Milan Design Week 2015: Incredible Mirrors

From the iridescent to the structural and trippy, designs that take viewers through the looking glass

by Jill Singer What is it that makes the mirror such fertile ground for experimentation among designers? Is it its stubbornly unchanging material DNA? After all, is a mirror made from anything other than glass really a mirror? Whatever the case may be, designers this year across Milan Design Week took the challenge to reinvent this enduring everyday object to heart. From iridescent and ombré …

Experiencing Virgin’s First-Ever Hotel in Chicago

Richard Bransons's foray into city lodging and hospitality is full of design flourishes and fun surprises

Lifelong philanthropist and billionaire entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson has shaken up traditional industries with his adventurous spirit and design sensibility. His companies encompass everything from banking stem cells and future space travel to an entire island in the British Virgin Islands. While most of us probably can’t make the minimum seven-night stay at the private Necker Island compound anytime soon, Branson’s latest foray is a …

The New York Times’ Listening Table

To make the most out of daily meetings, The New York Times has developed The Listening Table, a smart table that not only records conversations but also provides a transcript of important points. The Listening Table features a central, omnidirectional microphone encircled by an LED ring that glows when recording and, by tapping on the table’s capacitative strips, users can call out when something noteworthy …