The British Design Awards 2009

Benjamin Hubert emailed me about his desk light has been shortlisted for The British Design Awards 2009 by Elle Decoration. Click here to cast your vote!




Thanks, Benjamin! All the best for you!

The W* House

Kay of Wallpaper has just told me about Wallpaper's newly launched interactive catalog, The W* House. It aims to document a selection of Wallpaper favorites pieces of design from around the globe, room by room. The catalog will be updated with new favorites from time to time, building it into an archive for as long as the pieces are for sale.

Here are my top favorites from The W* House.





(top) Sideboard by Abdul Ghafoor / Kursi
(middle left) Wired King Lamp by Autoban
(middle right) EUro Lantern by Moooi
(bottom) Brio Chairs by Mikiya Kobayashi

Click here to see the rest of The W* House. Bookmark it if you don't want to miss out on their future additions. Have fun in the house! :)



Thanks, Kay!

Cristian Zuzunaga

I've just received a newsletter from Alexandra of J’ai flâné pour vous (a great French blog, btw), and noticed the work of Cristian Zuzunaga, a Spanish-born designer based in London.




Among his numerous projects and exhibitions, his Pixellated fabric designed for Moroso in 2007 (top) is definitely one of my favorites. Other faves would be his PIXEL wrapping paper collection for Lagom, done recently in 2009 (middle), and the Shanghai fabric that he designed for Ligne Roset in 2008 (bottom). Never thought I'd say something like this on pixels, but hey, pixels + colors + good design is a gorgeous combination.


(via J’ai flâné pour vous)

I heart Small

Matt Small is a UK-based urban artist who paints on found objects, like metal, wood, or even a VCR. His portrait paintings have kept me mesmerized ever since I stumbled upon his works in www last year. The splash of paints, the texture, the energy, the passion, the boldness. And yet, you could still sense the loneliness of his subjects, young kids on the street.


Matt will be having his solo exhibition "Youngstarrs" at The Black Rat Press, London, UK, from March 27 till April 17, 2009. Preview will be held on Thursday, March 26, 2009, 6.30pm to 9.30pm. Lucky Londoners. I wish I could fly to the Youngstarrs.


Click here to see more pics on Matt Small artworks.

12 Days of Xmas

Have you ever wished to be in 2 different places at one given moment? This is one of those moments I wish I could.


12 Days of Xmas is an urban art showcase hosted by Steal From Work featuring over 70 local and international street artists. Strictly no preview before the opening night, which is today Dec 12, 2008, 7pm at 15 -19 Stokes Croft, Bristol, BS1 3PY, UK. Plus all the work will be available firstly to all those who make it down to the show. No online sale until after the opening weekend.

Click here for its list of artists, and here for more details on the event.



Have a blast tonight!

The Red Thread

The Red Thread is the first of Samsung's Imagination Icon Series, a celebration of outstanding individuals who share Samsung's passion for beauty and creativity. The series will include sites, exhibits, and events exploring each icon's achievements. And in The Red Thread, Samsung celebrates the inspiration and passion of Valentino Garavani.


To experience Valentino's legacy and to celebrate the release of his upcoming film, Valentino: The Last Emperor, please visit The Red Thread at the following locations:

The Red Thread New York, September 4 - 10, 2008
Plaza, The Grace Building
1114 Avenue of the Americas (6th ave. and 43rd str.)
New York, USA

The Red Thread London, September 14 -19, 2008
The Hospital Club
24 Endell Street, London, WC2H 9HQ (Covent Garden)
United Kingdom

Check out The Red Thread's website for more details.


Enjoy!

Sweets Thoughts

For a person with sweet tooth like me, it's easy to adore these artworks. I wish I could have a wall full of these sweets. Surely my daughters would agree with me on this. ;-) Here are some candies taken from some reputable art galleries.

(top) Ahn Sung Ha, Kate Brinkworth
(bottom) Kate Brinkworth, Hwang Hyun Seung


Have a sweet, sweet day!

Away

It's that time of the year again. :) School holiday has started, we will be leaving on Wednesday for 3 weeks.




Luckily, Jo Scholar told me about the Design Show Liverpool, the upcoming show where she'll be exhibiting at. So there are plenty(!) of designer links and product pictures, from the show's website, for your browsing needs while I'm away. ;-)

There's a 2-for-1 ticket offer, just enter code 'EXH241' when you buy tickets online at www.designshowliverpool.com. Jo will be here, and click here to see the rest of the exhibitors. You'll like them, really. Go on and browse, or visit the show.



Take care, and have a great summer!

Tropicalia by Patricia Urquiola

A recent check on Moroso's site had fed my latest obsession of colorful lineworks. So I just had to post it here. :) *nice web design, too, heh?*



Tropicalia collection, designed by Patricia Urquiola, offers three different materials (polymer, polyester HT, leather) and colors used. One can be playful with thermoplastic polymer threads, or sophisticated with leather, or simple with HT polyester double plaited cords. The colored Tropicalia is made using three threads, combining different colors and creating color mixes. And yes, this piece above is it.

