Oops, I am slightly behind in my palettes of the week! But I think this fantastic photograph taken outside the shows of SS13 Paris Fashion Week makes up for it. Captured by Kuba Dabrowski, the image is a smashing combination of sidewalk grey and vibrant blue (with a pop of red). Birds-eye fashion photography might become my new obsession…

(photograph by kuba dabrowski via women’s wear daily)

Birds are sort of like flying colour swatches, contrasting beautifully against blue skies, rich vegetation and pure snow. Up close, they are extraordinary layers of textured hue and pattern. Delving into the popular British hobby of bird keeping, photographer Luke Stephenson artfully showcases exotic winged creatures in his series “The Incomplete Dictionary of Show Birds”. I love the visible detail, modern style and colour palettes created against perfectly selected backdrops. The birds are really posing, don’t you think?

(photographs via luke stephenson; book available for pre-order here)

I was poking around the internet last night and became happily reacquainted with an identity from a few years ago that I really love. Designed by London studio Farrow, the look of British bakery Peyton and Byrne is minimalistic colour with a decidedly British flair. It is a cohesive programme of meticulous detail that can be applied to many products uniquely and manage to make a simple box of treats feel like a box of jewels. I love how the packaging is colourful (a great palette) but doesn’t overshadow the products. I wouldn’t mind a kitchen shelf full of those boxes…

(photographs via farrow and little ghost)   

Great styling by BHLDN for a feature on signature cocktail recipes. I love how different size vessels of luminous, sheer colour frame the featured drinks (while also highlighting the company’s glassware and bar accessory products). Colourful, well-styled cocktails? I’ll drink to that…

(photographs via bhldn) 

I am obsessed with edge painting (when color is applied to the edges of cards, invitations, books and so forth). It adds such a pop of colour/shine to design. I don’t think I’ve seen a hologram-like effect though until this morning. Whoa. Created by designer Denis Mallet for Parisian art merchant Julien Hauchecorne, the business cards have a “diffraction effect foil on a pristine white and ebony black duplexed substrate with a diffraction foil fore-edge printing process on the outside edges”. Mind is blown. Striking and downright magical…

(photographs via denis mallet on behance) 

I stumbled upon Cox and Cox last weekend and I could honestly post just about everything on their website. Fabulous products and gorgeous styling. They seem to seamlessly mix raw concrete with whimsical elements. An opulent industrial look perhaps? Just a few examples: 50-50 Pencils, Corkboard World Map, 20 Small Ink Pads, Leaf Chocolate Moulds, Zinc House Tea Lights and Fancy Pants Crackers. I better look into Canadian shipping ASAP…

(photographs via cox and cox)  

In my latest post for Rena Tom, I explore the details that turn online retail from good to great. While lacking the tactile quality of brick and mortar stores, online shops have complete control over how they are presented aesthetically (a rather rare creative opportunity!) With careful attention to even the smallest design elements, a shop can turn into a unique corner of the web that features mindful navigation, striking design and its own style voice. Community building via a blog or Instagram, creating a unique shopping cart style, highlighting colourways, art directing fabulous opening photography – great online stores are all about the details. To read my post, head over here.

(shops featured above: j crew, douglas + bec, leif and field)  

A few months ago, I posted a striking carpet design made out of clothespins created by Dutch art collective We Make Carpets. On a visit to the collective’s website yesterday, their three newest carpet pieces more than grabbed my attention. Created out of cocktail picks (love the side view), chocolate bars and disposable cups/utensils, they are truly beautiful modern tapestries. Oh and proof positive that with incredible attention to form and colour, one can craft a complex and richly textured pattern out of any material…

(photographs via we make carpets)

I have a thing for design and art pencils (showcased via three overflowing bins on my desk). Anthropologie is full of some great examples at the moment including the Color Sheen Pencil Set, Fluorescent Pencil Set, Mechanical Color Pencil Set and Banderole Pencil Set (nice lokta paper). Yep, I might “need” those beautiful metallic colour pencils…

(photographs via anthropologie)   

Gorgeous lettering by illustrator Lord Bunn for the rear of The Great Gatsby pub in Sheffield, England. I love it when a typical graffiti location features beautifully modern typography. Streetscape meets art gallery…

(photograph via lord bunn; spotted on typeverything)   

Paint made from paint that has been thrown away? That’s downright brilliant. Newlife Paints rescue waste paint from landfills or incineration and reprocess it back into premium grade emulsion. And they can match any colour! Working with the eco paint manufacturer, Mini Moderns has launched a new line of 12 paint hues to match their textile and wallpaper designs. I love the neutral yet bright palette and how the swatches are styled as colourful lids on a modern backgammon wallpaper…

(photograph via mini moderns; spotted on we heart)  

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)

HOT+TEA, also known as Eric Rieger, is an American street artist who uses vibrant yarn as his medium of choice. I love so many of his installations including this marvelous piece called Lost+Found. HOT+TEA spotted a vacant Minneapolis tennis court with no net for the locals to use (a lost space). He decided to create a net using nothing but neon yarn so the court could be returned to its original purpose (found). I love how it mixes vibrant art with something that enhances a community and brings people together…

(photographs via / screencaps created from a video on unurth )