Every once in a while I’m tasked with designing baby patterns. While the American market predictably likes it’s pinks, blues, yellows and browns, categorized as barn animals, hearts or stars, it’s refreshing to see another take on the topic. Ratzer, a Danish home goods company’s recently sold out of their plaid baby line. The layout’s ethereal and soft in a very modern kind of way. I love the asymmetrical patchwork. What do you think?
The clocks have been turned back and we gorged on turkey, which means we are officially headed into the cold winter months. I can’t help but love the prevalence of cognac browns that I’m seeing in photography and product; the warm mahogany hues make me want to surround myself with thick wovens and rich prints, light a fire in my imaginary fireplace, and get fully prepared for hibernation mode.
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1. Sukan Antique Turkish Kilim Coasters: $29; Etsy | 2. The Eames Elephant | 3. Noble Handcrafted Maple Syrup: $49.90; Aha Life | 4. Lizzie Fortunato Bag | 5. Lisa Congdon: Painting | 6. Sit and Read Illum Wikkelso Ringstol Chair: $1,900; Sit and Read | 7. The Brick House “Refreshing Vintage Wood” Tutorial
Coverage by Valerie Gnaedig
One of our favorite Pixel Pushers, Tyson Anthony Roberts, is selling six fantastic original mixed media works along with Joana Chavezon on the hand-picked flash art sale site, Buy Some Damn Art. The paintings are embroidered and heavily green with a style we’ve grown accustomed to seeing from this west coast creative.
It’s exciting to see the evolution of his work, as his style translates beautifully between 2D graphics and 3D paintings.
Here are a few favorites from last month’s trip abroad. I snapped shots of three major categories, one of which was lighting. From hanging clusters to smooth and modern wood to cardboard molds and animal inspired sculptures, each display was quite interesting. Which one’s your favorite?
1. H&M retail display at Selfridges 2,3,4. Bensimmon lighting 5,6,7,8. Liberty London lighting 9. Ted Baker printed dress at Selfridges
The verdict is in! Warp & Weft has announced the winners of the Contemporary Creations: A Rug Design Competition for upper division Textile/Surface Design Program students at the Fashion Institute of Technology. The winning designs were selected from a group of 24 entries.
The results are so impressive and inspiring and a reminder of the creativity that’s brewing outside the commercial world. All the rugs in the Warp & Weft Modern Collection are made from the purest Himalayan wool and Indian mulberry silk. The wool and silk are unbleached to keep the materials as close to their original state as possible and to develop color vibrancy and depth throughout the surface.
According to Michael Mandapati, president and creative director of Warp & Weft, “To say these students are talented is an understatement. The competition was very tough and our jury had an incredibly difficult time making their choices. The results are so impressive, in fact, that even though we had originally committed to producing one top design and showing it at ICFF 2012, we will now be producing the two top designs.”
Our friends Claudia Brown and Jessie Whipple Vickery at Pattern People have some cool projects up their sleeves. Today I present you with their latest and greatest – a collaboration with the Ace Hotel in Portland.
On October 1st, Pattern People was tasked with designing their dream room for a day. Their idea resulted in all-over patterns (obviously) from wallpaper to bedding to pillows. Instead of working at full-scale, they recreated a miniature room complete with tiny furniture, plants, lights and of course, surface designs. As the finishing touch, the diorama featured a fish eye peep-hole, adding to the miniature magic.