Last week I took a few minutes to think about some important things – namely what I’d like to get out of this coming summer. While it’s been quite a few years since I’ve had a summer off, there’s still something magical about the season and I’m looking forward to this one immensely.
What’s on your summer 2016 to-do list?
Posted In behind the scenes, my life
Alison Cooley‘s beautifully large paintings are created right in her living room, hanging on the walls as she works. I love that she’s drawn to pinks throughout her portfolio, a color she speaks about so many people hating.
My paintings have a heightened palette pulled from the pigments of the natural world via waxy, glossy, and incandescent colors. I build the fragile depth by playing with juxtapositions — flesh tones and neon, stark twisting lines with creamy, shimmering color fields, transparent ink bubbles and chalky graphite scratchings. Lines, etchings and blooms of color express the range of ways we present ourselves to the world. I love the graphic potential of using graffiti mops and calligraphy pens alongside traditional watercolor, colored pencil, and oil paint, in many cases layering them over each other.
Living in a home that was built in 1900 has helped me come to appreciate the beating a structure can take from the elements. Whether it’s wind, rain, snow, or ice, the exterior of a space needs to be able to take a lot to help protect whatever lies within its walls.
Valspar is no stranger to helping protect architectural integrity, or to developing the technologies that keep buildings of all types looking their best inside and out. As one of the leading manufacturers of architectural coil and extrusion coatings in the world they carry a proud history of innovation, while their commitment to durability and an ever-expanding palette of color offer unlimited design freedom to countless industries and projects.
Valspar‘s latest additions, ones that were developed in direct response to customer feedback, are Fluropon Extreme and Fluropon Pure.
While Fluropon Extreme is a good choice for a variety of uses, it’s especially well suited to tough installation processes such as roofing. No other coating offers both resistance to abrasion and a smooth finish.
Fluropon Pure is ideal for buildings with extreme environmental requirements or anywhere you may desire a greener product. With reduced hazardous materials, these coatings are formulated with both the environment and our grandchildren in mind. It’s even LEEDv.4 and Living Building Challenge certified and Red List compliant!
The latest color palette, Rustia, is being introduced at the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Convention and Expo May 19th to 21st. Rustia features a soothing, nature-inspired palette that’s never before been available in the Fluropon line, one that provides a calming invitation to linger and savor.
If you’ll be in attendance at AIA, you’re invited to swing by Valspar exhibit no. 3621 to speak with them about the new products and palette in person. You can also attend the Valspar Learning Lounge at the AIA Expo for CEU (Continuing Education Units) courses.
If you’re interested in learning more, download a brochure on Valspar‘s Fluropon Extreme or Fluropon Pure. Or opt to order a product sample online to try either one for yourself.
This post sponsored by The Valspar Corporation. As always all words and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help keep Design Crush creating fresh content! Follow Valspar on Twitter and LinkedIn to stay up to date.
Posted In behind the scenes, house and home, living, sponsored post
I haven’t come across much fun art lately, that is until AnaHell‘s Secret Friends crossed my screen. She creates her quirky fun characters by having people almost fold themselves in half, then draws any number of expressions on their bare backs before posing them in a random environment and photographing them in a documentary style. If this doesn’t make you smile, well I don’t know what to say.
Click on each image to go to the project.
All photos copyright of their respective sites unless otherwise noted.
I’ve been having tons of summer daydreams this week after an especially unseasonably cold and rainy weekend. Anna Valdez‘s works are a light at the end of the tunnel leading to lazy picnics and coffee-filled sidewalk cafe mornings. My favorite, her Still Life series, is full of lovely oil paintings created using her own household belongings to explore traditions and history.
Linda Siető‘s line of premium leather bags are equal parts raw and delicate, which is exactly where their appeal lies. Elegant and edgy, conceptual and technological. These beauties add an edgy touch to any outfit you pair them with. The latest collection – Soft Edge – are sculptural forms in their own right.
(via Design Milk)
Posted In bags, style, wear it
Korean artist Moon Chanpil explores the complicated relationship between predator and prey in this series of four paintings. The different levels of both traits apparent in each piece are hauntingly fascinating.
I rely on an arc lamp and one table lamp to light my living room, but have been on the hunt for a second. SHare Studios, aka Stephanie Hare, has designed a stellar lineup of glass-bottomed vessel lamps that can be left empty or filled with whatever you’re feeling – a terrarium, fresh flowers, etc. I love the versatility and functionality.
(via My Modern Met)
Posted In house and home, lighting, living
I’d be thrilled if today was as light-filled as these Mirror Mobiles from Elkeland. The Danish studio creates them from geometric shapes that reflect and bounce light once suspended. Every Monday can use a little extra light if you ask me.
