The increasing dependence on and omnipresence of technology into our homes has prompted designers to think of new ways to incorporate them into the space without sacrificing style. The LG Gallery TV or Samsung’s The Frame remain pertinent examples, disguising the TV into works of art. For the past few years, interiors have gone in much the same direction, concealing appliances, chargers, and all the pesky cords that come with living a digital life. Now? Not so much. Stylish new switches and outlets and designs that lean into electrical hardware celebrates what we often try to hide. Designers are moving toward exposing electrical accessories—and, inversely, pushing away from an increasingly digital and artificial world.
Below check out some of the releases and collaborations that put the spark back in electrical infrastructure.
At AGO Projects, the architects presented electrical accessories as spatial accessories (Rocket Science)
APRDELESP
From Mexico City–based architecture office APRDELESP comes Accesorios Especiale, a line of electrical accessories that revels in these often overlooked yet integral items.
A power strip company collaborated with ceramicist Willem van Hooff (Courtesy Pedestal/Willem van Hoof)
Pedestal
The Danish brand elevating power strips and cords, Pedestal, collaborated with ceramicist Willem van Hooff to turn outlets into earthy, sculptural statements.
The button features a matte finish to eliminate finger prints and keep a sleek look (Courtesy MAGSi)
MAGSi
Switch R-1 by MAGSi is a cover that elevates the banal light switch into a bouncy and bright design object, designed to easily slip on over existing light switches.
The Totally! collection features a vibrant set of corded lights (Courtesy Color Cord Company)
Color Cord Company
The Totally! Collection by Color Cord Company unites a series of pendant lights around a vibrant selection of cords, turning the feature people try to hide into a part of the design.
The switch is made from a rock from Trout Brook and cherrywood (Thomas Yang)
Thomas Yang Studio
The Rock Dimmer Switch is exactly that: a river stone from Trout Brook affixed to a piece of cherrywood. Thomas Yang Studio brings the outside in with this fixture, which dims or brightens light with the turn of a rock.
The door knob was a limited edition release (Courtesy Buster + Punch)
Buster + Punch
Door Knob Set Cast takes the language of music-informed light switches, which have become Buster + Punch’s calling card, and extends it into a limited edition knob.
The participatory installation invited visitors to plug in objects and activate the installation (Jenia Filatova/Courtesy Crosby Studios)
Crosby Studios and 22 System
Presented at Matter and Shape, Plug-It is an installation by Crosby Studios, in collaboration with Bocci’s 22 System, that reimagines plugs and outlets as living artwork.
