May
20
POKETO + Lisa Congdon
I’m sort of beside myself with this collaboration between two of my favorites – POKETO and Lisa Congdon! Lisa’s bright, geometric style lends itself perfectly to these linen tea towels that will only get softer with use. Choose from a pyramids or herringbone pattern in two color palettes. (I can’t help but think how fantastic one of these would be wrapped around a summer hostess gift!)
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May
20
Char-Bea
That feeling of finding out someone who’s really good at one thing is also really good at another? Yeah. The Char-Bea collection by Ashley Goldberg for Urban Outfitters gives me those feelings in a big way. Her art translates so well to textiles with those big patches of color!
May
17
Happy Weekend
01/ This large-scale geometric projection in Paris is stunning.
02/ A chandelier that projects tree shadows!
03/ Epcot’s Spaceship Earth turned into an animated Mike Wazowski to promote new film.
04/ Vertigo-inducing POV footage of the spire being raised at One World Trade Center.
05/ The prettiest ad for funeral home services ever.
06/ A beautiful shimmering chain-link fence installation.
07/ Photographer Jaime Moore took photos of her daughter dresses as five historical women.
08/ Who knew cross-sections of food could be so interesting??
09/ Here is Today puts time in perspective.
10/ When a real dog is too much, Invisible Dogs in Poland is juuust right.
This week on Design Crush…
Mix #24: Holding Out to Settle
Bathing Beauties
Patio Perfect
Jane Farnham
Adobe MAX 2013: An Insider’s View
18 With a Bullet
May DIYs
KAARLO I and II
Ten Spring Salads
May
16
KAARLO I and II
Definitely not easy on the checking account, but what a pair of lookers! I love these two oversized contemporary rocking chairs from KAYIWA, KAARLO I and KAARLO II.
May
16
May DIYs
My apologies to Country Living, the original source of the Vintage Tennis Racket Mirrors.
Click on each image to go to the project.
All photos copyright of their respective sites unless otherwise noted.
May
09
canvas
canvas is a collection of ceramics, wooden objects, textiles, accessories and furniture created by artisans and craftsmen from the U.S. and abroad that combines natural materials with interesting textures. Their main focus in on fair trade and green principles, which I think is something we should all be able to support. The simple sustainable style that canvas’s pieces represent – especially their ceramics collections – is something that I long for my own home to be filled with.
May
03
Happy Weekend
01/ The Clip Bag.
02/ Disney’s Sloth Princesses.
03/ You’re Officially Awesome!
04/ The power of reading. Literally.
05/ I never thought I wanted a swimming pool. Until now.
06/ Petheadz – an Instagram series of pets and their owners.
07/ The most minimalist playing cards ever.
08/ Leather suitcase furniture, yup it’s a thing.
09/ Punk Kitty Graffiti – amazing.
10/ Red SOLO cups go fancy!
Miss anything on Design Crush this week?
Gem Scarves
The Animal Alphabet in Primitive Portraits
InstaApril
Modern Sprout Hydroponic Planter
Color with Confidence: Pantone + Valspar + Lowe’s
Brevity Signature Necklace
What Will You Make Today?
Quilt Collection
I Heart NYC
May
01
Color With Confidence: Pantone + Valspar + Lowe’s
PHOTO: Kelly Beall
You just did a double-take, amiright? Well, I promise that this isn’t a 30-day late April Fool’s joke. Pantone, the global authority on and standard of color, has teamed up with Valspar to launch a new line of paint! The Pantone Universe Paint Collection will be available exclusively at Lowe’s beginning this month.
PHOTOS: Kelly Beall
The collection features 100 on-trend hues ranging from classic neutrals to eye-popping brights. It also includes the 2013 Pantone Color of the Year, Emerald, as well as the 2012 selection, Tangerine Tango!
PHOTO: Edelman
This past weekend I visited NYC to participate in the 2-day Color with Confidence event along with several other bloggers and editors. Our first day was filled with inspirational talks from Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute Leatrice Eiseman, interior designer Elaine Griffin, and fashion designer Nanette Lepore. These ladies were nothing short of lovely and brilliant.
TOP PHOTO: Edelman BOTTOM PHOTO: Kelly Beall
After listening to Leatrice, Elaine, and Nanette (and noshing on some tasty treats and colorful cocktails) we were taught the proper way to paint from Valspar’s Jill. I consider myself a fairly knowledgeable painter and was clueless on half of the tips she spilled!
• Use a wooden brush, it catches drips better.
• Use the handle of said brush to seal the edges of your painter’s tape.
• Remove your tape before the paint is actually dry to avoid peeling.
