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Take 5: Colorful Buttercream, Custom Shoes, and Landscapes in Tatreez

Twice a month we invite one of the Design Milk team members to share five personal favorites – an opportunity for each of us to reveal the sort of designs we love and appreciate in our own lives from a more personal perspective. Associate Editor Aria Lee joins this week for our Take 5 series.

10.09.24 | By
Take 5: Colorful Buttercream, Custom Shoes, and Landscapes in Tatreez

1. Hicoboci Stained Glass

Hicoboci Stained Glass produces pieces for the child-like joy within all of us. Soft, Mondrian-esque influences married with the translucency of glass produce a stunning effect. These strong graphic influences in such an unconventional medium turn what we think of traditional glasswork upside down. Each angle produces new hues as you move around the vessel, inspiring delight in every facet.

A three-tiered cake with light purple frosting, red and yellow decorative icing, and white pearls, displayed on a white cake stand with an orange checkered tablecloth background.

2. Mali Bakes

Melbourne-based Mali Bakes is run by Patchanida Chimkire, a Thai pastry chef whose retro-inspired creations are almost too beautiful to eat. Deep, rich colors give way to refined pastels, with delightful proportion changes laid in satisfying swaths of buttercream. Her flavor sensitivity is inspiring, incorporating exciting flavors such as yuzu and miso caramel, with vegan options as well. Modern in design, yet a comforting and familiar sight to all who want to have it and eat it too.

A traditional rug with intricate patterns appears to melt down a set of stairs in a surreal, distorted manner. Two people stand in the background near a handrail and historic buildings.

3. Faig Ahmed

Faig Ahmed Studio presents Catalyses, a stunning work that transforms from traditional Azerbaijani rug to colorful tufted explosion, flooding out of itself like neon magma. Featured at the International Venice Biennale in 2022, the artist is well-known for transforming traditional craft techniques into contemporary works of art. Old and new collide in this homage, history spilling into new and catalyzing colors.

A person in a blue patterned dress holds a pair of colorful sandals, reminiscent of a vibrant Take 5 summer getaway.

4. Sevilla Smith

Sevilla Smith is a leathersmith and shoemaker, specializing in her signature styles of footwear. Pictured here is her collaboration with Slow Goods Studio, washes of dye take on a water-like translucency. Natural, subdued tones give way to fresh, bright colors, perfect for any type of style. With custom sizes and leathers available, she is an original and creative designer unafraid to test the limits of leather.

A triptych artwork depicting a stylized desert landscape with mountains, featuring geometric patterns in shades of beige, brown, red, and yellow.

5. Jordan Nassar

Jordan Nassar is a New York City-based visual and textile artist specializing in tatreez, a traditional Palestinian embroidery technique. His piece, “Is the sky meant to be wide open?” showed at Art Basel this year with the James Cohan Gallery. Tatreez are typically worked in panels that are then combined to create rich and detailed iconography, all with different historical and cultural contexts. Nassar uses this technique to create expansive landscapes, carrying the beauty of history into tomorrow.

Growing up in NYC has given Aria a unique perspective into art + design, constantly striving for new projects to get immersed in. An avid baker, crocheter, and pasta maker, handwork and personal touch is central to what she loves about the built environment. Outside of the city, she enjoys hiking, biking, and learning about space.