Why CMF’s New Milk Carton Speakers Are So Irresistible To Look At

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Everyone has held a milk carton, which is exactly why CMF’s new speakers are so hard to stop looking at. CMF, the budget sub-brand of Nothing, shaped its first Bluetooth speakers like gable-top cartons, a form that toy manufacturer John Van Wormer of Toledo, Ohio, patented in 1915 as the Pure-Pak. Your brain files that silhouette under breakfast, fridge door, and home before it even registers the grille. Then the colors and a deliberately mismatched knob finish the job. Black cylinders and bricks have run the speaker aisle for a decade, so a carton is practically a plot twist.

The CMF Speaker S ($59) and Speaker M ($109) launched October 12 at nothing.tech and select retailers, in white, dark grey, turquoise, and orange. CMF’s own product pages cite a carton’s sharp geometry as the inspiration, so the resemblance is deliberate. A sloped roof carries the knob where a carton’s screw cap would sit, and the M’s top fin doubles as a carry handle. The front panel and knob pop off, which turns each speaker into a base for swapping or 3D printing. Both are IP68 too, so the carton can sit on a patio table without a worry.

Designer: CMF by Nothing

The carton’s anatomy, rebuilt as a speaker face

A carton has three recognizable parts, and CMF kept all three. The sloped gable roof becomes the top edge of a folded color panel that wraps over from the front face. The sealed top seam becomes the M’s raised fin with a handle cutout, while the S settles for a round cutout in the corner. The screw cap, a carton upgrade Elopak dates to 1991, becomes a knob you press and turn. On the orange and turquoise models, a dark grey body sits behind the panel, so the color reads like printed paperboard around a core.

The grilles do the decorating. On the turquoise model the mesh is a deeper teal, on the orange it turns brick red, and on white and dark grey it goes black, so each face is a flat field with big circles punched in. The M stacks two of them, the S gets one, and a small pixel-style cmf wordmark sits above like a tiny brand stamp. An oval button with a white light bar is the only other mark besides the knob. That is very few elements, all of them deliberate.

Pint-and-quart proportions and a color system with a mismatched knob

The S measures 5.1 by 3.3 by 1.7 inches (130.5 by 85 by 44mm). The M stretches to 8.7 inches (220mm) tall at the same 85mm width, so the pair reads like a pint and a quart of the same product. Helen Sanematsu’s 1999 AIGA Journal essay on milk packaging argued that cartons get their punch from standing in rows, with color separating the varieties. CMF’s launch imagery lines up four colors across two sizes, which plays that exact game. Put them on a shelf together and you get a dairy case designed by someone with great taste.

Each colorway gets its own knob: a black X on orange, a white ring on turquoise, a red paddle on dark grey, and a teal paddle on white. That deliberate mismatch gives every speaker a single accent, like a bright cap on a carton. Pop it off and you can mix freely or 3D print your own, a habit that follows the CMF Phone 1, whose community printed everything from Lego-friendly backs to a foam dart launcher. We once featured a fan concept for a CMF speaker that went retro radio. The carton is the braver call.

Drivers, battery life, and durability behind the carton

The S pairs a 1.8 inch (45mm) driver with two passive radiators, unpowered diaphragms that beef up bass, for 10W. The M adds a 2.8 inch (70mm) woofer and 0.6 inch (16mm) tweeter for 35W RMS, a continuous power rating. Both claim 18 hours at 50 percent volume with Ultra Bass on, enough for a workday and the commute. A 10 minute charge buys an hour while you hunt for your keys. They survive 30 minutes in nearly 5 feet (1.5 meters) of water and passed a 30 inch (0.76 meter) drop test.

The S costs $59 and the M $109, and both are on sale now at nothing.tech and select retailers. That puts a distinctive object within impulse-buy range, which is unusual for a design this committed. It is the rare budget speaker that makes you want to rearrange a shelf. Van Wormer’s carton survived a century by being easy to hold, stack, and carry, and a portable speaker wants the same three traits. Somebody finally noticed a great speaker shape was sitting in your fridge door all along.

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Fiat Multiplay Concept is a family car that turns into a pickup when more space is needed

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Fiat’s Multiplay concept explores a practical alternative to owning separate vehicles for family travel and outdoor activities. Unveiled ahead of the 2026 Paris Motor Show, the 4.45-meter-long concept combines the space of a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), the styling of an SUV, and the cargo-carrying ability of a pickup. Its USP is a movable rear body section that changes the vehicle’s layout depending on what the day demands.

Called C-Pillar Metamorfosi, the transformation system allows the Multiplay to switch from a six-seat family configuration with an additional flexible seating module to a four-seat pickup with an open cargo bed. The rear section slides along dedicated guides, creating space for bicycles, sports equipment, and bulky items without eliminating the front and rear passenger seating. A rotating rear spoiler also doubles as an integrated bicycle rack capable of carrying two bikes.

