Samsung Music Studio 5 & 7 Design Story

Samsung Music Studio 5 & 7 Design Story Where Design Meets Reality June 17, 2026

Before Music Studio came into the world, countless decisions were made behind the scenes. From the sculptural vision of world-renowned designer Erwan Bouroullec to the product expertise of Samsung's designers, the journey from concept to reality was shaped by creative tension, the meeting of different perspectives, and a shared commitment to bringing an ambitious idea to life.

This is the story of how a new design identity for lifestyle audio was born.

*Images shown are for illustrative purposes only and may differ from the actual product. Product specifications may vary by country, region, and model.

Erwan Bouroullec

A Shared Vision of Space, Sound, and Lifestyle

Music Studio marks the second collaboration between Samsung Electronics and Erwan Bouroullec, following the launch of the Serif TV in 2015. The project began as part of an Open Innovation program, which goes beyond seeking inspiration from external creatives. Instead, it fosters true collaboration from the earliest stages of development, where ideas are explored, challenged, and built together.

As Bouroullec and Samsung designers worked to connect space, sound, and lifestyle into a single experience, two questions naturally emerged and became the foundation of the project: "How should a speaker exist within a space?" and "What is Samsung's own audio design identity?"

While conventional audio products often prioritize technical precision and functional minimalism, Music Studio set out to become something different. Conceived as a lifestyle audio product, it was designed to live within a room as both a piece of furniture and a design object, sitting comfortably within its surroundings. By combining Bouroullec's distinctive sculptural sensibility with Samsung's expertise in product development, a new approach to audio design began to take shape, balancing form with performance and emotion with function.

Giving Form to Sound

Unlike most objects in the world, sound has no fixed shape. The design of Music Studio began with that freedom. Starting from the circle, the most essential of all forms, the team combined an Orb inspired by the moon with a Dot to create an entirely new visual language.

The front surface features a circular form inspired by the speaker cone itself, intuitively expressing the product's purpose while celebrating the essence of audio. The fine perforation across the surface is a functional element that supports high-quality acoustic performance, and from a distance it creates a visual texture reminiscent of classic audio equipment.

This distinctive identity allows Music Studio to stand apart from conventional Wi-Fi audio products on the market. Yet wherever it is placed, it settles into harmony with its surroundings. Achieving both distinction and harmony at once became one of the project's defining design goals.

Solving for Function Within the Form

Transforming an expressive design concept into a real product required technical solutions. As an audio product, Music Studio had to meet a range of non-negotiable requirements, from driver placement and acoustic engineering to perforation structures and the configuration of internal space.

For Music Studio, the central challenge was preserving the sculptural integrity of the original design. The team explored multiple solutions, from exposing the speaker units directly to reconfiguring the woofer and tweeter arrangements. The answer was the finely perforated front structure. Up close, the perforation reveals its acoustic function. From a distance, however, the original sculptural impression remains intact. Rather than allowing functionality to interrupt the design, the team integrated it seamlessly into the form itself.

The process also led to refinements in the design details. In the original concept, the recessed front surface had been designed as a component separate from the outer structure. As prototypes evolved, both Bouroullec and Samsung designers agreed to merge the surfaces into a single, unified element for a cleaner, more resolved form. They shared the belief that enhancing the overall quality of the product was more important than preserving the original concept exactly as envisioned.

It was a departure from the original idea, but the result was a more seamless, beautifully finished design. Solving technical challenges within the form itself, and making thoughtful decisions together along the way, became central to bringing Music Studio into production.

Two Perspectives on Audio

An external designer and an in-house design team naturally begin from different perspectives. Bouroullec viewed the product as an object within a living space, approaching it with a freer, more conceptual eye. Samsung designers, meanwhile, had to consider functionality, manufacturability, and acoustic performance alongside the design vision.

These differences sometimes created productive tension, but they also became a source of new possibilities. Collaboration with a furniture designer, in particular, introduced perspectives rarely found in traditional consumer electronics, helping shape the distinctive aesthetic that defines Music Studio today.

The dialogue between these different perspectives ultimately transformed Music Studio beyond ordinary home electronics and into a true lifestyle audio experience.

One Experience, Built Through Collaboration

Because its circular form serves as the core of its identity, Music Studio required close collaboration across multiple teams to preserve Bouroullec's design intent while transforming the concept into a production-ready product.

The Sound Lab and the Mech Group(Mechanical Development) refined numerous structural solutions to achieve optimal acoustic performance. The Customer eXperience Team worked closely with designers from the user's perspective, helping refine the overall product experience. Meanwhile, the Marketing Team translated the design concept into a compelling brand narrative and IMC strategy.

Concepts become products only when expertise moves in the same direction. Music Studio embodies the collective efforts of designers, engineers, customer experience specialists, and marketers, all working toward a single, unified vision.

One Language, Two Experiences

Music Studio 5 and 7 share a single design language while offering distinctly different experiences.

Music Studio 5 emphasizes iconic form and its role as a lifestyle object within the home. Soft resin materials and a tone-on-tone perforated front surface create a warm, approachable character, while its forward-focused acoustic design naturally integrates into everyday living spaces.

Music Studio 7, by contrast, is designed around an immersive sound experience. It supports Dolby Atmos, delivering immersive, multidimensional sounds that envelop you from all around. Metal is applied to every visible surface except the rear panel, creating a premium texture and a stronger sense of presence. The perforation extending across multiple sides visually expresses its multi-channel acoustic architecture, reflecting sound that radiates in multiple directions.

While Music Studio 5 focuses on design and the experience of living with sound in a space, Music Studio 7 is built to deliver immersive sound performance that fills the room. Together, they demonstrate how a single audio design identity can create distinctly different experiences.

Defining a New Language for Samsung Audio

Music Studio was never simply about creating another speaker. It was an opportunity to redefine Samsung's approach to audio design. Through collaboration with a furniture designer, the project introduced a new aesthetic perspective rarely seen in consumer electronics.

The iconic cone-inspired front face and the circular silhouette established a visual identity that began with Music Studio 5 and evolved into Music Studio 7, establishing a distinctive family look. More importantly, that design language points toward the future of Samsung audio.

Design is not merely about shaping products. It is about shaping experiences that settle into people's daily lives and emotions. Through the balance of function and emotion, performance and form, Music Studio sets out to become a lasting presence in people's spaces and everyday lives for years to come.