friday inspiration

flight patterns from Charlie McCarthy on Vimeo.

Coincidentally, my Friday inspiration! is a video for the second week in a row!

This time, it is an incredible long exposure film, Flight Patterns by Charlie McCarthy. Made 156 long exposure photographs of insects flying around a street light, it captures the beautiful flight patterns/trails of these bugs, reminiscent of sparkler trailers!

via Today and Tomorrow

mobiles by flensted

Mobiles, a traditional craft in Denmark, designed with a modern twist by the Flensted family. Wonderful, especially the tumbling bunnies!

furniture by e15

Gorgeous furniture by e15, made from oiled European oak and walnut. Shall we say, modern cabin chic? This definitely goes under the "future house" category in my bookmarks!

moroccan-themed dessert table for sunday suppers

Tantalizing Moroccan-themed dessert table, designed by Amy Atlas and Erica Bohanon of Thoughtful Day, baked by Aran Goyoaga of Cannelle et Vanille and Archana Rao of Love Street Cakes, and hosted by Sunday Suppers. What amazing colours!

via Cannelle et Vanille and Sunday Suppers

plant containers by tend living

Today I discovered some totally badass plant containers from Tend Living! Their glass orbs come in a variety of sizes and applications, including tabletop, wall mounted and hanging. AWESOME for terrariums and air plants!

Some models are available here.

leaf silhouette portraits by jenny lee fowler

Creative leaf silhouette portraits cut by Jenny Lee Fowler.

via swiss-miss

painted sunroom floor by lori dunbar

A transformational "before and after" by Lori Dunbar of Marzipan Inc.! After tearing up four layers of carpet, laminate tile and felt paper, wood floors were painted yellow and stenciled white. See more photos here.

via Design*Sponge

bouquet vase by visuallyot

Slipcast Bouquet vase by VisuallYod. Lovely!

deer and fox trivets from peppersprout

Fun woodland trivets made from lasercut felt by peppersprout.

paper sculpture by ferry staverman

Captivating modern sculptures by Ferry Staverman, made from cardboard and thread. I love the tree-like forms!

friday inspiration

HP - invent from Tom and Matt on Vimeo.

I'm a sucker for any marketing that really gets it; they did the research, put in the effort and really show ingenuity in their final advertisement. This Friday, I am inspired by stop motion videos - see this { dv } post and this { dv } post for some incredible stop motion music videos.

via Core77

sea-inspired textiles by angharad mclaren

Angharad Mclaren designs textiles inspired by the, from windsurfing to scuba diving. These relationships between man and sea inspire the colors, textures and patterns used in her work. She uses materials associated with these activities (ie. neoprene, rope) and combines them with traditional materials like cotton and silk.

via Moco Loco

grow your own student packaging concept

"GrowYourOwn" seed packaging concept by sAdam Paterson and Santi Tonsukha, students from the Royal College of Art Industrial Design Engineering. The design includes bulb bags, resealable seed packs and seed tape for equally spaced seeds.

"Research showed that users didn’t use all the seeds in a pack at once. The new packaging is easily re-sealable. Insights also suggested that an allotment grower generally doesn’t want to grow/eat a large number of crops of the same variety. The new packaging can hold a variety of seeds, separately, in one pack, utilizing the corrugated structure of the cardboard as natural dividers."

via The Dieline

sortuv search engine

Sortuv is a search engine that allows you to "start with something you like, and discover more." Music, stores, restaurants, hotels - begin by searching with something you like (eg. The Decemberists) and it will create a visual data map of other items/places (eg. bands) you might be interested in based on relevancy.

It is still in BETA form, but I am already finding it promising for finding restaurants in NYC that are similar to restaurants I like in, say, Chicago or San Francisco - Sweet!

memo block by geografia

The "Altitude of 200 Pages" Memo Block by Geografia cleverly plays with topography by creating a uniquely-shaped notepad using three-dimensional contour lines. The numbers (altitudes) printed on the paper indicates the quantity of paper. A total of four types of shapes side by side develop their own landscape.

urban outfitters bike shop

Urban Outfitters Bike Shop assembles bikes with components personally customized by the buyer for $399. It has some fun colour options and definitely caters to bikes being a lifestyle trend and a fashion accessory.

via Real Simple/Decor8

tin can lids by jack bresnahan

Simple, clever, biodegradable plastic tin can lids by Jack Bresnahan. It really transforms the tin can vase into a beautiful hybrid of clean design and recycled charm.

via Dezeen

circus violet by studio violet

Circus Violet is a lovely collection of repurposed porcelain by Studio Violet, comprised of duo Camilla Engman and Elisabeth Dunker.

via Creature Comforts

fringe alchemy soaps by anthropologie

Feminine packaging and scents for Fringe Alchemy Soaps, designed by the in-house team at Anthropologie.

via The Dieline

moomah creative arts cafe

Moomah is a creative arts cafe that focuses on creating a whimsical and warm space for parent and child to connect, discover, nourish and create through art projects, nutritious food and imaginative play. The space is located in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan.

