Many children’s toys become battlegrounds for overly competitive parents, but none more so than the Rubik’s Cube. Not long after it first appeared in a Budapest toy shop in 1977, the six-sided puzzle became the world’s bestselling toy, with “cubers” of all ages enamored by the mathematical conundrums it posed. Although the craze wavered after the 1980s, the internet has since united a global community of “speedcubers” in pursuit of ever-faster rotations. Whereas it took the cube’s creator, Ernő Rubik, a full month to solve his own puzzle, the worldwide record, set in 2018, is now 3.47 seconds. Inspired by its endless sequences, and to celebrate the launch of Mattonelle Margherita, Mutina’s first tile collaboration with the artist Nathalie du Pasquier, Kinfolk set about putting a contemporary spin on the Rubik’s Cube. Comprising 41 different hand-designed patterns, Mutina’s collection of graphic ceramic tiles contain enough possible permutations to keep even the most changeable designer occupied. This post was produced in partnership with Mutina. TwitterFacebookPinterest Related Stories Design Issue 51 John Pawson From the king of minimalism: “I find the essential and get the design down to a point where you can’t add or subtract from it.” Design Interiors Issue 51 Axel Vervoordt Inside the world of Axel Vervoordt. Design Issue 51 Inga Sempé “Minimalism is boring as hell, and on top of that, it’s preachy.” Design Issue 51 Halleroed Meet the giants of Swedish retail design. Design Issue 51 Andrew Trotter The architect and designer on renewing traditional architecture. Design Issue 51 Kim Lenschow The architect who wants to show you how your house works.
Design Issue 51 John Pawson From the king of minimalism: “I find the essential and get the design down to a point where you can’t add or subtract from it.”