Designer: Fiat

Inside, Fiat has designed the cabin around the changing needs of families. The additional unit, called the Petsenger seat, can accommodate a child seat, provide a dedicated place for a pet, or function as a small table or storage compartment. Part of its cushion can be detached and used as a leash, while a folding bowl is stored in a door compartment. Pockets, elastic straps, and other storage solutions help keep everyday essentials organized.

The concept also rethinks the conventional third row, which often offers limited comfort and space. Fiat says the Multiplay’s rear compartment can accommodate two children or an adult when necessary, while keeping younger passengers within view and reach of their parents. This arrangement wants to make the cabin more useful for family trips without requiring a larger vehicle.

Another multifunctional feature is the Sunseat. When the car is parked, the front passenger seat can turn toward the rear and use the dashboard as a backrest, creating a chaise longue beneath the panoramic roof. Large windows and generous glass surfaces bring more natural light into the cabin, reinforcing its connection to outdoor activities and leisure.

The exterior and interior follow a playful design theme inspired by watermelon. The green bodywork represents the rind, while red and pink cabin accents reference the fruit’s flesh. Inside, Fiat explores monomaterial textiles produced through a stitch-free 3D knitting process, which is intended to reduce material waste. Waterproof finishes in the children’s and pet areas address the practical demands of everyday family use.

Technology is integrated into the cabin without dominating its design. A hidden dashboard display disappears when the vehicle is switched off, leaving a cleaner surface. The dashboard’s horizontal form draws inspiration from the Mediterranean horizon, while its colors connect the exterior design with the interior.

The Multiplay continues Fiat’s longstanding interest in maximizing interior space within compact dimensions, recalling the six-seat Fiat 600 Multipla of 1956 and the original Multipla introduced in 1998. The Italian car maker describes the concept as a laboratory for future ideas, not a preview of a specific production vehicle. They’ve not announced a powertrain, performance figures, pricing, or a production timeline. So, we’ll keep our lens zoomed in on more details as they arrive.

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Colheita Coffee Table Concept Shapes Its Steel Legs With Ant-Inspired Cuts

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Ants aren’t usually welcome around a coffee table, especially when there are snacks involved. The Colheita Coffee Table concept, however, borrows something more useful from them: the curved cuts left by leafcutter ants. Its steel surface folds downward to become its own legs, while movable wooden supports provide places for drinks. The nature reference gives the table its construction logic, rather than simply decorating it.

The body starts with a single steel sheet, cut by laser and bent so three broad sections reach the floor. Those sections remain attached, leaving openings where a conventional tabletop would be solid. Rather than adding separate legs underneath, Colheita carries the tabletop material through to its base. The relationship is easy to follow, even if the resulting silhouette is rather unusual.

Designer: Fabrício Auler

That approach is intended to reduce component count and material waste, although it isn’t a claim of waste-free manufacturing. A smaller detail helps explain how the sheet takes shape: enlarged, rounded ends on the cuts provide relief during bending. They’re there to ease stress where flat metal becomes a leg. The graceful curves have a fabrication purpose alongside their resemblance to a harvested leaf.

The wooden pieces might look like little bowls at first, but their flat tops serve as platforms rather than containers. Each hemisphere has a groove that slots onto the folded steel, allowing it to move along the edge. The wood adds a warmer color and visible grain to the dark metal, while giving a glass or small object its own resting place.

That means the arrangement doesn’t have to stay the same after you’ve chosen where the table goes. Move a wooden support closer to your seat, or spread them around when friends gather on different sides. The system is also intended to help stabilize the upper surface. These small additions therefore have a job beyond making the steel look a little less austere.

Of course, all those openings leave less uninterrupted space for whatever usually accumulates on a coffee table. A book or tray needs a solid patch beneath it, and a loose remote won’t forgive careless placement. The gaps do leave room for trailing plants and allow light through. Colheita invites you to arrange its contents more deliberately, which won’t appeal to everyone’s housekeeping habits.

The project also explores an unfinished carbon steel version, letting oxidation change the surface’s colors and patterns over time. That’s a different proposition from furniture meant to keep an immaculate, uniform finish. It gives the table a changing appearance rather than a permanent shade of gray. The project presentation doesn’t explain how to manage that aging around spilled drinks or routine household cleaning.

Colheita means “harvest” in Portuguese, a nod to the ants and to gathering around the table. It remains a concept project with fabrication work documented, rather than a verified retail offering. Dimensions and load capacity aren’t provided. Before trusting one of those platforms with hot coffee, you’d want to know how securely it stays put when someone nudges the table.

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