Design Debate

I have always loved Art Nouveau. The perfect art movement for a lover of blossoms, blooms, pattern and natural form. Growing up in our family home, we had a few of Mucha’s posters displayed, so his work was familiar to me. He was a graphic designer who really knew how to create an impression that went beyond the product. So last week when I visited a friend in Prague, I was really excited to see the Mucha Museum . There were so many works of art that I had never seen before, and they were so beautiful in the flesh. Prague itself is a captivating city – the buildings are tall and embellished with ornate swirls and elegant faces. Every street surprises with ice cream colours and intricate mouldings. We spent so much time in restaurants and cafés, soaking up a proudly independent culture. It was really lovely having our friend and Czech guide Bara as we wove our way through the streets avoiding the crowds. Rich creamy foods were consumed at ...

  Coffee is an overcrowded area of product - there are just so many small-time boutique roasters all with their own values and individual stories to tell. The tricky thing  is always going to be  standing out in that market.  I came across Amaya Roasting today and I love the traditional feel of the branding but with a kind of happy quirkiness that feels right up to date. A royal blue mixed with crisp white or a beige cream keeps the palette concise. I like how the logo sets the scene - simple stars, a beautiful boat and stylised tea leaves. The business card has a lovely cloth finish and I like the use of scale on the packaging and stationery. It is great how you can really get a feel for a product, purely through design, even before you get to smell the aroma!  Find out more at the Die Line . 

Have you heard of Esther Patterson and her brand Curiousa & Curiousa ? She is taking the design world by storm with her delicate and sultry hand-blown glass lights. I love her work, the colours are mesmerising, all made traditionally in Derbyshire, England. She has won many awards and her work exhibits in Libertys, London. You can see these glowing works of art in Harvey Nichols Fifth Floor Cafe and Jamie Oliver restaurants.  Her passion is working with UK crafts people and her designs are have great scope - each shade is free-blown (no moulds used) which means pretty much any shape, colour and size can be achieved. Lovely.  Originally found at Heart The Home blog . 

The superstar that is Adele was recently captured by brilliant photographer Annie Leibovitz for Vogue. The photos are perfect - Adele's far off, quiet, calm look and the glossy makeup, sumptuous outfits and the dark and faded styling just comes together so well.  The massive star looks quite at home in the aged glamour of her surroundings - though there is nothing faded about Adele. The shoot takes place at London's Claridge's Hotel and I love everything about the styling. You can see this is a women confident in who she is, at ease with herself, and its nice to see some curves in the glossy pages of the fashion press. See more from the shoot here, and check out Chloe 's interpretation of Spring 2015, crayon fashion and what beauty looks like through the ages.   

Sublime - beautifully filmed and beautifully created. One man's waste can really be another's art. Can City is a film and project by Studio Swine.  Brazil is up there when it comes to recycling cans, the pickers are called Catadores and finding the cans is not the most rewarding job. This São Paulo project could give them another revenue. The collected aluminium cans are melted and turned into sellable products, Can City is a mobile foundry turning cans into furniture right on the streets. So inventive, the fuel is waste cooking oil from local cafes and the moulds themselves are made from found items, whatever is at hand.  Such a smart idea! Studio Swine is UK based and their focus is on sustainability. Alex Groves from the studio says "We wanted to tap into this existing street culture—to turn a public space into a manufacturing line". I love it - especially how beautiful the aluminium cans look being poured into their moulds!   Read more here ....

  Juliette Mutzke-Felippelli designed the 'French Touch' chair for Joogii Design. A ghost chair inspired by the French house music of the 1990s, the likes of Daft Punk and Cassius. For a form that is coloured delicately and with a dreamlike quality, the construction is robust. Asymmetric pieces are bolted with steel, the effervescent coating darkens at night bringing out more primary shades. Its an interesting chair, not graceful but it throws some impressive shapes. See more at Fresh Home .    

Welcome to the studio of Sabine Marcelis , these sublime pieces of neon and resin are created by the New Zealand born designer. "DAWN" and "VOIE" are part of Marcelis' journey in manipulating and diffusing light. Her pieces are sculptural but functional and I love the warmth of colours and tones these two mediums produce. I especially like the moon shapes that give a space-like glow. Do check out the rest of Sabine's work , her layers of coloured foils and glass are especially beautiful. Originally found at Yellow Trace .