Design Debate

Litlanesfoss  is a waterfall located in East Iceland Iceland really does have some some breath-taking scenery. This is  Litlanesfoss , a naturally created rock formation known as columnar jointed basalt. It just looks like something Tolkein could have dreamt up. Also a bit of a reminder that sometimes stress can produce something  really rather  beautiful.  Garni Gorge is east of Yerevan, Armenia Known as  the "Symphony of the Stones" Scientifically, what happens is that these columns are formed with immense stress as the volcanic lava cools. The lava contracts forming cracks that grow perpendicular to the surface flow. It is the combination of slow cooling from the base upward and rapid cooling from the top downward.  Los Organos, Canary Islands, Spain Of course a bit closer to home we have the Giants Causeway in Northern Island. I think it is something about the uniform hexagonal shape of these stones that slightly blows...

Bengal tigers crouch as animal trainer carries a 300-pound lion in Moscow, March 1966. Photographer Dean Conger. There is something so intriguing about old photographs. Nothing else can quite take us back to that moment, that culture, that time in history - I think - than a photograph.  Photographer’s reflection in a cut-out silhouette in a window. Photograph by Maynard Owen. Children swim and play in oceanside pool, February 1955. By Franc & Jean Shor. Motorcycle club members wear studded leather jackets and rakish caps in London, England, June 1966. Photographer James P. Blair.  National Geographic have launched a blog entitled ' Found ', a collection of photography from their extensive archives. The idea is to honour their 125th anniversary with select images, many of which have never been seen before. Some details have been lost over time, the exact locations and photographer credits, but what remains is a very special glimpse into the past.  ...

I completely loved these photos when I came across them in one of my daily internet perusals. For London Fashion Week, fashion label Orla Kiely set a wonderful retro scene. Journalists and the like were invited to see her AW 2013 collection at the Elms Lester Gallery, where she had created a bustling world of typewriters, filing cabinets and beautiful busy models.  The collection doesn't just take inspiration from the 60s, but the 50s and 70s are referenced too. Brilliant messy beehive hairstyles clasped with kitsch plastic clips and wonderfully prim clothes.  Heavily textured layers of wallpaper inspired pattern, angora tops tightly tucked in, pressed Peter Pan collars, faux-fur and opaque tights. I love the fun of mixing up textures, colours and styles in really quite a wearable look.   To see more of the collection visit Betty Magazine . Also More Design Please .

I wanted to highlight to you the work of Italian artist Francesca Lancisi. I came across her shop on Etsy and fell in love straight away. Her water colours are both bold in colour and subdued in shade. Using bright block colour and playing with opacity, layers and line.     Francesca lives and works in Florence, Italy. You can imagine her on her sunny terrace, surrounded by plants and natural forms. She says she is fascinated by colour and its infinite variations.  She is a self taught artist and had trained and worked as a language teacher. On Francesca's website she has this quote "Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."   Johann Wolfgang von Goethe