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 19 David Rager David Rager, co-founder of design firm Weekends, shares his tale of LA and Paris and how he makes time for life’s little distractions. Design Issue 19 A Day in the Life: Frida Escobedo With her own firm and scores of global projects in her inventive portfolio, this architect is transforming Mexico City, one artful building at a time. Design Issue 19 In Anxious Anticipation The effects of adrenaline are positively pulse-pounding, but the physical whoosh we feel in our bodies actually starts in our brains. Design Issue 18 Happiness by Design Think more like designers: The strategies employed to create a perfectly proportioned bookshelf can also be used to enhance our personal well-being. Design Issue 18 Sense in Symmetry From radial swirls to mirror images, the natural world often shows that there’s beauty in balance. Design Issue 18 The Nature of Desirability The head of Harvard’s Desirability Lab examines what consumers like and why so designers can create products that hit the sweet spot.
Design Issue 19 David Rager David Rager, co-founder of design firm Weekends, shares his tale of LA and Paris and how he makes time for life’s little distractions.
Design Issue 19 A Day in the Life: Frida Escobedo With her own firm and scores of global projects in her inventive portfolio, this architect is transforming Mexico City, one artful building at a time.
Design Issue 19 In Anxious Anticipation The effects of adrenaline are positively pulse-pounding, but the physical whoosh we feel in our bodies actually starts in our brains.
Design Issue 18 Happiness by Design Think more like designers: The strategies employed to create a perfectly proportioned bookshelf can also be used to enhance our personal well-being.
Design Issue 18 Sense in Symmetry From radial swirls to mirror images, the natural world often shows that there’s beauty in balance.
Design Issue 18 The Nature of Desirability The head of Harvard’s Desirability Lab examines what consumers like and why so designers can create products that hit the sweet spot.
