Pentagram’s Abbott Miller created the environmental design for Centro Roberto Garza Sada, the handsome arts centre at the Universidad de Monterrey. I love the sleek white design system and how it contrasts with the stark grey walls. But it is his donor recognition installation that I am mesmerized by. Names of donors are engraved on polished Plexiglas rods and hung at different lengths to create a sculptural installation. As the light changes throughout the day, the Plexiglas pieces turn into ever-changing prisms, shifting in the air and casting rainbow light across the stark concrete space. Proof that donor recognition can go from dull to downright dreamy in the right hands…

(photographs via pentagram)

Swedish Mexican design – I can’t say I come across that combination often! Calexico’s is a taqueria in Stockholm with a colourful, joyfully type-happy identity created by Snask. The whole look is great but the window signage really caught my eye. I just love the hand-painted type created by artist Von Sven and the mixture of hot pink and real gold leaf. The quest of the identity was to marry street design with luxury and I would say this signage is the perfect mixture of both beautiful styles…

(photographs via snask)

I came across this image crafted by photographer Daniel Lindh and art director Chang Lin and fell in love with the modern styling and palette. Has nail polish ever looked better? I just want to dive into those pools of sultry metallic jewel tones…

(photograph via daniel lindh)

I’m a longtime admirer of these chic Brass Paperweights by Daniel Emma. And this photograph by Rodrick Bond is simply beautiful. The cornflower blue wall reflects onto the metallic brass surfaces, creating a lovely new palette of blues and greens…

(photograph by rodrick bond, via daniel emma)

Some works of art just make your day. I love these two pieces by Italian artist Andrea Marini. ‘Gemmation’ is a blooming wall of sculptural fibreglass that is both serene and exploding with texture. “Flows” is an installation of mirror waterfalls tumbling from the wall like starched bundles of tinsel. I’m a rather mesmerized by that gorgeous metallic beauty…

(images via andrea marini / saatchi online)

More cool toned, rosy and clear “modern gold”.

Copper has really jumped into the 2013 spotlight. Unlike the very orange or brown copper of years gone by, this “modern copper” is more cool toned and clear in colour (also inspired by the popularity of rose gold). Streamlined shapes, cutting edge applications and more matte/hammered finishes are also making copper of any shade feel more modern. In my latest post for Rena Tom, I discuss this shift and the many trends and possibilities it has created. Mixed with other colours and materials, exposed piping, used in print – the article is rather plump with inspiration. I have always liked copper but I am officially in love with modern copper. Read my post here if you fancy…

(photographs via: acrimony, analogue life, magpie studio, poppytalk, lettered olive, stockholm street style and stylizimo; interior images: remodelista, dwell, real living magazine, and homelife)

I have a fetish for well-designed cushions so these handmade Kisshions by the fabulous British shop Room39 make me giddy. I love the unique shapes and overall combination of vibrant colour, metallic pattern and metallic leather piping. Two very different but equally great sides make for twice the interior design options. Pink or jade with gold, tangerine or vert with silver and a dual-sided charcoal denim pattern… One of each please?

(photographs via room39)  

I am obsessed with edge painting (when color is applied to the edges of cards, invitations, books and so forth). It adds such a pop of colour/shine to design. I don’t think I’ve seen a hologram-like effect though until this morning. Whoa. Created by designer Denis Mallet for Parisian art merchant Julien Hauchecorne, the business cards have a “diffraction effect foil on a pristine white and ebony black duplexed substrate with a diffraction foil fore-edge printing process on the outside edges”. Mind is blown. Striking and downright magical…

(photographs via denis mallet on behance) 

Gold, both as a colour and material, elicits strong opinions in people. Some love it, some hate it and some get 80′s lamé flashbacks. My opinion about gold has changed quite a bit over the last year or so. Why? I think it’s the new, more silver hue of gold that has emerged. I love its vintage, less yellow look and how designers have used this metallic in fabulous patterns, with unique materials like concrete and in matte finishes. I’ve dubbed it “modern gold” and ponder it in my latest post for Rena Tom and yes, as usual, went a little nuts with the example photos! Below is a great chart showcasing how the colour of gold shifts according to how much copper and silver is added. Have you re-thought your position on gold? Take a peek at my post here…

(photographs via anthropologie, dezeen, ferm living, bench.li, a daily something, houzz, mowielicious, konfetti blog, martha stewart and best awards; chart via wikipedia)

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)

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)

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)