Design Debate

Some of you may remember a post I wrote back in April about new Dutch company By Mölle . Their honest textiles made with natural wool and linen use traditional methods to create lovely contemporary homewares. The latest addition to their ethically minded collection is Chunky Denim.  Taking old jeans and removing zips and buttons, the fibres are spun into a double thread creating these chunky and irresistibly soft throws and cushions.  The sisters's ethos has always been to help you dress your home in a responsible manner. By Mölle work in collaboration with European artisans and craftsmen to create something quite unique. 

Stormy Weather, Georgian Bay , F.H. Varley, 1921 I came across this painting by artist Frederick Varley and set about finding out more of his work. The movement and light captured in Stormy Weather, Georgian Bay (1921) is so real. It reminds me of my time studying in Falmouth, Cornwall. Seeing the storms from the beach and walking the coastal path, where the light is indescribable. Quiet Inlet, Georgian Bay , F.H. Varley, 1924 Frederick Horsman Varley was born in Sheffield in 1881 and began studying at the Sheffield School of Art when he was just 11. He later studied at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Antwerp before emigrating to Canada in 1912, where he found work as a commercial artist in Toronto. Although Varley became famous as one of the Group of Seven, he actually thought of himself first and foremost as a portrait painter. I am drawn to his landscapes though, and the wonderful range of colour he used in them. ...

Graphic designer Peter Saville has collaborated with fashion brand Y-3 for the sports label Adidas . Best known for his album cover design, Saville has produced artwork for OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark), Joy Division, New Order, Pulp and Suede.  New Order 'Power, Corruption & Lies' 1983 Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark LP, 1980 OMD 'English Electric' 2013 For this project Saville created prints and typography for the footwear by scouring the internet, using images and words from online forums, social media, and blogs. The collection is both a critique and celebration of internet culture, the good, the bad, and a comment on our endless pursuit as a society for the next big thing.  The designs use Saville's typography and some interesting materials. Silver 'foil', acid colours, orange cord, purple netting. Yet somehow it works! The different materials, and some are very different, work well together. Some gaudy, so...

Often I admire the beautiful architecture of converted chapels, up and down the country. This one is outside Bath. I do though wonder how the spaces work as family homes, are they warm and cosy or caverness and cold. I imagine often compromises have to be made to shoe-horn in our modern comforts. This conversion by Jonathan Tuckley Design I think is quite successful. Especially how the addition joins the original chapel.  Though personally I would splash about some colour, I do think the dark wood and cool greys occasionally accented with rich red rustic rugs works.  I also love how features have been preserved, cherished even. The hooks on the walls and the dark wood panelling. Painting the extension in the rich black stain allows a modern building to unobtrusively sit in this traditional setting.  But most importantly, what a great space for a child to play in! Found at Yellow Trace. 

I came across this Dutch interior on blog Decor8 that uses NLXL Scrapwood wallpaper. Isn't it great? I just love the colours, and the quality of the print. I think it is nice to bring texture into the home. I would say currently I am very much a white wall kind of gal - I would allow my textiles, pictures and furniture to be the interest in the room. However I am quite tempted by some of the Scrapwood range. What are your thoughts? At least there would be no splinters! The design is by company founder Rick Vintage and designer Piet Hein Eek. The wallpaper is made in Holland and has no repeat, so no two planks are the same. See more of their collection at Scrap Wood website. 

I came accross the artwork of   Kiana Mosley   at The Jealous Curator , and I am just that! I adore how she uses the colours with confidence but still produces a delicate result. Her work is a little like the paintings I do, I just love to draw and paint flowers and natural forms. Mosley creates joy on a page with multi coloured blooms all intertwined and rising to greet us.  Kiana Mosely was born in Hawaii and raised in Southern California, but now resides in the Pacific Northwest of America. She trained as a graphic designer but now creates beautiful artworks in mixed media and watercolour or on canvas.  The watercolours are just lovely. The lightness of touch and depth of colour makes me want to pick up a paint brush!   

With Graffiti I am divided. Some I would agree enhances the urban landscape, making a statement in an often overlooked place. But there is of course the kind that just soils the built environment.  I am impressed with Anna Garforth and her fresh look at age old graffiti. Anna uses moss to create typographic and visual statements. I love how clean her lines are, and how the dense green is living and actually adds to the surface it clings to.  The idea stemmed from a trip to a cemetery, seeing the tomb stones adorned with moss, and how the green sometimes followed the line of the written word, there by enhancing their meaning. In Anna's interview with blog Design Boom , she states her passion for working with organic materials, no toxins or bad perfumes are involved - a more positive mark on the landscape.    Anna's comment on handmade verses technology is something I can agree with "mixing technology with the handmade makes for a great synt...