maddie the coonhound

Maddie must be a pretty easygoing dog to allow herself to be photographed on top of so many different things. A pretty simple idea, with some wonderfully realized results.

For more images of Maddie on things, visit Maddie the Coonhound: a super serious project about dogs and physics.

(All images © theronhumphrey. Via Forestbound)

if I had a million dollars

I would buy...{the color edition: turquoise, teal and pale blue sky}

Diana Fayt's teal blue black eyed susan porcelain bowl.

A pale blue sky ring, from Katie Johansson of Dollybird Design.

Slide sideway's blue market weave cotton zip pouch.

West Elm's Cadiz Runner.

 And a trio of planters, from Clam Lab.

josh ritter - love is making its way back home

I've been a fan of Josh Ritter's music ever since I saw him live at an intimate venue in Nashville, TN. I'd never heard of him before that night, but after a wonderful performance, I promptly went out a purchased a few albums in order to hear more.
 
Josh Ritter - Love Is Making Its Way Back Home from Josh Ritter on Vimeo.

And so, I was pretty thrilled see that not only has Ritter produced a new EP, Bringing in the Darlings, but that the single for "Love Is Making Its Way Back Home" has a little stop-motion animated gem of a video to go along with it. Produced by Erez Horovitz, of Prominent Figures, this video was created with over 12,000 pieces of construction paper and is shown as it was shot, with no effects added in post production - a pretty incredible feat.

(Via Etsy)

Designer of the Month: Hella Jongerius

Week 4: color

Porcelain Color Research, 2006. Porcelain, coloured porcelain, glaze. Design: Hella Jongerius. Commission: Royal Tichelaar Makkum (NL). Courtesy of Jongeriuslab.

As you've probably already noticed, color is an incredibly important element of Hella Jongerius' designs. While much of her decisions about color are based on intuition, they are also informed by meticulous research; she's worked on projects reviewing the colors at Vitra and Camper and has developed new experimental shades for Maharam and Royal Tichelaar Makkum.[1] In addition to refining her own palette through this process, Jongerius has encouraged other designers to do so as well, even going so far as to create a color laboratory in the VitraHaus - the Vitra Home Collection's production house in Germany - where the public can play with color themselves as well as test her theories.[2]

Color Lab "Color Scheme," 2010. Design: Hella Jongerius. Commission: Vitra. Courtesy of Jongeriuslab.

Jongerius refers to her color experiments and research as "colour cooking," especially with regards to the relationships that she creates both between two colors and between colors and material surfaces.[3] This is an important process for Jongerius because she believes that the unchanging nature of industrial colors is a problem for manufacturers and designers alike.[4] Industrial colors need to meet specific standards, such as a retention of consistency and resistance to UV light, scratches, and wear and tear, but Jongerius believes that this depth of color and artistry shouldn't be sacrificed as a result.[5] As Jongerius explains:

As soon as we open our eyes, we see a palette of colours through which we subsequently recognize people, objects and landscapes. Colour determines how we see things and how we feel. It therefore deserves the kind of attention that I recognize most of all in painting. Look at paintings by Paul Cézanne, Mark Rothko or Barnett Newman. Every tone, every nuance and every colour combination is the result of endless experiments with pigments, compositions and layers...Then, you immediately understand that industrial colour selections show only a small fraction of what is actually possible. I see it as a challenge to bring that artistic standard into the industrial production process.[6]

Coloured Vases (series 3), 2010. Porcelain, 300 self-made colours through a process of mixing old and new glazes. Design: Hella Jongerius. Production: Royal Tichelaar Makkum. Courtesy of Jongeriuslab.

