I spotted this Barbiturik shoelace packaging on Lovely Package this afternoon and was instantly smitten. Test tubes featuring a mix of typefaces and stuffed with colourful fabric? I’m sold. Shoelace packaging is rarely an example of great design but these might set a new standard. From the tubes to the bright contrasting colours of laces and aglets, I wouldn’t mind having the whole set simply as a desk accessory! Barbiturik was created by Rémy Hernandez after he suffered a skateboarding crash that left him a quadriplegic. His passion for skateboarding sparked the creation of the brand. An inspiring story you can read more about here.

(images via lovely package)

I have posted about the sublime embroidery work of Evelin Kasikov before but with every visit to her website, I am reminded of Evelin’s immense talent and am inspired to post again. A project that I just love is her Stitched CMYK Colour Chart. Embroidering the cyan/magenta/yellow/black or CMYK colour model required in colour printing, Evelin creates a handmade printing process that charts colours combinations by an interval of 25%. Designed for the Digital Soirée event at Central Saint Martins, this piece is a beautiful fusion of meticulous handmade design and the technological aspects of printing. I can’t wait to see where Evelin takes her fantastic CMYK embroidery talent next. Perhaps a completely embroidered Pantone guide?!

When it comes down to it, make up is just pot and tube colour swatches. Perhaps that is the main reason that the displays, design and styling of cosmetics is always inspiring to me. I just love the whimsy and handmade-feeling design of Topshop’s make up line created by designer Sarah Thorne. Their main line is a chic mix of matte greys, uncoated paper, black patterns and hand drawn illustrations. In addition, each fashion season sees the launch of trend led make up range with inspirations such as ‘sand storm’, ‘festival’, ‘heavy duty’ and ‘smoke and mirrors’. I love how detailed and just plain artistic the packaging is. How stunning is the sandstorm mountain range packaging with dashes of colour and pencil lines of gold? The illustrations look like there were drawn with make up and the pieces feel like art. From metallic foils to scalloped box edges to the hand drawn type that unites all the products in every range, Topshop makeup are worth buying simply as examples of beautifully crafted design.

(images via sarah thorne, unity and form and the dieline)

Castle is an Australian homeware and design company at the top of my current obsession list. The mastermind of colour-loving designer Rachel Castle, the line is just bursting with creativity and vibrant hues. From bedlinens and cushions to fabric garlands and one-of-a-kind art pieces, Castle seamlessly fuses exquisite handcraft detail with a geometric design soul. I just love Castle’s handstitched embroideries with their bright colours and blend of fabrics including vintage French linen, flax Belgian linen, Australian wool, moleskin and velvet. Oh and the styling of their product photographs is ridiculously stylish. I wouldn’t mind living in those set designs. Yes, I think I would be quite happy to wake up in some colourful sheets with a handmade fabric garland draped across my chic art pieces. What more can I say other than I am utterly in love with Castle!

I am officially obsessed with this gorgeously neon inspiration shoot on Brooklyn Bride (especially that balloon photo). The goal was to highlight how a modern wedding could use neon to accent white and neutral bases and the results are full of vivacious colours and gorgeous styling/photography. Neon is not a typical wedding hue so it is quite thrilling to see this twist on things. I’m thinking this idea, from fashion to paper goods to decor, could be used for any event or photoshoot. I already have some interior design ideas inspired by this fantastic shoot. I also think I need to buy some fluorescent painter tape and paper. Honestly, how can anyone hate neon? It is colour palette bursting with pure joy!

(spotted on hunter harmony’s pinterest; photography via brooklyn bride where you can read all the credits)

If her homeware range Swiden Design is any indication, designer Charlotte Swiden is as bonkers about colour as I am. The Swedish-born, Melbourne-based creative is launching a new line next week called “Tivolivat” inspired by fun park rides, fairy floss and ferris wheels. From illustrated prints to painted wood decorations, the collection is bursting with colour and modern shapes. My favourite pieces are Tivolivat’s bold, geometric and happy-inducing cushion covers. I think that beautiful pattern of multi-coloured rectangle and square stripes (on the bottom far right in the first image) might just find a new home at my place…

Most Fashion Weeks are a glorious parade of one runway show after another but I always look forward to seeing how some designers buck the trend and do something unique. New Zealand label Twentysevennames did just that when showed their Autumn/Winter 2012 line in an exhibit of Guy Coombes photographs. The concept kind of reminds me of that wallpaper/shirt scene in Garden State. What a brilliant way to highlight the patterns of the collection and stand out from the crowd. I hope Twentysevennames creates an entire lookbook of these fabulous photographs. I’m starting to think fashion should be sold alongside matching wallpaper…

(spotted on liebemarlene vintage)

Advertising the new Westfield Stratford City shopping center in London, this film captures 100 years of East London style in 100 seconds (as well as popular dance styles). I love the level of detail like the male dancer going off to war in the 1940′s section. It also makes me wonder what the heck went on in the 1990′s and 2000′s. Was it that dull fashion wise? It makes me wish for a comeback of the fashions featured in early to mid 1900′s portion of the piece! The 2011 outfit is rather chic so perhaps we are at the start of another great fashion era. What a fantastic film showcasing brilliant styling as well as British fashion and its dominant colours.

