I love this typographic chess set by hat-trick design‘s Jim Sutherland based on characters from the Hoefler & Frere-Jones typeface Champion. Laser-cut acrylic letters and a greyboard foiled in black – what a handsome piece of design. I can only hope there will be a new trend of interpreting board games in beautiful, modern ways…

(spotted on creative review; set purchase info here)   

I love a pop of colour among neutrals and bright laces are a surefire way to inject vibrant detail into fashion. I love these Stolen Riches laces and their gold/silver aglets. The Canadian company has been making high quality laces for four generations and showcase how 100 years of craftmanship can mix with high fashion. Menswear could particularly benefit from a jolt in the colour department and I would love to see a suit with a colourful pocket square/shoelace combo. A pop of colour can truly make an outfit…

(photographs via stolen riches, union, pinstripe mag & union)    

The portfolio of artists Ronnie Yarisal and Katja Kublitz is plump with wonderfully thought-provoking work but it was these sculptures that really caught my eye today. Both titled ‘Totem’, the structures are beautiful in their strong angles and mixture of colours. To me, the deeper meaning comes when one considers that totem poles often reflect extraordinary legends, notable figures, history, story and artistic beauty. Sounds like the perfect description of what lies between the covers of a book too…

(photographs via yarisal & kublitz; spotted via present & correct)  

Created by South African artist Marco Cianfanelli, “Release” is a gorgeous monument to a true icon of peace: Nelson Mandela. To mark the 50th anniversary of Mandela’s capture by apartheid police in 1962, Cianfanelli created 50 columns of painted laser-cut steel in the South African town of Howick. Intriguing shapes up close, the pieces create a striking profile of Nelson from afar. Cianfanelli says, “the 50 columns represent the 50 years since his capture, but they also suggest the idea of many making the whole; of solidarity. It points to an irony as the political act of Mandela’s incarceration cemented his status as an icon of struggle, which helped ferment the groundswell of resistance, solidarity and uprising, bringing about political change and democracy.” Such a powerful and beautiful piece of work…

(photographs via designboom)  

I love Olympic design and the identity for Mexico 1968 is one of my very favourites. Full of bold colour, typography and clean illustration – it is a pitch perfect voice for a host city and example of what made 1960′s design so fantastic. I particularly love many of the pictogram design pieces including this Official Stamp Collection by Lance Wyman. Simple, colourful and stylish sport imagery…

(images via design related/karen horton and collectible)  

To me, styling has two roles: it supports and enhances how a product is viewed and it presents a larger sense of the maker or brand’s soul. It’s a huge topic but in my latest post for Rena Tom, I explored areas of styling including unique backgrounds, detail stacks, showcasing colour palettes, monochromatic styling, vignettes and artful approaches. Your product or collection may be fantastic but if it is not presented well, potential customers will never know. Plus, styling is a pretty inspiring facet of photography and design. Take a peek here if you fancy a read…

(photographs via maria grossmann, natalie shriver, herriott grace, scandinavian deko, falconwright, dezeen, daniel carlsten, yatzer and michelle armas)

Two handsome home objects caught my eye today and both feature streamlined white with pops of colour. The first is the Excel Perch by Rich Brilliant Willing, an unconventional five-leg piece on which to hang your coat or perch upon. The second, Sugarchain Light by Kirstin Overbeck, whimsically nods at candy necklaces with a pendant cord of painted wooden beads. Both would be welcome additions to a joyful studio space or home…

(photographs via rich brilliant willing & kirstin overbeck)  

Stunning autumnal hues with a dash of pink is how I would describe these gorgeous spices for sale in the Souks of Marrakech captured by British photographer Shoreham Boy. I am mesmerized by how full of life neutrals become when mixed with a couple vibrant hues. From Holi powder to piles of spice, exotic markets always seem to have the best colour palettes…

(photograph via shoreham boy)  

Colour powder photography has been a popular trend in the art world lately but what about something slightly more opaque, vibrant and explosive? Enter the Paint Pigment Photographs series by Rob and Nick Carter. Inspired by Holi, the British husband-and-wife team captured these bursts of hue against a blue sky and the final result is, as designboom beautifully described, a unique kind of daytime firework show. While colourful powder is soft and dreamy, the use of paint pigment creates bold saturated colour with some pretty fabulous droplets. Oh how I love this series…

(photographs via rob and nick carter & designboom)  

The RGB Colorspace Atlas by artist Tauba Auerbach caught my attention earlier this year but after losing the link, I started to wonder if it was just a wonderful dream! In three 8″ x 8″ cubes, Auerbach showcases “all the colors in existence” and the entire RGB gradient across 3,632 pages. Each book is a different RGB scheme and each page is a frame of the colour palette (its creation aided by video animation). A digital offset print on paper, the striking cloth cover and page edges were airbrushed by Auerbach. The unique binding was co-designed by Auerbach and Daniel E. Kelm and bound by Kelm and Leah Hughes. I’m still trying to sort out how RGB colour would be printed accurately but regardless, the piece is a gorgeous piece of sculptural colour…

(photographs via daniel e. kelm, tauba auerbach and designboom)  

Brazilian artist Ana Dias Batista creates lovely sculptures from simple boxes of colourful chalk. I love the texture-filled pattern and typography that results. I hope Ana expands the series as I would love to see other colours and different size chalk boxes. The possibilities are endless. Yep, there is magic in the supply closet…

(spotted on present & correct)  

Designed by Studio Iknoki, I love this packaging for the album “Black Rainbow” by band Aucan. The Italian studio took a series of coloured smoke photographs at night and in the rain “trying to reproduce the dark energy, color and explosive music that emerges from Aucan”. I love when music packaging feels more like art than vapid promotional images. Colour and music are so intertwined and this identity showcases the connection beautifully…

(photographs via studio iknoki)    

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)

It’s no secret that I love perforated surfaces (particularly when light pours through the tiny holes in rather dreamy ways). In her photography series Daré alla Lucé, Canadian artist Amy Friend allows new light to pass through found vintage images by altering the surface with tiny pinholes. I am in love with the ethereal results and how a real sense of magic seems to infuse these images of years gone by…

(photographs via amy friend)

I posted about brilliant modern embroidery talent Karen Barbé last year and after yet another visit to her inspiring site, spied this image of embroidery thread spools. I fell in love with the palette created and decided they felt like colours of the 1960′s made fresh. I can almost see some fabulous Mad Men scene starting…

(photograph via karen barbe)   

Who doesn’t like a clever household tip? And if those tips are presented with fantastic style and colour, even better. I love the photography and object arrangement of Real Simple’s ongoing collection of “New Uses for Old Things”. Who knew household tips could mingle with modern art? Seriously, that orange piece showcasing baby oil’s use as a paint remover looks like it should be framed and hung on a gallery wall…

(photographs via Real Simple; photography by erica mccartney & styling by linden elstran)