Design Debate

The Beatles Serge Gainsburg The Kinks I recently came across the work of Roger Kasparian, a photographer in France in the 1960s. He worked free-lance as well as for the radio station Europe N˚1 where artists like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Beach Boys were coming to France to perform. He also captured French stars like Serge Gainsbourg and Francoise Hardy.  Marianne Fathfull Françoise Hardy The Who The Beatles His father was a photographer so from an early age he had access to a photography studio. Kasparian could see that something was happening, there was a new generation forming. In France they were called the 'ye´-ye´s', those who loved the pop sound that was emerging from America and the UK.  The Beach Boys Mick Jagger The Beach Boys Kasparian took wonderfully natural shots that were made quite intense by his use of black and white. You get the feeling he is both part of this world but also like us, peering in. ...

You may remember I wrote a post back in November about the calendar I designed for my work, Pickle Design, celebrating great chair design. We are now well into the swing of 2014 and many of my favourites have come and gone. The challenge was to create a way to connect with our existing clients and to meet new ones. Every year we design a calendar on a different theme. This has been in the form of pin badges, colour wheels, concertina folds charting the a line of thought and dictionary definitions, and now classic chair design. Ideas and inspiration come in many forms, (I am slightly addicted to Pinterest !) but I also get ideas when going for walks, bouncing thoughts off other people and looking at the design world. I can just as easily get style suggestions from art, film, architecture and fashion as I can graphic design. It all feeds in. So this year some stunning pieces of chair design caught my eye. From Le Corbusier's 'cushion bucket' to Arne Jacobsen's gra...

Anna Atkins This process combines two loves of mine, nature and Prussian blue. The phrase 'blue prints' originally comes from when when engineers needed to make large scale copies of their work, a process called Cyanotype. The vibrant blue is brought about by mixing two chemicals, potassium ferricyanide and ferric ammonium which make material sensitive to light. Then by placing an object or natural form like a leaf on the soaked material in the sun you create a white silhouette on a deep inky blue background.  Cassette Tapes cyanotype by Christian Marclay You can mix these chemicals yourself and create some beautiful artworks or if prefer you can buy the sun-senitve paper for a craft so simple you can do it with your children! Anna Atkins Anna Atkins The procedure was discovered by scientist and astronomer Sir John Herschel in 1842, but it was Anna Atkins who brought this process to photography. She is regarded by most as the first female photograp...

Jewel like interior via Pinterest Dark walls with a yellow couch via Pinterest I'm not sure if it is the promise of autumn, perhaps the bite in the air, but recently I'm enjoying dark interiors. Inky blue walls brought to life with jewel-like velvets, or perhaps deep indulgent bath tubs in a sea of teal ceramic tiles.  Beautiful bathrooms via Anna Gillar Love the scale like tiles, via Anna Gillar One interior I have always loved is the dining room in the Pride and Prejudice movie. The chalky wood panelling creates the perfect back drop for delicate white dresses and subtle plays out of crippling emotion. The richness of the blues are really dramatic, a scene from Pride and Prejudice A proposal, via Polaroid Cupcake The dining room , love the panelling Either way I have decided to showcase some great interiors that have made me feel ready to embrace the coming season of nights by the fire, hot chocolates and movie nights. Enjoy.