This is both a well-executed, adventurous idea and an inviting space that is thankfully void of primary colours and large alphabets like most "kid" spaces.

via Design*Sponge

llum lighting by peca

This beautiful Llum lamp, designed by the Mexican design firm Peca, is made of wooden silhouettes inspired by a birdcage. I would love to design a restaurant or retail space around these lights!

via designboom

friday inspiration

This Friday I am very much inspired by faux bois!

DIY Planting Wheel Wedding Invitations
HunterGatherer 15" Laptop Sleeve by Incase
Wood Labbit by Kidrobot

house blocks by chigo

I think these House Blocks by Chigo would be just as pleasurable as a home decor item as they are a child's toy. Clustered on a mantle or windowsill perhaps?

this is origami packaging

Paper bags that unfold and refold into an origami animal, designed by Magdalena Czarnecki. The cost of the bag is directed to the WWF to help save the endangered animal and it’s dying population.

via The Dieline

table linens by dwellstudio

Beautiful table linens by DwellStudio. Their line includes placemats, napkins, table runners, coasters and aprons.

breath palette toothpaste and mouthwash

Breath Palette is a line 31 uniquely-flavoured toothpastes and mouthwashes. And I am not joking when I say unique - pineapple, green tea, pumpkin - and curry?! You can buy flavours individually or in flavour kits.

I discovered these just prior to my Japan trip, and grabbed about fifteen flavours at Tokyu Hands while in Tokyo. I am a sucker for minimalist packaging and large numbers!

wes anderson film festival by alex cornell

Totally stunning graphics packaging for Alex Cornell's thesis, a hypothetical A Wes Anderson Film Festival. The collection includes records, dvds, posters, advertisements, catalogs, tickets and iPod skins. WOW!

via OrangeBeautiful

collapsible flower vases

These collapsible plastic flower vases have been sporadically popping up around the internet and I thought I would add one that I found (and purchased) in Japan (bottom).

Unique to their line is the small orb vase that creates a beautiful floral cluster rather than an organized bouquet. The colours are really lovely and it is a shame that the photos do not capture the translucency and subtle texture of the material!

{ 1 } Fill Me Up Vases by Jillable, $8
{ 2 } Flower Vase by D-BROS, $8.50
{ 3 } Dolchevale by Bellfast, $4.50-6

furniture by schubladen

SchubLaden – meaning "drawers" in German – is a unique shop in the Berlin-Kreuzberg´s Graefedistrict. It is devoted to the reuse of old unmated drawers. OK, so I went a little crazy with the imagery, but could you blame me? I adore masterfully crafted furniture that readapts old materials.

For similar (reuse) furniture, check out this { dv } post about Piet Hein Eek.

via OrangeBeautiful

friday inspiration

Congratulations Card by Sycamore Street Press

teahouse by a1 architects

A tiny teahouse designed for gathering with friends for tea, retreating from daily stresses and contemplating the natural surroundings from the new perspective inside the teahouse.

A remarkable balance between modern and traditional architecture, i especially love the domed ceiling that filters natural light into the space. Teahouse designed by A1 Architects.

via ArchDaily

citrus thyme water by sunday suppers

What a perfect image of summer! Photographs of citrus thyme water, served by Sunday Suppers. It sounds simple and incredibly delicious; get the recipe here.

via Sunday Suppers

terrariums at sprout home

You may recall my love for terrariums from my last terrarium post, and it seems that I cannot escape these delightful environments!

About two weeks ago I was out exploring Williamsburg, stopping by Sprout Home for the first time to peruse their collection of succulents. I was amazed by the large terrariums positioned proudly in the middle of the store. I bombarded Tassy with a multitude of terrarium questions (sadly, mine is not thriving) and she kindly answered all of them, and sent me home with a sheet of guidelines and tips.

A week later, Design*Sponge posted (the above) video tutorial for terrariums by Sprout Home! What an awesome coincidence.

via Design*Sponge

the egg as packaging

{ 1 } Egg Sprouts by Revisions Design Studio
"This is a super cute way to add a little color to any room or table setting. Wheatgrass is really easy to grow and care for. Just add your own potting soil and in 7-9 days your grass will be looking fabulous!"

{ 2 } Porcelain Egg Votive by Revisions Design Studio
"These candles glow beautifully in their translucent porcelain shells. Made from 100% U.S. grown soy wax... When the candle is done burning, you can clean out the shell and use as a decorative accessory.

{ 3 } Egglings
"The precious, little eggling looks and feels like an extra large egg, but crack its top and discover a garden ready to grow!"

{ 4 } Code EggZoo Studio
"Packaging design for the limited edition chocolate work of art, “Huevo Código” (Code Egg), by the chocolate artist Rubén Álvarez. Each chocolate egg is numbered individually, and a label encloses the cardboard box, also signed and numbered by the artist."

via Design Milk and Lovely Package

personality socks by chris&ruby

Personality Socks are a fashionable and functional way to silence your chairs and protect your floors - and another way to bring personality and design to a room! Designed by chris&ruby.

via swissmiss