Our concept began with trying to find a strong motif that defined and gave identity to the 1960s decade. We settled on music, understanding the great impact that it had: not only did it give the era a distinctive groovy feel, but it also became a strong catalyst and vehicle for social change.
With that in mind, we turned to vinyl, records, and turntables. The history of music, and its accessibility to the general populous took a massive stride in the ‘60s with the development of the automatic high-fidelity turntable. Throughout the decade its popularity rose and many people added stereo consoles to their own homes. As architects, designers, and placemakers we recognize the importance of bringing people together into a space, and that’s exactly the type of unprecedented impact that these integrated stereo systems had in that time.
With this direction in mind, and the knowledge that vinyl is making a triumphant return to mainstream culture, we decided on making a vinyl console of sorts. In searching for our initial item we came across some European wine boxes while browsing on Facebook Marketplace and consequently came up with the overall vision and design for BEATBOX.
BEATBOX consists of three wine boxes, connected in a row. The large wine box flipped over in the middle serves as the turntable surface and the area beneath it provides additional space for a sound system or speakers. The two smaller wine boxes on either side provide a large and small vinyl storage as well as a planter area as house plants and the reverence for nature were also big thematic elements of the 1960s. The wine boxes sit on top of a 1/2” birch plywood leg system which provides support, and continues the natural, wooden palette from the boxes. Inlayed in the storage compartments is a textured orange fabric, harkening back to the stylized prints, textiles, and patterns of the era. The height and scale of the design encourages people to gather around it, lounging both at ground level and above (hopefully dancing!)
The project was a blast to conceptualize, design, and make and hopefully it will create joy and bring people together to groove in the spirit of the ‘60s!
