Spring fresh

Things that have caught my eye this week...

1. miamizeiss (via Bleubird), 2. Spring Globe, 3. Bee Hives, 4. B-Martin (via Design is Mine), 5. Lena Corwin, 6. "a small collection" dress, 7. Odette New York.

All sorts

Over the last few days I've been reeling from the shock of learning that Ronan Keating has had a seven month affair with a dancer. I'm not usually one to care about celebrity gossip, but Ronan played a huge part in my childhood and still is a big part of my life (I saw him in concert only 3 months ago) and I feel devastated that he's not the man he made himself out to be. Over the last decade he's cultivated an image as a loving family man, and even brought his children onto the stage at a recent concert. I can't believe he's been lying all this time - not only to his fans, but more importantly his wife. It makes me sad. I don't doubt that he's still in pain after losing his friend and fellow bandmate last year, but surely losing someone so close to you would make you appreciate your family even more? I just don't understand, and I feel sad. Sad for him - as his career is in tatters - and sad for his wife and family. This stupid mistake will affect the rest of his life. I really hope he can try to sort himself out... Anyway, I have many more things closer to home to worry about. I just needed to get that all off my chest.

These are a handful of images that have caught my eye over the last couple of weeks. They make me *happy*.

*Images via Grossomodo, Made by Anna - Etsy, Design Sponge, Design Sponge, The Design Files.

Ferm Living

Beautiful accessories for the home with a spot of humour.

I'm typing this (on my new laptop! - it's faster than the PC!) whilst watching the live news on the election, and it's just this minute been declared a hung parliament. No party can win the overall majority of votes. I wonder if they will call another election. I'd never even heard of the term 'hung parliament' before; I didn't realise things could get so complicated. It's quite a worry. I can't help but wonder how stressed the leader of each party must be feeling. Waiting to see if you're the Prime Minister must the job interview from hell.

*Image credits: Ferm Living. Found via A Merry Mishap.

Happy plates

These make me smile.

*Source: Habitat.

Anglepoise

I can't cope with the wobbly lamp I have at the moment. It has such an awkward mechanism and a few months ago I didn't pull the lever tight enough and it went crashing down onto the table shattering the glass shade. Now all that remains is a halogen bulb on a long stem! So I really need a beautiful Anglepoise... *dreams*

*Images via Flickr 1, 2

Cube Pods

How could I not post about this, the moment I saw it?! It's an office that has been divided by CUBES..! How ingenious is that?! This project really does excite me, and I think it's because it kind of sounds like a student concept, but the project has been lifted off the paper by Hungarian architects Benedek and Lakos and realised in such a beautiful way. I love the tension of the boxes within the existing building (a former textile factory) and the way this has been played up with the use of dramatic LEDs to make some cubes appear to float. Apparently the space transforms into a nightclub in the evenings -- talk about getting value for money with this space! It's never empty!

*All images from tervhivatal. Found via Dezeen.

Bolig Magazine

I think Bolig is my new favourite website. I can't understand a word of the Danish, but I can recognise a pretty room when I see one :) It's all about white walls and fresh colour. From what I've seen so far, there's nothing I dislike. When I have the time, I plan to revist the website to absorb more.

*Images: Bolig Magazine

Textural fabric

I came across this incredible textural fabric by Textile & Surface Designer Yemi Awosile via Bricolage Project. It looks like one complete piece with intricate slits cut out between each square - so innovative! I really like the way it takes on a structure of its own when draped.

Origami Tiles

Aren't these Origami tiles by Lubna Chowdhary stunning? (Found via Bloesem).

Transition Wallpaper

[Images from Dezeen]

Danish textile designer, Leni Toni, blends different patterns to create wallpapers that change from one design to another. I particularly like the patterns that look slightly old and faded as they seem to blend perfectly into a more modern print.

Clara Vuletich

[All images: Clara Vuletich]

I came across Clara Vuletich via Bricolage, which is a collective of London-based textile designers. Clara specialises in hand-printed textiles and wallpapers, and combines traditional printing methods with the latest technology to create striking, modern designs. She is involved in the Textiles Environment Design Project at Chelsea College of Art & Design (my college!). All her work is backed with a concern for the environment and on her website she lists her key environmental principles as:

1. Using recycled materials wherever possible
2. Conscientious use of colour
3. Sourcing of the best sustainable base fabrics and papers
4. Understanding of the ‘life-cycle’ approach to design

I particularly like the geometric printed wallpaper shown in the images above. It works so well across a whole wall as well as on the screen. I love the way sections of the print overlap.

Scrap Facet Chair

[Images: Thinkk Studio. Found via: Apartment Therapy]

The scrap wood on the back makes each chair unique. I love the crisp faceted form contrasted against the the patina of the aged wood.

Sliding panels

[Images: House in Midorigaoka, Japan by Camp-Design inc. Found via Dezeen]

I find the sliding walls and panels in this design very appealing. This idea has been applied internally and also to the wall that connects to the outside space. It would be very interesting to mix up the opacity of the panels: transparent as well as solid panels to offer different degrees of privacy. I think the detailing on the sliding runners is quite beautiful. When all the panels are pushed to one side, one huge space is created -- ultimate flexibility. Who needs fixed walls?

Habitat

[Images: Habitat]

I really like the interior shots on the Habitat website at the moment. I hope there's a new catalogue out soon!

Colourful garden furniture

I rediscovered last year's Fermob catalogue and scanned in some of my favourite pages. I don't have a garden or balcony but I wouldn't mind a set of pretty chairs to use at my dining table!

Ron Arad

[All exhibition photos by me]

I visited the Ron Arad exhibition at the Barbican on Monday. The exhibition is called Restless and there is an underlying theme of movement. Chairs have mechanisms causing them to spontaneously rock back and forth, and there are bouncing and sliding bookcases. The pieces of sculpture are really beautiful and he used so many exciting materials: wicker covered in resin, steel, woven mesh, found objects. It was so frustrating not being allowed to touch anything!

A bit of background about Ron Arad: He was born in Tel Aviv, he moved to London in the 1970s to study architecture and made his name in the early 1980s as a self-taught designer-maker of sculptural furniture. He now works across both design and architecture.



Although we weren't allowed to test these particular chairs, some looked really comfortable and I can see that he's studied the contours of human body. But other pieces were clearly just experimental art and would have been quite painful to perch on!

I think the following chair is so elegant. I love the way the seat flows into a carpet...



In the piece below, the end of the rails lift up then lower causing the round bookcase to slide across the rails. I was expecting it to roll the whole length like a giant wheel, but it only moves a small distance. It's still impressive though.



This is a light sculpture that projects squiggly lines across every surface of the room. One of my friends lightly pushed the dome and and it caused the squiggles to go crazy and move around the room. It looked like the walls were moving and felt quite disorientating!



At the end of the exhibition there is an area where visitors are able to test out some pieces of furniture, which was fun. Some of the pieces looked really funky but were really uncomfortable or dangerous to sit on. But maybe we were swinging on the rocking chairs too violently! Here are a couple of my favourites:


[Image from Bonluxat]

White with warm timber

[East Village Studio by JPDA Architects. Found Via Apartment Therapy]

This studio is very small but the consistent use of timber makes it feel warm and welcoming. And I like the reflective storage wall in the first photo as it visually expands the space, as does the long mirror between the two windows.