Cash desks, sales counters or receptions desks are sometimes overlooked as retail elements bursting with magnificent design potential. I think this area is the soul of a store or studio. It’s where guests are welcomed, a customer turns that sought-after item into their cherished possession and where lasting impressions are formed. In my latest post for Rena Tom’s site, I focused on the design possibilities of cash desks and the functionality considerations that should be kept in mind. It was a hunt but I think I tracked down some inspiring images for your next retail or reception desk creation! To read my post, please take a look here.

(photographs via made by girl, brent comber, arch daily, reception desk world, xnet and decor hacks)

Square Colour Chip Boxes from Leif combine hue swatch with trinket holder. Crafted in Copenhagen out of coloured plexiglass and Danish wood, I like the sliding mechanism with a bar of wood remaining on the glass. Love the neon translucent glass and oak combinations most of all. Colour chip holder perhaps?

During her 60 year reign, Queen Elizabeth II’s wardrobe has never lost its youthful and vibrant focus on colour. PANTONE and Leo Burnett London created this limited edition colour guide of the Queen’s ensembles in honour of her Diamond Jubilee. The guide features some of the Queen’s most notable colour choices including Primrose Yellow (the colour of her dress for William and Kate’s wedding last year) or Crystal Blue (her most frequently worn colour group). Pantone noted that perhaps the Queen dresses monochromatically to add a more stately height to her 5’4″ frame. With this book and Vogue magazine’s feature, the Queen has cemented her role as a true colour tastemaker… (I haven’t quite figured out if this book is for sale yet? I would love to see it in person. I am hoping it features both the pastel shades and stronger, more jewel tone colours that anchor The Queen’s wardrobe)

(photographs via pantone & leo burnett london via yatzer)

I have a thing for coloured metallics lately so this packaging for Amelia Rope Chocolate caught my eye. I love the simple but fun mix of vibrant metallics and kraft paper. Oh and how about Amelia’s Chocolate Cube Collections? A bit like a box of colour swatches, these little shiny cubes are too handsome to eat…

(photographs by mary wadsworth via amelia rope)

Animals are longtime fixtures of the design world and seem limitless in their ability to inspire home objects, fashion and so much more. Specific animals move in and out of the spotlight and some become the focus of massive trends. Case in point, owls who are critter rockstars at this point! In my latest post for Rena Tom’s site, I focused on animal trends and who could take the throne from owls as the next “it” creature. My money is on foxes but there are many other contenders. Foxes, giraffes, whales, llamas and even snails – will any of these animals reach owl-level popularity? To read my post, please take a look here.

(images via lucky pony, bongo design, madewell, j.crew, rue mag and anthropologie)

In my final guest post for yellowtrace, I showcased the fabulous styling of HAY, a Danish furniture company. The HAY 2012 Catalogue has a behind-the-scenes, raw cement type of vibe mixed with play-like sets of interior design. Their product shots are equally great (check out those artful stacks of boxes). I just love that end shot of all of the catalogue pieces taking a final “bow” in colour-coded sections. I wouldn’t mind framing that photograph! HAY’s 2012 Catalogue is sure to become one of my favourite examples of brilliant styling. To see all of the photographs and read my whole post, please pop over to yellowtrace.

(photographs via HAY)

I love the colour-focused styling of these culinary stacks by Dutch design duo Raw Color. The still life photographs were created for the opening of Martin Creed’s revamp of the iconic Sketch restaurant in London and feature disassembled ingredients of dishes from the new menu. As culinary creations are really layers of flavour and stacks of colour and texture, the styling is both smart and beautiful. Perhaps we could do away with word-focused menus and just use striking photograph to select our meals…

4th image: Sweet chilli paste, filo pastry, foie gras, sesame seeds, green apple, pink radish, celery leaves, spring onion
6th image: Parmesan cream, goat cheese, coconut, beetroot sauce, lobster, squid Ink, black Olive Jelly

