Adding to his career of turning everyday forgotten objects into pieces of art, Belgian artist Wim Delvoye created his latest series “Pneu” (French for tire). Using discarded tires, Wim hand carved incredibly intricate patterns using motifs from different periods of art including Art Deco patterns and Art Nouveau floral designs. The level of detail in the relief and the sheer craftsmanship required is stunning. Have you ever seen a tire turned into something so beautiful? Such inspiration for what can be done with the things we call trash. In addition to being an amazing piece of art, I can just see one of these pieces hanging from an old tree and creating an extraordinary swing…

(spotted on inhabitat)

I hadn’t really thought about it until today but it is quite amazing how many shades of brown you can achieve when toasting a piece of bread. For his series ‘Toasted’, photographer Henry Hargreaves created large-scale portraits of pop culture icons with hundreds of pieces of toast. The level of detail and eye for subtleties of hue are quite astounding. A glimpse at the level of work can be seen in the last shot where toasted crumpets are being meticulously arranged to create a portrait of Pippa Middleton. I may never look at a piece of burnt toast the same way again! (Bread toasted by Angela Barrow and Osvaldo Ponton)

(from top: Marilyn Monroe, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Che Guevara, Jim Morrison and Pippa Middleton)

(spotted on feature shoot & smilepanic)

If her homeware range Swiden Design is any indication, designer Charlotte Swiden is as bonkers about colour as I am. The Swedish-born, Melbourne-based creative is launching a new line next week called “Tivolivat” inspired by fun park rides, fairy floss and ferris wheels. From illustrated prints to painted wood decorations, the collection is bursting with colour and modern shapes. My favourite pieces are Tivolivat’s bold, geometric and happy-inducing cushion covers. I think that beautiful pattern of multi-coloured rectangle and square stripes (on the bottom far right in the first image) might just find a new home at my place…

I have already babbled on and on about the vibrantly colourful and innovative RGB Wallpaper by Milan studio Carnovsky. Overlapping primary coloured illustrations create a beautiful multicoloured print in everyday light but when a red, green or blue light (RGB colour) is shone upon the room’s paper, only one of the three overlapping patterns is visible and the other two are hidden. When I spotted their new installation ‘La Selva’, I fell in love all over again. Adorning the walls of Dream Bags Jaguar Shoes, a café and exhibition space in East London’s Shoreditch, the wallpaper takes on a whole new chic look as part of an interior design. Doesn’t it look great next to a chalkboard menu? The theme of ‘jungle’ works brilliantly as its textured vegetation, daunting beasts and exotic creatures create three mesmerizing layers for each colour of light. If you happen to be London, La Selva is on view until September 21st, 2011. It looks like Carnovsky has created limited edition prints as well. Pick me up one please?!

(spotted on design boom)

The FAME Festival in Grottaglie, Italy hosts artists from all over the world for one to four weeks during the spring and summer months to create street art installations, screenprints, ceramics and large-scale murals. The festival has produced some fantastic pieces of street art including what might be my very favourite, this tiny clothesline. Last week, artists Brad Downey and Akay collaborated over six days to create some imaginative and colourful pieces including this beautiful pasta curtain and ‘tipping point’ installation featuring dramatically linked cans of paint. Throwing pots of colour off a roof to create a spontaneous colour palette is officially on my life list…

(see more of the collaboration here)

Most Fashion Weeks are a glorious parade of one runway show after another but I always look forward to seeing how some designers buck the trend and do something unique. New Zealand label Twentysevennames did just that when showed their Autumn/Winter 2012 line in an exhibit of Guy Coombes photographs. The concept kind of reminds me of that wallpaper/shirt scene in Garden State. What a brilliant way to highlight the patterns of the collection and stand out from the crowd. I hope Twentysevennames creates an entire lookbook of these fabulous photographs. I’m starting to think fashion should be sold alongside matching wallpaper…

(spotted on liebemarlene vintage)

Given my now full-fledged obsession with modern embroidery and typography, I pretty much yelped when I saw these gorgeous embroidered business cards by designer Nina Gregier. She decided to create the textured cards in reference to her latest project – fuchsia embroidered type. One glance at that project and I fell in love with Nina’s woven letters. They are so full of imagination, geometry and bold colour. Wow. The colours look amazing next to the black paper. Don’t you wish more business cards were tactile and hand detailed? Even the back of the threads on the flipside of the card is beautiful. I will visit Nina’s website regularly to see what handmade brilliance she dreams up next!

