UNA is the official wine of the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy. Combining 20 wines from native grapes, UNA highlights the rich history of Italian wine as well as expressing “the true spirit of Italy, the love for their land, the expertise, art and industriousness of its people”. Italian studio Cibic Workshop designed this packaging that begins with a gorgeous locking box made from ash wood, a popular tree throughout Italy. The bottle shapes are meant to reflect a man and woman with the masculine red merging a classic Italian flask with an iconic Bordeaux bottle and the feminine white showcasing a redesign of classic clear Italian wine bottles. A handsome and luxurious package design that puts a modern spin on Italian history. One of my favourite details? How the key ribbons match the pops of colour on the bottles!

(read more about the UNA Wine and project here)
(via lovely package)

Did your breakfast this morning look anything like this? I hope so! With the goal of “showcasing food in a beautiful and unusual way”, studio Bruton Stroube created this stunning video. I love the dreamy atmosphere but I think what captivates me most is the graceful movement of the food and the moving palettes created. Did you see the orange juice, raspberries and blueberries mix mid-air? A beautiful colour scheme. As our meals usually sit fairly still, it is easy to forget that each food has its own unique qualities that, with a bit of imagination, can turn into gorgeous art. I had no idea pancakes in motion could be so elegant!

(Take a look at Bruton Stroube’s site for behind the scenes photos. How they created this piece is fascinating!)
(via tasteologie)

Just over a week ago was Milan’s Design Week and famous champagne house Veuve Clicquot was a highly visible sponsor of the event. I have always been a fan of companies who use their brand colour in creative and innovative ways so I have fallen in love with Clicq’d Up – a foldable champagne bucket design by Belgian designer Mathias van de Walle for the event. Created in Veuve Clicquot’s powerful orangey-yellow signature hue, the origami-inspired structure is gorgeous. I also love that the bucket folds up flat for easy travel. A gorgeous piece of design in a vibrant brand colour!

(via cool hunting)

Paris-based Japanese patissier Sadaharu Aoki creates the most gorgeous confections that perfectly merge French tradition with Japanese design. From cakes to macaroons, his Paris and Tokyo shops are full of striking and edible pieces of art. I am particularly in love with Sadaharu Aoki’s “bonbon maquillage” or make-up candy. The rectangular, brightly-hued chocolates looks like pots of colour from an eyeshadow palette but are actually one of Aoki’s signature creations. The bonbons are filled with fondant that is infused with diverse range flavours including wasabi, caramel, matcha, coconut and raspberry. Forget reaching for the wrong chocolate or fumbling for the info sheet. Aoki streaks each bonbon with a strip of colour that not only creates a modern and handsome look but effectively “colour codes” each chocolate so you always end up with the confection you were hoping for. Visiting Patisserie Sadaharu Aoki in Tokyo or Paris is definitely on my to do list as I imagine the works of art are as delicious as they are exquisitely beautiful and colourful!

(images via chocolat only, aaron lum, purple cloud, chaxiu bao, yuichi sakuraba, anglofille, gsanjose, jemie, chaxiu bao, purple cloud, dig a cherry, yuichi sakuraba, peter repetti & yocca)

New York-based artist Tattfoo Tan created the Nature Matching System, a Pantone-like set of colours that highlight the hues that should be part of your daily nutrition. Extracting the colours of 88 fruits and vegetables, Tattfoo has applied his healthy food swatches to placemats, colouring books and public art pieces. The images above are of a striking mural Tattfoo created in DUMBO, Brooklyn in 2008. I love that Tattfoo’s swatches not only create an attractive colour scheme but bring attention to healthy food choices. For the Brooklyn mural, Tattfoo had children paint each square of colour which undoubtedly sparked fruit and vegetable interest. There are plans to create another mural on the grounds of a Brooklyn school – a brilliant idea and foil to the endless junk food advertisements that children see. The intense colours of fruits and vegetables highlight their naturally occuring phytochemicals and valuable nutrients and I love that Tattfoo’s swatches not only create an attractive palette but inspire healthy, colourful eating. As Tattfoo says, “it’s the idea that colour plays such an important role in nutrition.” I say we throw out the food pyramid and just eat according to colour palette!

(thanks Elisabeth for the inspiration!)

(images via good)

Using single stripes of colour to represent each ingredient, artist Dan Kenneally creates abstract paintings as part of his Lunchbox collection. Dan also makes custom pieces so if you have a loved one with a favourite sandwich, you may have found the perfect gift! I would love to see a modern café or sandwich-focused restaurant line their walls with these light-hearted, colourful pieces!

