Who knew soap and jewels could come together so magically? Available in three sizes and seven colours, these beautiful hand-cut soaps by Brooklyn studio PELLE will make any washroom sparkle…

(photographs via pelle)  

Partners for Mental Health installation, by Blok Design (Toronto, 2012)

Vancouver Contemporary Art Gallery installation, by Rethink (Vancouver, 2005)

I love public art installations, especially when they are thought-provoking, colourful and initiate public interaction. A great example? The button wall at top created by Blok Design for the Partners for Mental Health campaign “Not Myself Today”. The identity, which uses different emotions and their corresponding colours, was turned into a wall of “mood pins” in a heavily travelled section of Toronto. It reminded me of a similar installation I saw in Vancouver a few years ago. Created for the Vancouver Contemporary Art Gallery, Rethink Communications printed 50,000 buttons with a single word representing one of a hundred possible responses to contemporary art. Both walls use colour and pattern in different yet equally compelling ways. They also serve as striking interactive public art that draws attention to important topics and sparks dialogue. Oh and they add rather fabulous colour to streetscapes and collars…

(photographs via rethink and blok design)  

Construction, renovation, DIY projects – I love all elements of building and home design. One of the best parts? Colour swatches of course! I came across some sample pages from Sydney Harbour’s 2012 Interior Exterior Fan Deck and fell in love with the well-curated, saturated hues. They prove that colour (beyond expected neutrals) can be chic, sophisticated AND vibrant…

(photograph via sydney harbour; spotted on architectural digest)  

Yep, my colourful powder and pigment obsession seems unstoppable. Photographer Marcel Christ is a still-life mastermind and I love how his “Big Bang” and “Powder” projects showcase vibrant pigments full of explosive life (but in very different ways). One set are bold, contained fireworks while the other series feel like diffused, romantic gradients of powder…

(photographs via marcel christ; spotted on abc news) 

Toque is a distinctly Canadian word and describes what are otherwise known as beanies, knitted caps or stocking hats. Hmm… But toque is just way more fun to say! Whatever the name, it is hard to resist these superbly knit, patterned hats from ALL Knitwear by Annie Larson. Modern 80′s winter fashion (with some rather awesome pom-poms)…

(photographs via ALL knitwear by annie larson)   

When I spied this project on The Artful Desperado yesterday, my head exploded with colour happiness and I had to share. Alex Brewer, otherwise known as HENSE, is an artist from Atlanta with a colourful, abstract, graffiti-inspired contemporary style. In short: wow-inducing. He was recently hired to create a massive mural on a historic but derelict church in a waterfront neighbourhood of Washington, D.C. Fittingly, the installation is directly across the street from a planned 20,000 sq.ft. museum (making the up and coming area officially smashing). I am often in favour of preserving great old architecture and returning buildings to their former glory. This project gave me pause. It would have been easy for abstract/graffiti style to clash horribly with this vintage church and make it look a blight of soulless, messy tags. But in the hands of HENSE, it remains heavenly. Vibrancy, detail, gestural abstraction – the mural retains the integrity of the historical structure yet creates a completely modern, artful wash of colour. And all using just latex paint and talent. History is given a new, colourful layer and in effect, brings glory back to what was long forgotten…

(p.s. anyone know what this building is set to become? I’ve been trying to figure it out!)

(photographs via HENSE, spotted on the artful desperado)

Birds are sort of like flying colour swatches, contrasting beautifully against blue skies, rich vegetation and pure snow. Up close, they are extraordinary layers of textured hue and pattern. Delving into the popular British hobby of bird keeping, photographer Luke Stephenson artfully showcases exotic winged creatures in his series “The Incomplete Dictionary of Show Birds”. I love the visible detail, modern style and colour palettes created against perfectly selected backdrops. The birds are really posing, don’t you think?

(photographs via luke stephenson; book available for pre-order here)

I was poking around the internet last night and became happily reacquainted with an identity from a few years ago that I really love. Designed by London studio Farrow, the look of British bakery Peyton and Byrne is minimalistic colour with a decidedly British flair. It is a cohesive programme of meticulous detail that can be applied to many products uniquely and manage to make a simple box of treats feel like a box of jewels. I love how the packaging is colourful (a great palette) but doesn’t overshadow the products. I wouldn’t mind a kitchen shelf full of those boxes…

(photographs via farrow and little ghost)   

Great styling by BHLDN for a feature on signature cocktail recipes. I love how different size vessels of luminous, sheer colour frame the featured drinks (while also highlighting the company’s glassware and bar accessory products). Colourful, well-styled cocktails? I’ll drink to that…

(photographs via bhldn) 

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) 

I stumbled upon Cox and Cox last weekend and I could honestly post just about everything on their website. Fabulous products and gorgeous styling. They seem to seamlessly mix raw concrete with whimsical elements. An opulent industrial look perhaps? Just a few examples: 50-50 Pencils, Corkboard World Map, 20 Small Ink Pads, Leaf Chocolate Moulds, Zinc House Tea Lights and Fancy Pants Crackers. I better look into Canadian shipping ASAP…

(photographs via cox and cox)  

In my latest post for Rena Tom, I explore the details that turn online retail from good to great. While lacking the tactile quality of brick and mortar stores, online shops have complete control over how they are presented aesthetically (a rather rare creative opportunity!) With careful attention to even the smallest design elements, a shop can turn into a unique corner of the web that features mindful navigation, striking design and its own style voice. Community building via a blog or Instagram, creating a unique shopping cart style, highlighting colourways, art directing fabulous opening photography – great online stores are all about the details. To read my post, head over here.

(shops featured above: j crew, douglas + bec, leif and field)  

A few months ago, I posted a striking carpet design made out of clothespins created by Dutch art collective We Make Carpets. On a visit to the collective’s website yesterday, their three newest carpet pieces more than grabbed my attention. Created out of cocktail picks (love the side view), chocolate bars and disposable cups/utensils, they are truly beautiful modern tapestries. Oh and proof positive that with incredible attention to form and colour, one can craft a complex and richly textured pattern out of any material…

(photographs via we make carpets)

I have a thing for design and art pencils (showcased via three overflowing bins on my desk). Anthropologie is full of some great examples at the moment including the Color Sheen Pencil Set, Fluorescent Pencil Set, Mechanical Color Pencil Set and Banderole Pencil Set (nice lokta paper). Yep, I might “need” those beautiful metallic colour pencils…

(photographs via anthropologie)   

Paint made from paint that has been thrown away? That’s downright brilliant. Newlife Paints rescue waste paint from landfills or incineration and reprocess it back into premium grade emulsion. And they can match any colour! Working with the eco paint manufacturer, Mini Moderns has launched a new line of 12 paint hues to match their textile and wallpaper designs. I love the neutral yet bright palette and how the swatches are styled as colourful lids on a modern backgammon wallpaper…

(photograph via mini moderns; spotted on we heart)  

A fluttering swirl of origami butterflies, I love this fusion of design installation and styling by Elixr and Dream Interiors. Created for annual design event Saturday in Design, the butterflies make a striking piece of art but also highlight the clean lines of Dream Interiors’ white furniture collection and Kiki K’s storage boxes. Neutral yet lushly vibrant, it’s a match made in styling heaven…

(photographs by adrian koh, via elixr and ad week)