Tag minimalism

Believe you me, just the way vinyl made its glorious comeback, CDs too will see a resurrection in popularity… and when they do, the Cp1 CD Player will stand out as the most sophisticated-looking player of our time. Combining age-old technology with a clean, minimalist, design-driven aesthetic, the Cp1 is a wall-mounted compact disc player that doubles as wall art. Its all-white design with clear lines and subtle detailing makes it blend perfectly into modern Japandi-style homes. Dieter Rams and Naoto Fukasawa would be proud.

Designer: Tatsufumi Funayma

Click Here to Buy Now: $135 $159 (15% off). Hurry, only 67/100 left!

“Streaming may be all the rage, but it often eclipses the holistic experience of a full album,” says the Cp1’s designer Tatsufumi Funayma. “While artists pour their souls into their albums, streaming emphasizes single tracks. NEW Cp1 nudges you to revisit the magic of entire albums, offering a chance to truly understand an artist’s intent and narrative, all while enjoying the accompanying art.” A billion CDs are still produced annually, yet the only way to buy a CD player today is to search for one at a thrift shop, on eBay, or go garage-sale hunting to grab a second-hand one for dirt cheap. The Cp1 changes that by hat-tipping an existing technology that doesn’t get enough credit, and is heavily due for a nostalgic resurgence.

At first glance, the Cp1’s design is a striking balance of retro and modern aesthetics. Look at it and you’re instantly reminded of a Polaroid film with the way it’s designed. It has a border on all four sides, with a thicker one at the base, like an instant photo. The center is where the magic occurs, where you can either observe the CD playing through a clear window, or slide the CD cover’s artwork in, transforming the player into a large retro-style relic of your eclectic music collection. The minimalist front, dominated by the disc tray and tiny display for track-number, exudes a no-nonsense attitude towards music playback. Look on the top edge and you’ll see the Cp1’s controls – simple self-colored tactile buttons that are easy to understand with zero text or labeling, reinforcing the Cp1’s clean design.

Despite its retro functionality, it’s equipped with modern connectivity options like Bluetooth 5.1. This means it can easily integrate into a variety of audio setups, from traditional home stereo systems to more contemporary multi-room setups. A 3.5mm audio jack encourages you to use wired headsets or speakers (as any audiophile will rightfully suggest), a built-in li-ion battery gives the Cp1 portable playback, and a USB-C port on the base lets you charge your CD player (never thought I’d say those words in 2023!) If you DO choose to mount your Cp1 on a wall, each CD player ships with a wall-mount that lets you attach the device temporarily, removing it whenever you wish like you would a wall-hung photo frame.

The Cp1’s transparent window is suitable for displaying photos and pieces of art too. Whether it’s abstract art you’ve created, images off the web, your own photos, or NFTs you may have regrettably invested in. You can slide a print right into the player, allowing it to serve as a larger-than-life Polaroid that sits on your desk or your wall. The Cp1 comes in white and even black variants, although the former is clearly a personal favorite. Even with its built-in battery, it measures a mere 26mm (1 inch) in thickness, which means it won’t occupy much real estate on your wall. The 1800mAh battery offers 7-8 hours of playback on a full charge – that’s roughly 10 or more albums for you to listen to while you relish the music as well as the art on the front facade of your gorgeous CD player from a minimalist future!

Click Here to Buy Now: $135 $159 (15% off). Hurry, only 68/100 left!

Relying on the basic building blocks of both automobiles as well as technology, Tien Hung’s Diode e-bike concept sports a neo-minimalist design that celebrates the future of the electric power train. The bike’s form is practically invisible barring one singular horizontal pillar that travels from dashboard to taillight, and the large battery module located under it. Despite its bare-basics approach, the e-bike doesn’t compromise on essentials, with a powerful rear-wheel drivetrain, a comfortable seat, USB charging points located near the bike’s charger inlet, and a digital dashboard that does everything from serving as a speedometer to even having its built-in GPS.

Designer: TienHung.Design

The beauty of the Diode lies in its abstraction of the conventional motorcycle shape. Most motorcycles are sculpted like horses, evoking the feeling of sitting on a saddle with a wild animal in your reigns. The fuel tank has an almost sinewy shape, resembling the torso of a stallion or bronco. All that goes out the window with the Diode, which takes a form-following-function route to design something that’s sleek. The fact that EV technology allows for cars/bikes to be more liberal with their component placements helps this further.

The entire e-bike’s design highlights how technological advancements have allowed two-wheelers to be more expressive with their forms. The electric powertrain means components don’t need to be arranged in a certain way. The battery sits between the riders legs, assuming whatever shape you need it to be in, while the motor sits mounted against the rear wheel, opening up the Diode’s overall design to a great degree of minimalistic expression.

The area where a fuel tank would once be located is now an empty cavity in which you can store your phone, TWS earbuds, and wallet. Right above it is the Diode’s charging port, along with two USB-A outlets that let you juice your phone and other gadgets directly using the EV-s battery pack. The headlight and taillight are minimal yet expressive too, relying on LED strips that can be formed in any shape rather than the traditional parabolic reflector lamp seen on most cars and bikes.

Lastly, the Diode gets a neat white and black paint job with metallic accents, giving it that futuristic appeal popularized by most EVs today.

Reminiscent of the clean design style popularized by stalwarts like Dieter Rams (Braun), Naoto Fukasawa (MUJI), and even with the new kid on the block, Teenage Engineering, the PLAYPLAIN speaker is a slick wireless audio device that adds a touch of Japandi minimalism to your space.

“Echoing Rams’ ten principles of good design, the PLAYPLAIN Concept Speaker is a harmonious blend of form and function, presenting a timeless aesthetic that seamlessly integrates into any living space,” says designer Jacek Janiczak. “Its clean lines, uncluttered surfaces, and subtle curves create an elegant silhouette, transcending trends and fads to achieve enduring visual appeal.”

Designer: Jacek Janiczak

The PLAYPLAIN models itself on the Braun LE1 speaker from 1959 (which also inspired the iMac’s design in many ways) and the T3 pocket radio from 1958, combining the styles and formats to create something that’s truly a modern classic. The all-white slab sports a rather hypnotic grille design on the front, and sits on a fold-out leg that lets you tilt the speaker in any direction.

The entire speaker’s all-white design is punctuated by an orange backlit seven-segment LCD display that shows the song name as well as a progress counter. Right beside it is the PLAYPLAIN’s control panel, a circular control interface that’s a nod to the T3 radio as well as the iPod.

A rotary knob on the top serves as the PLAYPLAIN’s volume control as well as its on-off switch, while beside it is what I can only assume is a 1/4″ audio input, allowing you to turn the speaker into an amp for a musical instrument.

The speaker features an all-aluminum construction with a matte finish, referencing the design movement spearheaded by Apple. Its large-ish design feels comparable to a Mac Pro, and one would assume the two could make quite a pairing, given that Apple doesn’t manufacture its own ‘wireless speakers’ outside the HomePod.

Although conceptual, Jacek’s PLAYPLAIN speaker pays quite the homage to all of minimalist technology’s icons. It revives a minimalistic style that’s becoming somewhat dormant, that too in a wireless speaker format that rejects the tech world’s obsession with pod-shaped smart speakers and their fabric class. Even though it’s called PLAYPLAIN, there’s nothing quite plain about it. The speaker’s clean design almost gives it a touch of luxury, making it akin to a hi-fi speaker rather than something affordable or budget-friendly. Plus, its slim format almost instantly makes it instantly desirable!