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Kristina Klarin’s Color Stripes
I came across Kris Klarin’s blog, Color Stripes today and had to share it.
Kris is a jewelry maker and is branching into home decor, like these candlesticks.
But I really love how she focuses on two of my favorite things (other than design) – color and photography. It’s a joy to look at, and an inspiration.
You can purchase her jewelry at her online shop. Check it out!
Roger Borg: Rethinking Neon Lighting
I’ve been hard at work here in the design studio these days. When I got a call from neon artist, Roger Borg, I was relieved to take a rest from the day-to-day to feast on some illuminating eye-candy.
Roger takes neon to a new level. He’s created some brilliant designs for the home, including this neon chandelier.
He’s been experimenting with various forms like this colorful table lamp and, as with the chandelier, a different take on the standard shade pendant.
He does his own things, too. The orange pendant light (left) and the yellow floor lamp are truly unique.
This is my favorite. It’s a pendant lamp. So very cool.
To see more of Roger’s work, including his neon signs, visit his personal site here. Or, visit his company’s site, 419 Neon. You can find Roger’s work at various retail shops. Or, shoot him an email and he’ll give you pricing. He can also explain what to do with the transformer, etc.
A neon chandelier? I’m thinking yes. How about you?
Mood indigo: decorating inspiration in a blue hue
I thought you’d enjoy taking a look at interior design inspiration based on indigo, one of the most rare and expensive dyes in the ancient world. 
Deep blue hues seem to like living with turquoise and voilet.
The contrast it offers next to white is also perfection.
It all depends what mood you’re in. Here, the designer jumped across the color wheel to create a warm contrast.
Feeling dark and mysterious? Indigo is the way to go.
Indigo will make the orange tones in wood pop.
Feeling uncommitted? You can paint your walls white and use indigo for accents. Some choices are: IKEA’s PS Collection African rug, Indigo toss pillows from Persnickety Home ($17.95), Ink Dish Tattoo dishware from Fitzsu ($82.00 for a 4-piece setting), & Crate & Barrel’s Lago Lamp ($129).
Maybe because it’s summer, I think white is looking really good next to indigo. But turquoise, and other jewel tones, are also beautiful. Agree?
images: Henry Bourne, William Waldron, Hanks Fonk
Tuesday morning inspiration
We all need some color right about now. Spring is in the air. The flowers are beginning to think about showing off their vibrant blooms. While we wait, take a look at this beautiful and colorful room.
Don’t be afraid of red. I use it everywhere – on ceilings, on floors, in my accessories. It’s the perfect accent color.
Returning to Embellishment
I’ve been thinking a lot about the late 18th Century and wondering if some aspects of fashion from that period will begin to appear in the design world. I’m beginning to wonder if we’ll see more of it as people tire of seeing so much mid-century modern design in all the shelter magazines.
Hats and fans from Marie Antoinette and The Duchess
So many people are mourning the loss of Domino, which seemed had a more cozy feel than the truly historic-yet-contemporary look of Charles and Ray Eames, and company. Domino was decidedly feminine. Likewise, the new interest in floral wallpapers, like those from Anna French and Designer’s Guild, seem to take a step back in time.
Anna French
Why the 18th century? I’m thinking of movies like Marie Antoinette and The Duchess. The costumes were the stars. The drapery in the dresses – the ribbons and adornment lend themselves to a more feminine decorative style.
Designer’s Guild
I’m thinking we’ll begin to see more dressmakerly embellishments on curtains and accessories. More florals. More comfort.
Elegant comforts from Marie Antoinette
The current economic crisis plays a role as well. When times are tough, it’s more comforting to come home to a nostalgic, cozy and embracing environment than a bare-bones bunker.
A more somber palette, but no less elegant, from The Duchess
Here are a few sites I’ve been looking at lately for inspiration in this direction. Will it take off? Of course I don’t know. But I’m enjoying taking the time to ponder how I would incorporate some aspects of the über feminine in my personal approach to my design work.
Feminine Inspiration
Embroidery as Art. This blog is dedicated to stitchery that goes way beyond your grandma’s sampler.
Designer’s Guild. Furniture, textiles, etc. They’ve got a decidedly European girlie thing going on that I love.
Anna French. Wallpapers and textiles. They’re both contemporary and vintage. It’s all in how you use them.
The Costume Gallery. This is a nice resource for inspiration gathering. It may be about fashion, but it all translates.
18th Century Fashion. A fun Flickr gallery of period costume.
images source
Isaac Mizrahi on Inspiration
Welcome to Wednesday. Ugh. Already? It’s too early for it to be Wednesday. I need more coffee I guess.
Here’s something that should wake us all up. It’s a Ted Talk featuring Isaac Mizrahi. Don’t you adore him?
He talks all about where he finds his inspiration. And other stuff, too. It’s not too long and is worth watching. Click here to watch the video. Then, check out his new style web site.
Cheers!
Good Reading
Good Morning, everyone. I’ve got a busy day out of the office today. So, while I’m gone today, why not check out some great posts from some of my friends?
Color Trends: No Business in Home Interiors
To start, Rachel has a really interesting post on Color Trends. It reads in part:
House Beautiful magazine recently hosted an event that traveled around the country to major cities like New York and San Francisco. As I read an article about the lecture series, dedicated to color, I found myself disagreeing with many of the comments and quotes from designers who spoke there.
For example, in a section titled, “Hot right now”, they provide a list of 10 colors that a representative for Kelly-Moore paints said “work well with the colors of consumer goods and goods for the home currently available in the marketplace.” Right now, that means “warm and earthy with some kicks of bold and unusual color.”
