I personally can spend a lot of time researching said technical specifications only to be disappointed by the aesthetic qualities on my shortlists. This seems to be happening increasingly, particularly where technology is concerned - there are plenty of homogenous designs for the latest smartphone, headphones, television, audio equipment etc - so it's refreshing to see the counter to all that shininess and brushed aluminium in products that deliver advanced technology but look like they were designed by designers, not by the technical specifications and aesthetics of their predecessors.

One such product is Luciano, a tabletop Bluetooth speaker designed by Paolo Cappello. The speaker combines advanced sound technology and high end components in a carefully crafted handmade ceramic form. I love how the curvaceous, minimal aesthetics feel so naturally organic - rather than disguise the process of amplification like so many other audio products available, they seem to enhance it, without even hearing anything from them.

Unfortunately, I suspect that with the considerably high-end price tag, I won't be hearing its audio qualities anytime soon, but for now I'll settle with the fact that the Luciano truly looks how I imagine it to sound - beautifully natural - I'd certainly have this on my tabletop any day.

This was originally posted on my own site.