While I do have a blog focused to colour, I still love white for its power, purity and ability to make colour look dazzling. I have been particularly enamoured with the recent trends devoted to exploring white in both classic and modern ways. White on White, Embellished, Textured, Dips of Metallics, Pops of Colour, Perforated – there has been no shortage of stunning new techniques and ideas devoted to white. I wrote a post on Rena Tom’s site on this topic so please take a look here if you are interested.

(images via minted condition, september industry, christian bird, de-construct, freedom of creation, design labyrinth, june eleven and nakam)

Martha Stewart and her talented team never cease to amaze me with their beautiful photography/styling and always innovative, tastemaking ideas. Spotting these colour block cocktails has made my Tuesday! The handsome libation is a giant ice cube of alternating layers of fruit nectar and Italian aperitif dropped into a glass of sparkling water. Delicious, colourful and stylish. Check out the recipes and different colour combos here.

I did some research on styling this week and came across these beautiful painted walls by Bartsch, a Paris-based studio. I would be quite thrilled to have a dark wall of those gold moons in different phases in my home. Their craftsmanship is sublime but I was also drawn in by their choice of styling (including a great palette shot of paint cans). I love how Bartsch showcases their work – an expanse of pattern and colour with a world of small white objects living below. Monochromatic styling is becoming my new obsession…

There’s something about the design of a cactus that is just plain intriguing – a mix of a modern architectural shape, sharp needles and paper-like vibrant flowers. Catherine Hope explores these qualities in her colourful photo study titled (much to my delight) ‘It’s a Bit of a Prick’. Sourcing unique examples from Columbia Road Flower Market in London, Catherine creates beautiful compositions of texture and colour that showcase the most dynamic facets of cactus. In addition to having an photograph adorn my wall, I would love a circular silk pillow featuring one of her gorgeous images. Follow Catherine’s study on tumblr for future cactus inspiration.

More4, a UK television channel, has a smashing new logo and identity that manages to be slick, modern, colourful and a bit magical. Yes, the combination is possible! London studio ManvsMachine focused on the channel’s core topics of design, fashion, style and interiors to create a vibrant colour palette, strong typography style and bold visual identity as a whole. I saw a static preview image of the logo in November and just loved it. However, with the launch of the complete identity yesterday, I am borderline intoxicated. The animation of the More4 logo moves sort of like flip-digits schedules once used at European train stations or perhaps like pieces of fabric, flickering television lights, fanning Pantone books, streamlined butterflies or tiny soft covered books? In collaboration with Jason Bruges Studio, the flip-digits were created by hand (see the making of video) and crafted into this gorgeous video. Magical, right? I love the idea that the channel infuses different locations and objects with dancing squares of colour. Yep, I could watch this video all day long. I know it is only January but I think I have found the one to beat in my “best identities of 2012″ list…

(p.s. if you are a fellow flip-digit lover, check out my posts on peter wegner and rebecca baumann)

(photographs via manvsmachine & weheart)

It’s hard to go to a grocery store’s vegetable section or a farmer’s market and not be astounded by the vibrant hues of fruits and vegetables. This advert for Lurpak Butter directed by Dougal Wilson celebrates the glorious colours and patterns of vegetables. How exquisite is that purple cabbage pattern? I love the dramatic, cinematic feeling (aided by the voice of actor Rutger Hauer) and how the vegetables move in rapid rainbow sequence. The ad seeks to show that “healthy doesn’t have to taste humdrum” and I think that it more than achieves that goal. I don’t know about you but the ad makes me want to cook and eat a rather large heap of vegetables…

You may have seen the fantastic imagery of Ikea’s cookbook Hembakat Är Bäst created by brilliant photographer Carl Kleiner and stylist Evelina Bratell last year. The way the ingredients were presented in such modern blocks of colour was just sublime. What a way to imagine the components of cooking. The talented duo is back with another a strong overhead series focused on Ikea’s kitchenware. It’s a unique way to represent products and showcases the clean, uncluttered lines of Ikea’s aesthetic. I don’t know about you but I can see some strange faces emerging in those piles of plates and utensils… (p.s. I posted a couple of the original Ikea ingredient shots because, well, they are beautiful. I hope that prints are sold one day as they would look awesome on a kitchen wall!)

