Favorite: Rob Ryan

My friend Steph went to Australia and brought back an Australian Design Magazine Inside Out. I love the photography, beautifully put together page layout and content. The magazine welcomes a new point of view, enabling the search to follow design in another part of the world. I have been very interested in Australian design ever since I saw an episode of Man Shops Globe where Keith Johnson travels down under to scout super chic design ideas for Anthropologie. An article in the magazine about artist Rob Ryan caught my eye. Rob Ryan makes jaw dropping, meticulous, and beautiful art pieces from paper and scissors. His projects remind me of a day dream you don't want to end. He has intricately cut symbols, words, and images out of paper. You almost have to look twice to check that the images aren't painted or drawn with marker. The precision is immaculate and the end result is extraordinary and whimsical.

*Image Source Rob Ryan on Etsy

Check out his Etsy shop:

www.etsy.com/shop/misterrob

Check out his blog:

http://rob-ryan.blogspot.com/

Friday Jam!

TGIF! Friday Jam Time:

Check out Rebellion(Lies) by Arcade Fire on the album Funeral. It's a good motivational get through the day beat.

*Image Source from Global Gallery

Beach house Accessories Cont.

As promised I found some key beach house pieces and ideas. I hope these inspire your beach home or inspire your dreams for a future home. Side note: The main purpose of a beach house is relaxation which means no wall clock! If you are at the beach, the day should be made by feeling, not by time commitments. I also love tropical floral arrangements throughout a house, whether it be random flowers or plants picked up and put it a decorative vase or store bought arrangements, flowers add a liveliness to any home.

1. Long Reclaimed Wood Dining Table

Marison Dining Table from Environment

Bench Seating

Beam Bench from Environment

2. Driftwood Lamp

Currey & Company Drift Table Lamp, Natural Wood

3. White Ceramic Vases

Lantern Gourd Vase by Jonathan Adler

Pure White Ceramic Vase Collection by West Elm

3. Fun Pillows

Koko Company Goldfish Sham

KoKo Company Java Bright Pillow

Koko Company Ecco Printed & Embroidered Pillow

3. Whimsical & Colorful Wall Art

Kite Hill by Paul Octavius from 20x200

Paper Lanterns by Tim Irving on Etsy

Ocean Diver by Tim Irving on Etsy

Hope you enjoy these ideas!

Beach Getaway

My boyfriend's wonderful parent's are nice enough to offer their beach condo as a quick weekend getaway! It is the perfect anecdote for recharging the batteries and spending some quality time together. I am getting a bit too comfortable with the idea of an empty condo a drive away and started to day dream of designs for my own beach home...

Musts:
1. Lots and lots of large windows

*Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles, Architect Bradley Heppner

2. Large communal table facing the view

*Coastal Living, Tim Clarke Interior Design

3. Outdoor Patio

*Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles, designer Barbara Howard, photography by Chris Little

Beach homes are a place to feel comfortable and cozy. A place to invite friends and family, relax, cook, and hang out at the beach. The best decorations are the ones you find on the beach. Beach combing can yield some beautiful, natural home decor. Sea glass, driftwood, sea shells are great additions to shelving, vases, or bowls. Finding accessories for you home that are inspired by nature make a space interesting and comfortable. *Image source Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles

I was at a tour of homes in Atlanta and the interior designer had three recessed rectangular shelves in the wall of the living room. She had glass vessels filled with sand from the beaches the family had visited. A white label on the front of the vase had the name of the beach the sand was collected from and date. Fun ideas like this bring character and memories to a home.This porch swing filled with wonderful soft pillows is perfect for a beach house. Imagine curling up with a glass of wine and a great book. Outdoor speakers would be a must or listen to the sound of crashing waves. *Coastal Living Image source

This sitting area is a great use of space for in between corridor areas and foyer space. The espresso colored, wide plank wood floors showcase the stark white chair, walls, and sheer curtains. The bright blue painting and green plants bring a bright and natural color scheme.*image source Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles , Mark Williams Design Associates

This modern, stainless steel rinse off shower is attractive and practical.*Image source Coastal Living, Tim Clarke Interior Design.