One of Jongerius' most long-lived explorations of color can be seen through her Coloured Vases series, which began with the Red White Vase in 1997 and has so far culminated with the third Coloured Vase series, which was created in 2010. Developed in conjunction with the new color palettes that she was designing for Vitra, in addition to her research at Royal Tichelaar Makkum, these vases illustrate both her findings, and the path she took to get there.[7] For Coloured Vase (series 1), in 2003, Jongerius created 40 vases, selecting their tones from the RAL color chart - the coding system that most architects and designers work with.[8] The second, in 2007, was a series of 42 vases based on the NCS color range, which is directly linked to the Vitra color palette.[9] For the third, in 2010 (above), the number of vases grew to 300, with the resulting colors based on old mineral recipies and color transfers, serving as an investigation into the perception of colors that optically merge.[10] "Each vase is unique in its combination of mixed and unmixed surfaces, traditional and industrial glazes, and as a result demonstrates that there are choices," explains Jongerius of Coloured Vases (series 3). "As a whole, the vases form a personal colour palette of intense, multi-layered colours. This not only reflects my own ideas about colour, but also my quest to find them."[11]


[1] Alice Rawsthorn, "The Human Factor," from Hella Jongerius: Misfit, ed. Louise Schouwenberg, Alice Rawsthorn and Paola Antonelli, (London: Phaidon Press Limited, 2010), 76.


[2] Ibid., 76.


[3] Jongeriuslab online, "Color Lab," http://www.jongeriuslab.com/site/html/work/colour_lab/09/, (accessed February 23, 2012).


[4] Hella Jongerius and Louise Schouwenberg, "A conversation that might have taken place: Colour Cooking," from Hella Jongerius: Misfit, ed. Louise Schouwenberg, Alice Rawsthorn and Paola Antonelli, (London: Phaidon Press Limited, 2010), 270.

[5] Ibid., 272

[6] Hella Jongerius, "A conversation that might have taken place: Colour Cooking," from Hella Jongerius: Misfit, ed. Louise Schouwenberg, Alice Rawsthorn and Paola Antonelli, (London: Phaidon Press Limited, 2010), 270.

[7] Ibid., 274.


[8] Ibid., 274.


[9] Jongeriuslab online, "Coloured Vases (series 2)," http://www.jongeriuslab.com/site/html/work/coloured_vases_series_2/, (accessed February 23, 2012).

[10] Jongeriuslab online, "Coloured Vases (series 3)," http://www.jongeriuslab.com/site/html/work/coloured_vases_series_3/, (accessed February 23, 2012).


[11] Hella Jongerius and Louise Schouwenberg, "A conversation that might have taken place: Colour Cooking," from Hella Jongerius: Misfit, ed. Louise Schouwenberg, Alice Rawsthorn and Paola Antonelli, (London: Phaidon Press Limited, 2010), 279.

downton abbey paper dolls

Just can't get enough of Downton Abbey? Me neither, and it seems like the good people over at Vulture feel the same way. These Downton Abbey Paper Dolls are hilariously amazing, and should go a long way towards tiding you over until Season 3.

Download them here!

tiffin lunch kit

As someone who takes her lunch to work every day in a plastic container, I'm always on the lookout for new and better options. I occasionally use this one, which fits nicely in my bag but is also plastic, and only good for carting certain types of food. Thankfully, Lorena Sinclaire seems to have gone ahead and designed a perfect, beautiful alternative with the Tiffin Lunch Kit.

A cross between a Japanese bento box and Indian tiffins, the Tiffin Lunch Kit is made from two ceramic bowls - one square, one circular - that stack together and seal with a cork lid, which doubles as a plate. Like I said, pretty much perfect.

(Via Design*Sponge)

chick-a-dee smoke detector

While pretty much anyone can agree that smoke detectors aren't the most aesthetically pleasing home devices, the Chick-A-Dee hopes to change all that. Imagined by Dutch artist and designer Louis van der Veld and produced by The Initiator and Company, the bird-shaped Chick-A-Dee is smoke detector that takes it name and shape from the the American Black-capped Chickadee, replicating its "chick-a-dee-dee" warning call at the first sign of smoke, and increasing in volume as the smoke thickens.

(Via Cool Hunting)

Blog About It

I love a good collection, and I love the ways in which they say so much about a person. While the majority of the blogs that I follow are either personal or based around topics of art, design and the somewhat catch-all category of lifestyle, I also love the ones that are very highly specialized in nature. I've shared a few examples before, but although today's are fairly new to me - I'm only been following each for about a month - they've quickly become favorites: Lists of Note and Cabin Porn.