• Use high-quality brushes and roller to avoid shedding.
• A good paint roller is both washable and reusable.
• Load your roller with way more paint than you think necessary, four bathe + rolls in the tray is optimal.
• Paint in 4 x 4′ sections.
• Use a W technique (seen above). Make the letter W, then fill it in. Reload roller each time.
• Once the wall is filled go over it with vertical stripes of paint to even things out.
• Use a church key not a screwdriver to open paint cans.
• Put cellophane over the can opening before putting the lid back on to keep paint fresh for a year.
• Keep the paintbrush’s original packaging to retain shape.
• Always use a canvas drop cloth, it’s less slippery than plastic and absorbs drips immediately.
• Use a roller scraper to avoid wasting paint left in roller.
• Store paint in a cool place (i.e. not your garage – whoops!)
PHOTOS: Kelly Beall
We played around a bit choosing a color palette and talked to Nanette Lepore about how color inspires fashion. Then we mingled and headed home to rest up for the next day, when we’d finally get to dig in and get some paint on our hands!
PHOTOS: Kelly Beall
PHOTOS: Kelly Beall
After grabbing breakfast,we all loaded into a black bus with tinted windows (so VIP) with a moving truck tailing us, and headed to Hell’s Kitchen flea market. It was a beautiful sunshiney day and we were chomping at the bit to find the perfect pieces to upcycle. The first thing that caught my eye was a beautiful metal horse bust. I was in love. But the vendor wanted $500 for it and would only negotiate down to $275. Waaay out of my budget. Later we stopped in at the Salvation Army and I found this dresser that would have been perfect in my bedroom, but it was unfortunately already sold.
PHOTO: Edelman
Luckily I’d picked up a just-in-case piece, this gorgeous typesetter’s drawer. I’ve been wanting one since high school and had never seen a specimen in such perfect condition, and with unfinished wood. Success!
TOP PHOTO: Edelman BOTTOM PHOTO: Kelly Beall
I suspect we all looked like a sideshow hauling pieces to the end of flea and loading them into our truck, but oh well. We had everything from a TV console to mirrors to end tables by the end of our excursion.
PHOTOS: Kelly Beall
I didn’t realize just how dirty my piece was until I started wiping it down. So gross. (You can see the color difference between this photo pre-wash and the post-wash below.)
PHOTOS: Kelly Beall
It took me awhile to figure out just how I wanted to transform my newly acquired type drawer, but after some thought I decided to start by painting the borders a nice charcoal grey. When that didn’t seem enough I debated painting the entire interior, but it would have required smaller brushes and more time than I had. I settled on taping off a few “gallery sections” and painting them white, I’ll be able to use these areas to highlight special tchotchkes once I get it home and hang it on my office wall.
TOP PHOTO: Kelly Beall BOTTOM PHOTO: Edelman
I’m really happy with how it turned out! I plan on going over the white areas with a smaller brush and one more coat before calling it complete, but I’m counting this guy as a success. The Pantone Universe paint in Valspar’s Signature covered like a dream and was so incredibly saturated with color. I only did one layer of the grey if that tells you anything. Oh, and it dries to the touch in 20 minutes! I know you’re going to love it as much as I do.
Disclaimer: Travel and hotel in NYC provided by Pantone and Valspar. All words and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep Design Crush going!
Apr
26
Happy Weekend
01/ La Petit Prince, an imaginary world created for a boy with Muscular Dystrophy.
02/ Warp and Weft, an intricate series of portraits created from thread and nails.
03/ Invisiplug is sort of brilliant.
04/ Talk about space-saving, canvas furniture that hangs on your wall!
05/ Two clouds carrying human figures is suspended above travelers at a station in London.
06/ CMYK halftones recreated by hand.
07/ A recent look at the remains of the New York World’s Fair.
08/ A telephoto lens for your iPad!
09/ Picture our devices and gadgets in 100 years.
10/ Skies created from hundreds of stacked photos.
In case you missed it:
Tips&Tricks: Gardening + Landscaping
Emily Barletta
Crane & Canopy
Nicole Aquillano Ceramics
Wonderful Forever
Pants: Loose + Patterned
When In Austin
Apr
23
Nicole Aquillano Ceramics
Sometimes it sucks when the world feels small, and sometimes it’s amazing. I’d like to introduce you to the ceramic work of Nicole Aquillano, the younger sister of a girl I graduated high school with over a decade ago just outside of Pittsburgh, PA. I love that I can see the influence of our town in Nicole’s work and am swept away by her attention to detail. Much of her work is based on the stability of home and the human need to maintain collections, both of which I can definitely relate to. (It’s a small world after all.)
