I love the form-meets-function aesthetic of This Is Ground. Each piece of perfect for corralling cords, glasses, change, and more. All are made top to bottom in Los Angeles by skilled artisans with decades of experience under their belts. As they say, a lot of heart and soul goes into their creations, making each one all the better.
Benoit Paille‘s high contrast, flash-heavy photography has me longing for warm summer nights in the midst of this winter snowstorm. Can’t you just picture yourself watching the sun go down while hanging out with friends, cold beer in hand? Sigh.
Oscar Delmar certainly knows how to portray feeling alive, I’d say. His watercolor and graphite lips capture seduction series – Sexual Healing – and all that follows in perfectly sexy detail.
January is the perfect time to take a look at life and maybe make a few changes. I’m not talking huge life altering things, more like tiny refreshes with a focus on increased quality in life and home. I’ve updated The Marketplace with plenty of new goods to make your January refresh a reality. Plenty of new home goods, art, and more – here are just a few of my favorite pieces.
In the doldrums of January Tadao Cern‘s Comfort Zone photos make me both laugh and feel warm. I’m really not sure there’s much more you can ask for from art.
These photos are not staged and people did not suspect that they were photographed by me. I chose to capture images of sleeping vacationers because it accurately represents the name of the project ‘Comfort Zone’. It is only about the seaside, sunbathing and holiday somnolence that is free from a world surrounding you. I chose to showcase only the photos with hidden faces not by an accident, but to grant an observer with an opportunity to calmly scrutinize each and every detail without being distracted. It also helps to avoid empathy or connection between people in the photos and the observers. It really does not matter who they are – the details not only reveal their stories, but make us face ourselves as well.
I’m never sure why there isn’t more amazing textile-focused jewelry out there. Marta, the Spanish maker behind Lana Pelana, is fascinated with the possibilities behind embroidery. It takes her several days to finish each hand-stitched piece, the end result a small “crafted amulet” that’s a treasure to wear.
How is it possible that Valentine’s Day is only two weeks away??? It’s the one holiday that sneaks up on me every single year. While I’m currently playing the singles game I still love to pull together something sweet for friends and loved ones – because who says that Valentine’s Day has to be purely about hearts-coming-out-of-your-eyes love? Here are fourteen valentines for you to share with both your lovah and your loved ones.
When I moved into my new space this past September it was painted the universal house staging color of buttercream. While a lot of people might be okay with that – it’s a neutral, isn’t offensive, etc – it may as well have been neon green to me. It was the very first thing I knew I had to tackle to make this place feel like home.
I’ve always had dreams of an entirely white and bright home. One that radiates light and would be the perfect gallery-like backdrop for the myriad of art I possess and love. After obsessing over paint chips I came to the conclusion that a ready-made color wasn’t going to be the answer, so I teamed up with Sherwin-Williams to do a custom color match.
I pried a piece of shoe board off in a doorway and headed over to my localSherwin-Williams to get their expert opinion and advice. The assistant manager, Jared, gave me a few different color match options after scanning the piece of already painted wood. The two of us spent about fifteen minutes tweaking things until I was 100% happy with the shade. I opted for the darkest to create a small contrast between the walls and 10-inch molding that’s present in the whole house.
I went with Sherwin-Williams‘ Emerald line because I’ve used it several times in the past and love the coverage and low odor. Jared also made sure I knew exactly which brushes would be best for the different areas of detail, as well as extension rollers that would help 5-foot-two-inch me reach the top of the 10-foot ceilings. After about thirty minutes I left with the confidence and know-how to tackle this project – did I mention that I’m painting the entire house this shade? Because yeah. The whole enchilada. The end result was a shade of not-white-grey/not-grey-white.
One long weekend and four helping hands later the first floor, staircase, and half of the second floor was done! I’ll be knocking the other two bedrooms and finished attic off the list as soon as it warms up a bit this spring. I’m thrilled with the result so far and guests who have seen the before and after love the look, too.
Product and consultation provided by Sherwin-Williams. All words and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help keep Design Crush going!
Ilya Shkipin has a unique and mildly spooky illustration style, which I’m almost always drawn to. In this case it seems to be the result of exaggerating some characteristics while making a mess (in a good way) of others.