December 2, 2011

Collaboration, West Elm Style

I have long been a fan of West Elm’s modern, organic, slightly boho aesthetic and love to sneak their pieces into projects with both high and low budgets. That said, like most big box stores, it is sometimes hard to get past the mass-produced look and feel of their stuff. Clearly, they were hip to this thorn in their side because they have begun collaborating with all kinds of artistic, creative people and the resulting vibe is one that is fresh, collected, personal and modern. All things that I strive for in my projects. Take a look at some of the collaborators and see if you don’t agree.

Let’s begin with the artists. First up is Scott Lifshutz. I love these prints of his delicate watercolors of feathers:

And I would happily fold one or two of Lourdes Sanchez’s studies for textile designs into a gallery hang: Read the rest of this post »

April 26, 2011

Block Printing

In yesterday’s post on bedding, I included an example of block printing. After I posted, I came across an excellent video on West Elm (of all places – go West Elm!) showing the process from the carving of the blocks all the way through to the final printing. It beautifully captures the vibrant, colorful hum of India and reminded me how much care and effort goes into so many of the products we use every day. Check it out here and see if you don’t find yourself at least a little moved.

It also got me thinking about a trip my sister and I took to Rajasthan a few years back where we learned how to block print ourselves. Enjoy the four part color process (and our teacher’s crazy henna colored beard!):

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April 7, 2011

Earthy and Ethnic

My perusal of what’s on offer from the major retailers continues and I am noticing an earthy trend on the rise. As a fan of the seventies in all its incarnations, I dig it! It seems that everywhere I look, I am seeing large, chunky baskets and organic shapes and finishes. I love the variety of shapes, natural fiber and the multiple storage needs these can fill:

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February 16, 2011

Confessions of an E-zine Virgin

OK. I know that a few days ago, I mentioned knowing about some online design mags but what I negelcted to mention is that I had never actually looked at them. Oops! Today I rectified that with a tour through the current issue of Lonny. I had been wary of online publications since my battle with the original Williams Sonoma Home catlogue but I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. It took me a while to get used to having to zoom in on the pages and clicking through instead of flipping, but it was well worth the e-learning curve. For those of you who are as leery as I was about the world of online magazines, it costs absolutely nothing to subscribe so jump into the 21st century with me, won’t you?

Right off the bat, their was a fantastic ad for Chairloom (one of my favorite companies):

And one for an extremely cool exhibition at the San Francisco Legion of Honor of an artist named Isabel de Borchgrave who recreates grand couture gowns out of paper. What? There may have to be a trip up north in the near future… The market section is full of great items to incorporate into your design and lists of what’s getting the editors hot and bothered this month. I particularly like the page on color blocks. Go figure.

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