Designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec have collaborated with Danish textile company Kvadrat to create ‘Textile Field’ – an installation of vibrant blue and green foam rectangles. Part of the London Design Festival, the fascinating structure will stretch 30 meters long and 8 meters wide in Victoria and Albert Museum’s Raphael Gallery. The field of textiles is truly interactive and is meant to be walked on, sat on or laid on. The Raphael Gallery houses some of the oldest and most important pieces of Renaissance art in the world so this modern installation will create a striking juxtaposition. Oh and the colour! What a feast for the eyes. The piece will debut on September 15, 2011 as the festival opens. Hoping to post some photos of the real thing when it appears. Anyone fancy a trip to London to see a room of spectacular colour?

(via designboom; photographs via kvadrat)

Karen Barbé is a fabulous textile designer from Santiago, Chile. On top of her immense talent for all things fabric as showcased in her shop, Karen has a great blog full of intriguing images and glimpses of work in progress. I’m not sure what project Karen is working on in these photographs but so far, it is gorgeous! Vintage-colours yet completely modern shapes. It’s safe to say my love affair with embroidery is far from over!

I’ve spent the last year or so dreaming up reasons to buy a Cable and Cotton string of lights. Collecting the photos for this post has only given me more ideas of where I could use them! The natural, hand-dyed cotton-covered spheres create a warm glow of colour that looks gorgeous at parties and as part of interior design. The website has pre-packaged colour selections but you can also customize your own light string from a large palette of colour. It is a pretty addictive thing to play with! I also love that your purchase helps an entire community of women in a remote southern region of Thailand as those skilled workers create every single string of lights. How beautiful is the photo of the cotton wonders in a fireplace? Yep, I don’t think I can resist anymore…

(photographs via cable and cotton)

Insanely bright colours, hand cut leather and delicious geometry? Oh and some tassels? Welcome to the wildy imaginative jewellery of Boo and Boo Factory. Given the amazing compositions and inventive angles, it makes sense that an architecture masters student is behind the line. Christina Anton creates many different kinds of jewellery in her Los Angeles studio using leather, felt, feathers and a variety of other materials but I find myself particularly in love with her necklaces. True pieces of colour saturated handmade art. Wear one of these vibrant pieces to a party and you are automatically the most awesome person in the room!

(photographs via boo and boo factory)
(spotted on my addiction, pinterest)

A brilliant fashion editorial photographed by Viviane Sassen for Dazed & Confused magazine. The vibrant work of colour-loving designers like Missoni, Diane von Furstenberg and Vivienne Westwood looks spectacular against the rich tapestry of Netherlands tulip fields. Don’t even get me started on the mix of textures! A beautiful fusion of colourful fashion and nature. (p.s. I previously did a post on tulip fields if you fancy a look)

(photography by viviane sassen, styling by katie shillingford, modelling by lisanne de jong)
(via models.com)

As a colour-obsessed person, I am enamoured with all things Pantone. As the world leader in colour, I imagine visiting the Pantone headquarters would be my version of going to Graceland? Pantone added 175 new colours to Fashion + Home system today bringing the total number of available shades for fabric and interior goods to 2,100. It’s also the first time new hues have been added since 2003. On a project not so long ago, I was so eager for more blue Pantone fabric options, I was ready to try mixing dyes myself! Overall, it is a huge boost for anyone trying to translate their vision to product. I love this ‘behind-the-scenes’ video by Pantone that shows the process behind creating this complex system and features colour experts like designer Jonathan Adler and Kate Spade creative director Deborah Lloyd. I love the great quotes shared about colour and its importance in design, products and creating a happy life overall.

While making my nightly visit to the website of Room 6, one my favourite Vancouver stores, I spotted these gorgeous and colourful handwoven beaded cuffs by designer Julie Rofman. I immediately began to drool. Don’t they look like a chic, high fashion take on friendship bracelets? A mixture of matte, translucent, opaque and shiny glass beads, Julie uses a small bead loom to weave geometric patterns. Each piece is part of a limited edition and is finished with sterling silver clasp beads and ribbon ends. Inspired by global pattern and colour, each bracelet is named after brightly hued places in the world such as “Rio“, “Galapagos” and “Havana“. I don’t know if I can resist buying one of these bright and beautifully crafted designs. The only hard part will be picking which one!

(if you are similarly drooling, pop over to julie rofman or room 6 to purchase)
(photographs via julie rofman, room 6, shop big things, bikini bird, gem gossip & shop bop)

Holy. The Orishiki Clutch by Naoki Kawamoto is more work of art than handbag. Orishiki is a union of the world “Ori” taken from the paper folding art of Origami and “Shiki” taken from the traditional Japanese wrapping cloth named Furoshiki. Created from a single piece of material with triangular origami-fold inspired segments, the vibrant magenta fold lines and glossy faced end result are stunning. I think if this was my clutch, I would have to carry it around empty as it would be next to impossible to stop folding and re-folding it!