(photographs via trendland)

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)

We all know how ubiquitous neon, colour blocking and big florals have been lately. In fact, remixed and modernized 1980′s design don’t seem to be slowing down in any product category. In my post this week for Rena Tom’s site, I focused on four 80′s/90′s trends that are gaining steam and visibility: marble, brass, metallic colour and oxblood. I was inspired by an episode of The Golden Girls, an 1980′s classic full of design begging to be re-imagined and tranformed. Will these four trends become formidable in modern design/retail much like neon hues have? We will have to wait and see. On a side note,  I am loving how well oxblood mixes with different colours from cornflower blue to vivid magenta to soft pastels! If you fancy a read plump with images, take a look at my post here.

(photographs via neapolitan, mjolk, samma, apartment therapy, designworklife, american prom, opening ceremony, euro style lighting and kleidersachen)

Every desk can benefit from some fun-shaped neon sticky notes, right? I love these Silly Notes Page Markers by Suck UK. The tiny sticky notes can be used to mark a place or scribble a wee note. I wouldn’t mind creating my to do list on a vibrant spaceship or dinosaur…

(photograph via suck uk)

Dreaming of designing retail spaces is often on my mind and my Pinterest boards probably showcase that (obsessive) mindframe. This week, for my bi-monthly post on Rena Tom’s website, I thought I would round-up a few retail images that have caught my eye lately. Signage with metallic details, a neon paper airplane launch invite or a pet shop entrance just for dogs – retail details are never short on inspiration. To have your fill of retail and design eye candy, read the post here. Back to shop owning day daydreams…

(this is collate, here design, tokketok, interior design, design work life, the design files and elana schlenker)

I have a soft spot for hotels that find beautiful branding opportunities. Technology perks are great but something tangible and old-school often has distinct magic. Case in point: this sublime star-studded black stationery and silver pencil by L’and Vineyards in Portugal. Perfect for crafting one exquisite letter home (or notes of a memorable trip)…

(photograph via condé nast traveler & l’and vineyards)

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)

As someone who could spend several hours at a newsstand, I love visiting CoverJunkie where fantastic magazine covers and their creators are celebrated. Three that have caught my eye this month include the Suddeutsche Zeitung Magazin ”Rama dama, design issue” and its explosion of colourful smoke (please tell me there is a behind-the-scenes film of this cover shoot?) as well as a clever, elegant Olympic issue by Sport magazine and a layered FUKT magazine of contemporary drawing. Both digitally and in print, long live the magazine!

(images via coverjunkie)

If 2012 is going to see the end of the world, you may as well go out with some attractive branding! Design studio MENOSUNOCEROUNO created Just In Case, “an end-of-the-world survival kit” or “the perfect brand for the end of times”. The kit contains six iconic products from Mexico re-packaged in bold yellow including dark chocolate, a classic notebook, a simple knife, 40 black matches, liqueur and a bottle of water. This collection may not ensure long-term survival but you certainly will enjoy your final hours… (Read more about the kit here)

(spotted on the dieline)

Pop-up shops, also called temporary stores or flash retail, have grown in popularity and awareness over the last few years. The definition is just as it sounds – a shop that appears suddenly and disappears with similar drama after a relatively short amount of time. Often there is a special collection or limited edition item element as well. Whether in a rented space, a splashy freestanding structure, only online or curated by tastemaking blogs, there are no limits to the innovative ideas flash retail can create. I particularly love that creativity is almost always a vital characteristic of pop-up shops. From big installations (check out that gorgeous net of cardboard boxes above) to bold storefronts to sleek branding, temporary stores seem to form a sublime marriage of retail and creativity. If you interested, I wrote an image-filled article for Rena Tom’s site on pop-up shops which you can read here. Back to dreaming about opening a shop that pops…

(photographs via the fancy, dezeen, hannah dollery creative, decor8, dezeen, we heart and web urbanist)