Lists of Note is based on the very simple premise that people have been writing lists for many centuries and for all sorts of reasons; this blog serves as way to showcase some of the best of them.

Johnny Cash's to-do list:

Image: Julien's Auctions

Transcript

THINGS TO DO TODAY!

1. Not smoke
2. Kiss June
3. Not kiss anyone else
4. Cough
5. Pee
6. Eat
7. Not eat too much
8. Worry
9. Go see Mama
10. Practice Piano

NOTES: Not write notes

Eero Saarinen's list of his wife, Aline's best attributes:

Image: Archives of American Art

Transcript

I — FIRST I RECOGNIZED THAT YOU WERE VERY CLEVER

II — THAT YOU WERE VERY HANSOME

III — THAT YOU WERE PERCEPTIVE

IV — THAT YOU WERE ENTHUSIASTIC.

V — THAT YOU WERE GENEROUS.

VI — THAT YOU WERE BEAUTIFUL

VII — THAT YOU WERE TERRIBLY WELL ORGANIZED

VIII — THAT YOU WERE FANTASTICALLY EFFICIENT

IX — THAT YOU DRESS VERY WELL

IIIA — THAT YOU HAVE A MARVELOUS SENSE OF HUMOR

X — THAT YOU HAVE A VERY BEAUTIFUL BODY.

XI — THAT YOU ARE UNBELIEVABLE GENEROUS TO ME.

XII — THAT THE MORE ONE DIGS THE FOUNDATIONS THE MORE AND MORE ONE FINDS THE SOLIDEST OF GRANIT FOR YOU AND I TO BUILD A LIFE TOGETHER UPON (I KNOW THIS IS NOT A GOOD SENTENCE)

The above examples are some of my favorites, but the topics covered in Lists of Note by its creator, Shaun Usher (who also runs the equally fantastic Letters of Note) are as broad and wide-ranging as the people whose lists are featured. From Kurt Cobain's list of things needed for the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video shoot and Houdini's rider, to Thomas Edison and his colleague's potential names for the phonograph and advice from Thelonious Monk, these notable lists are at once fascinating and thought-provoking.

Who doesn't dream of getting away from it all? As inspiration for your quite place somewhere, Cabin Porn seeks to fulfill that fantasy, even if it's only from the comfort of your home or office.

 Cabin in Suphellebrae, Sognefjord, Norway ca. 1890

 Designed and built by 21-year-old industrial design student Robin Falck in the Finnish archipelago of Sipoo.

Cabin: Minka in Ainokura, Japan by Eddy Wong

Cabin Porn is such a simple concept, but the result is a wonderful collection of primarily reader-submitted photos that's enough to make anyone pine for their own personal cabin in the woods, on the side of a hill, under the Northern Lights, on the banks of a lake, or even just in the backyard. Plus, it's got one of the best names and url's (http://freecabinporn.com) around.

Ben Feiss - segmented jars

Although they could be used to hold pretty much anything, I bet that Ben Feiss' multicolored, segmented porcelain jars make great, if somewhat unconventional, thermos-like containers. I could particularly see these being used for soup or rice at a slightly eclectic Japanese restaurant. Each jar is held together by a brightly colored rubber band and cork, and breaks apart into a container, strainer, lid, and cap. Available at Iko Iko.

(Via I'M REVOLTING)

Designer of the Month: Hella Jongerius

week 3: technology and tradition

Nymphenburg Sketches – Animal Bowls (Fawn), 2004. Porcelain bowls, animals made by hand, glaze and hand-painted decorations. Design: Hella Jongerius. Distributors: Nymphenburg, München. Courtesy of Jongeriuslab.