Present&Correct

Neal of Present&Correct wrote to me after seeing my comment on his poster over at design*sponge. I personally like the idea of putting endangered species in a fun learning way, like alphabet poster in a nice color-scheme. So when Neal asked me if I would blog about it, I didn't hesitate to say I would! Seriously. If only schools back then had more subjects presented in this manner, perhaps I would had paid more attention to class. ;-)



Perfect for all age groups, The Alphabet of Endangered Species in the British Isles Poster is available for purchase here. And oh, watch out for Present&Correct's upcoming new and vintage paper products, must be fun to see! :)

adam & viktoria at Tonic Home

When Linda of Tonic Home (Florida, USA) showed me these pillows by adam & viktoria on her email, I have to admit, it's love at first sight! Just look at these pillows, how could you not love them?!



adam & viktoria was founded in 2000 by two swedish designers, Viktoria Nygren, a fashion and textile designer and Adam Gistedt, an industrial, interior and furniture designer, who has worked with Habitat and Boije Design AB. Their designs are often eclectic mix of colours, patterns and shapes inspired by different cultures and times.

As described on Tonic Home, these vibrant pillows are made of velvet and linen are indeed works of art. And I couldn't agree more. Due to arrive in November, Tonic Home is accepting orders now. Click here.

Thanks, Linda!

Lace Paving Slabs by Jethro Macey

I found this super cool tile at Art Esprit couple days ago, and I fell in love with it instantly.

The Lace Paving Slabs were created by using both conventional materials and high tech surface design techniques, converting lace into a three dimentional form using CNC miling and cast in concrete. The tiles can be used for both interior and exterior wall and flooring. Available in white, grey or charcoal, all tiles are handmade to order. I can imagine all the tiles in white. What a beauty!

Don't miss Jethro's Birthday Candelabra, too. Love it.

Cj O'Neill

Being featured in the recent edititon of Elle Decoration UK for her Solas lights has led me to search for more of her creations, and look what I've found... more lovely plates!! ;-)


Cj's New Heirlooms pieces was actually vintage ceramic pieces rejuvenated with hand cut and printed transfer patterns, making them one off pieces. They are available at selected stores in the UK, Sweden & France. Read more about her here.

Anaglypta & Lincrusta

Although they've been around for centuries, I first found these 2 brands when I was searching for foil wallpapers not too long ago. Nope, they don't have the foil wallpapers here, but they sure have beauuutiful heavily embossed wallpapers that resemble fine plasterworks.

They are both are manufactured by Crown Decorative Products Ltd., in Darwen, Lancashire, UK. Anaglypta is the more affordable and lighter version of Lincrusta. You could view their wallcovering range here (partially under construction though), or at FYHome. All pictures are taken from FYHOME site. Enjoy!

Neisha Crosland

Initially studied graphic design, Neisha Crosland transferred to textile course. I'm glad she did, otherwise I couldn't be staring at her wonderful fabrics, wallpapers and furniture today. ;-)

Emma Burlinson

Emma Louise Burlinson is a UK based ceramist. And I'm loving her ceramic tiles and stripe vases, the patterns, the subdued colors .. aaahh .. just divine!
She makes cards & necklaces, mugs, beakers, and more. Did you see that baby owl stoneware? TOO cute! I want to bring him home! :)

Jo Scholar

Who would've thought that a simple household object, like a doily, could create other beautiful decoration objects for various surface areas. Well, that was what Jo Scholar did for her degree show in 2004 at Sheffield Hallam University, UK. Jo played with light and shadow to create distorted images of the doily, and transformed the graphic images to metal by using photoetching technique. What is photoetching? click here to find out more. I love them embedded onto a wooden chair/table, like the pictures above, or onto cement flooring. Beauty.

Susan Bradley

Known for her award winning Outdoor Wallpaper, Susan Bradley developed a new range of tables and shelves called Creep. Aim to bring the creeping nature of plants indoors, these lovely products are available in scarlett, black gloss, white or gold powder-coated steel. Check out the rest of her wonderful creations here.

Susan will launch her new work in the coming Salone Satellite Milan Furniture Fair, April 5-10, 2006. Have a visit, if you're in Milan, that is. ;-)

Rachel Kelly

I've been a fan of Rachel Kelly since her interactive wallpaper was featured in Elle Decoration UK last year. Her stickers are on top of my wish list! This season, Habitat has just launched another wonderful creation designed by Rachel Kelly, called Nancy tableware collection. Check out her other works here.

Rachel Kelly is currently having an exhibition at the Creative 8 project, organized by Clerkenwell Green Association, from March 8 - April 1, 2006, Wednesday - Saturday, 12-6pm. She exhibits her new collection of wallpapers created with innovative materials using cutting-edge design processes. Oh, I just can't wait to see it on the magazines.