(spotted on notcot)

I love fashion editorials. A perfect fusion of concept, design, art, drama and story. They are like mini films bursting with gorgeous fashion. A few months ago, I started to realize that a lot of my favourite editorials were by a handful of photographers. Sølve Sundsbø, a Norwegian fashion photographer, is definitely at the top of that list. His work is so imaginative, so dramatic and always full of magnificent sweeps of colour. I recently read an interview where Sølve describes his work: “If I’ve got a style, it’s that I’ve got no style.” I love that his work is always fresh and that each “film” is a unique take on fashion. Working for every major fashion magazine as well as clients like Yves Saint Laurent, Dior, Alexander McQueen, Gucci and Hermès, Sølve’s photographs often look like the product of technology and digital retouching. In reality, Sølve crafts his photographs with old-fashioned techniques and principles like shadows and light, hand-painted film and meticulous detail to composition and styling. His talent breathes new life and imagination into the world of fashion. Add to that an incredible eye and love for hue and you can understand why Sølve is a true colour hero!

(quote via the independent; photographs via ben trovato, the photography link, ru glamour, the 25th century, absinthrill, hapsical, image amplified and fashion gone rogue)

Love this amazing weave typography made by French graphic design studio Zim and Zou. It took six hours to create each letter of Weave Type 2 and 500 metres of thread to build the entire alphabet. Such beautiful geometry, contrasting colours and handcrafted detail.

Is this wallpaper? Someone covering up a dirty book collection? Nope. It’s a flipping fantastic showcase of the 41 colourways available in the Passepartout luxury upholstery cotton collection by Italian textile company Dedar. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing I enjoy more than a book of swatches but unless you have one in your hands, it is often hard to truly “see” the colour via computer monitor (especially in textiles). This is such a clever and inspiring way to feature colour options beyond the regular computerized colour chip. Don’t you find yourself wondering what hue you would pick for that chair? Kudos Dedar. You are making me want to upholster things AND wrap all my books in luxury cotton…

(photographs via carisma and archiproducts)

Love these striking shots by Buenos Aires photographer Josefina Mogrovejo. Would love to see an entire editorial by Josefina of fashion meets bold and stylish craft.

Who decided that sewing boxes and baskets required embroidered flowers or frolicking kittens? If you prefer something a bit more modern, consider an On the Button Sewing Box. The streamlined, handsomely designed piece may become the chicest box in your home. I would love to fill it with intensely colourful thread and make it a coffee table conversation piece. I guess that would require a frolicking kitten basket to remain as my real sewing centre?

(photographs via modcloth)

Is there anything more disturbing than children shoved into adulthood just to sell fashion? Not really. At the opposite end of that spectrum is this great campaign by kicokids. Great concept, styling and colour palette. Giant whimsical sea creature balloons and a dreamy haze creates fantastic fashion photography that is chic yet innocent. I only wish kicokids had an adult line! Well, to be honest, I wouldn’t mind that giant octopus hat or anchor either…

(photographs via kicokids; campaign spotted on designmom)

I spotted these rings on the Beso Beso website and stopped in my tracks. What is the source of such glimmering, richly saturated hues? It appears to be “sparkling Brazillian semi-precious miniature-crystalline amethyst stones”. That is one stunning shade of magenta. Of course nature is responsible for it! (love the geometric shapes as well…)

(photographs via beso beso; to shop, go here)

Is there a blog somewhere devoted to Anthropologie windows and displays? If not, there should be! The creativity, attention to detail and sheer awesomeness of Anthropologie store displays never ceases to amaze me. It is refreshing and inspiring to see a company make design and craftsmanship by hand a priority. Yep, “Antropologie window designer” is definitely one of my dream jobs. I particularly love the focus on using recycled items. Case in point? The fantastic origami-inspired Summer 2011 windows created with old envelopes or the bold geometry of colourfully painted recycled planks. Anthropologie’s Spring 2011 windows were created with the over five million corks collected at stores. The gorgeous displays brought attention to the Cork Forest Conservation Alliance, recycling and Earth Day. Bottle caps, wire hangers, clothes pins – one person’s trash is another person’s stunning window by Anthropologie! The last photo shown is one I snapped at the Rockefeller Centre location in New York. Even sale jewellery has a background of gorgeous roses made with recycled paper. This post could honestly include hundreds of photos showcasing the brilliance of Anthropologie window display designers but I had to cut myself off! They are true creative and colour heroes. Perhaps there needs to be a ‘part two’ devoted to this topic?

(most photographs via anthropologie+you as well as lauren love, square one studio, katy elliott, chloé douglas, the design process, playstudio1801, platinum blonde life, mimi and caca, dustysusan, mday212, mjc, the design process & chloé douglas)