Sydney, Australia-based artist Louise Zhang‘s work reminds me of a very highly evolved Lisa Frank (in the best possible way). She’s not afraid of color or shape exploration, whether those be on canvas or as sculpture. Zhang describes her work best saying that her primary interest lies in the middle ground between what we perceive as ‘cute’ and ‘grotesque’.
We’re big cat fans here at Design Crush, so today we’re going to keep the feline momentum going! All three of my cats appreciate a good bed, and I appreciate these minimal handmade ones from Siamese Social Club. (That name! That logo!) Shop owner Kristen coils the rope beds and brands the leather tags on her own, she also releases new interchangeable covers each season with linen being the current option for summer. Stay tuned because Siamese Social Club will be releasing more cat toys and ceramic bowls soon!
If you’ve ever visited Brooklyn you’ve probably walked by a bodega or ten, and in the process maybe noticed a cat who looked right at home. Sunny Eckerle captures these felines in an ongoing illustrated series, Brooklyn Bodega Cats, that captures and celebrates this unique part of the city and tells a bit of their stories.
Tomás Saraceno is a new name to new in the interactive art world, but man, I’m loving everything of his that I lay eyes on. My favorite is Becoming Aerosolar. All of Saraceno’s work is an exploration into humanity’s environmental impact on the planet. Becoming Aerosolar‘s ethereal, airborne vehicles are created from recycled plastic bags that are heated by the sun to a certain point until they start to float. This installation is currently on view at 21er Haus.
Satsuki Shibuya brings her watercolor paintings to life in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Intuition, energy, spirit, and exploring the realms of the unknown are the base upon each piece is built. They leave me feeling very introspective and calm, how about you?
I’m so happy to reveal Design Crush’s new site as well as our fresh identity! Over the last several months I’ve been working with CooperHouse for the fourth time to create a design that reflects what we have evolved into over the past eight years. (Yes, EIGHT YEARS! I missed my own blog anniversary last month – whoops.) We’ll be working out some kinks through the days, so hold tight if things don’t look 100% at any given time. I want to point out some of the new features, but first a big fat THANK YOU for reading Design Crush. Right from the bottom of my minimalist heart.
I’ve been antsy for a refresh, but knew that also meant a new brand identity because DC had simply outgrown our old one. A graphic designer creating anything for themselves is the equivalent of the cobbler’s children having no shoes, it’s the last thing you want to do or have time for at the end of any given day. With our first logo I overthought it so much that in the end I asked a designer friend to have a go at it. This time I had a clear vision – I knew I wanted both the logo and site designs to be clean, modern, and efficient – and went with my instincts.
Erin Cooper, half of CooperHouse and an artist in her own right, painted my portrait for the About section. (Talk about something that’s equal parts exciting and terrifying!) Roll over her handy work for a snippet or click for more in depth background on me and Design Crush. Below that you’ll find social media icons and our RSS feed so we can connect on other levels.
We added an Instagram widget in the sidebar that will pull in recent photos from my account for a peek behind the scenes, as well as events DC is associated with and the more personal side of life.
While there’s still a handy Press menu in the main navigation, there’s now also an Elsewhere section in the sidebar. It will visually showcase some of Design Crush’s recent articles elsewhere on the web, as well as my favorites that will be updated periodically.
Right below this section I’m happy to finally offer the option for you to subscribe via email! Just fill in your email address and you’re set.
As a reminder, you can also follow Design Crush on:
• Pinterest – find an extension of our aesthetic and modern products, clothing, and food
• Instagram – get a peek behind the scenes and see the more personal side
• Facebook – like our page and see 3 to 4 extra links of awesome finds daily
After years and years of lamenting my black thumb things have finally begun to turn around. I have about fifteen plants of varying sizes thriving in my home right now, and I’m quickly running out of horizontal real estate. That’s where the Pot Cradle would be a huge help. More modern than a macrame holder, these little bags would also help eliminate spills during watering (at which I’m basically a pro).
01/ Notifly lets you know about a scheduled meeting by blowing a bubble!
02/ Get CallerID for your front door with Peeple‘s wireless camera.
03/ A handy chart sharing how long fresh produce will last once you buy it.
04/ This year’s Serpentine Pavilion honors the London Underground with a secret corridor.
05/ The Mason Watch is like is basically a sculpture for your wrist.
06/ Stefaan De Croock (aka Strook) uses discarded doors to create giant street murals.
07/ Gum, not just chewing these days – check out Maurizio Savini‘s sculptures.
08/ Meet Mr. Head, a vacuum cleaner turned artist.
09/ Jon Alameda throws the tiniest 1-inch scale miniature pottery.
10/ A Philadelphia church was transformed thanks to lots of paracord and Aaron Asis.
