The Joy of a Beautiful, Functional Object
When form follows function, magic happens
This newsletter comes with a fun giveaway for paid subscribers — read to the end for more.
One of the things I love most about thrifting is that it’s so physical — you can hunt and sift; touch the art, sit in the furniture. You can often smell the former owner on the collar of an old shirt, or see the fingerprints of the previous owner on a desk. Unlike a high-end antique gallery (which often invites customers to “look, but don’t touch”), thrifting is tactile.
The pieces I most like to find marry form with function, offering a beautiful object to look at and something that makes your life easier (or, at least, more fun) in the process.
One brand that marries form and function very well is DAR Proyectos, a line of Peruvian-made objects formed of natural materials. I recently came across this line of gorgeous objects, which can hardly be described as “stuff,” though I will for the use of this essay. This is not a paid nor sponsored post; I simply fell in love with both the line itself and the story behind it, which I found to be incredibly inspiring.
DAR Proyectos was founded when Jenny Boucher was working as a designer in the Peruvian Amazon and met Mauricio Navarro, an award-winning Peruvian industrial designer. Together, the two shared a vision of modern objects made from traditional methods.
“We’re both designers — in textiles and industrial design — and have always been drawn to the depth of knowledge in indigenous craft, not just in technique but in worldview,” Jenny explains. “Our journey started with Andean textiles, and after wrapping up a Canadian-Peruvian government textile project together, we knew we wanted to keep building something with purpose.”
The resulting products by DAR Proyectos are wonderful. Beautiful shapes, colors, and stones form the foundation of everything from oversized laundry clips to puzzle-shaped cheese boards.
But more than that, they’re meaningful. Jenny says that the products have helped develop a “long-term system” that benefit artisan communities in Peru, and ensure that traditional techniques once at risk of fading out will live on.
“We saw DAR as a way to help preserve those skills while creating fresh, relevant designs that could bring value back to the craft — and help it thrive again,” she adds.
The products are amazing in that many are both useful and playful (quite literally, in that many are games — puzzles, for instance).
“That juxtaposition is actually the heart of what we do. From the beginning, we’ve loved the idea of pairing playfulness with a material that usually feels precious or off-limits — like stone. Gemstones are often treated like things you can admire but not really touch. So we wanted to flip that — to create pieces that invite interaction, that you can actually play with and use in everyday life.”
I love that.
As Jenny notes, DAR Proyectos products are made out of stunning pieces of stone, but the items themselves invite human touch, giving people “a new way to connect with the material — not just as decoration or something beautiful sitting on a shelf, but as something that can be part of a fun, grounding moment.”
“Making it playful opens the door for more people to engage with it, especially those who might not normally be drawn to gems,” she adds.
At DAR, form and function are deeply intertwined.
“We believe that beauty on its own can sometimes fall flat — especially today, with so much digital in our lives, our expectations can go unchecked. So we focus on objects that do something, that bring meaning or presence into their lives. As makers, we feel a responsibility to go beyond just ‘making stuff.’ ”
DAR’s products re-imagine what Jenny calls “an ancient, often intimidating material” — stone — and makes it “more approachable and relevant for modern life.”
Stone is one of my personal favorite materials (one I always encourage people to thrift!) and I love that it’s primitive but also sophisticated. But I also love artful objects that do double-duty — like the below postmodern Tic-tac-toe set I scored at an estate sale a few years ago.
As Jenny explains about her own line, “There's something special about creating playful pieces that also serve as moments of pause, grounding, and even analog joy.”
She continues: “In many ways, our biggest competitor is the screen. So it’s important for us to offer a tactile, screen-free experience — a kind of mental detox through design. That layer of function isn't an afterthought for us; it’s core to how we bring the ancient into the now.”
I’m so excited to be giving away one of DAR Proyectos’ tangram puzzles to a paid subscriber this month! All paid subscribers are automatically entered, but leave a comment or share this post to receive a second entry. And as for last week’s giveaway: congratulations to Kelsey Ogletree for winning a box of Paula’s Choice goodies!
Odds & Ends
BOGO Alert: My all-time favorite bra line, EBY, has a new style on BOGO. I recently purchased the relief bra and panty set in pearl (I already own it in nude, but I wear it so often it made sense to get another colorway) and the mesh bralette in a couple of fun colors. Thanks to the sale, the balconette style will also soon be in my weekly lineup.
A favorite new denim line: I recently ordered these jeans from the brand Ética, which I had never tried before. They have kind of a black-washed look, a loose fit, and are slightly high-rise. I also love the barrel cut, if you’re in the market. Their fabrics are produced with the highest environmental standards, which I appreciate, and I find the cuts to be really interesting and slightly different from what else is out there.
What I’m watching: I’ve been watching The White Lotus (like everyone), and also The Pitt, which I love. It’s kind of Aaaron Sorkin-adjacent, in that the dialogue is fast and snappy, and it’s a nice, procedural medical show that’s smarter than most. It’s very well done.
How a Kitchen Renovation Doubled My Storage and Counter Space
My kitchen is my pride and joy. It’s where I am the happiest. I love being in the kitchen, alone, before anyone else has woken up and making my coffee (two shots of espresso with a splash of whatever milk I have on hand — often pistachio — in my beloved espresso machine). I love being in my kitchen at night, chopping garlic or peeling carrots, or stirring a pot of soup.
The cherry tic tac toe board is outstanding!! Thanks for introducing us to this brand.
Oh my gosh I love the postmodern tic tac toe game! I would totally have snagged that, too!