(cards spotted on lovely stationery)

Ursus Wehrli is a Swiss artist made famous by his Tidying Up Art books that re-arrange famous works of art into tidy sets of painting components that feel like infographics dedicated to how art is created. I love the direction of his new book The Art of Clean Up as Ursus organizes common objects or everyday scenes into orderly parts and colour palettes. Have you ever looked at pine branches or alphabet soup in such a fascinating way? I have always stared at parking lots and thought about the colour order that could be created so I love how Ursus made a scene of colour theory out of such an everyday place. The book comes out next month and I can’t wait to see what other things have been “tidied” by Ursus’ clever mind. Organizing never looked so good…

(spotted on hunter harmony’s pinterest via things organized neatly & this is colossal)

I love fashion editorials. A perfect fusion of concept, design, art, drama and story. They are like mini films bursting with gorgeous fashion. A few months ago, I started to realize that a lot of my favourite editorials were by a handful of photographers. Sølve Sundsbø, a Norwegian fashion photographer, is definitely at the top of that list. His work is so imaginative, so dramatic and always full of magnificent sweeps of colour. I recently read an interview where Sølve describes his work: “If I’ve got a style, it’s that I’ve got no style.” I love that his work is always fresh and that each “film” is a unique take on fashion. Working for every major fashion magazine as well as clients like Yves Saint Laurent, Dior, Alexander McQueen, Gucci and Hermès, Sølve’s photographs often look like the product of technology and digital retouching. In reality, Sølve crafts his photographs with old-fashioned techniques and principles like shadows and light, hand-painted film and meticulous detail to composition and styling. His talent breathes new life and imagination into the world of fashion. Add to that an incredible eye and love for hue and you can understand why Sølve is a true colour hero!

(quote via the independent; photographs via ben trovato, the photography link, ru glamour, the 25th century, absinthrill, hapsical, image amplified and fashion gone rogue)

Love this amazing weave typography made by French graphic design studio Zim and Zou. It took six hours to create each letter of Weave Type 2 and 500 metres of thread to build the entire alphabet. Such beautiful geometry, contrasting colours and handcrafted detail.

I spotted this awesome DIY project on food blog Griottes and I haven’t been able to look at wooden cutlery the same way since. I would love a print of the top photograph to hang in my kitchen! Not only are biodegradable bamboo utensils better for the environment than their plastic counterparts, they are the perfect canvas for colour, tape, fabric and illustration. Oh the picnic possibilities…

(more information about creating your own set can be found here)

Mexican designer Quique Ollervides has a portfolio rich with colour but I think I love his bold patterns most of all. Creating the custom patterns for diverse clients ranging from a Mexican soap opera product line to a football team, Quique showcases a real eye for vivid colour and detail. I wouldn’t mind having some home accessories in these motifs!

David Poppie creates some extraordinary works of art with sliced pencil crayons. So many layers and gradients of vibrant hues. As someone who pulled apart many pencil crayons as a child to see what was going on inside, I am dazzled by these complex pieces. It goes to show that any material, even one from your childhood art box, can be used in a beautifully modern way. If you happen to be in New York, you see more sliced pencil wonders at David’s “Ebb & Flow” show opening in September at Pavel Zoubok Gallery.

(spotted on pinterest)

It’s quite extraordinary what people think to do with post-its. From artful window coverings to giant patterned walls, the sticky squares seem to have endless oppourtunity. Perhaps it is because we spend our work days staring at the task-filled squares? I love ‘post-it structures’ by yo shimada of tato architects because of the uniquely creative folding. Oy, the dimension and texture created! On show at the gallery artzone in kyoto city, the installation of 30,000 post-its creates a architectural wall of florescent paper. Perhaps this idea could be re-created in a more durable paper as a purchasable screen or room divider? Next time you are bored at work, raid the supply closet and start building your own happy wall of neon. Send pictures please!

(thanks for the inspiration shoplet!)

(photographs via design boom)

Flowers are definitely one of the best parts of the world of colour and one of my biggest personal influences. From a vivid magenta-blue to glowing golden yellow, there are hues found in florals that are simply unmatched. I have been visiting the blog of Barcelona floral studio Flowers by Bornay for a few months now and have fallen in love with their untraditional creativity, eye for colour and use of flowers in a beautifully architectural way. Bornay makes exquisite bouquets that are often seen on the cover of Vogue España but it is their bowls of compact blooms that I find the most striking. These big floral dishes become their own colour palettes while showcasing the mesmerizing shape, texture and patterns of different flowers. They feel almost textile-like, don’t you think? In addition to a fabulous portfolio, Bornay’s blog frequently posts flowers inspired by artists, movies and occupations. I love their bouquets and arrangements created for a tailor, fisherman, Monet and James Bond’s Goldfinger. Yep, their blog needs to be one of your bookmarks!

From dishes of architectural blooms to high fashion editorial bouquets to blog arrangements created for pop culture icons, it is hard not to be wildly inspired by Flowers by Bornay. They turn flowers into true design. Add to all of that a distinct talent for stunning textured colour and you can see why Bornay is a true ‘colour hero’. One day, when I finally make it to Barcelona, I hope to visit the Bornay studio and see magic in action. Don’t be surprised if I get in trouble trying to smuggle a bouquet in my suitcase…

As you may know from my borderline obsessive posting about it, I love when colour brings magic to urban eyesores or shows up in unexpected places. More often than not, this is in the form of street art or installations. I fell in love with these pretty darn adorable “it socks to be lonely” interactive installations in Brooklyn, New York. If you happen to live in Williamsburg and also happen to have a mateless sock, head to Bedford Avenue and North 4th or Berry Street and North 4th. Tacked up with other colourful and patterned fabric widows, you sad sock has a chance at a new life. One of the most smile-inducing pieces of street art I’ve seen in a long time. I can’t wait to see it grow as more socks are added. Please send updates if you are in the area!

(photograph via sabeth718)