Contemporary brands have made efforts to redesign the experience of marijuana: on 4/20, we select the names to look out for, from sleek dispensaries to elegant objects

A selection of glass marijuana smoking pipes and trays by Canada-based brand Laundry Day

Designers have found new ways to to consume, store and present marijuana, with sleek aesthetic and a functional approach. From luxury marijuana smoking pipes to tech-driven vape pens for cannabis consumption and sleek accessories such as trays and containers, browse our edit of the best marijuana designs by entrepreneurs, artists and makers – as well as actor Seth Rogen.

Farnsworth Fine Cannabis

Farnsworth Fine Cannabis dispensary in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Photography: William Waldron

Farnsworth Fine Cannabis was founded by entrepreneur Alexander Farnsworth and fashion designer Adam Lippes, and born from the idea that cannabis should be easy, elegant and for everyone. Their full-flower cannabis cigarettes (a custom design by the brand) are available in three versions (light, classic and bold), and the brand offers a curated selection of custom designed smoking accessories in silver and gold, diamond encrusted jewelry, fashion apparel, and rare vintage treasures from the likes of Cartier, DuPont, Tiffany and Dunhill.

The marijuana brand also offers an immersive experience with a 2,000 square-foot showroom in the heart of the Berkshire Mountains (a couple of hours away from New York City), created by London-based architect Simon Aldridge.

Theodore Musa

Atlanta-Based cannabis accessory brand Theodore Musa aims at reimagining smoking essentials with a striking, ever-changing aesthetic. The brand was launched during the pandemic by a group of creatives from different backgrounds, who got together under the Theodore Musa Studios aegis offering thoughtful design and community focused initiatives.

The brand’s debut (dubbed ‘Season 1’) includes a rolling tray, apothecary jar, a multifunctional grinder, and an ashtray, whose designs are inspired by street signs and other utilitarian graphics and objects. ‘We wanted a space to do, make, and share things with an audience specifically in this city,’ explain the founders. ‘Through experiential events and group art shows, we want to be a brand that exists far beyond product offering.’

Houseplant by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg

Actor Seth Rogen and film producer Evan Goldberg joined forces to launch cannabis brand Houseplant in their native Canada in 2018 (recently expanding their offering with cannabis delivery to California). Selling one-of-a-kind marijuana as well as related accessories, born from, as Rogen puts it, ‘our love and passion for cannabis, design, and art.’

Houseplant has expanded its reach offering a series of household pieces to complement the cannabis experience. The Housegoods collection includes a marble lamp and a clay ashtray set designed by Rogen to ‘evoke a sense of nostalgia while sliding seamlessly into a modern lifestyle’. The set is the result of Rogen’s newfound love for ceramics, and comes after years of research and development: the ashtray features a deep well (to avoid ashes flying away), a generous notch and a compartment to hold essentials such as a lighter.

Launching Laundry Day in 2018, maker & artisan Vic Ashley wanted to ‘to change the visual narrative behind cannabis use and normalize smokeware via thoughtful, modern design’. A couple of years on, and the brand offers a full range of smoking accessories, including pipes in glass and ceramic, trays and lighters in bold colours.

Soon after launching, however, Ashley noticed that her distinctive pieces were often bought to use as home decor by non-smokers – prompting her to add a line of homeware goods such as candles and vessels to the range with the plan to further expand into furniture and interiors in the future.

Vessel

Hailing from Carlsbad, California, Vessel is ‘a community-led company that uplifts the cannabis consumption experience with luxury accessories.’ The brand’s offering includes thoughtfully-designed cannabis vape pen batteries as well as dry-herb accessories, created with sustainability in mind and a tech approach. Founded by tech, wellness and sports enthusiast entrepreneur James Choe, Vessel started as ‘a collaborative environment to inspire both the people within the company and the consumer.’ The Vessel cannabis devices include details such as optimized airflow technology, extra-long battery life and low temperature settings.

