Love Hultén Transforms Vintage Sony Walkman Into Wall-Mounted Cassette Display
A bespoke wooden installation merges retro audio hardware with modern home decor aesthetics.
1Market Resurgence Drives Innovation
Cassette tape sales reached 436,400 units in the United States during 2023, a significant increase from 80,000 in 2015. As physical media ownership grows, traditional storage solutions remain outdated. Designer Love Hultén addresses this gap by creating a custom wall-mounted unit that combines functional audio playback with aesthetic storage for music collections.
2Technical Core of the Build
The installation utilizes a late-1990s Sony Walkman WM-EX655, originally manufactured between 1997 and 1999. This specific model featured a diamond-patterned aluminum shell, auto-reverse functionality, and Dolby B noise reduction. Hultén mounts this mechanism behind a rounded window, allowing users to observe the reels spinning while the music plays through the system.
3Design Language and Aesthetics
Hultén draws inspiration from 1960s and 1970s electronics, specifically the metal-panelled designs of Braun radios. The unit features brushed aluminum, a tiny oscilloscope screen, and mechanical keyboard-style transport keys. Engraved lines on the faceplate connect knobs and buttons, mimicking a circuit diagram while providing a tactile, retro-futuristic interface for the user.
4Integrated Storage and Display
Below the playback deck, the unit provides horizontal storage for approximately 54 cassettes. By placing tapes with their spines facing outward, the design transforms a music collection into a browsable bookshelf. This approach moves beyond plastic-rack storage, turning the physical media into a central element of the room's overall interior decor.
5Engineering the User Interface
The control panel includes two toggle switches for power and channel control, accompanied by a red indicator LED. Two aluminum knobs sit beneath the screen, set into engraved dials that recall vintage television tuning controls. Despite the complex appearance from a distance, the layout remains straightforward and functional for daily music playback.
6Sourcing Challenges for Creators
Hultén notes that this project may be his final build of this type because high-quality, grade-A Walkman units are becoming increasingly difficult to source. The scarcity of functional vintage components limits the scalability of such bespoke hardware projects, forcing designers to balance artistic vision with the dwindling availability of original parts.
7Dimensions and Physical Presence
Estimated at 25 inches tall and 15 inches wide, the unit is slightly more compact than Hultén’s previous C-52 build. The flat top surface functions as a small shelf for additional items, while the overall construction emphasizes a clean, wall-mounted profile that integrates seamlessly into modern living spaces as a decorative piece.
8Future of Analog Audio Decor
While mass-market alternatives like the $90 FiiO CP13 exist for playback, they lack integrated storage solutions. This one-off commission for Melted Veldt highlights a growing niche for high-end, functional art. If cassette sales continue their upward trajectory, there is potential for production versions of such storage-integrated players to reach wider audiences.