Before I cut out for a week and a half of family and presents and way too many cookies, I want to wish you all a happy holiday season. No matter which of them you choose to celebrate. Without you Design Crush would cease to exist and I would cease to have the job I was made for. I’ll be taking my first break from the site in over 2 1/2 years through the new year and I’m looking forward to coming back rejuvenated and full of inspiration in 2016!
Albert Ruiz Villar‘s mixed media on wood pieces just about pop right off of the screen for me. His structural pieces feel like fantastical architecture that might exist in some far off alternate universe. Don’t you want to jump right into one?
Gingerbread is one of my favorite flavors of the season, but I don’t relegate it to cookies alone. (Though I am making these sweets tomorrow!) Feast your eyes on the following twelve recipes that run the gamut from breakfast to side dish.
Click on each image to go to the recipe. All photos copyright of their respective sites unless otherwise noted.
During some time spent in Oakland, CA, Matt W Moore constructed a new body of work fusing his bold, graphic vocabulary with extruded mosaic forms. Light plays an important role in activating the series according to its angle, creating depth through shadows. More on SHADOVVS:
The exhibition is comprised of 5 chapters, each with its own concept and aesthetic. A series of greyscale cut-paper mosaics created in Montreal in Fall 2014 is displayed as evidence of the explorations that led to the layered sensibilities of the more elaborate colorful works created during this Bay Area residency. A series of 4 pure symmetry colorful compositions reminiscent of sacred geometry grids, timeless diamond cuts, and architectural monuments hangs as a family on one side of the space. Opposite this wall is a series of 12 square works that bring Moore’s signature graphic syntax into three dimensions, playing with the eye when viewed from different vantage points. One extra large modular construct composed of 5 pieces that hang synchronized is displayed void of color to allow the viewer to explore the subtle nuances of light and shadow without the distraction of color… On the back two walls… Moore has constructed a large mosaic dimensional mural comprised of the same forms used in the rest of the series. This in-situ installation has been left to chance and intuition, with Moore opting to freestyle the build spontaneously rather than reference drafted blueprints.
This fall one of my favorite designers, Rebecca Atwood, released her first wallpaper collection. It features three designs – Marble, Dashes, and Petals – in several color options and I’m smitten with every single one. Much of Rebecca’s inspiration came from her childhood growing up on Cape Cod, crisp fall days with swirling ocean waves and petals falling in the garden that mark the end of summer.
I was especially taken with the Marble Clay Blue pattern and decided to use it in a simple fireplace update. This design started when Rebecca experimented with marbling papers using India ink in the suminagashi technique. The irregular marbled designs reference the coastal elements – small rocks, swirling ocean pools, and the landscape itself. I just love everything about it!
My fireplace needs a new liner to make it usable once again, so I fill it with prayer candles. When lit the result it warm and bright, which makes a decent stand-in on cozy nights. To give the box an update Rebecca sent me a length of her new wallpaper in my favorite pattern. I measured the back of the box up to where it narrows into the chimney and down along the bottom and trimmed a piece of paper before cutting it to the proper width. It was a bit of trial and error in finding something that would attach to the super old painted over masonry, but after a few tries double-stick strips from 3M did the trick nicely. I attached three on the top edge and three on the bottom edge and applied. Voila! Yet another super versatile way to use wallpaper. I’m quite happy with the results and am even more convinced that I need to paint those tiles black asap.
I can hardly believe Christmas is a week from today! The holidays always seem to sneak up on me, but the unusually warm weather we’ve been experiencing here on the east coast has really thrown everyone for a loop. It’s been more of a challenge than usual to get into the spirit, but I’m doing my best. I’ve also been thinking about the brunch my family will be sitting down to Christmas Day and what it might include – and you’re invited.
Kimberly Huestis creates her beautiful jewelry line – Porcelain and Stone – through rock sculpting and ceramics. Design and environmentally-driven choices are at the root of her work, as well as quality of materials, and I’d say all of that comes through in spades.
By this point in December most of the gifts have been bought and maybe even wrapped, cookie recipes have been researched and are about to be baked, and chances are you’ve hit up more than one holiday party. It’s high time you pamper yourself just a bit before running headlong into the last week of the year, dontcha think?
This year I’m part of Dream Shop Collective, a group of bloggers and makers that have come together to host nine holiday giveaways from shops that are independently owned and primarily run by women. (Maybe you’ve seen me sharing the other gals’ giveaways on Twitter?) We’re shifting the focus away from the hyperstimulated e-commerce world to offer a place of calm, inspiration, and beauty – and I’m happy to host the 9th and final giveaway from Menagerie.
The Portland-based shop – housed in a renovated 1979 Airstream! – is on a mission to provide products that are good for the body, good for the environment, and good for the people who make them. Menagerie carries non-chemical skincare with ingredients you can pronounce, cosmetics, fragrance, and grooming products from companies who pay the very best attention to their quality, and hand-made goods that help support the small businesses that craft them. There are at least ten things on my wish list from this well-curated shop! But you’re the lucky ones, so…
Enter below to win something special for yourself – here’s what’s up for grabs. (U.S. entries only)
Menagerie Gold Bar Earrings
Laqa & Co Doppelganger Fat Lip Pencil
Aenon’s Sea Kelp & Rose Clay Facial Mask
LURK All Natural Perfume Oil (scent BS003)
Cast Iron Garden Snips
To put it simply, I adore coffee. I started drinking it when I was a kid, and as I grew older the ratio of milk to coffee changed drastically. These days I happily switch between French press, pour over, and drip depending on my mood and how much time I have to brew. One of my vices is seeking out the newest technology and products in the world of coffee, and a slew of the latest is from none other than KitchenAid. That’s right, the brand that’s responsible for one of the most iconic mixers is also fluent in coffee beans and modern design. I pulled together a few gift ideas for the coffee lovers in your life, depending on their preferred brewing method – have a peek below.
I know what you’re thinking – that looks just like a drip coffee maker. But it’s not. For the coffeehouse experience at home, the new KitchenAid Pour Over Coffee Brewer precisely heats and pulses the flow of water, then steeps like a manual pour over which allows the grounds to bloom. The result is bright, clean, and full flavored coffee without diluting.
The science and flavors of siphon brewing come from vapor pressure pushing the water up through the siphon tube. After that vacuum suction and gravity draw the coffee down through the grounds. The dramatic KitchenAid Siphonbrew has simplified this process to extract a cup of coffee that showcases all the flavors of your favorite beans. The brewer is made of high quality glass and stainless steel to be a true thing of beauty.
A French press brews a bold, full-bodied, robust cup of coffee. KitchenAid’s Precision Press was developed to ensure the best French press coffee can be brewed conveniently at home through simple technology and sleek, functional design. It even features an integrated timer and scale that measures brew time and the precise ratio of coffee grounds to water for the perfect brew.
Each of these three brewing methods demands a specific grind size to extract the proper flavor. Grinding your beans to the precise size just before brewing is a key element in brewing the best possible cup of coffee. KitchenAid’s Burr Grinder offers a level of precision and consistency with its fifteen different grind sizes.
This post sponsored by Single Edition Media on behalf of KitchenAid. All words and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help keep Design Crush creating fresh content! Follow KitchenAid online at Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter for product updates and discounts.
