Design Wire

Design Wire September 2023

In 2018 STEPHEN COSTON and his parents built Inn on Mount Desert, a family-run guesthouse just one mile from Acadia National Park. Since then, Coston has acquired and renovated nine more inns in the Bar Harbor area. Together with BRIAN … Continue reading

Design Wire August 2023

Luxury car manufacturer ASTON MARTIN collaborated with British distillery BOWMORE on a singular, one-of-a-kind decanter filled with a rare 52-year-old whisky. The item was purchased in May for $279,800 during a Sotheby’s auction in London, with proceeds benefiting the Bowmore … Continue reading

Design Wire July 2023

IKEA turns 80 this year, which is both surprising—how has it been around that long?—and also not. Like contemplating life before television, it’s hard to imagine living without the Swedish furniture giant. To celebrate its octogenarian status, the company’s anniversary … Continue reading

Design Wire June 2023

From the team that founded Nest, the Energy Star–certified smart thermostat, comes MILL, a smart garbage bin for your kitchen. But Mill isn’t so much a garbage bin as a nutrient recycler, receiving your kitchen scraps and shrinking them down … Continue reading

Design Wire May 2023

A new modular piece of playroom furniture made from recycled olive pits called the NONTALO STOOL allows children and parents to change the shape of the seat to suit their mood or activity. Developed by design duo ENERIS COLLECTIVE and … Continue reading

Design Wire March/April 2023

In a step toward addressing the growing affordable housing shortage in Maine, the UNIVERSITY OF MAINE ADVANCED STRUCTURES AND COMPOSITES CENTER (ASCC) has unveiled the BIOHOME3D, a 3D-printed house made from recycled forest materials. Created in partnership with MAINE HOUSING … Continue reading

Staff Insights March/April 2023

We asked our staff: What is your favorite piece of public art in Maine? While there are plenty of colorful murals to enjoy across Portland, East Bayside’s community mosaic feels extra special since it’s made from a mixture of pottery … Continue reading

MHD Kids Build

  If you give a kid some Legos, they’re going to start building—it’s inevitable, much like death and taxes. With a blank base plate in front of them; a bucket of materials in every shape, color, and size readily accessible; … Continue reading

Design Wire January/February 2023

Prompted by the rise of COVID-19, tech start-up AIRTULIP has created the AIRTULIP SLEEP. This air-filtering headboard reportedly keeps users’ upper bodies enveloped in a bubble of clean air while sleeping. Inspired by the technology behind “clean rooms” in airports … Continue reading

Museum Competition Nears its Endpoint

Nearly one year after putting out an international call for designs to imagine the newest building on its Portland campus, the Portland Museum of Art (PMA) is preparing to pick a winning architectural team in January 2023. From the initial … Continue reading