I am a huge fan of Vancouver artist Bratsa Bonifacho. His 50-plus year career has covered many topics and styles but it is these abstract paintings that I particularly love. Bratsa uses symbols and typography to depict computer viruses and the scrambling effect they create. His use of colour and the intense palettes created are just stunning. Fingers crossed that one day, I can hang a Bratsa Bonifacho painting on my wall. Or, to be realistic, let’s hope prints of these works of art will be available at some point!

(images via bratsa bonifacho & bau-xi gallery)

I have always been fascinated by sequins, particularly the vintage and one-of-a-kind varieties. The shining, sparkling discs of colour just have so much joy and life to them. Many historians believe that sequins have been around since 2500 BC. Egyptians would cut thin discs of real gold, glaze the top to prevent scratches and adorn swanky people like King Tut. Now no longer reserved for royalty, sequins remain a central design element in fashion, accessories, textiles and craft. On her blog puglypixel, Katrina showcases her amazing vintage pre-war Belgian, Czechoslovakian, and Japanese sequin collection. I envy her trays of inspiring sequins and love the beautiful colour palettes they create.

Call me a nerd but these CB2 digi pop bed linens are pretty fantastic. I have a feeling they would inspire some colourful dreams. (p.s. fellow designers, they look like Illustrator swatch palettes don’t you think?)

I love this wood block typeface created by province studio. Using blocks of all different widths and heights creates a texture and dimension that would not have been achieved if all the blocks were equal sizes. I especially love the bright colour palette of aqua, azure, bright blue, yellow, purple, magenta and brown!

(images via behance)

A2 is a Swedish furniture company that makes bold, colourful and unique designs. Unlike a lot of furniture companies that rely heavily on neutrals, I like that A2 isn’t afraid of using bright colour. I especially love their textured and patterned chest of drawers and cabinet pieces. They would bring a fun pop of colour to any room!

I always knew the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador was a colourful place but when my friend David sent me a link to the province’s tourism commercial, I was stunned! It is a gorgeous video and it inspired me to research more of Newfoundland and Labrador’s incredible colour palette. Focusing on bright primary and secondary colours, the hues interact masterfully with the rocky coastline and vibrant blue ocean. I particularly love the colourful neighbourhoods in St. John’s, Newfoundland nicknamed “Jelly Bean Row”. St. John’s is a historic fishing city and when sea captains returned from their voyages, they were faced with rows and rows of identical Victorian houses. In order to make these houses standout from one another and insure a quick return home, each house was painted a different vibrant colour. This tradition continued on and as a result, Newfoundland and Labrador is one of the most colourful, striking and beautiful parts of Canada.

(I highly recommend watching the Newfoundland and Labrador tourism video. Thanks David for the inspiration!)

(images via brian carey, g.luff, jonathan penney, dr hostel, joanne dale, joanne dale, liyen, 13fridaymjf and elisabeth charmley)

Ever stare at the paint chip wall at the hardware store and think that it looks like a piece of art? Canadian artist Peter Combe took that idea a step further by shredding designer size paint swatches and hole punching paint chips to create large art installations. I love the fringe-like texture of the shredded swatches and the reptile skin look of the layers of hole punches. It is really impressive how Peter finds the perfect colour swatches to create such detailed portraits. I think paint chips should be used as an artistic medium more often!

(images via peter combe)

Italian designer Alberto Seveso took high-speed photographs of colourful ink mixing with water and the results are beautiful, billowing fabric-like shapes. I would love to see this project continue across the whole spectrum of ink colours!

