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Casa Bosques goes beyond chocolate to highlight Black creatives.
+ Not only is the chocolate inspired by Jamaican flavors, but Casa Bosques packaging also features work by one of three Black artists from the American South: Mary L. Bennett, Joe Light, or Ronald Lockett.
+ “It’s a very beautiful, delicious, and culturally charged chocolate. The Makers Series really highlights the importance of collaboration, experimentation, and kindness. There is a lot of emotion in the project, for us to be able to do what we love,” Casa Bosques Cofounder Rafael Prieto told Wallpaper.
Courtesy of Salone del Mobile
In other news, new Salone President Maria Porro shares what to look forward to at this year’s event.
+ Salone after Europe’s summer holidays? “We’ll come back from the sea tanned, we’ll look great,” Maria told Domus. “There will be an overview that we haven’t had for two years: we’ll have a glimpse of what companies have been up to over the past year. The Salone puts everything together and the Supersalone will do it even more.”
+ After a year away, Maria also points to the value of good furniture design now more than ever. “We have rediscovered living and the value of the objects we surround ourselves with. As a sector, we have the responsibility to seize this moment in which the quality of furniture becomes important once again and we must convey this to the new generations.”
After a successful first year, One School—a free portfolio program for Black creatives—opens applications for the fall.
+ Last year the program’s six cohorts run out of Atlanta, Chicago, LA, and New York prepared 84 new Black creatives—65% of which were women—to enter the industry and has an impressive 80% hire rate. Applications for the fall semester are due September 10.
+ Award-winning Spotify creative director Oriel Davis-Lyons cofounded the program alongside the creative development department for The One Club for Creativity, a nonprofit aimed at creating a global creative community. “There is still a great deal of work to be done,” Bob Isherwood, head of The One Club’s Creative Development department, told It’s Nice That. “One School is a stake in the ground, and we’re building upon this foundation and cementing program sustainability to continue bringing creatively excellent Black graduates to advertising for years to come.”
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Benjamin Hubert says that design should be for everyone—and that designers need to find a way to give back.
+ The prolific designer behind LAYER makes a point that 20% of the studio’s work is dedicated to nonprofits. “As designers, we have a responsibility to address problems that are necessities. It’s important to contribute something to society, and use our time for projects that improve the world,” he told Surface.
+ Likewise, Benjamin says good design is meant for everyone. “I like to design for people, and I’m convinced that good design helps people be happier and healthier. That can be translated into a service or an object, a piece of furniture, or an electronic product. … Design should be for as many people as possible.”
When he’s not writing on his MacBook, Touré stays organized with his favorite Moleskine notebook and blue uni-ball micro point pen. “The relationship of the pen to the paper, the way the uni-ball feels on the Moleskin, there’s a sharpness of the pen to the paper and it doesn’t get messy. There’s a crispness. That feels really good.” Photo by Benjamin Norman
Touré’s new book, Nothing Compares 2 U: An Oral History of Prince, is a deep dive on one of the most mysterious artists of all time.
+ The book is a follow up to Touré’s I Would Die 4 U: Why Prince Became an Icon and interviews members of Prince’s inner circle who candidly discuss the artist’s life.
+ “I’ve always been enamored and in love with music and performing and wanting just to see what artists are all about,” he previously told Sixtysix.
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Blitz Bazawule reconnected to his painting roots as a continuation of his work exploring Black identity.
+ Blitz, who’s known for codirecting Beyoncé’s Black Is King and will be directing the upcoming film adaptation of The Color Purple, turned to painting because he was looking for something to do. “As a kid I was most at peace drawing and painting, “ he told Cultured. “During the pandemic that was something I was really looking for… something to connect to myself.”
+ Those paintings turned into his solo show, “A Moment in Time,” that explores Black identity, where Polaroids depicting moments of Black life take center stage.
Photo courtesy of sizzlesatthepark.nl
Zware Jongens designs Sizzles in the Park, a moody restaurant in a former secret society club.
+ The restaurant, which is located an hour outside of Amsterdam in Apeldoorn, was designed around the Dutch notion of gezelligheid, a feeling of social coziness, conviviality, and relaxation.
+ The historic building’s many windows were the inspiration behind the restaurant’s atmospheric divisions, created through table heights and positionings, deliberate seating areas, varied color palettes, and textured tapestries and curtains.
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Photographer Winnie Au launches Dog-Friendly, pup-centered city guides for traveling.
+ Winnie, who photographed Issue 06 cover star Mr. Flower Fantastic, spent more than a year exploring the best places to bring your dog—from hotels to galleries and weekend getaway— with collaborator Marta Roca, founder of Four&Sons.
+ The first two books are set in New York and London, which will be printed by Hoxton Mini Press, and are available for preorder.
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