A wall of vintage radios and receivers lends a layer of kitsch to Tekserve’s Manhattan retail space.

A streamlined, combination record player and radio designed by Hans Gugelot and Dieter Rams in 1956.

The Mezzo Radio is inspired by vintage styles, featuring a retro speaker grille and knobs instead of buttons. The device features modern upgrades like a durable silicone rubber case and an output for MP3 players. At only five inches long, the battery-powered radio is extremely portable.

The couple designed and built every piece of furniture in the apartment except for the Mezzo sofa from BoConcept. The coffee table can be flipped on its side to serve as a barstool. How did they test it to make sure it would support a person’s weight? “Olek jumped and sat on it,” says Nix, before adding, “He graduated from an engineering program.”

Designed by Philip Wong, the Flow is meant to pare the radio down to its most basic elements and enable the user to discover the design involved in the product. The small, portable radio combines a transparent outer case with monochrome interior elements, and can be used as an MP3 amplifier in addition to an FM radio.

Way back in 1997—before iPods were invented, after boomboxes were a little out of style—Marc Berthier designed the Tykho radio for French brand Lexon, and the colorful silicone-covered audio box still holds up. Waterproof, with just a few intuituve buttons to maneuver, it works with soapy hands the shower, foody fingers in the kitchen, at a picnic, on the road, or anywhere you choose to tote it along for some fresh am/fm tunes. €59 at the Lexon store.

With throwback looks and simple features, the WorldRadio from Geneva has a retro-inspired appearance that is met with necessary modern advances that Dad will love. A contemporary version of the traditional world receiver, the WorldRadio can broadcast all radio stations, including those not found on FM and digital radio. By using the WorldRadio’s built-in wireless Bluetooth receiver and a compatible device—an iPhone or tablet, for example—the radio can broadcast all available Internet stations, greatly increasing the quantity of available programs.

The inspiration for iPods, a radio designed by Dieter Rams.

Sottsass designed a shelving unit around the couple’s large collection of vintage radios. “We have lots of collections,” says Lesley. “A Pez collection, a chair collection, a perfume collection...Ettore gave us a choice and said we could pick one to have up on display.” A series of the late designer’s Mini Totem earthenware sculptures sit atop the unit. The neon green light accent was inspired by the fluorescent works of artist Dan Flavin. To the right is a First chair from 1983 by designer Michele De Lucchi, who cofounded Memphis.

Portable Transistor Radio and Phonograph by Dieter Rams for Braun With a compact, rectilinear body, Rams’s 1959 Functionalist design heralded the now-ubiquitous notion of personal music on-the-go.

T3 pocket radio by Dieter Rams for Braun, 1958

The Geneva WorldRadio pairs throwback looks with modern technologies. A contemporary version of the traditional world receiver, it can broadcast all radio stations. The radio also has a built-in wireless Bluetooth receiver, so it can broadcast Internet stations. It includes a sturdy carrying handle for easy transport.

DeRespinis has worked at almost every scale in her six-decade career, including small appliances for Emerson Radio in 1953.

The screen around the lanai is made from extrene, a material used by the military for radio towers. The welded-steel sculpture, set atop a pile of a’a rocks, was made by Craig.

SK 4/10 Radio Phonograph by Dieter Rams and Hans Gugelot for Braun, 1956

Bakelite Robot (2002) is a robotic sculpture made of stacked, vintage Bakelite radios inlaid with television screens.

The piece makes a statement about how technology takes on a human-like power (and too, how humans become robotic in the hands of technology).

The radio station feels almost like a contemporary cabin.

The stepped seating area adjacent to the radio station creates a community feel and encourages a multi-layered social experience.

The original stereo and radio remain intact. Although these components are nonfunctional, they are truly unique elements of this Durell home.

TP1 portable radio-phono combination by Dieter Rams, 1959.

A macrame throw pillow from Etsy, geometric table lamp from Target, and vintage radio add texture and character.

The kitchen is filled with ’60s-era features. A built-in AM/FM radio and an electric NuTone grilling station are located along the right counter area.

Another slim and multifunctional item: this Braun Digital AM/FM Radio Alarm Clock, which comes with its own AC Adaptor and Braun's legendary aesthetics and craftsmanship.

Reverberation Radio pipes through each room, which also feature mini bars by Mr. Sid. Rain showers and local, organic bath amenities outfit the bathrooms.

Upstairs, the Sands' home feels a world away from the offices and metal shop below. But even downstairs, Larissa says, it's not the whines of the grinders and machine tools that are the loudest but the volume of the radio.

When Dunin first went for measurements, the whole family was out on their tiny porch, gardening, reading, and listening to the radio—it was clear that a great outdoor space was all but necessary. A new deck with a built-in planter box is now their go-to hangout.

Jeremy Booth's Radio Series puts the spotlight on midcentury radios.

Custom powder coated matte black steel double vertical guardrail with walnut cap. Light Victoria Multi Light LED pendant by Kuzco & wall sconce for Room & Board called Mezzo by A19 Lighting.

Radio is a minimal radio designed by Tokyo-based designer Kazushige Miyake for Muji. A radio with a hand-crank charger. While it certainly comes in handy in times of disaster, this was designed with a view to it being used on a daily basis. Radios differ from speakers in that they mainly broadcast the spoken voice; the sound of this radio has been geared toward making vocal sounds easy to hear. The handle and the shape of the radio itself have been configured so as to facilitate the cranking process, and it has been afforded an upright shape so that it takes up as little space as possible. This radio was carefully designed factoring into account a variety of scenarios for its use.

Designer Analisse Taft-Gersten loves Sting radio on Pandora for her steam showers, but “ ‘Flowers’ by Miley Cyrus is pretty damn good, too.”

BRAUN RT20 Tube Radio designed by Dieter Rams, 1961-64. Photo: Vintage Antique Radio Magazine.

Clock Radio by Vers Audio. "These clock radios are handmade using renewable woods. The sound quality is excellent, and you can also play music from your ipod or iphone." Available at Brook Farm General Store.

Members of the Lower Eastside Girls Club go on-air to broadcast their internet radio program and podcast, Where Girl Radio Lives.

From Albuquerque-based Palette Contemporary Art and Craft, a 1952 Crosley white dashboard radio.

Steam shower with radio and chakra lighting