I am mesmerized by ‘Bubblegum‘, a whimsical and colourful installation by Merijn Hos and Renée Reijnders. The piece features 50 balloons around one metre in diameter that “shine, float and bubble” across the large water expanse Weerwater in Almere, Netherlands. At night, LED lights are inserted into the balloons to create a magical hue-filled glow. I love that no photograph of this installation will ever be the same twice as the balloons dance across the water in a million different ways…

(photographs via merijn hos and renée reijnders)

A beautiful campaign for Artisan Make Up Paris captured by French photographer Ludovic Taillandier. Fingers crossed the campaign expands with more images as I just love the burst of brilliant powder against a face with neutral make-up. Colourful cosmetics are a rather inspiring medium, don’t you think? If only this was how they were applied on a daily basis…

(photographs via ludovic taillandier)

I love this exuberant branding for Dan Arisa, a Spanish musician and per­cus­sion­ist. Barcelona-based designer Alex Dalmau created the sherbet-hued identity and I think the exclamation point fits just perfectly for a drummer. Like a typographical “hi hat” perhaps? Love the branded drum sticks and musical noises on the letterhead too. More musicians need fabulous personal collateral methinks…

(photographs via alex dalmau, spotted on designworklife)

Spanish photographer Lola Guerrera created her series ‘Nebula Humilis’ in the deserts of Mexico and I love the juxtaposition of harsh, neutral rock formations and soft, vibrant plumes of coloured smoke. The red image really feels like a magical volcano, don’t you think? (p.s. I am a huge fan of this coloured smoke movement in art. Take a look at my other two postings on the subject here and here).

(photographs via lola guerrera)

It may sound random but I have a thing for home art installations involving spools of thread. I have been enamoured with Douglas Coupland’s for quite some time (3rd image) as he made a pure white wall come alive with a tailor shop-inspired installation of industrial thread spools. I also love the old wooden sign full of small thread bundles at the home of Zoe Bissell and Bryan Buryk (top image). Last but not least, the wonderful apartment of architect Chau Truong which features a black wall of thin shelves holding vibrant spools of thread and varying lengths of thread. Truong says, “every time the door opens or closes, the motion causes these thread ends to swing uniformly like leaves in the wind.” Colourful, architectural, artful and very happy-making.

(photographs via new york times, design tripper and new york times)

This lightbulb typography sculpture by Brighton-based designer Kyle Bean stopped me in my tracks this morning. The piece was created for a Time Magazine ’10 Ideas’ feature and manages to be both industrial and delicate. It is a great play on the “light goes off” element of idea creation and makes me want to see an entire installation playing with light bulb typography…

(photograph by victoria ling via kyle bean)

Paper chains are timelessly awesome. That might be why this typography by Madrid-based studio IS Creative Studio makes me so happy. The designers created the paper chain alphabet and logo for the the Getxophoto Photography Festival identity. I love how they photographed the shadow-filled typography in pure white but also threw colour behind it for elements like the eye-catching neon poster. Perhaps a paper chain symbolizes a connected festival of like-minded people? The name of each photographer, featured in the final official Getxophoto book, were also cut out and used as chapter titles. Long live the paper chain…

(photographs via is creative studio)

Creating beautiful works of art doesn’t require expensive supplies. Case in point? Düsseldorf-based artist Sebastian Wickeroth diligently layers line upon line of regular old felt-tip marker to create his wonderfully abstract works of colour and angle. Never underestimate the possibilities just sitting in your pencil bin…

(spotted on but does it float, images via sebastian wickeroth )

Melbourne-based designer Emily Green creates vibrant necklaces featuring lovely hand-formed beads. Come to think of it, she really creates wearable colour palettes full of whimsy and joy. I love visiting Emily’s online shops to spy the newest colour combinations (love those new wintery combinations on leather cord). I am also a big fan of how she styles her pieces on patterns like graphic black and white and bright watercolours. I’m thinking wearing one of Emily’s colour palettes around your neck could only make a day happier…

(photographs by emily green via her online shops here and here)

Yellowtrace is a fantastic Australian blog with a razor sharp eye for style and design. I am thrilled to be doing a few guest posts for Dana, yellowtrace’s founder, while she is on maternity leave this month. My first is the Geode Project by artist A Common Name. Placed in building holes and random pipes, these amazingly intricate paper crystal formations bring real-life magic to everyday surroundings. Has a drainpipe ever looked better? Read my whole post here.

(photographs via a common name)

Serbian designer Ana Kraš debuted her BonBon Lamps in 2010 and has now updated the handsome devils for 2012. Wire framed lampshades looped manually with cotton thread, the lamps are colourblocked in intriguing palettes and crafted in whimsical shapes. What beautiful, hue-filled glow is created as the light shines through the strings. A modern lantern perhaps? I would love to have a row of BonBon Lamps hanging in an industrial space just as they do in the second photo from the top. Sigh…

(photographs via ana kras except second image from remodelista)

I spotted this image of Skogafoss, Iceland earlier today and felt instantly entranced by the dreamy, misty hues of soft green. What about the profile of a face the man stands on? It looks like a woman wearing an extravagant headdress. A stunning and rather magical photograph by Reinhard Pantke that shows the beauty and depth of green.

(photograph by reinhard pantke, spotted on miss moss)

Some refreshing and colourful branding for LUX* Island Resorts by London studio & Smith. The identity reflects “a lively, spontaneous brand seeking to avoid the predictable patterns associated with luxury travel”. I love the thick, modern typography and tropical-feeling colour palette. How great is that launch invitation featuring a roll of tickets for various facets of the resort? And a great publication design for “50 Reasons To Go” with thready ribbons. Oh and believe me, if I ever get to a LUX* 5-star resort, I will be grabbing every single one of those beautiful room toiletries. Yep, I want to head to the tropics right this second…

(photographs via & smith, spotted on designworklife)

My love affair with how simple, colourful elements of everyday life can come together in extraordinary ways continues to grow. Crafted out of plastic clothespins arranged in rows, Peg Carpet was created by Dutch art collective We Make Carpets and is a feat of layering and precision. I love the bold patterns of these modern tapestries and the beautiful gradients of colour achieved through carefully placed clothespins hues. There really is magic brewing in the laundry room…

(photographs by boudewijn bollmann via we make carpets)

I love when branding uses an unexpected palette and this identity for Strata Bakery in Barcelona features a brilliant one. P.A.R design studio pondered the many facets of baking and came up with a central theme of layers. From icing cake layers to the layers of ingredients that go into each recipe, the concept fits perfectly and is brought into the branding by layering different papers, materials, typefaces and colours. I love the scrumptious colour combination of mint green and vibrant orange with hits of brown. I also love the stack of business cards in alternating colours as it conjures up a rather magical cake. I think I may need a cookie stat…

(photographs via P.A.R design studio)

I just love modern interpretations of neon. The glowing colour is full of possibility from chic typography to inspiring installations. ‘Arise’ by Anselm Reyle is one such installation I wish I had seen in person. The Berlin-based artist created the large-scale piece in 2010 out of neon, chains, cable and transformers. I love the thinness of the neon pieces and the reflecting jumble they create together. That last detail shot of a few bits of neon on the floor (and a well-placed heart) will have me dreaming of modern neon for many days ahead…

(photographs via the modern institute)