste, keeping materials and products in use, and regenerating our natural environment are so important to contemporary design that we felt we needed to create a dedicated space for the designers and their projects that bring these ideas to life.

wall with marbled wallpaper

Deconstruction: Calico Wallpaper \\\ Photo: The White Arrow

Deconstruction
Launched back in 2009, the Deconstruction column features a designer or brand sharing with us the making of a product/prototype through a series of process photos and descriptions – essentially showing everyone a breakdown of how a product came to be – typically from the initial sketch to the finished product. They give a rare glimpse into the blood, sweat and tears that go into bringing a design to market and hopefully that makes consumers appreciate good, original design.

Alex Proba artwork

Designer Desktop: March 2019 by Alex Proba

Designer Desktop
This column launched in 2010 as a free, downloadable wallpaper for your various tech devices. Each month, we invite an artist or designer to create a new design with a quote that inspires them. From minimalist and monochromatic, to bright, bold and psychedelic, there’s a bit of everything for everyone and about 145 of them for everyone still to enjoy. Some people download the latest one when a new month rolls around, while others stick with a favorite design for a bit longer – ultimately, the choice is yours, but whatever you choose, it makes it 10x more enjoyable when you’re staring at a screen all day!

hotel glass swimming pool

Destination Design: Emiliano Hotel \\\ Photo: Fernando Guerra

Destination Design
Another column launched in 2010 is the Destination Design column – one where we feature dream-worthy locales and swoon-inducing accommodations that will make you want to grab your passport immediately and hop on a plane. We’ve featured everything from remote to popular destinations, from designs that range from minimal to kaleidoscopes of color, and everything in between. Inevitably, major vacation envy develops but hopefully it becomes inspiration for future trips to take. While we paused the column during the pandemic, we’re bringing it back in hopes travel starts to return to normal sometime soon!

Motofumi “Poggy” Kogi

Friday Five: Motofumi “Poggy” Kogi

Friday Five
Every Friday since July 2009, we’ve featured a designer, architect, artist, musician, creative, etc., to share five things of their choice. Their picks can be anything, from a random mix to a particular theme, favorite items to inspirational people, things they can’t live without to places they’ve visited – any and every answer is acceptable. It gives us all on the other side a peek into each creative’s unique brain that we wouldn’t otherwise have!

metal planters

Get Out! Terra Collection by Georg Jensen

Get Out!
This weekly column began in the fall of 2009 as a way to focus on anything related to outdoor design, from new patio furniture to grills to planters to gardening to birdhouses, basically anything that elevates your outdoor spaces. The designs get us through the cold winters by having us dream about warmer weather and backyard bbqs, and during the summer months we’re inspired to enjoy the outdoors and the spaces we’ve created as extensions of our homes. There’s something about fresh air, the sunshine and greenery that keeps us coming back for more ways to better our outdoor spaces!

Skim Milk: Amsterdam’s Historic Felix Meritis Building \\\ Photo: Ewout Huibers

Skim Milk
In 2010, we enlisted Leo Lei to share his passion for minimalism. Every week he delivers objects, furniture and spaces that feature scaled back designs void of extraneous details that even maximalists will love. If you’re looking for inspiration on how to pare down your space, or to appreciate the clean lines and silhouette of a new chair, Skim Milk is where to go!

birthday cake shield

Taste: COVID-Friendly Top It Cake Shield

Taste
Back in 2012, we added the Taste column after partnering with TJ Girard and Bob Spiegel of New York City’s Pinch Food Design. These culinary veterans not only have the food part down, but they add a layer a design element to everything they do and their passion for it truly comes through. Each month, this dynamic duo delivers all things culinary, from delicious recipes to food-related art to new ways of eating, all at the crossroads of food + design.

Unframed: Carving Paper: The Surprising Sculpture of Li Hongbo \\\ Photo: David Behringer

Unframed
Another 2012 addition to our editorial calendar was the Unframed column where resident art expert David Behringer shares the latest, most intriguing art exhibits happening around New York City. He’s able to uncover and share exhibitions most of us would never hear about, much less be able to visit while they’re running. He takes us for up-close-and-personal views of some of the most exciting contemporary art NYC has to offer allowing people from all over the globe the means to view work they might never have the chance to see otherwise.

Where I Work: Christina Z Antonio \\\ Photo: Andrew Frasz

Where I Work
Lastly, we kicked off the Where I Work column just over nine years ago and every month since we’ve featured an architect, artist or designer and their workspace. Through a Q&A, we get to know each participant and how they work, while getting a view of their workspace, the tools/equipment they use, all the way down to what’s on their desk and inspiration board. After all these years, we still find it fascinating to see the creatives at work and the space that so many incredible designs came from.

Caroline Williamson is Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk. She has a BFA in photography from SCAD and can usually be found searching for vintage wares, doing New York Times crossword puzzles in pen, or reworking playlists on Spotify.