The stunning images above may look like fabric or paper but they are actually wood. Crazy right? German textile designer Elisa Strozyk created a flexible wood surface that could be hand or laser cut into pieces and then attached to a textile base. Elisa’s methods were born from research into creating wood with textile attributes and ways to make wood as flexible and easy to manipulate as possible. I like the way Elisa describes her design: “the outcome is a material that is half wood-half textile, between hard and soft, challenging what can be expected from a material or category. It looks and smells familiar but feels strange, as it is able to move and form in unexpected ways. The potential of the carpet is its flexibility. It can be rolled up and transported easily.” I love the shadows and dimension created as different shades of the beautiful wood colour dance across the piece. I don’t know if these breathtaking designs will ever be available in a store but if so, you will see me at the front of the line with a giddy look on my face!

(via strictly paper)

I was looking at flooring options recently and it appears that virtually everything available is some variation of neutral wood. Don’t get me wrong, there are few things as beautiful as wood grain but who said a floor can’t steal the show? Using traditional oiled oak herringbone parquet flooring, Raw Edges Design Studio dyed individual bricks according to a specific colour palette. Add in some extensive layout planning and the final result is an innovative, colourful mosaic design. Raw Edges has said their goal is to create flooring that is reminiscent of a rug or textile and the effect is certainly achieved. I think the only way to describe the final result is absolutely stunning. Also shown is the bold floor Raw Edges was recently commissioned to create for the Stella McCartney Milan store. I think it complements the clothing and strong white space handsomely. I just love the full-colour pattern floors but would also like to see woodgrain flooring with some vibrant colour patterns scattered about. Overall, hoping to see more vibrant floors around!

I was halfway into preparing this week’s colour me happy theme of water when I heard about the horrific earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Needless to say, upon viewing the devastating images, I quickly abandoned my theme.

When I was a designer for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, I worked on a merchandised product that required separate editions for many different countries. Part of the product was an information booklet. To save money, the booklet was reproduced in black and white for every country except for one. I was told that Japan placed so much value on colour, their version would be the only exception. With that comment, I realized Japan might be my kindred spirit. Across architecture, textiles, stationery, food, fashion and every other avenue of design and art, there is so much innovation and astounding creativity in Japan. Watching the tragedy unfold, I feel what I am sure so many others do – totally helpless. I was thinking of that booklet project and, while I realize this post might not colour anyone in Japan happy, I hope it serves as a tribute and show of support to a nation that saturates so much of its life in vibrant, joyful colour.

(via sea of shoes, amir jina, sakura, chisato, chris meter, petit tows, karaoke, karaoke, aaron shumaker, sea of shoes, an tran, airisshuu, loren madsen, gernot, banana granola, ayahuasca, fever breaks)

Potholes are minor eyesores and frustrations that have become a routine part of urban life. Juliana Santacruz Herrera decided to challenge that perspective and make the potholes in her native Paris a bit more optimistic and colourful. Using knitting and what looks like braid techniques, Juliana makes her own form of pothole repair by filling the pits with bright patterns of yarn. What a great way to add colour to a grey, broken-down street while also creating a fantastically imaginative piece of street art.

(via cmybacon, images via juliana santacruz herrera)

I have always admired the craftsmanship and detail required to do embroidery. It is a beautiful form of art that adds so much texture, value and intrigue to fabric and other projects. I have become semi-obsessed with the work of Sydney-based studio maricor maricar. On top of fantastic design, illustration and motion work, they create the most gorgeous embroidery I may have ever seen. It is easy to dismiss embroidery as a traditional art form but one look at the modern, colourful and typographically exquisite work of maricor maricar and your mind will be changed forever! Their embroidery, with its bold colours and incredible layers and patterns is just breathtaking. The detail and vibrancy is unreal. Fingers crossed one day I work on a project with maricor maricar and see how they create such jaw-dropping work!

How beautiful is the ‘snowjob’ chair designed by emiliano godoy? Not only is it an amazing piece of modern yet handmade design, it is probably one of the most environmentally friendly pieces of furniture you will ever find. The wood frame is manufactured in FSC certified wood with a vegetable based, biodegradable finish. Fair trade employed artists in impoverished nations weave and fold post-industrial waste from the candy wrapping industry to create the incredible silver cover. Such a stunning chair with a wonderful message of environmental and social consciousness as well as seeing one person’s trash as your next great project.

(via designboom)

I really love Living etc. magazine, a modern interior design magazine based in London. Unlike many home magazines that feel overdone, cold or outrageously expensive, Living etc. is accessible, fun and colourful. I love the magazine’s layout design, whimsical but modern British sense of design and the fearless mix of pattern and bold colour. They also have a fantastic blog Living.Style.Etc. that contains tons of inspiring design ideas. I think it is time to splurge on an international subscription!

(images via living etc.)

I really love the work of artist Francisca Prieto and her folded, intricate paper installations. Photos of her amazing pieces are prominent among my boxes and folders of inspiration. Francisca uses many types of paper for her art from written versions of Shakespeare to newspapers and maps. I love them all but my absolute favourite is what she creates with envelopes. I have always been fascinated by the ornate security patterns printed inside envelopes. Francisca folded hundreds of interlocking forms with these intriguing blue designs to create her ‘Between Folds – Envelopes’ series. The colour palette, mix of patterns and 3D nature of these envelope origami installations is stunning. I can’t wait to see what Francisca comes up with next!

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 love this Discovery album cover. It is no easy feat to seamlessly transition from orange to blue but this gradient does it flawlessly. I love the pixelated plaid-like effect created. I have no idea what this album is about but from the fusion of warm and cool colours, I imagine it has songs that transition from sad/depressed to happy/optimistic. Or a mix of slow and fast songs? In any case, it is a fantastic, colourful album cover!

(image via discovery)

There must be something about today that just screams for more pink images. Upcoming Spring maybe? In any case, I love this photo by Florian Hildebrandt and how it makes standard post-it notes into a piece of textured, layered art. I think I need to dig around in my office supplies now…

(image via yay everyday)

I didn’t intend on making a theme of sight today but it just seemed to happen that way! I guess I have always been fascinated by braille and it reminded me of a paper installation I took a photo of in Montreal last spring. It was a stunning piece featuring handmade paper birds fluttering about. In this case, any other colour would have been distracting from the feeling of peace and serenity.

(photographs by chloé douglas)

How do you help a sighted person understand how a blind person experiences colour? The Black Book of Colours by Menena Cottin and Rosana Faria uses gorgeous embossed nature illustrations so the reader can “feel” colour rather than see it. The entirely black book has accompanying braille and regular text that describes each colour through all of the senses (“brown crunches like fall leaves and smells like chocolate”). Intended as a children’s book accessible to both the sighted and the blind, the final result is a striking and elegant piece of art that opens our minds to a new way of understanding colour.

(images via brain pickings)