(images via behance)

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)

Living in a coastal rainforest like Vancouver has immeasurable benefits including lush green surroundings, snow-capped mountains and mild winters. Sure, one too many grey days can cause mild frustration but it seems that a gloriously sunny stretch almost always follows a rainy one. Another side benefit? Those daily transitions of weather create beautiful light shows and rainbow patterns reflecting off of lingering raindrops. Have you ever walked into your living room and a chunk of random rainbow appears somewhere? I love when those bits of magic are captured like this photo by Catriana van Rijn. By reflecting on a rustically textured chair, the rainbow takes on new dimension and life. I kind of wish that pattern chair was sold somewhere…

(photography via catriana van rijn)

25,000 bouncy balls flying down the hills of San Francisco. Pure genius. Could there be a better location for such an idea? If you haven’t seen the commercial by Sony Bravia, you need to go here and watch the magic unfold. This is the first still photo I have seen of that ad and I just love the motion and colour it captures.

Breaking colour news! Pantone released their Fall 2011 Fashion Colour Report today. Twice a year, to complement the start of New York Fashion Week, Pantone releases the colours that will dominate that particular season. I have found it to be very accurate in predicting colour trends across fashion and all areas of design. Honeysuckle, a coral-pink that is Pantone’s Colour of 2011, makes an appearance in this list. Although an unorthodox Autumn hue, I think it will look incredible against the warm colours of Fall leaves.

A description of the palette inspiration from Pantone: “taking cues from the great masters, sepia tones of old Hollywood, Chinese opera, cityscapes and countryside, designers are paying close attention to texture, contrast and color for fall 2011 — pairing menswear with feminine twists, warm prints with cool metals, incorporating both old and new influences, and creating an intriguing balance between colors.

(read the report here)

Diem Chau carves crayons (and sometimes pencils) with mind-boggling artistry and attention to detail. She turns everyday crayons into tiny, exquisite sculptures. Diem creates custom pieces for anyone seeking a crayon version of their family, friends or animals. I love her commissioned word currency and chinese zodiac sets and their corresponding colour choices. Diem also created one-of-a-kind metallic crayon cravings of iconic World Cup athletes for Nike. I love the way they were packaged and displayed in an engraved wood stand. I just love Diem’s work and would love to go to an artist or designer’s wedding and see her crayons as the cake topper!

(images via diem chau)

It is a known fact that Mexico is an incredibly vibrant place but Guanajuato, a central Mexican state, seems to be particularly enthusiastic about colour. Yet another location for the soon to be created ‘plenty of colour travel tour’ to visit!

(images via nadsart, greg phipps, aspiazu, jordi angrill, lucy nieto, roberto bojorquez, eric lovelin, aspiazu)

I love how Oliver Schwarzwald injects colour into the everyday with such imagination. He creates a completely unique colour palette by adding just a small dash of colour to nature. I especially love his use of colour when applied to ugly urban life. Those balloons add so much joy to an uninspired industrial wall. It remind me of the rainbow graffiti I mentioned yesterday. How can you not love artists who bring happiness and life to eyesores?

(images via behance)

The DLA Piper office, designed by Dutch architecture firm Hofman Dujardin, has a carpet colour gradient that reflects and compensates for how much sunlight affects the space during a working day. The warm colours were used where there is the least sun and the cooler colours were used where there is the most. If you have ever worked in a large corporate office with kilometres of beige carpet and fluorescent lighting, this idea is just plain brilliant as it allows a cookie cutter office to become a happy, creative and stimulating workspace.

One of the biggest bonuses of this idea is that the gradient of colour becomes instant wayfinding. In large offices of this nature, you often find yourself turning corners that look identical and losing any sense of direction. That certainly wouldn’t happen this office! (I imagine something like, “Let’s meet in Fred’s office. He’s in purple.”) What I also love about this design is that it is bright but not over-the-top. By using white and neutral furniture and accessories, each office space remains sophisticated and modern. The carpet is glowing bright from below but the eye won’t become tired or overwhelmed by red walls or a yellow desk. I know this vibrancy of colour is unthinkable for most of the corporate world but I would love to see workspaces use colour more. Particularly in offices where windows are at a premium, colour can improve moods, stimulate creativity and create a distinct and easy to navigate space.

(images via 2modern)