Yard art has a different meaning after seeing this beautiful sculpture behind the outdoor sofa. *Image source Coastal Living, Tim Clarke Interior Design

I love the simplicity, soft color palette, and sculptural elements of this small space. The cutout squares on the chest and the sculptural shapes of the white vases work well together. Any repetition of color or shape adds visual interest. The blue ocean in the serene painting is a perfect background for the white vases. *Image source Coastal Living

I am going to find sources for some of these wonderful furniture pieces and accessories in my upcoming post so these great ideas can become a reality!Hope you had a relaxing weekend even if you weren't at the beach!

Weekly Favorite

One of my projects in college was to design a convention center for a major corporation of our choice. My professor choose an old factory in Athens, Ga as our building footprint to renovate. It was a very old building with exposed brick and wood floors with the nails still imbedded from the factory. I have long been a fan of Marimekko the Finnish clothing and textile design company. Marimekko produces fabulous large scale patterned prints that are very colorful and dynamic.




Bottna Green - Anna Daniellson







The company was established in 1951 with a long history of textile, toy, clothing, and bag design. Marimekko products are a bit tricky to find, but Crate and Barrel & CB2 sells products as well as one of my favorite websites http://www.txtlart.com/ . My friend Hannah (who also has a wonderful blog (http://covetdesign.tumblr.com/) & Internet searching ability) introduced me to this website when I was working on my school project. It has been a go to for me from that point.

Unikko - Maija Isola

Kavivo - Maija Isola

Interior from CB2

City Garden apron with food graphics

Hetkia Shower curtainMy roommate lived in Buenos Aires for a year and my friend and I went to visit her. While we were visiting we went to the neighborhood La Boca. This design is inspired after Boca and captured the city perfectly! Dogs were everywhere, the people were dancing in the streets, music was playing and the overall atmosphere was a bit stimulating. I bought this as a kitchen towel, matted and framed it for her birthday. It turned out very nice and was different than a traditional photograph or art piece.
Textile Arts gives you the opportunity to buy large scale fabrics and wall hanging kits. Hanging large scale Marimekko prints is a great addition to any home. My roommate, Monica, bought a gorgeous black and white abstract floral design to hang above her bed. If you are feeling crafty you can run on over to Home Depot and buy the wood to stretch the fabric yourself. All you need is wood, nails, hammer, and staple. Any large space such as a foyer or entryway, large hallway, or room would be ideal for these large scale pieces. HGTV room design by Kristi Yamaguchi & Matthew Finlason


This is a view of Kone's lobby when you exit the elevator.

Wall Covering by Harri Koshinen

Wall Covering by Maija Isola

A fun table setting with new glassware and tableware from Marimekko. Anu Penttinen & Sami Ruotsalainen. Photo from Milanice.com.

My friend Sheenum's friend Jacquelyn, is a Fullbright Scholar, studying Finnish Textile design at the Aalto University in Hellsinki (very impressive!). She is a very talented artist (http://www.jacquelyngleisner.com/) and has a super cool blog. Marimekko is referenced in her blog with a first hand account of it's influence in Hellsinki and internationally. Check it out!

*image source Marimekko & Textile Arts

Ready, Set, Bike!

This Saturday my friends and I are participating in a bike race at the Budweiser Brewery in Cartersville. The weather has been beautiful and I am optimistic that the day will be fantastic! Riding, drinking beer, listening to music, and hanging out with friends can't be beat on a beautiful Saturday. It is a century ride or you can have incremental rides (33miles seems more appropriate based on my training so far). I feel inspired to share some sweet bike related design picks to ramp up my biking style.

(1) Tour de France Photography by Tim Irving





(2) Organic Bike Tee from Lofty Mornings $26


(3) Eco Cup Cozy by Laura Bucci Handmade $18

(4) Bike Espresso Cup & Saucer from Aceros $28

(4)Buck on Bike silk screened Cotton Canvas Throw Pillow from The Utilitarian Franchise $40

(5)Boneshaker: A Bicycling Almanac 42-500 by Wolverine Farm Publishing. Sold @ Inman Perk in Atlanta $6


(6)Block Print Stuffie from Artgoodie $16

(7)Bike Necklace from A Jewelry Box $20

(7)CB2 Recycled Bike $29.95

(8)Very Cool Tour de France Fabric from Marimekko $70.00