Summerland

Summerland Ceramics was founded with a mission to ‘change the way we think about bongs and to promote a cleaner, more sustainable way to smoke’. The San Francisco-based brand is now introducing the new sculptural Blue Lake bong, hand-crafted and glazed in a distinctive ultramarine blue glaze. As other Summerland bongs, the new Blue Lake series is available in three shapes and sizes, and it is designed to offer a safe experience, avoiding the smoke and ash resulting from pipe use. The company’s small-batch production is entirely made by hand in Northern California, using local clay to create functional and beautiful pieces.

Edition X

Designed by StudioAC, this retail store for Canadian cannabis brand Edition X, located in Toronto’s Annex district, is functional but also tactile, conceptual and visually arresting. StudioAC directors Jennifer Kudlats and Andrew Hill describe the project as ‘retail sculpture’. They say, ‘Rather than the act of designing shelves, displays or sales desks, we wanted to produce a singular design element, a sculpture of sorts that has its own aesthetic quality and massing that simultaneously is inspired by existing conditions while also setting out to define new ones.’ The relatively narrow interior is now defined by an elongated central form that draws the eye and brings everything together. Its design consists of a table element and ceiling made from off-the-shelf, industrial fibreglass grating. The white and grey colour palette keeps everything crisp and minimalist, allowing the shapes and products to take centre stage. A front of house gallery space cleverly screens the retail area beyond, adhering to Canada’s regulations that require these stores to be discreet in their promotion of cannabis culture.

Mae x Joe Doucet

New York-based designer Joe Doucet has created a line of cannabis accessories for newly-launched brand MAE. Hailing from LA and founded by fashion entrepreneur Armen Gregorian, the brand’s name stands for ‘Mind at Ease’, a motto inspired by Gregorian’s own quest for a more natural nightly ritual in place of his habitual glass of wine. The collection designed by Doucet includes a pipe, a humidor, an ashtray, a grinder, a clip and a water pipe, while MAE also offers luxury cannabis oil vaporizers, cartridges, a CBD oil vaporizer and micro THC and CBD vaporizers, created to offer ‘an elevated take on cannabis’. Gregorian also developed odorless cartridges, conceived to make the experience as discreet as possible.

Omura by Michael Young

Designed by Michael Young, next-generation cannabis device Omura Series X is a new whole flower vaporizer fitted with a heat-not-burn technology. The device allows for the benefits of the whole flower without the combustion, and the brand offers uniquely developed flowersticks (sativa, indica, hybrid, or CBD) to deliver a precise dose with each use. The sleek device created by Young conceals the technology and is available in slate, gold, quartz and jade. ‘Like drinking wine, the Omura Series X allows users to choose the right amount by layering Flowersticks. This lets people perfect their dose and unwind without worry,’ says Co-CEO Michael Simpson. ‘It exemplifies cannabis consumption as nature intended it.’

Serra By Hemson

Cannabis lifestyle brands Serra and Hemson Goods have joined forces to create a series of functional accessories and tools to neatly fit into contemporary homes. Featuring a chill box, a grinder, a box, a tray and pre-roll tip, the series is defined by a minimalist aesthetic and natural materials. The objects are tactile, their ergonomic forms crafted from solid beechwood and characterized by smooth, tactile surfaces to elevate the experience while maintaining an elegant appearance.

Alchemy

A design concept to ‘elevate the future of cannabis’, Alchemy an immersive retail space, opening in Toronto. Alchemy founder and CEO Richard Browne commissioned local interior designer Paolo Ferrari, who conceived a space aimed at delivering ‘a cerebral experience infused with artistry, nature, and technology.’ The store’s setting blends minimal and theatrical interiors, with practical contemporary touches such as digital viewers to discover the products and an aluminium self-checkout table, which glides through the space thanks to custom wheels running on a track on the floor. Ferrari combined natural terracotta brick, terrazzo, aluminium, mirrored surfaces and greenery throughout the store, creating an eclectic environment. Says the designer: ‘for us, the store is somewhere between a laboratory and temple. The best retail environments are about celebrating the human experience and presenting highly considered, multi-sensory environments.’