Read the rest here.
Basketmakers of Rwanda
My Marrakesh is, as usual, a visual delight and always a treat to read. I enjoyed her article about the basketmakers of Rwanda.
Highbrow and Lowbrow
Finally, check out Pigtown Design’s review of various walnuts stools available at various prices.
I’ll be back at the end of the day with my chair. And, if my plans work out right, I’ll be posting a design dilemma tomorrow. Cheers!
What A Workplace Should Look Like
Who wouldn’t want to work here? The New York headquarters of JWT (the ad agency formerly known as J Walter Thompson), serves as an inspiration to anyone working in any field – not just advertising. Picture yourself in this workplace environment. Are you a lawyer? An accountant? An insurance adjuster? You don’t have to be a copywriter to know that working in a lively environment like this would be a conduit to a more inspired and happy workday.
These photos, taken by Eric Laignel, are from this month’s issue of Interior Design Magazine. The space was created by designer, Clive Wilkinson, an Interior Design Hall of Fame member known for media work. As the article states: “He thought of these moments not as separate 30-second spots but rather as elements tied together in an experiential über-narrative—like so many twigs on a tree. And Clive Wilkinson Architects tapped into his tree theme to drive design solutions. “It’s a metaphor for storytelling, but we also extended it as an organizing form and connective tissue between the branches of the agency,” Wilkinson explains.“
The reception area at JWT.
All elevator lobbies feature custom vinyl wall covering, an aluminum ceiling grid, waxed concrete flooring, and Richard Shemtov chairs.
An Ideation Room is enclosed by two layers of material, cutout vinyl-polyester stitched to a heavy-gauge clear vinyl backing.
The purpose of rooms like this is to get together and think. To brainstorm. To come up with new ideas. So much better than a gray conference room.
But even the conference rooms at JWT have sex appeal.
The creative department's 18-foot ceiling allows for mezzanine meeting spaces.
Additional meeting rooms are integrated into the elevator lobbies.
Lunch anyone? In the cafeteria, which also serves as an entertainment space, an LED fixture is set into the bar.
You can read the rest of the article, and see lots more photos, here. Or go to your newsstand and buy the hard copy.
To my mind, it doesn’t matter what you do for a living, the whole point of living, in general, is to be happy. Not just at the end of the day – but throught out the day.
Too many of us spend our days earning a paycheck, as opposed to pursuing our avocation. But while our work may be boring, our work environment doesn’t have to be. It really doesn’t take that much effort to create a better, more lively workspace. You just need to understand that it’s important.
After all, that’s what life is really all about – to be happy. We should all be working in a space that makes us smile. Don’t you agree?
Congrats to Mad Men
I’m currently addicted to AMC’s Mad Men. Everything about it is fun. The plot, the fashion, and (of course) the set design. I read that all the furniture and accessories are true vintage. But I’m not sure if I believe it. At any rate, it’s fun to see that not everyone lived in a Herman Miller Mid-Century world.
Congratulations to the design team of Bob Shaw, Amy Wells and Christopher Brown, who won an Emmy for their most excellent work.
Have you seen the show? It’s on AMC, Sunday night at 9:00. I’d love to know what you think of the sets, and if you have a favorite accessory. I think mine is the series of giraffe prints hanging in Phil’s apartment. I also like the fact that no one bothered to hide the ugly, metal curtain rods in those days. Did they think no one would notice?
White House Redux
The Storefront for Art and Architecture, in association with Control Group has announced the winners of this year’s White House Redux design competition. The mission statement was: What if the White House, the ultimate architectural symbol of political power, were to be designed today?
Participants were challenged to design a new residence for the world’s most powerful individual. The best ideas, designs, descriptions, images, and videos were selected. The top three winners, chosen by “some of the world’s most distinguished designers and critics” will have their designs featured in a month-long exhibition at Storefront for Art and Architecture in October 2008. All three winners will be flown to New York to collect their prizes at the opening party.
Revenge of the Lawn
This year’s winning entry was called Revenge of the Lawn, and was designed by J.P. Maruszczak, Ryan Manning (assistant), and Roger Connah. I can’t quite understand what they had in mind, except that it looks like something to do with killer bees. But it’s a lot of fun to look at and really creative.
Another winning entry by Jorge Rocha Antunes
If you’re a design student, or just love design, take a look at their site, which details all the entrants’ work. They’re a lot of fun.
Dining Design Inspiration
We’ve seen benches used in place of dining chairs for a while. I suppose we could say sofas aren’t really a totally new idea either. But, I like the way the sofa was used at Bourbon Steak, in Miami, Florida. It got me thinking that this would work really well in a residential setting as well – especially one in which space is limited.
The space was designed by Tony Chi Architects. I like the way they used Moroso’s Newtone sofa as an alternative to a banquette. The curved lines create the suggestion of the old classic style of restaurant seating. The sofa sort of hugs the customer – making the space more private than it would otherwise feel if the seating were more open.
There’s no reason why this look couldn’t be recreated in a residential space where the sofa backs up to a wall. Or, the sofa could act as a room divider.
How would you use this idea?
Inspiration from My Marrakesh
It’s been raining too much here in Grosse Pointe. I needed a bit of sun today, so I tool a virtual trip over to Marrakesh via My Marrakesh – one of the most visually inspiring blogs around. She takes awesome photos and writes beautifully about her life in Morroco.
I invite you to skip the expensive plane fare and join me today in a cybertrip to My Marrakesh – where the sun in always shining.