Es Devlin’s immersive worlds take over London’s Design Museum, DoorDash serves up chatbots and flying burritos, and Gomi gives discarded Barbie dolls a second life as electronics. All that and more in this week’s Five on Friday.
Your food (and a drone!) has arrived
Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock
As if there weren’t enough hoops to jump through on our delivery apps, now there’s AI. After paying out a historic $13.5 million settlement to New York delivery workers, DoorDash has introduced a new text-based AI platform for ordering groceries and restaurant delivery. Users can sign up for the wait list to test the beta version, but that’s not the only thing DoorDash has up its sleeve. Bon Appetit reports that the platform has also announced a pilot program for autonomous delivery drones in Northern California. In partnership with chains like Chipotle or Popeyes, the program will dispatch flying drones for delivery on a specific basis of mid-range, time-sensitive, or small payload orders. Based on how frequently Amazon drones seem to be dropping packages into pools and onto sidewalks, maybe switch your orders to pick-up for the time being.
Es Devlin looks back
Now on view through April 4th, 2027, multidisciplinary artist and design diva Es Devlin is the subject of a new exhibition at the Design Museum in London. Her first “European” retrospective examines her practice over the last 30 years with, according to Wallpaper, enticing elements like a reproduction of Devlin’s London studio and excerpts from her sketchbooks. In addition to personal affects, immersive overviews of notable projects also abound. Originally featured at the Tate Modern in 2022, “Come Home Again” greets visitors upon arrival, while her Infinite Library also beckons with its experiential design and 2,000 texts.
Prehistoric design rises in the Netherlands
View this post on Instagram
In the Dutch city of Eindhoven, Studio Marco Vermeulen unveils Museum Vonk, an exploration of 10,000 years of regional history. The interactive cultural hub also serves as a testing ground for affordable bio-based construction with a composition of reclaimed cross-laminated timber and façades of hempcrete—a composite made from hemp and lime—prefabricated domestically and finished with pigmented lime plaster. Combining the existing open-air Prehistoric Village museum with the Eindhoven Museum, the project’s design pays homage to the artisanal wood, clay, and reed buildings comprising the Prehistoric Village. Museum Vonk is also distinguished by a wedge-shaped form and layered plaster finish, imbuing the illusion that the building is rising from the earth. An enhanced accessible rooftop covered with grass, plants, and shrubs rounds out the design—but that’s just the exterior. Take a tour, courtesy of Dezeen.
An unexpected second life for Barbie dolls
Gomi’s limited-edition Childhood Memories Collection uses materials from recycled Barbie dolls to create portable Bluetooth speakers (shown), power banks, and tracker tags; photo courtesy of Gomi
Is your mom also making you go through an endless stockpile of boxes filled with ephemera from your childhood? Are those boxes full of Barbies that no longer spark joy? Well then, Brighton, UK-based design firm Gomi has a novel solution for you. As part of the Childhood Memories Collection, Gomi is partnering with Barbie to upcycle pieces of the dolls and their accessories to create a limited series of electronics. Designboom reports that the plastics are melted down then “remixed and pressed into Gomi’s swirling marbled surfaces, leaving traces of their earlier lives visible in the material itself.” The electronic stew also comprises discarded plastic bags and features flecks of saturated pinks, blues, and other vibrant hues upon completion. Speakers and power banks in the collection are also made with repurposed e-bike batteries and assembled with screws instead of glue to support the easy replacement of components as they age.
Are you ready for BDNY?
Photo by Capshr
We’re less than one month away from BDNY 2026, and there’s plenty on the agenda to get excited about. Hospitality Design’s annual Platinum Circle gala kicks things off on Friday, November 6th, where honorees David Ashen, Verena Haller, Mary Alice Palmer, and Missy Robbins will be inducted into the eponymous hall of fame. The show floor opens at the Javits Center on Sunday, November 8th with exhibitors galore and an array of stimulating conversations and activations. Monday, November 9th starts off with the BDNY Power Players: Women Leaders in Hospitality Breakfast. Held onsite at the River Pavilion, a panel of eight esteemed women will share insights, perspectives, and advice for their industry peers. Everything culminates that night at Cipriani 42nd Street, where the annual Gold Key Awards for Excellence in Hospitality Design will recognize winners and finalists across 25 categories. The 2026 BD Ones to Watch will receive spotlight for their emerging impact, while Islyn Studio and Dear Valentine founder Melissa Shelton will be lauded as Design Firm of the Year and Up-and-Coming Hotelier, respectively. Buy tickets to the awards events and register for BDNY. See you there!