music cabinet by love hultén plays vinyl and tapes in one device

love hultén combines audio devices in a wooden music cabinet

Love Hultén introduces a custom wooden music cabinet that plays vinyl records vertically as well as cassette tapes without any covers. A commission by a client, the owner originally asked the sound artist to create his own version of the Rosita Commander Luxus from 1970. The original device was made by Rosita, a German company that produced high-quality stereo systems in the 1960s and 1970s. These systems were often large wooden cabinets that combined a record player, radio, and speakers in one piece of furniture. In Love Hultén’s take, the design keeps the spirit of the 1970 model but adds modern ideas and new functions.

The wooden music cabinet has a warm-looking frame and a clean metal front panel. The wood gives a classic and homey feeling, while the metal and buttons give a modern vibe to it. The record player sits at the top. The turntable sits vertically on the upper panel, accompanied by a slim tonearm. The front panel around the record player is light gray metal, a hint at the old view of futurism, and there are small round knobs at the top for sound control. These knobs are labeled for high, mid, and low sound, all sitting close to the small speaker holes pictured on both sides of the panel and made in a grid pattern.

all images courtesy of Love Hultén

Cassette tapes stacked vertically like the turntable

Below the record player on the wooden music cabinet by artist Love Hultén is a section for cassette tapes. Several colorful cassette tapes are placed neatly in rows, all stacked vertically too, like the turntable. In the center, there is a cassette deck where the owner can insert and play a tape. There are square buttons in red, green, blue, and gray for controlling the tape player, and the buttons are large and easy to press. The assigned colors also help the user understand which button to use to control the recording. The tape storage also allows them to read the labels and titles of the objects easily because they’re slotted just midway, with the upper half peeking into view.

There’s another feature in the wooden music cabinet that Love Hultén has added, and that’s a ‘secret’ storage space for vinyl records. It has a hidden lift system on the top of the device, and when the owner opens it, they can store 10 to 12 records inside, keeping them safe and clean from dust. The design is inspired by 1970s home stereo furniture, when music systems were large and part of the living room. They were not just machines. They were furniture pieces. In fact, one could say that the Rosita Commander Luxus was known for having been a furniture design and high-tech audio piece forged in one product. Love Hultén’s version through the wooden music cabinet respects this history, a modern take that shows how old design ideas can be used again, all refreshed.

there’s even a tape player on deck