(photographs via the modern life)

Confetti System is a studio that creates the most incredible works of paper, mylar and fabric art. They have really revolutionized so-called party decorations by turning them into dynamic and modern stage backdrops, window displays, decor and fashion pieces. How gorgeous is that silk wall they created for a New York clothing store? (second image from the top). With clients ranging from fashion houses like Opening Ceremony, magazines like Martha Stewart, stores like Bergdorf Goodman or Urban Outfitters, events like The New York Ballet and bands like Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Confetti System are constantly exploring new avenues for creativity. It is so refreshing to see this kind of well-designed handmade craft appreciated and used in so many arenas. Computers are amazing but they can’t make a giant wall of gold mylar! If designers Julie Ho and Nicholas Andersen asked me to move to New York as a Confetti System sweeper, I would be on the next plane tomorrow. Seriously.

(p.s. The Selby did a fantastic ‘behind the scenes’ photo piece on Confetti System. Have a look here.)
(photographs via confetti system, the selby & 100 layer cake)

In honour of Cinco de Mayo, I thought I would feature my favourite Mexican textile – zarapes! Zarapes, pronounced “serapes” in English, are brightly coloured Mexican blankets with fringed ends that are typically worn by Mexican men on one shoulder. Traditional zarapes are made in the North-East Mexican state of Coahuila and often feature a black or dark base with stripes of intense colour. It’s amazing just how many colour combinations and patterns are possible in this inspiring woven art. The brilliant colour of zarapes has always dazzled me and I’m hoping you are surrounded by some for your Cinco de Mayo celebrations!

(photographs via mauricio alcaraz carbia, lucy nieto, gabri le cabri, hake oliva, ken goldberg, michi catanese, davii rangda, cjn photos & curious flux)

I knew this morning’s Royal Wedding of William and Kate would be a true celebration of colour, pomp and circumstance. It certainly didn’t disappoint! The gorgeous, timeless beauty of Kate’s ivory Alexander McQueen dress, the vibrant crimson and royal blue military outfits and the rainbow of fancy frocks and fascinators – what a feast for a colour lover! Cool hues, particularly in the blues, appeared to be the most popular fashion choice but every part of the colour spectrum was represented. I particularly love that coral flower worn by one reveller. As I write this, the wedding reception has yet to begin but I’m hoping more colourful photos emerge from that part of the event. I am thrilled that I got to have a party at 3 am and watch such an iconic and colourful celebration of two people that seem so down to earth and in love. Let’s hope William and Kate make colour a priority when they are King and Queen! I have some decorating ideas for Buckingham Palace…

(photographs via people, daily mail, just jared, cbc news, bbc, buzz, instyle, msnbc & ny mag)

If you have ever wanted to dress like a colour swatch, these ombre tights from kron by kronkron are perfect for you! I am dazzled by how perfectly the colours blend from hue to hue. (available at kronkron and the olive shoppe)

(via modish)

I seem to have a major embroidery fetish lately that is perhaps obvious from my posts about Jillian Tamaki and Takashi Iwasaki. In particular, I am mesmerized by embroidered and tactile typography which may have been sparked when I fell in love with the extraordinary talent of Maricor Maricar (read my post about their work here). I had some server issues when attempting to post this feature yesterday which only underlines that in an almost alarmingly digital dependant world, craftsmanship like the examples above feels even more special and vital to the world of design. Hoping you find some handmade type this weekend and it colours you happy!

(images via evelin kasikov, sandy suffield, maricor maricar, peter crawley, sandy suffield, peter crawley, chez sucre chez, maricor maricar, sarah blick, rosie geissler, laura belle hanley, sarah blick, evelin kasikov, evelin kasikov, laura belle hanley & jessica wilson)

If the irritation of folding a map up along its original creases drives you insane, Crumpled City Maps by Palomar might become your new best friend. Described as “soft city maps for urban jungles”, the fabric travel companion takes seconds to open, weights on 20 grams, is super durable and 100% waterproof. Any worries about ripping a map or trying to quickly fold up tourist symbol while in a shady area are gone! Sure, GPS is everywhere but is it as fun and stimulating as a fabric map? (p.s. I’m also liking the colourful packaging and country icons)

(images via palomar & notcot)

I came across these images, by different photographers, during two separate Flickr searches and started to think about how much they had in common. The effortless, random swirls of ranunculus and fabric rolls (In particular, the pink and orange flowers elements) are fascinating in their vibrancy and layers. More than anything, I have always loved the eye candy of gorgeous ranunculus and the patterns created by fabric rolls lined up on the shelf.

(images via jessica nichols & robert wallace)

I’ve always felt like clotheslines were a kind of hanging colour palette where articles of clothing become swatches floating in the breeze. Also, as you can probably tell from the posts on plenty of colour thus far, I love when colour pops up in unexpected places. A line of vibrantly hued garments can definitely bring life and joy to a boring exterior (it helps if you have bright and interesting clothing!) Overall, I have just always loved clotheslines for their whimsy and colour inspiration so they became a very random topic for this week’s colour me happy!. Hoping you see a colour palette next time you pass a line of clothing dancing in the wind…

(images via yemanja79, darrell godliman, lindamade, aya_nakai, elli 19, chatursunil, ruffeloo, markus, g!l, g!l, foto blitz color, gabriela bruno, ashlee patten, elaine, sgoralnick, cozy memories)