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)

Two unrelated but equally fantastic objects of desire caught my eye today: Timber Serving Platters by Treehorn Design (love the colour trim and hole interiors) and Geo Rings by A Merry Mishap (love the handcrafted geometric shapes). Perhaps the two can mingle in a rather chic cooking session?

(photographs via the design files and a merry mishap)

I love music videos. Yes, the genre is littered with some rather disturbing commercialization, repetitive imagery and soulless preening BUT I still believe there is great potential for four minutes of striking visuals and music. Done right, they can become pieces of art. Case in point: I love the new video for “Try” by Pink (a legitimate talent powerhouse). Directed by Canadian Floria Sigismondi, it’s a fusion of beautifully choreographed dance and vibrant powder. I particularly like the end section as a dusty room and carpet fill with colour and desert light bounces off pigment covered skin. One powerful use of colour…

(video directed by floria sigismondi, choreographed by the golden boyz; screen caps made from video)

With the rise of big box stores and discount e-commerce, brick and mortar shops feel more important than ever. Their design details and community building potential are vital to the uniqueness of cities. To me, the soul of a place is found walking down its streets but what happens if every street looks exactly the same? Even if chain stores are an inevitable addition to a neighbourhood, there is no excuse for cookie cutter design. Just look at that great Starbucks above! Any shop can be engaging and full of great design. In my latest post for Rena Tom, I dissect some great brick and mortar shops that have caught my eye lately and serve as inspiration for physical storefronts, unique online spaces and temporary retail. Pop over here to have a look…

(photographs via love camden, michael penney style, blank inside, nico alary, weekday carnival, dezeen and the design files)

Today is Thanksgiving in Canada, a holiday saturated in warm autumnal hues. I have always loved this photograph by Chris Glass featuring maple leaves gathered from the same tree, arranged in spectrum order and matched with Pantone swatches. The changing leaves of autumn are one of the best palettes in nature…

(photograph via chris glass)   

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)  

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)    

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)