(sandwiches from top: BLT, peanut butter & jam, grilled cheese & tomato, reuben, bacon/egg/cheese breakfast sandwich, cheeseburger, ice cream sandwich, s’more)

(via note to self)

I’m a big sucker for stationery and desk supplies. Well, I should clarify – I’m a sucker for colourful and unique desk supplies! Those standard yellow Post-it notes kinda give me the creeps. These Sushi Memo Blocks are so handsomely designed and colourful that they can only induce happiness when sitting on your desk.

(via unplggd)

I have been enamoured with Barcelona candy company Papabubble for quite some time. Part of it is the whimsical name and Spanish roots but most of all, I am in love with their colourful sweets. There are many treats on the shelves but it is Papabubble’s round, illustrated candies that make me giddy. They are not only vividly coloured but really showcase artisan craftsmanship. Strips of candy are layered to create a huge tube with an image at the end. That tube is stretched out, cooled and cut into pieces that now each feature that image (above is the original candy strip tube with a pineapple image at the end as well as final pineapple candy product.) It is mind-blowing that Papabubble can create small candies with such intricate illustrations. Even more amazing is that they can use the same method to enclose each candy with words like cities names, holiday greetings, custom wedding couples and company names. Papabubble really makes some of the most beautiful and uniquely crafted candy around (how fantastic are those kiwi candies above with their perfectly coloured kiwi fuzz sides and dead on kiwi slice illustrations!?) It isn’t just candy making, it is art. I have heard that the candies are absolutely delicious with flawlessly matched natural flavours. Great tasting, colourful and handmade candy in attractive jars? I really need to go to a Papabubble city soon!

Take a look at this video to see some incredible candy making magic:

(images via janne, amajaiak, jessi caplin, panja, shin ogata, david lebovitz, kc chan, rebecca w, homekaeru, gertie, shin ogata, shin ogata, shin ogata, debra solomon, andres kerese, gonçalo carvalho)

Within the objects of desire feature, I am hoping to showcase not only enticing, colourful items worthy of being eye candy but also brands and companies who use colour in an innovative or dazzling way. Colour psychology is a pillar to marketing and tests have shown that 85% of shoppers place colour as a primary reason for buying a specific item and that colour increases brand recognition by 80%. Just think of the red Campbell’s soup can, Starbucks brand green or famous blue TIffany’s box. Colour can help make a brand or product iconic and ultimately, help decide its fate. I often feel that companies undervalue colour in their design – preferring a safe route to a striking one. Whether it is a whole brand colour palette or simply vibrant packaging, I hope to use this special feature to showcase those who celebrate and highlight the wonder of colour.

One of those products that always catches my eye on the store shelves is Belvoir Fruit Farms Cordials, Pressés and Fruit Juice drinks. They really utilize the full colour spectrum and highlight their British roots with whimsical and handmade feeling labels. I love the handwritten typography, slanted labels and brilliant colour palette. The playful packaging of these juices is fantastic and I would love to have a fridge full of the bottles if only for eye candy! (By the way, don’t the bottles seem like a perfect vase for flowers of a contrasting colour?)

It’s Friday so it is time for another edition of colour me happy! I still haven’t decided if this feature will always have a theme but for this week, I decided to focus on the vibrant colours of food and food styling. I think I was inspired when I saw a photo of that incredible pasta. From the unexpected brilliant magenta of beets to the bold yolk of an egg to the soft dusty white of baguettes, there is so much amazing colour in food. I hope to revisit this topic often!

(images via sarah drake, kiss my spatula, cannelle vanille, katie quinn davies, ellen silverman, béatrice pelter, the design files. katie quinn davies, maggie makes, a happy haven, katie quinn davies, bs in the kitchen)

Denmark kitchen and tableware company rice dk creates such fantastic, vividly-coloured products. While they feature a zillion prints, it is the solid colour pieces that always catch my eye (especially when they are so gorgeously styled and photographed like above!) I just think everyone would be happier with a bright coloured spatula in their kitchen.

(images via rice dk)

There is just something about the colour of blueberries that I have always found magical and impossible to duplicate. A frost-covered midnight blue mixed with purple that has so much depth that it looks different in every light. My favourite part? Cut them open and they look almost clear but blend them up and a red-violet emerges out of nowhere. Now that is magical.

(image via tiny white daisies)

I miss seeing Gourmet magazine on the newsstand. I always loved finding out what the colour scheme was for that month. The clean design and striking food photography really highlights the beautiful colour of food and cooking. Fingers crossed another magazine like it comes along soon.

(images via cover browser)