got typeface?

in art, possibly product design in particular, marrying design elements with function elements so seamlessly will garner well-deserved attention. form and function at its best is clear in the poster below. i'm biased to graphic design + typeface specifically, but i'm sure the poster below will stop some many keen lookers.

: images from {Black.White.Yellow} :

RING in the new year ...

how's this for rustic modern any-day-is-a-good-day-to-flash-some-(quirky)-fashion-sense perk-me-up style? i absolutely adore these designs, cleverly done by the very talented Maria Cristine Bellucci. these pretty fashion pieces originally lived as coloured pencils. like i said, genius!

oh, on another note, happy 2010! make this YOUR special year.



: all images by See Saw Designs :

climbing to greater heights ...

:: Stairway by Tamara Thomsen, via 20x200 ::

... one can definitely hope + strive for, yes?


this painting reminds me a lot of the time i was perched on the stairs at my college, sketching + painting my study on the staircase. put aside the occasional 'visits' by other students + tutors walking up and down the stairs, i was mostly on my own, trying my best to create some decent piece of work in my little corner. many years on, that stands out as one of my fondest art moments in college. fondest, and possibly one of the trickiest too. certain projects/studies/paintings/sketches no doubt left a bigger and more inspiring imprint in me than others.

today, i find myself creating my pieces of work at any little chance i have to take my eyes and attention away from the kids, even if just for an hour, or less. that leaves me working almost literally everywhere in the house. even my bed's seen my brushes + acrylics. secret's out then. if any of you ever imagined me sitting pretty + calm painting in a designated work space at home, i thank you much. in truth, i stand more than i sit when painting, and i don't always work in the work corner i've created myself.

it would be good to be more disciplined though. well, there's always 2010 to cue the resolutions list. should put that on the list then ... work only in designated work space.

anyway ... i digressed. this was supposed to be about stairways. below, some other images which have caught my attention ...

:: via Freshome ::

:: via Home Designing ::

:: via Design Age ::

:: via Traveller Boats ::

:: via Schlicken Blogsome ::

:: via Abodesign Co. ::

:: our very own stairs at Big Lime (image previously used in an earlier post here on the blog) ::

our world in our hands ...

one thing i do love to indulge in time and again, are my travels abroad. *guilty!*

on that note, i'd love to start a small, but worthy collection of globes of various makes, styles and finishes. beautiful and playful works of art and craftsmanship. in one single object that is the globe, one gets to enjoy art, science and geography. that to me, is a pretty good deal.

below, some images of globes put on display in interesting and very beautiful ways.

: family :

: vintage :

: elegant :

: chic :

: explore :

: grounded :

: all images via Desire to Inspire :

dreamy dwelling ...

i have a thing for houses. can you tell?

as far back as i can recall, houses + apartments + hotels + schools (specifically, playschools) have always captured my interest. living spaces in general, i suppose. i'd do a little imaginary exercise along the lines of "what if i were in that house/room/school/space, how would i live in it? how would i arrange things in it?". cities too. travelling, i do enjoy. and when in a foreign city, i'd start imagining again.



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when i saw this image, i had to post it here. too cute to let it just pass by. tell me you're drawn to it too. yes? no?

:: art by Ethan Hayes-Chute; image via The Red Thread ::

such a cute + clever piece of art this is. very child-like, modern, a little whimsical too. put simply, kinda perfect if you ask me. makes me want to create a whole little village of varied-height houses and office blocks and what-have-yous just for fun.

Zayaan's famous phrase!

if you've met (or heard enough stories about) my lil girl, you'd know why this print reminded me immediately of her. i swear she speaks much too much at this tender age. i foresee her teachers calling me to say she's taken over the class. and this at preschool level, mind you. ah well. keeps the house (and school for when she starts) jovial. :-)

:: by Wonderthunder Etsy, via print and pattern ::

beach bliss

i'd love me a home like this.

:: The Samaya, Bali ::

or, if time + Mr CFO (read: the husband) permits, a holiday there perhaps. ;-)

looking at this ...

:: image via At Home with Kim Vallee ::

... makes me want to build me a charcoal wood cabinetry of sorts just so i can display the key something something(s) at home. maybe against the dining wall.

it also makes me dream yet another dream.

say, opening a restaurant or cafe specialising in soup + cookies, maybe?

yes, true. not entirely the best kind of culinary match there, but soup + cookies, i do like very much indeed. the potato + leek kind. or clam chowder. or carrot + coriander. or plum tomato + basil. and yes too, i do like thick soup.

hypnotic hue

how's this for hypnotic genius? and a hue-full one too at that. just clever, i say.

artist Jen Stark turns paper and cardstock into brilliant art pieces through her apparently simple cutting process. this, i'd like to know how. but let's not get ahead of meself ... i won't be attempting any paper sculptures. i'll simply admire from afar the genius that is her work.

all images via PaperChick

weaving between cultures ...

in design work, i admire the successful fusion of the old meets new, east meets west approach. whilst many gravitate to the rigid and precision that are modern design pieces, there seems to be a large following too for those reviving our 'traditional' pieces, designs filed under (i'd imagine)conservation and/or heritage.

ikat is one such art form.

Ikat, or Ikkat, is a style of weaving that uses a resist dyeing process similar to tie-dye on either the warp

or weft before the threads are woven to create a pattern or design.

Ikat means "to tie" or "to bind" in the Malay language.

:: taken from Wikipedia ::

seen today are many product designs originating from the ikat process. what is even better, to me, is that the Westerners seem to be loving this art form so much that they're producing ikat-designed home and fashion items and commercialising them. true, there's the desire to keep things within yourselves (culturally), but when it comes to art, i think a fusion between the East and West is always a good thing. just give due credit to origins of design. ;-)

:: Pottery Barn cushions, image via Apartment Therapy ::

:: Anthropologie cushions, image via Design Sponge ::

:: chair by Oregon-based designer Jen West, image by Design Sponge ::

:: image via Patricia Gray ::

:: image via Design-59 ::

bowled over ...

these pretty patterns on these adorably moulded bowls. moulded bowls ... has a cute ring to it, don't you think? :-)

:: bowls beautifully made by Aida Dirse, image via OhJoy! ::

.... but back to these bowls, grouped together, i think they make quite a display on a special lil corner in your home. love them!

if i could only dream for a moment ...

... i'd LOVE to buy me some Chris Kenny art.

:: Map Circle (16 Typhoons) ::

:: Red Map ::

:: Compass 2008 ::

how clever are these? extra credit should be given not just for the brilliant concept of the artwork, but so too for the meticulous effort and precision that are the pieces (of art). pure genius, i say!

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i'd love to have the Compass 2008 up in Big Z's room. it, to me, sums up the whole travel theme. the icing on the cake though is how it's a take on polka-dots, which i not-so-secretly-anymore kinda have a fetish for. ;-)

if in the luckiest of luck, i ever get to own the Map Circle (16 Typhoons) piece, i'd most definitely have it in the playroom-cum-family room. aptyly titled 'typhoon', i think little is left to one's imagination. playroom equals daily typhoons! and the colours; how happy are they? love love love!

the Red Map piece is brilliant for Baby Z's room, for obvious reasons. and again, this one too shouts happiness to me.

:: all images from EnglandGallery.com ::