Yellowtrace is a fantastic Australian blog with a razor sharp eye for style and design. I am thrilled to be doing a few guest posts for Dana, yellowtrace’s founder, while she is on maternity leave this month. My first is the Geode Project by artist A Common Name. Placed in building holes and random pipes, these amazingly intricate paper crystal formations bring real-life magic to everyday surroundings. Has a drainpipe ever looked better? Read my whole post here.

(photographs via a common name)

Serbian designer Ana Kraš debuted her BonBon Lamps in 2010 and has now updated the handsome devils for 2012. Wire framed lampshades looped manually with cotton thread, the lamps are colourblocked in intriguing palettes and crafted in whimsical shapes. What beautiful, hue-filled glow is created as the light shines through the strings. A modern lantern perhaps? I would love to have a row of BonBon Lamps hanging in an industrial space just as they do in the second photo from the top. Sigh…

(photographs via ana kras except second image from remodelista)

Dreaming of designing retail spaces is often on my mind and my Pinterest boards probably showcase that (obsessive) mindframe. This week, for my bi-monthly post on Rena Tom’s website, I thought I would round-up a few retail images that have caught my eye lately. Signage with metallic details, a neon paper airplane launch invite or a pet shop entrance just for dogs – retail details are never short on inspiration. To have your fill of retail and design eye candy, read the post here. Back to shop owning day daydreams…

(this is collate, here design, tokketok, interior design, design work life, the design files and elana schlenker)

I spotted this image of Skogafoss, Iceland earlier today and felt instantly entranced by the dreamy, misty hues of soft green. What about the profile of a face the man stands on? It looks like a woman wearing an extravagant headdress. A stunning and rather magical photograph by Reinhard Pantke that shows the beauty and depth of green.

(photograph by reinhard pantke, spotted on miss moss)

Cutting up an old fabric Pantone guide for a project the other day, I realized that my palette of the week feature has been, um, rather slow to get started. No more! Each week, I plan to feature a different number of colours (perhaps a hue duo or a group of twelve) and keep the subject loose and always changing (found objects, a discovered photo or a street capture). Where there is an inspiring palette to be found, I hope to feature it here. This week is a foursome I started to love when chopping up my Pantone guide. Teal, turquoise, coral & chartreuse – all fresh Caribbean hues that make me dream of tropical travel…

(photograph by chloé douglas / plenty of colour)

I have a soft spot for hotels that find beautiful branding opportunities. Technology perks are great but something tangible and old-school often has distinct magic. Case in point: this sublime star-studded black stationery and silver pencil by L’and Vineyards in Portugal. Perfect for crafting one exquisite letter home (or notes of a memorable trip)…

(photograph via condé nast traveler & l’and vineyards)

Some refreshing and colourful branding for LUX* Island Resorts by London studio & Smith. The identity reflects “a lively, spontaneous brand seeking to avoid the predictable patterns associated with luxury travel”. I love the thick, modern typography and tropical-feeling colour palette. How great is that launch invitation featuring a roll of tickets for various facets of the resort? And a great publication design for “50 Reasons To Go” with thready ribbons. Oh and believe me, if I ever get to a LUX* 5-star resort, I will be grabbing every single one of those beautiful room toiletries. Yep, I want to head to the tropics right this second…

(photographs via & smith, spotted on designworklife)

My love affair with how simple, colourful elements of everyday life can come together in extraordinary ways continues to grow. Crafted out of plastic clothespins arranged in rows, Peg Carpet was created by Dutch art collective We Make Carpets and is a feat of layering and precision. I love the bold patterns of these modern tapestries and the beautiful gradients of colour achieved through carefully placed clothespins hues. There really is magic brewing in the laundry room…

(photographs by boudewijn bollmann via we make carpets)

I think The Queen and I share an affection for bright colours which is why I love this colour chart created by Vogue Magazine. Charting her hue and pattern choices in every outfit worn over the last year, Vogue discovered that Her Majesty’s favourite fashion colour is overwhelmingly blue (worn 29 per cent of the time) with floral patterns, green, cream, pink and purple next in popularity. At the bottom of the list is beige with only a 1 per cent showing wardrobe-wise. With that colour fact in mind, I think the Queen and I could totally hang out. (click on the image to zoom in on the chart)

(image via daily mail)

As someone who could spend several hours at a newsstand, I love visiting CoverJunkie where fantastic magazine covers and their creators are celebrated. Three that have caught my eye this month include the Suddeutsche Zeitung Magazin ”Rama dama, design issue” and its explosion of colourful smoke (please tell me there is a behind-the-scenes film of this cover shoot?) as well as a clever, elegant Olympic issue by Sport magazine and a layered FUKT magazine of contemporary drawing. Both digitally and in print, long live the magazine!

(images via coverjunkie)

If 2012 is going to see the end of the world, you may as well go out with some attractive branding! Design studio MENOSUNOCEROUNO created Just In Case, “an end-of-the-world survival kit” or “the perfect brand for the end of times”. The kit contains six iconic products from Mexico re-packaged in bold yellow including dark chocolate, a classic notebook, a simple knife, 40 black matches, liqueur and a bottle of water. This collection may not ensure long-term survival but you certainly will enjoy your final hours… (Read more about the kit here)

(spotted on the dieline)

Pop-up shops, also called temporary stores or flash retail, have grown in popularity and awareness over the last few years. The definition is just as it sounds – a shop that appears suddenly and disappears with similar drama after a relatively short amount of time. Often there is a special collection or limited edition item element as well. Whether in a rented space, a splashy freestanding structure, only online or curated by tastemaking blogs, there are no limits to the innovative ideas flash retail can create. I particularly love that creativity is almost always a vital characteristic of pop-up shops. From big installations (check out that gorgeous net of cardboard boxes above) to bold storefronts to sleek branding, temporary stores seem to form a sublime marriage of retail and creativity. If you interested, I wrote an image-filled article for Rena Tom’s site on pop-up shops which you can read here. Back to dreaming about opening a shop that pops…

(photographs via the fancy, dezeen, hannah dollery creative, decor8, dezeen, we heart and web urbanist)