Design Debate

Today I wanted to share some objects the are positively glowing with colour. Examples of design that look so inviting, tactile and swoon-worthy, but most of all riots of colour.  I love white spaces, the minimal look, natural wood and blank walls but when it comes to objects, colour is my weakness. At home its simple, un-costly things like my Nanny's emerald velvet-lined jewellery box which peels at the sides and has seen better days. Or my Granny's 1950s sky blue weighing scales that I use everyday to measure my morning oats. Or perhaps my collection of quirky colourful candle holders and my random pieces of coloured glass. Yep, to colour I am drawn. Today perusing ' Sight Unseen ' I came across an array of objects, and furniture, that satisfy my colour itch.  Rainbow Splash glasses created by Pierre Bowring in Beacon, New York are delightful.  Perfume bottles are often a thing of beauty, I have one we dug up from our garden in Hampshire. Frosted glass with a stopper,...

It would seem a work of the famous Dutch painter Piet Mondrian has been displayed the wrong way up for over 75 years! A founder of the De Stijl movement, Mondrian is renowned for his abstract art made from primary colours and straight intersecting  lines.  It seems one particular piece, 'New York City 1' that was created in 1941 might have been hanging the wrong way up, all this time in New York's MoMA. Hanging there since 1945, it seems the thick lines have always been at the bottom. However German art historian and curator Susanne Meyer-Büser has suggested this is indeed a mistake.  She believes the thickening of the lines represented the dark sky, as opposed to the ground. The art historian was gathering research for an exhibition marking 150 since Mondrian's birth and she uncovered a photograph showing the artist in his studio with the painting the other way up on his easel! Even though it seems the famous artwork has been displ...

Perusing Miss Moss I was reminded of a British design classic – that black sheep jumper! Miss Moss was actually featuring the wonderfully characterful dog paintings of Sally Muir, but it sent me straight back to the knitwear company she started with Joanna Osborne. The V&A has one of the sheep jumpers in its collection, which rather confirms its place in design history. Warm & Wonderful began in 1979, with Sally and Joanna selling their knitwear from a market stall in Covent Garden. Their sheep jumper in particular proved a hit: rows of little white sheep with one black sheep standing apart. A young Lady Diana Spencer wore the red version to a polo match in 1981 and it became inseparable from her image. David Bowie and Andy Warhol were amongst the other famous names who wore the design. I can see why it struck a chord. Joanna and Sally tapped into something many of us recognise – that feeling of being the odd one out ...

There is something quite captivating about this Connecticut house, and I think the allure is largely down to the dramatic painted wood. From its gothic exterior to warmly white kitchen, the texture provided gives this home a timeless appeal.  Charred timbers, wide wooden floors all contrast with smooth new golden wood. The property was a lockdown purchase, the family wanting to escape New York to a county idyll. I do feel they have successfully navigated the marriage of old and new creating, along with their designer Calla Cane , a tranquil place for the family to decompress.   Greenwich Barn uses texture and monochrome tones to create its confident take on New England style.  Originally found at Est Living . 

It seems to be a bit of a thing in Hong Kong, traditional shopkeepers like to own a cat to keep mice at bay. Dutch photographer Marcel Heijen noticed this mutually beneficial relationship and sort to capture it on camera, believing these little stalls and their keepers might be dying out. He has now produced a book of his findings and it makes a happy read. It's been said owners and pets look alike, and there is definitely something of a commonality between these pairings.  The jammy felines tend to look like the cat that got the cream, or some are trying their best guard dog impression. Here are a few of my favourites. Originally found at Creative Boom . 

Today I have been submerging myself in the Dulux Colour Forecast for 2023 . Yes, freaky as it is 2023 isn't that far away! We have been busily designing next years calendar at Pickle Design where I work, so my thoughts are quite often fixed on next year. So what kind of vibe are the colour experts at Dulux predicting? Australia's Dulux have suggested three moods taken from local and global trends and research, and they couldn't be more different. 'Balance', 'Connect' and 'Revive'. Andrea Lucena-Orr and Bree Leech have taken stock in this post-pandemic world, believing our habits are changing. People want to embrace the simple life, be more sustainable and live authentically. As Bree puts it "We have all reacted to the upheavals of the last couple of years in different ways - some people crave lightness and whimsy, whilst others seek order and reassurance'.  'Revive' certainly brings the whimsy! It may seem a little bit of a paint ...