Drawing parallels between these designs seems redundant in the most pleasant of ways. Beyond the vertical simplicity, each layout bears a timeless quality that’s directly related to its minimalist composition. Yakov Chernikhov’s drawings from the 1920s reflect his fantastical vision as a constructivist architect and graphic designer. Mirroring this concept in modern times, Alex Creamer, a student at the University of Central Lancashire recently devised this ingenious spaghetti packaging, inspired by New York’s Chrystler building. Mundane materials paired with sharp minds can go a long way, just ask the start ups how they do it.
Categories: Packaging · Print
Tagged: Alex Creamer, architecture, innovation, packagine, student, Yakov Chernikhov
It’s hard to not be inspired by the Pamela Bell couch we featured this past February. In an effort to freshen up her antique furniture, she handed crayola markers to her children and let them fulfill every child’s fantasy; yes, she let them draw on the furniture.
The idea of letting doodles run wild has been swept into a multitude of mediums over the past year. After a forward from friend and fellow blogger, Lisa Toff, we were alerted to this “Chairity” project, a DIY initiative that directly benefited the Palliative Care program, an extension of the Cook Children’s Hospital in Forth Woth, Texas. The funds raised were funneled into a support system for seriously ill children and their families. Jane Aldridge, the writer behind Sea of Shoes, along with her mother and aunt, a pediatrician at the Cook Children’s Hospital, recovered an antique chair with beige canvas and let a few lucky kids have their way with it. The results speak for themselves.
Coverage by: Emily Gup
Categories: Art · Budget · Event · Homegoods
A week ago, our good friend Alexandra Machinist, a Manhattan based literary agent passed along a link to Coralie Bickford-Smith’s beautiful cloth bound book covers. While these beauties have been on the market for a year now, nostalgia for hard cover classics is somewhat recent with the growing success of digital aggregators, such as the Kindle. Smith’s series is now available in the US and to celebrate the launch, Design*Sponge recently conducted an interview the artist, exploring her process from concept to production. Be it Shakespeare’s Sonnets or The Gothic Horror series, sentiments for a lost art form are reminding us why hard covers deserve a spot on your livingroom shelf.
Categories: Accessories · Homegoods · Print
Tagged: Alexandra Machinist, book cover, Coralie Bickford-Smith, Design*Sponge, hard cover
November 1, 2009 · 1 Comment
1. Holly Fulton’s art-deco architecture inspired designs, via High Snobette.
2. Paris metro map reinterpreted as a map of the stars, via World Famous Design Junkies.
3. Hand-embroidered geometric jewelry, via The Hipster Home.
4. Dual nature cabinetry by Jon Stam and Ivo de Kogel, via Moco Loco.
5. Damien Hurst’s polka-dotted skateboard decks, via The Freshness Mag.
6. Double duty wallpaper, via Home Quotient.
7. Fraser Cooke’s Home in Tokyo, via The Selby.
8. Adorable silhouettes by Okamoto Kiichi, via Kick Can and Conkers.
9. Interview with creative collage crafter Liz Jones, via The Design Files.
10. Greg Lauren’s papermade menswear line, via Cyana Trend Land.
11. Simple, decorative bike seat covers, via Poppy Talk.
12. Charming, simple, and effective lucky cat gumball packaging, via The Dieline.
Compiled by: Emily Gup
Categories: Quick Links: Weekly Notables
It’s been but two weeks since Bloomingdales in New York City opened their doors to a remodeled beauty department. Now, $55M dollars later, we have glossy checkers to compliment six new brands: Bare Essentials, Jo Malone, Shu Uemura, Sisley, Bumble and Bumble and Giorgio Armani. This rendering highlights the perfume area, just one section of the cosmetics floor. As we’ve noted over the past few months, Alexander McQueen, Amy Winehouse, Vivienne Tam and Kandinsky are all artists that have found inspiration in this timeless staple, so too will the customers, the retail financiers are hoping.
