The year that was: 2024 in Mix Interiors covers
Produced by a different designer and manufacturer every issue, our print covers are works of art in themselves. We look back at 2024’s creations and the stories behind them.
Every issue we work collaboratively with a different designer and manufacturer for to develop and produce our covers – a work of art in themselves, each with its own narrative. As 2024 draws to a close, we look back at this year’s covers and the stories behind them.
Issue #230 – Ege and Squire & Partners
Taking the concept of Ege’s new SHE carpet collection – which features patterns that honour the work of pioneering female artists throughout history, the cover design for 2024’s first issue (#230) reinterpreted one of these patterns, including reference to another inspiring female artist, as selected by Squire & Partners. The design practice took inspiration from the contemporary work of Op Art artist Bridget Riley to inform the colour palette, weaving the Mix logo into the fabric of the pattern to create the final design.
Following a particular fascination of the preferred techniques of the 1930s’ and 1940s’ artists, all six patterns in Ege’s SHE collection are made by hand to embrace the unique expression of a line that’s either drawn, cut or put together by physical materials. The designs originate from interpretations of distinctive patterns created by different weaving techniques, experimental expressionistic shapes or, in contrast, simple and graphic paintings.
Issue #231 – Impact Acoustic and SODA Studio
Founded by Laura Sanjuan and Russell Potter in 2012, SODA Studio is a multi-disciplinary design practice working across architecture, interior design, graphic design and branding – working with a range of clients from The Office Group, General Projects, Soho House and Myo. With a recognisable branding style thanks to an in-house graphic and branding team, the studio devised a colourful and bold cover for issue #231, working with the lines of Impact Acoustic’s ARCHISONIC Cotton range to create a sound wave-like pattern that emphasises the relationship between sound, space and colour.
“To guide our design process, we established two guiding principles: simplicity through form and contrast through colour,” said Arnal Artiaga, graphic designer at SODA Studio. “Drawing inspiration from various sources, we looked at precedents with highly contrasting colour schemes and dynamic uncomplicated compositions. From Frank Stella’s intricate black and white op-art paintings to Studio Yukiko’s lenticular designs for a Dazed campaign, we explored a spectrum of bold visual styles to inform our creative direction. Ultimately, we chose to focus on the lenticular design route due to its inherent dynamism and its ability to visually evoke the movement of sound waves.”
Issue #232 – Bisley and M Moser Associates
In many of M Moser Associates‘ projects – including the Paris ‘testbed’ workspace we visited in this issue – its team leverages technology to record data, enhancing user experience and supporting its commitment to goals such as net-zero workplaces. For issue #232’s cover artwork, the global design practice teamed up with British manufacturer Bisley to create a bespoke artwork highlighting its new colour range. The M Moser team, including Jessica Adkins and Ali Tan Ucer, Creative Technologist at the New York studio, and Omar El Miedany, Data Scientist at the London studio, began by examining the Bisley product range — its use, form, materiality and colour — and how these elements influence workplace user experience, prompting them to examine occupancy data collected from their Paris living lab across a month.
Inspired by the gridded forms and bold colour washes of the Bisley products, M Moser created a generative 3D art piece driven by its dataset in Touch Designer. For Adkins, one of the reasons generative art is so exciting is due to its unpredictability: “We had a great time experimenting with various parameters, producing a wide array of outcomes, and ultimately arrived at a composition we all loved. Finally, we retextured the artwork, embedding the word “Mix” within the contrasting reflective and powder-coated metal finishes of the forms.”
Issue #233 – Karndean and Bluebottle
Bluebottle’s designs are known for having an element of discovery and the studio wanted to bring this to the cover design for issue #233. “As interior architects we’re given a defined space to work within. To evolve a design that reaches beyond those limitations is one of our challenges,” said Bluebottle. “Our spaces are built up as a layering of materials and colours and we enjoy finding the contrast that shows off a material. Karndean’s collection is designed to give a timeless look and sense of quality – we wanted to nod to its origin: stone quarries and their illusion of scale.”
This year, Karndean also introduced is finest collection of statement stone and wood designs, Art Select. Aiming to elevate flooring to an artform, this range featured 39 new designs inspired by some of the most exclusive materials from around the world including marble onyx, Ceppo di Gre, oak and ash. As demonstrated on this cover, onyx might not be suitable for flooring in its natural state, but Karndean reinterpreted the pearlescent magic of this semi-precious stone into three luxurious designs: Rose, Pearl and Black Onyx.
Read issue #233 here
Issue #234 – Amtico and Buckley Gray Yeoman (BGY)
This cover, designed by BGY, nodded to Amtico’s landmark 60th anniversary – utilising the creative talents of London-based artist George Longly, who devised an artwork fit for this ‘diamond’ occasion. London architecture firm Buckley Gray Yeoman (BGY), in collaboration with Longly, took inspiration from the diamond polygon motif inherent in the Amtico flooring design. The use of refracted light and colour is a response to the physical properties of diamonds; the complex repeat patterns drawing the viewer in and holding their gaze. The design aims to mimic the repetitive patterns of the product and creates a more abstract composition that echoes the geometries in an organic and playful way.
In 2024, Amtico commemorated 60 years of designing and manufacturing Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) floors, and to celebrate the milestone, its in-house designers created a bespoke floor design for the company’s Coventry HQ. The design subtly acknowledges the company’s 1960s heritage while introducing a modern twist with a custom diamond-inspired motif in Onyx Marble and Polished Gold from the Signature collection. As seen in issue #234’s front cover, diamonds possess a beautifully repetitive pattern and Amtico’s precision cutting capabilities allow them to capture the same allure.
Issue #235 – Specialist Group and Conran and Partners
Committed to creating timeless spaces that tell a story and evoke delight, London-based firm Conran and Partners designed the cover for the final issue of 2024, issue #235. Focusing on two core materials from Specialist Group – timber and metal – the practice has explored how these materials join and interlock to create remarkable bespoke joinery. By blending European aesthetics with the Asian tradition of expressed joints, Conran and Partners sought to pay homage to both its London and Hong Kong offices.
In 2022, Specialist Joinery Group transitioned to Specialist Group, building upon its award-winning joinery work to develop equally proficient services for bespoke glass and metal manufacturing and installation. The company’s joinery, glass and metal packages can be delivered singularly or in any combination and, in every case, Specialist Group will strive to achieve the perfect dovetailing effect, as seen on the cover of the latest edition of Mix Interiors magazine.