Until last week, I had no idea what the Department of Philosophy building at New York University looked like. When I came across an image while doing research, I was stunned. Jaw-dropped, eyes insanely large, stunned. How was this done four years ago but I had never seen it? Good Lord. While the exterior of the 1890 corner building is protected and thus remains untouched, Steven Holl Architects did a complete 30,000 square foot interior renovation. The concept “organizes the new spaces around light and phenomenal properties of materials” and it is hard to see the space as anything but enlightening. The skylight and 6-level stair shaft are awash in beautiful shapes and constantly change with the seasonal light. The upper level floors feature “different shades and textures of black and white, according to the texts in Ludwig Wittgenstein’s book ‘Remarks on Colour’“. Oh and those flickers of rainbow on the gorgeous textures of rich white? Prismatic film was installed on some of the stairwell windows which allowed sunlight to occasionally place a piece of rainbow onto the clean interior. It feels modern, spiritual and simply peaceful. Can you think of a better place to ponder philosophy? Easily one of the most beautiful pieces of interior designs I have laid eyes on and so very perfect for its subject. Hmm, time to google NYU philosophy program applications…

(all images © andy ryan via steven holl architects, dezeen and architizer)

I was poking around the website of Norwegian-American artist Brit Hammer and became more than a little intrigued by the close-up shots of frescos she creates in cement. I want to reach into the screen and touch the beautiful texture. Doesn’t it feel like you are on the surface of a planet covered in icy, colourful grooves and craters? To create her vibrant frescos, Brit uses cement mortar powder, water and pigments which forces her to work quickly as the materials are fast drying (unlike traditional plaster frescos). I’m thinking Brit could start a side business of selling detail photographs of her beautiful work. Maybe even add some tiny space figures to the shots? I’m picturing a vintage silver astronaut. Hmmm…

I have posted about the work of Elisa Strozyk before or, to be more specific, gushed about her incredible talent for wood design with a fabric-like soul. I was visiting her website a couple of days ago and spied these spectacular Coloured Wooden Rugs. Elisa attaches dyed wood to a fabric base and the result is a dreamy wooden textile. These beauties have only fueled my daydreams that Elisa will one day open a shop of her work. I would be more than happy to camp out for a few days in order to nab one of these gorgeous carpets…

(photographs via elisa strozyk)

You know those round nonpareil sprinkles that are liberally tossed about during holiday cookie decorating? Imagine meticulously placing 221,184 of them by hand using jewellery tweezers and a pixelating computer program. Are your eyes burning from that thought? Mine are! Canadian artist Joel Brochu was inspired by a previous project he created exploring the pointillism technique of applying small dots of colour to create a larger image and decided to re-create a photograph with sprinkles. Using a photograph of a beagle by Shingo Uchiyama, Joel needed just six colours of sprinkles (red, orange, green, blue, black and white) to create a surprisingly large spectrum of hues. It’s amazing how colour can be suggested and created with the right combinations and placement. Nonpareils are just 1/16 inch thick so 221,184 of them were needed to re-create the 4′ by 1.5′ photograph. Crazy, painstaking work that makes me wonder what Joel could do with a dozen cupcakes…

(spotted on my modern met)

‘Blinking City’ is a project investigating how traditional maps for cities can never accurately reflect the speed of urban growth nor the rate at which things change. In other words, “as soon as the map is done, the city it describes has already gone”. Created by artists Marcella Campa & Stefano Avesani of instant hutong, the chalk pastel piece is a collage of several Hutong neighbourhoods of Beijing and was stenciled onto a wall of a dilapidated courtyard house in the Xianyukou district of the city. The colours were also assigned meaning to illustrated some of the ever-changing events that occur in a big city every day (see the legend here).

(thank you jorge!)
(photographs via instant hutong)

Lines by Millimeter Milligram are simple but handsome notebooks. The front pattern matches the line style inside so you never have to worry about grabbing the wrong book. Don’t they look fantastic on a bright coloured desk?

Oribbon, a mixture of origami and ribbon, is a sticky strip of paper scored in a multitude of directions so it can folded into different shapes including the origami bows above. Talk about turning a regular present into a work of art. What a ridiculously clever design by Azumi Mitsuboshi.

(images via upon a fold where oribbon can be purchased)

Airports are fascinating places. Some are rather frightening and clinical, some are gleaming structures of great design. The latter category more than fits ‘Harmonic Convergence’ by Christopher Janney, a spectacular interactive sound, light and colour installation at the Miami International Airport. Created in the walkway from the rental car terminal to the main airport, Christopher used diamonds of coloured glass, the constant sun of Florida and a liberal coat of white paint to create a dazzling hall of pure colour. The pattern created on the floor is stunning. When the sun finally sets, the installation remains vibrant via computer-controlled LED lights. Christopher also designed a “sonic portrait” or composition of constantly changing tropical birds, thunderstorms and other distinctly Floridian sounds to interact with the coloured light. Christopher says his installation “announces” the airport to visitors as they enter or exit the main terminal and I am certain this component of the trip would be unforgettable. If I ever visit Miami, I can now count on one thing – a lengthy trip to the airport. You can find me in the hall of colour, staring at that pattern of light…

(spotted on designboom)

Like geometric patterns, I have always had a love affair with facets. The handsome flat faces of geometric shapes are gorgeous in nature’s sparkling gems and as forms used in design. Throw in some paper art and I can barely contain myself. Case in point? This beautiful photo backdrop by Matthew Parker Events created for the Design*Sponge book tour party at Anthropologie in Seattle. Hundreds of faceted white shapes were careful folded and artistically hung from the wood frame. It feels like a sublime drift of peacefully geometric snow…

(images via matthew parker events)