Julie Blackmon‘s Domestic Vacations explores what it means to be a Jan Steen household – a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous family gatherings. The Dutch proverb originated in the 17th century after the painter who depicted the intersection of art and life. The result of Blackmon’s exploration are both imagined and autobiographical and 100% modern.
Houston, Texas fiber artist/art professor/jewelry artist Kari Breitigam must ooze creativity out of every perfect pore. Her pieces are handmade in such a thoughtful and ritualistic way that I almost wonder if those qualities might transfer to the wearer when they drape one on.
(via Almost Makes Perfect)
Posted In jewelry, style, wear it
Temporary installations are like a hot and heavy relationship that’s doomed from the start. Fleeting, intense, and short on time. Jacob Hashimoto‘s Gas Giant was installed at MOCA Pacific Design Center. Over 25 days Hashimoto worked with an installation crew to suspend 30,000 paper kites from the gallery ceiling. MOCAtv captured the process, spanning the first day of installation to the three day deinstallation process.
Karen Margolis combines two unexpected facets to create her art – architectural renderings of the mind’s operations and plotted patterns of color. The result is fascinatingly beautiful.
Curious about what thoughts and emotions might look like inside the brain, I translate my interior monologues into molecular patterns of color. Plot out extemporaneously, accumulations of dots mark the transformations of feelings through changes in color. I also sew on discs of paper and attach map fragments to reflect external distractions. These mind maps function to chronicle the behavior of chemical interactions in the brain for the duration of various “states of mind”, offering a glimpse into the formal arrangement of emotions.
I did it. I created an accent wall that I love that doesn’t feel tacky or cliche, but that still packs a punch. In this case the key was choosing two muted hues as well as embracing my love of geometry. But let’s back up for a minute and check out the before photos of my home office.
The bare basics and oh so boring. A small Parsons style desk, office chair, filing cabinets to hide supplies, and artwork that has yet to find a home. Of course no room would be complete without a wayward throw rug, yes? As I mentioned in my last post, the walls had been painted a greyish white and that’s about all I’d done in this space since moving into my house last September.
Before charting out the diagonal accent wall I’d settled upon, I gathered a length of rope and a few thumbtacks. The first step was maneuvering myself up to the tippy-top of my ladder to reach the high ceiling, where I tacked the rope in the upper corner. (No small feat for this 5’2″ girl.) I drew it taut as I pulled down to the opposing corner and tacked a few places along the way for reinforcement, then followed the line it created with painter’s tape. My (mad) method ensured a straight line, which is oh so important if you’re the OCD type like me who might obsess over any imperfections later on.
It took two coats of SW 7110 Cosmetic Blush in my favorite Sherwin-Williams combo, the Emerald line in a satin finish. I’ve used this tag team on my last four painting projects and love it. Once the second coat was on I removed the tape by pulling away at an angle for a super crisp line. (A pro tip is to always remove painter’s tape while the paint is still slightly wet.) The low VOCs made the smell of paint non-existent, so with a small crack of the window I was able to start working in my office almost immediately.
If you noticed, I turned my plan for a diagonal accent wall into more of an accent corner! I didn’t plan on it beforehand, but once I started taping things off it just felt right. So I went with it. The end result feels a bit like a pink beam of light shining on my workspace, which has been an especially welcome presence on overcast days.
I relocated my desk to the newly painted wall and kept things simple with a brass lamp and fresh flowers. (Trust me, that desk will be cluttered in no time.) The project as a whole took just around two hours spread over two days. I have a few more pieces of furniture to add before the office is 100% complete, but this refresh is perfect for the immediate future!
For the past three years I’ve teamed up with Sherwin-Williams to mark National Painting Week. Together we’ve tackled the front door and hall bath at my old home, and now my office. Each project wasn’t huge as a whole, but made such a positive change in my space.
Visit the National Painting Week site and see what other bloggers are doing to update and celebrate! Leave a comment below sharing if you have plans to switch up an area in your home for National Painting Week for a chance to win $100 from Sherwin-Williams. Giveaway ends May 17th at midnight EST.
I received product and compensation from Sherwin-Williams in return for this post. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Design Crush!
Posted In my life, office, sponsored post
01/ This dog’s nutritional pyramid is hilarious.
02/ An entire collection of tools made out of chocolate.
03/ Fascinating satellite photos of seaweed farms in South Korea.
04/ Check out these whimsical book covers created by Aniko Koleshnikova.
05/ The BAM breathalyzer necklace can help you not drink too much.
06/ I’ve had campers on the brain lately, and the Hütte Hut is adorable.
07/ Canismo captures adoptable dogs as they shake non-toxic paint onto canvases.
08/ My friend Emily McDowell has created the BEST collection of empathy cards.
09/ The WINKpen lets you write with wine, beer, tea and more.
10/ America’s oldest shopping mall was converted into microapartments.
This week on Design Crush:
Ten fresh art prints to up the art ante of your walls.
I’m pinking up the office for a much needed facelift.
Beautiful sugar and watercolor stained glass by Sipho Mabona.
The Kame is giving me some major suitcase envy right about now.
Loving these overhead POV paintings from Ida Badal.
I’m obsessed with my Life & Type custom letterpress poster!
Sylvia Baz’s Typeworks alphabet prints are graphic and amazing.
The perfect summer grilling aprons by Hedley and Bennett.
I’d love a few pieces of this cement pottery from Studio Twocan.
Design Crush elsewhere:
I paired up some bare rooms with their perfect floor rug matches.
Studio Twocan is a creative studio managed by sisters Maddie and Becc Sharrock. Each piece the duo creates is individually crafted, showing off their dedication and commitment to quality of design and manufacture. The cement is colored using pigment inspired by Australian landscapes, then each piece is polished with natural oils, sealing the cement with a satin finish. This process celebrates imperfections and ensures that each piece is unique. Check out their shop to make a piece your own.
I’ve been in the process of getting my backyard into tiptop summer entertaining condition, including an unexpected hand-me-down from my aunt and uncle in the form of a three times used grill that I can’t wait to put through its paces. Any grill master worth their salt requires a sturdy apron, and these chef’s grade designs ones from Hedley and Bennett are the perfect thing.
Silvia Baz is a busy multi-disciplinary designer (graphic design, art direction, and typography) who found time in her schedule to create this set of typographical prints – Typeworks. The pixelation confuses your vision the closer you view them, a play off of Goethe’s quote “The hardest thing to see is what is in front of your eyes.”
Life & Type is a collaboration where you provide the idea and they provide the letterpress machine, the design templates, and the craftsmanship. Together you work to create a personalized, large format art print that shares your life in type. I had the chance to team up with creator Daniel Richardson to work through the seamless process he’s streamlined and make my own.
After settling on one of their three available templates (with more to come soon), and a theme of previous addresses of places I’ve lived, we got to work. I filled out the simple template form, submitted it, and received a proof within 24 hours. I made a few tiny changes to my original wording and gave the go ahead to Daniel.
That’s when he took the reins setting type and printing. A few days later my custom poster was in the mail and on its way to my doorstep. In the meantime Daniel emailed some photos of the process, a step that’s included in all orders that really sends the experience over the top.
When my Life & Type poster arrived I was even more impressed than expected. The paper is super luxe, the type is beautiful, and the entire experience was just so personalized. A poster like this would make such a fantastic gift for so many occasions – graduation, a new home, a wedding, etc. I know this beauty will be hanging in my home for years and years to come.
I received product in exchange for this post. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Design Crush!
Posted In behind the scenes, create, paper goods, posters, sponsored post