I feel like I have come across more inspiring school architecture lately than ever before. I hope this is a continuing trend because if there is one place that should always be colourful and inspiring, it is school. I love the gorgeous exterior of The Reece School in New York by Platt Byard Dovell White Architects. A non-profit private elementary school for special needs children on East 104th Street, I love the rectangles of transparent colour that make the building look friendly from the outside and full of joyful, colourful light on the inside. There are some fantastic light fixtures in the classrooms and gym as well. Learning and colour really are a match made in heaven…

(spotted on arch daily, photographs by jonathan wallen)

Malaysian designer Tang Yau Hoong uses negative space in such a dreamy way. These two illustrations caught my eye yesterday because they have a lovely contrast of colours and, like all of Tang’s work, are a magical way of looking at everyday life. I love the idea of colour painted against the night sky…

(images via tang yau hoong and demilked)

I love the way Dutch studio Raw Color created and presented their colour scheme to architecture studio Merkx+Girod for the pilot store of The Royal Dutch Touring Club. Striking, glossy popsicle stick swatches and autumn hues mixing beautifully with watery summer hues. The seasons really do blend seamlessly, don’t they?

(photograph via raw color)

I am a huge fan of the gorgeous thread installations created by Mexican artist Gabriel Dawe. The ornate layering and depth of colour created using just regular sewing thread is astounding. I love the many rainbow pieces in Gabriel’s “Plexus” series but find myself particularly drawn to the installations of three or five colours and especially the very high ones and those that wrap around staircases. What beautiful magic can be created with simple sewing supplies and a little insane dedication…

(photographs via gabriel dawe)

Whoa – a long and unexpected break from colour posting this week. Let’s just say I departed for beige territory but I’m happily back in happy hue land now! I spotted these gorgeous shots styled and photographed by one of my favourite creatives, Dietlind Wolf , and realized yet again why I love poppies. The crispy scarlet-red and that mysterious blue-purple shade of black makes one smashing combo…

(photographs via dietlind wolf)

I really do love every colour (except maybe beige) but I have always avoided traditional, yellow-toned pastels. But, the new love affair with sorbet hues has turned pastels in a more clear, modern direction. Sorbet hues are bright pastels and I just love the whole colour family (see my gushing article about them here). I also love these beautiful images by stylist Charlotte Lovey and photographer Jonathan Gooch as they showcase the brightness of sorbets and the way they work beautifully with dashes of white, neon and wood…

(photographs via charlotte lovey)

Photographer Joanna McClure has several series devoted to the dynamic structure of paper but her ‘Synesthesia’ collection has caught my eye for its abstract beauty and gorgeous use of colour. Are those strips of translucent paper interacting in a bed of water? I can’t completely tell but I am smitten with the juicy, gel-like textures and intersecting palettes created regardless…

(photographs via joanna mcclure)

I am a big fan of Canadian landscape architect Claude Cormier and when I saw the photographs of his Les Boules Roses installation in Montreal, I almost immediately booked a ticket East. Created for the Aires Libres summer celebration which turns Sainte-Catherine Street East into an art-loving pedestrian zone, the piece features 200,000 resin balls in three sizes and five tones of pink. Using bracing wire, the rows of balls are laced through the trees in nine different suspension patterns and at varying heights. The final product is a magical canopy stretching over 1km between St. Hubert and Papineau streets. The different tones of pink and levels of suspension bring dimension-rich, joyful texture to the streetscape. You can see this gorgeous temporary rooftop from now until September 16th. The world needs more colourful street canopies methinks…

(photographs via claude cormier, archdaily and arthitectural)

Louisa Parris scarves are a luxurious, modern mix of vibrant colour and pattern. I particularly love the palette of her new ‘Collection Two’ and the simple but beautiful styling featured throughout her lookbook…

(photographs via louisa parris)

Ecole Maternelle Pajol is a four-classroom kindergarten in Paris’s 18th arrondissement that joyfully showcases how colour and education are a true dream team. I love how Parisian architects Palatre & Leclère restored the 1940′s building. The front retains its vintage brick beauty while the back explodes with vibrant patterns and colourful activities. The interiors are equally joyful with bold hallways, bright furniture/building materials and a dotted ceiling I just love. Even the washroom features fabulous streamlined colour and animal details (love those dividers!) This kindergarten must be one magical place to learn and play…

(spotted on the cool hunter)

Check out this extraordinary piece by shadow artist Kumi Yamashita created for the American Express office lobby in Tribeca, New York. Kumi asked American Express employees to take a photo of their profile and selected 22 images for the wall installation. Using carefully creased origami paper and a single light source, she effectively sculpted shadow to reveal the profiles on the wall. The power of light, colour and paper never ceases to astound me…

(spotted on my modern met)

My love for modern, typography-focused neon grows daily it seems. This once-of-a-kind neon sign by Adam Garcia is a perfect example of why. Oy, how I would love to put this wise and handsome gem on a studio wall…

(spotted on colossal)

I just spotted prototype shots of a simply beautiful weather app called ‘Brisk‘ and it has put a stop to all my complaining about the sad weather icons that dominate technology. Designed by Eddie Lobanovskiy of Two Solid, the app works like a regular thermometer with temperatures moving up and down bars. It looks like there will be local forecast and detailed weather info too. Of course, I am most smitten with the gorgeous colour coded bars depicting heat levels. Instinctual and clever. I can’t wait to see how Brisk will develop. Colour coded weather is just better…

(sign up here if you want to know when Brisk makes its way to the App store)

Oh, how I love sport photography (especially when it is downright artful). This shot by Peter Svoboda of cross-country skiers in the Austrian Alps is a sublime example. Beautiful geometry/angles and crispy textured tracks…

(photograph by peter svoboda)

Yes, I am a broken record of coloured smoke gushing (see here, here and here). I admit I am a tad obsessed. There is just something beautiful about an eyesore or neutral landscape suddenly bursting with colour. Until now, I have admired this mini-movement in still images only but then I spied this sublime video by New York based studio floto+warner (photography/director team Jeremy Floto and Cassandra Warner). The photographs are gorgeous but the video captures the dreamy way coloured smoke suddenly and vibrantly fills spaces while dancing and dispersing in the wind. I sure hope I see a fuchsia plume of smoke cross my path one day…

(photographs and video via floto+warner)

I saw Swedish designer Pernilla Jansson’s ‘A New Proposal’ for the first time yesterday and have completely fallen in love with it. Building on a desire to “disturb the established order”, Pernilla lets the standard office fluorescent light become a playful installation of beautiful neon. Simple and so very beautiful. I would love to see an office embrace this idea. One hanging over a reception desk or main studio table would certainly showcase a culture of breaking through the standard way of doing things…

(images via pernilla jansson and dezeen; spotted on rena tom’s pinterest)