Last week, I discussed the ways in which Hella Jongerius successfully combines industry and craft, one method of which is to create deliberate imperfections in an object. But for Jongerius, product design is not just about perfecting a process and then adding her own individual spin to it, nor is it about creating an object that is singular unto a specific time or place. Jongerius holds the idea of craftsmanship in high regard, and is especially conscious of the tradition surrounding this craft. However, the historical aspects of industry and of the companies that she designs for also play a role in defining Jongerius' work. As she explains:

By involving craftsman in the design process, I add something, humanity, tactility, literally the hand of the maker, who was persona non grata for years in the world of industrial design. What is more, I try to connect archival items with contemporary patterns and techniques. In fat, I create an enormous palette that appeals to the mental freedom of the viewer. I don't want to make arbitrary collages of old pictures, but to find meaning in interpreting the past in a new way.[1]

The above Animal Bowls (2004) that Jongerius designed for Nymphenburg, which celebrate the animal collection and decorative patterns found in the company's archives, are one of many examples of this; it's an arrangement from which Jongerius' most successful designs often arise.

Sampler Blankets, 2004. Felt, wool Technique: Needle-punch and embroidery. Design: Hella Jongerius. Commission: Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, New York. Courtesy of Jongeriuslab.

Delving into an archive and designing based on the resulting discoveries has been a theme throughout Jongerius' career. While this has often been the case in her designs for industry, Jongerius has been inspired by museum collections as well. The above Sampler Blankets (2004) were created at the request of the Cooper-Hewitt. The museum gave Jongerius the freedom to create based on items in their collection that sparked her interest, with samplers - fabrics on which handicraft techniques were illustrated - serving as the inspiration for her resulting designs.[2] "They were often made by bored noblewomen with a lot of time on their hands," she recalls. "In my Sampler Blankets I have reused the old motifs of the original samplers by applying a technique of cut and paste. However I have also breathed new life into old techniques with which mattresses used to be made, the needle punch...this results in unique blankets in which old motifs and techniques are brought back to life in a new way."[3] While these particular creations were non-manufactured one-offs, they subsequently served as the inspiration for an industrial version: the Layers (2006) collaboration shown below, produced with the textile manufacturer Maharam.

Layers, 2006. Wool, polyester yarn. Design: Hella Jongerius. Distributors: Maharam, New York. Courtesy of Jongeriuslab.

While Jongerius' historical explorations may not always result in a mass-produced product, this focus on experimentation within the tradition of a craft or technique is part of what makes her work so appealing. As she explains of this process:

In general, I'm not really interested in history or old stuff, but when I started designing I realized that there were lots stories and layers that I wanted to add to products. At a point, you need to decide on a form to contain all this information. This is for me is always the hardest part - which form should I make? There are already so many forms, so I started looking in old collections and found the best archetypes. While digging into history, I also discovered traditional types of craftsmanship which are beautifully detailed and in which you could see how much time the craftsman had spent on the product. In industrial processes, time is money and the products miss this quality. I am just starting this study, I have a lifetime to go...I don't want to fake imperfection - something my clients always see as a goal - because it's too expensive. First, I would love to design the machines to manufacture my ideal products.[4]

[1] Louise Schouwenberg, "A conversation that might have taken place: Misfit," from Hella Jongerius: Misfit, ed. Louise Schouwenberg, Alice Rawsthorn and Paola Antonelli, (London: Phaidon Press Limited, 2010), 38.


[2] Louise Schouwenberg, "A conversation that might have taken place: Craft and Industry," from Hella Jongerius: Misfit, ed. Louise Schouwenberg, Alice Rawsthorn and Paola Antonelli, (London: Phaidon Press Limited, 2010), 187.


[3] Ibid., 187-8.


[4] Design Museum online, "Hella Jongerius Q & A," from The European Design Show: Design Museum Touring Exhibition, http://designmuseum.org/design/hella-jongerius, (accessed February 16, 2012).

brooklyn to west

Just some of the unbelievably beautiful tables made by Ariele, of brooklyn to west, that she built for the restaurant il vecchio, in California. Not only is each one unique, but they were made from salvaged oak flooring, from a brownstone in Brooklyn. Awesome.

(Via I'M REVOLTING)

Cecilia Levy

Swedish artist Cecilia Levy combines her love of graphic design, bookbinding and illustration to create delicate, beautiful paper-based works.

See more on her website, blog and Flickr page.

(Via Poppytalk)