Following Mosaic Collages Around the World

We’re mixing things up today! Whenever creative city tours go live, we usually try to focus on hotspots in a single city (not a bad thing, right?)- though today, I’m stringing a multiple city tour together, under the umbrella of a reoccurring pattern.

While I’m constantly in touch with friends and colleagues living abroad, grilling them on pop culture and random social trends, I’ll say that I’m quite fortunate to have a job that has me on the go when I’m not on the wacom tablet. Scouting inspiration and observing daily routine in cities and suburbs around the globe is absolutely fascinating and something I probably wouldn’t have fallen into had I not left my full-time job six years ago.

So today’s feature. Of the 9 photos, I took 5 of them over the past year. The theme is graphic with unexpected patchwork, reminiscent of mixed media mosaic tiling.

From the curated art world to reactionary street art to the commercialization of home, fashion and printed goods, it’s interesting to see how this trend has seeped into society’s subconscious, revealing an exciting departure from pixelated patterns.

From stucco wallpapering in Lake Como to cement work in Atlanta (via little_ekd in my instagram feed!), to painted patchwork in Glasgow (thank you Pinterest) to a painted grate on Hoiser Lane in Melbourne and a segmented condo facade in Hong Kong, it’s easy to see an outdoor architectural trend here.

In the home sphere, the reinterpretation on soft goods is also obvious. The featured geometric pillows from La Rinascente in Milan are quite similar in color and form to the stucco wall in Lake Como. The unbelievable quilting and embroidered techniques from Alabama Chanin which was recently featured recently in NY Times T Magazine mirror the Glasgow wall with stunning precision.

Mimicking this technique in print, The overlapping hearts are a simple yet striking design I spotted last month in Tokyo. Giving gravity to the theme and tying loose ends where necessary, John Squire’s current show in London features dazzling mosaic work undone in chaotic organic nature.

January 19, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

Twitter Influencer: Gracia + Louise

Gracia Haby and Louise Jennison met while they were students at RMIT University. They soon formed a collaborative practice called Gracia + Louise, where they create artists’ book, prints, zines, postcard collages, and other small projects from their home-based studio in Melbourne, Australia.

Their work is abundantly whimsical and magical as they create a bevy of delights from their free-flowing imagination and abundant source of creativity. Their twitter feed is a great place to step into the delightful world Gracia and Louise have created together as well as get glimpses at the women behind the work.

December 2, 2011 | By: Shayna Kulik

Street Finds in Melbourne: The Paris School

Imagine wandering into an environment with wonderful sensory overload. A place to learn French, inspect global and varied patterned products and chat with a sweet and knowledgable owner.

I had this experience on my last trip to Melbourne on Fitzroy Street at Dagmar Rousset’s concept store, The French School. The items are sweet and quirky and the language learning hours, accommodating. The perfect mergence of two worlds cast down under. I’d love to see this idea pop up round New York and all over the world.

July 11, 2011 | By: Shayna Kulik

Trend: Dirty Etchings

As spring merchandise starts trickling in, it’s evident brands have been experimenting with etching styles and restricted palettes. Veering away from Ed Hardy’s infamous tattoo style, fashion labels with ranging customer bases are channeling new inspirations. From the mom-friendly label, Chicos to Louis Vuitton’s most recent collaboration with tattoo wunderkind Scott Campbell, blue, black and gray are reining strong.

Replicating a mood similar to “dirty finger nails,” these styles are raw, imperfect and full of texture. The bottom picture was taken at Spacecraft, an Australian homegoods store on my most recent scouting trip to Melbourne. The design’s been printed directly onto the cement floor, emulating the worn and tattered look of an old ethnic rug.

February 22, 2011 | By: Shayna Kulik

Follow-up: 2D Gone 3D

Tanagrams have blanketed commercial architecture around the globe. From mirrored paneling to glass bulges, fluid and reflective edges continue to make their mark. Recently, we highlighted a few examples ranging from fashion to product design. Today’s focus hits architecture in Melbourne, Paris, Tokyo and Singapore.

This glistening triangular sculpture is a pile of dynamic energy against it’s natural surroundings at the McClelland Sculpture Park in Melbourne, Australia. Revealing luxury at it’s height, design legend, Jean Paul Gaultier shares his balcony with Elle Decor. Giving us an exercise in tasteful innovation, Herzog and de Meuron have brought us Tokyo’s Prada store with floor to ceiling windows amidst a calming park. Nearly mimicking a disjointed Frank Gehry design, the Ion Orchard mall in the heart of Singapore’s shopping district is a beautiful fusion of it’s geographical counterparts.

January 20, 2011 | By: Shayna Kulik

Happy New Year!

Dear Friends,

I hope this note finds you well on New Years Eve Day!

I apologize for my sudden disappearing act this week. As many of you know, New York was socked by a blizzard of epic proportions. As I was due to fly to Asia on Monday, I made a last minute switch and caught a flight to Hong Kong before the storm hit. The change left me without any time to wish you all well.

I’ve been visiting loved ones in Singapore for the week and am leaving for a scouting trip to Sydney and Melbourne tonight, back in New York in mid January.

But fear not! Beginning Monday, January 3rd I’ll be rolling out Pattern Pulp’s 2011 Designers to Watch. We’ll have a mix of emerging and established creatives who have been most inspiring to us over the past year.

In the meantime, have a wonderful New Years and I look forward to touching base soon!

Best,

Shayna

December 31, 2010 | By: Shayna Kulik