The Stradivari family in Italy were violin builders in the 17th and 18th century. The violins they crafted are considered some of the finest instruments ever made, and are extremely valuable collectors’ items. Many musicians are of the opinion that the quality of their Stradivarious sound has defied attempts to explain or equal it. Well we are not comparing STEENSSEN loudspeakers with these fine Italian instruments. However we have experienced intriguing events. About a month

As they move away from the "headphone generation" many couples are re-discovering that listening to music out loud together is really a major plus for their relationship. In earlier days, when radio was more widespread, whole families would listen together. Now couples are finding that they are actually bonding together in a new and indeed in a more romantic way. There is of course neuroscience to add data to this effect. Music affects three main regions of the brain — the re

We are constantly campaigning to bring back the "street" as an element of urban design. Cities and towns in times past have arranged themselves around the street with great success. Buildings on either side of about 3 storeys to create an architectural space: Enough distance between for privacy and access at the same time. A mix of uses. And you get a thriving place which is safe and most pleasant for shopping working and living. Explore more on Creating Compact Cities and BL

2019年底爆發的新冠病毒疫情延續兩年多之後最大的改變之一可說是催生「在家工作」的新生活形態。2020年初企業經營者多半視「在家工作」為危機管理的應變作為，人們對「回歸正常生活」仍心存期待，直到2021年才意識到「回歸正常生活」是不可能的，現在已經是2022年夏天，疫情仍在全球周遊，大家都心知肚明，未來必須要做的是調整個人及組織面對後疫情時代的「新日常」。 然而「新日常」說來容易，從心理層面至行為層面的改變卻是巨大的，研究人員發表了疫情期間的調查結果，實施在家工作一年之後，日本西裝業者的赤字和人們開始重視居家生活、整修廚房動手開始自己煮食帶動相關產業成長的數字有天差地別的對比。在家工作的彈性及便利讓過去必須舟車勞頓、擠車、開車、塞車上下班的員工開始期待未來能夠有更多的工作模式選擇。對於設計產業而言，有效率的運用設計思考擬定經營策略開始整頓才能迎接「後疫情時代」時代的挑戰。 丹麥DNgroup提出的雙三角錐模式，將設計團隊整頓方向從組織進入個體：重點一、組織概念：兩個四面三角、健康和諧、勞資雙贏。重點二、領導原則：積極領導、勤教嚴管、人生以服務為目

It’s a great story. When we first took ACTION along to the photographers on location for the first photo shoots, the photographer said "You have to use a much smaller tv screen. With a normal sized screen, ACTION just disappears from view!!" Our reply was "That is exactly what we intended to do!!" When we started to design ACTION, our aim right from the start was to make an impossibly slimline audio system that was so slender, that it was almost just like a line beneath the t

There is nothing exceptional about the architecture, yet there is something about the soul of this street in Nuremberg that is just right. Somehow it is a very human place to live. And somehow it encompasses what Arkitekt Frederick Rickmann (AFR), Thinking Urban, is about. Creating new city places which are human. Explore more on Creating Compact Cities and BLUE and other shapes. https://www.1234design.com/creating-compact-cities https://www.1234design.com/blue-and-other-shap

When Germany was reunited, many of signs of the East were removed - literally. Yet here is the graphic design of East Berlin. With its own aesthetic quality. Graffitti and all. Here displayed as a work of art. Explore more on Creating Compact Cities and BLUE and other shapes. https://www.1234design.com/creating-compact-cities https://www.1234design.com/blue-and-other-shapes-2 Buy from Amazon below: https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AFrederick+Rickmann&s=relevan

No less than 29 years ago, the loudspeaker called Facette was designed for Dynaudio by Frederick Rickmann - the founder of STEENSSEN. It was immediately a design icon in the world of hifi because the triangular shape was great for sound quality. The exquisite edge details also seemed to predate the coming of flat screen tv's. Somehow the geometry of the speakers, defined a line in space. So although the speaker had depth, it appeared to be elegantly thin. These photos are of

Quite suddenly, under the corona crisis, our city streets have been rediscovered. Traffic has vanished in the lock-downs and people have taken to walking and cycling around. In the process we have rediscovered our own cities and the pleasure of just being able to walk. The absence of traffic has changed the sound of cities as well. The roar of the traffic has given way to bird songs and for the first time in many decades, the air has been clean and free of much of the polluti