Categories: Beauty · Follow-up · Trend · retail
It’s always thrilling when brands fuse artful thinking with strategic marketing. Pointer footwear appears to be quietly racing to the top as they’ve built a cult following of sneaker enthusiasts over the past two years. Merging relevant trends, such as black and blue color schemes with cubic formations, Pointer’s art direction appears to overlap product categories of every variety. When paired beside this African Shore Eye Palette by Yves Saint Laurent, it’s easy to understand how one color can make the difference between gender specific marketing.
Categories: Accessories · Art · Beauty · Color · Fashion · Marketing
Tagged: Beauty, Eyeshadow, Pointer Sneakers, Yves Saint Laurent
October 26, 2009 · 1 Comment
It’s no secret that wood’s a mailable material. Add fluid movement and an organic aura and you’ve got yourself a Bart Prince masterpiece. This famed architect from Albuquerque, NM, was recently featured in Wallpaper magazine and has since been popping up throughout the blogosphere. While Prince’s layering technique isn’t new to the fashion world, it’s certainly a breath of fresh air to larger structural forms. Using salvaged shingles to build low-income housing, artisan Dan Phillips mimics this design direction in his Storybook House. A thorough exploration of Phillips’ work can be viewed in this NY Times slide show.
Further blurring the line between art and nature, Anthony Roussel, of the UK is the master craftsman behind this stunning jewelry collection. Inspired by the British coastline, it’s easy to see how technique can be digested, disseminated and applied across mediums.
Research by: Emily Gup
Categories: Accessories · Homegoods
Tagged: architecture, Bart Prince, jewelry, Wallpaper Magazine
1. Brilliant: Seating that decoratively stores books, via Oh Joy!
2. Attractive luggage doubling as a two-seater couch, via Design Milk.
3. Innovative use of parquet flooring, via Design Boom.
4. Stunning work from illustrator Minjae Lee, via The Cool Hunter.
5. These vintage 1970’s Russian posters pop with color, via Grain Edit.
6. Hand-drawn animals with a cubist vibe from Nacho Gil, via Yatzer.
7. Printed furniture inspired by the seaside town of Margate, via Moco Loco.
8. Love this modern old-timers pattern from Richard Hogg, via Kitsune Noir.
9. Six rugs inspired by six cultures, via Trendir.
10. Smocking with a twist by Emi Schenkelbach, via Yanko Design.
11. Gorgeous drawers, via Storage and Glee.
12. Intriguing textile works by Mike Mills, via All the Mountains.
Compilation by: Emily Gup
Categories: Quick Links: Weekly Notables
October 22, 2009 · 1 Comment
Nothing makes an impact quite like black and white tiling. Add graphic theory, a world renowned artist and political controversy and you’ve got a museum piece on your hands. Today features two creative icons known for such experimental designs: Wassily Kandinsky and Vivienne Tam. Of the vast array of works currently on display at the Guggenheim, the above composition, (title and date unknown), reveals delicate vignettes aligned against a grid. Widely known for his sweeping bright strokes, Kandinsky’s works on paper reveal the building blocks for his grand paintings, mathematics at their finest. Incorporating checkerboard theory into modern day fashion, Vivienne Tam’s most iconic pattern is currently on display at New York’s Fashion and Textile Historical Gallery at FIT. Tam, a Chinese American, has taken advantage of Western attitudes to ironically incorporate the infamous Chairman Mao into this woman’s suit- a true cultural revolution and a great leap forward.
Categories: Accessories · Art · Color · Event · Fashion · Print
Tagged: checkers, FIT, grid, Guggenheim, Kandinsky, Mao, Vivienne Tam
October 21, 2009 · 1 Comment
Back in March, we fell head over heels for Anthropologie’s budget-conscious in-store kitchen display. This month’s no different as they tackle the back wall with checker-textured chalk. A brilliantly simple solution that adds umph to any wall. A can of chalkboard paint, chalk sticks and a sealant and you’re good to go- all for the cost of takeout.
Categories: Budget · Homegoods · Street Finds
Tagged: anthropologie, blackboard, chalk, wallpaper
