designvagabond

cisco office by studio o+a

noreply@blogger.com (KAT!) — Mon, 05 May 2014 13:00:00 +0000

Gorgeous details from this Cisco office, designed by Studio O+A. Every collaborative space has a unique personality and palette, catering to groups small and large, formal and informal. The environment feels like the sophisticated older sister of the play-as-work-as-play office trend. I certainly love the yurts!

friday inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (KAT!) — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Ball of Light is a beautiful light photography series by Denis Smith. Long exposure time (10+ minutes) allow the artist to connect with the landscape and explore new territories. All sans Photoshop!

via Frame

looks like music

noreply@blogger.com (KAT!) — Thu, 12 Dec 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Sound artist Yuri Suzuki designed this delightful interactive installation in which a miniature vehicle - the color chaser - detects and follows a black line and translates crossing coloured lines as RGB data into sound. In an interview with Dezeen, Yuri said, “I am dyslexic and I cannot read musical scores. However, I have a passion to play and create new music and I always dream to create new notation of music.”

via Dezeen

san fran design week poster

noreply@blogger.com (KAT!) — Wed, 11 Dec 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Translucent, colored laser cut plexiglas create this lovely poster for San Francisco Design Week. The identity work, designed by Manual Creative, was based on the concept ‘Exploring The Creative Overlap’. Marvelous!

via Plenty of Colour

watertower by tom fruin

noreply@blogger.com (KAT!) — Tue, 10 Dec 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Located in Dumbo, Brooklyn, Watertower is composed of 1,000 scraps of plexiglas and reclaimed steel. The iconic tower is illuminated by the sun during the day and by Ardunio-controlled light sequences designed by Ryan Holsopple at night. Created by Tom Fruin.

via My Modern Met

kindergarten kekec

noreply@blogger.com (KAT!) — Mon, 09 Dec 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Kindergarten Kekec is an extension to an existing kindergarten building that utilizes colorful wooden shutters as compensation for the school's lack of outdoor play equipment. Aside from serving as a shading element, the toy slats provide for children's play and learning: as the children manipulate the colourful wooden planks they get to know different colours, experience wood as a natural material, and are constantly change the appearance of their kindergarten, all at the same time. Designed by Jure Kotnik Architecture.

via Plenty of Colour

wellspring

noreply@blogger.com (KAT!) — Thu, 26 Sep 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Wellspring, by Martín Azúa, is an invitation to investigate and understand the natural processes to restore the relationship with the environment. It simulates an ecosystem through soil, rocks and plants, able to recover its natural balance. I love not only the form and texture of the vessels but also the passive interaction one has with them.

via Contemporist

vice & velvet

noreply@blogger.com (KAT!) — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Vice & Velvet creates a beautiful line of handmade soaps. The final forms are geological, reminiscent of layers of earth, with an enticing yet subdued color palette that isn't overly feminine.

iroha

noreply@blogger.com (KAT!) — Tue, 24 Sep 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Iroha is a lovely, minimal line of female adult toys. The vibrators have a similar look to traditional Japanese confectioneries and the packaging is intended to be as inviting as a box of sweets.

via The Dieline

hermès exhibition

noreply@blogger.com (KAT!) — Mon, 23 Sep 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Hermès recently unveiled its new collection of furniture, fabrics and wallpapers, as well as some bespoke pieces at Milan Salone del Mobile in April. The exhibit composed the new collections within stacked, symbolic houses, which provided a frame for viewing and appreciating the furniture and products.

Hermès is enriching the home with a host of new creations: “Les Nécessaires d’Hermès,” a range of cleverly designed, comfortable and multi-functional pieces of furniture imagined by French designer Philippe Nigro; a collection of furnishing fabrics and wallpapers, each with its own story to tell; and bespoke furniture creations designed to enhance exceptional interiors.

via designboom

friday inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (KAT!) — Fri, 30 Aug 2013 12:00:00 +0000

I know summer's just about over - and thank goodness for that! - but if you're searching for a way to hold onto its delicious colors and flavors, try making these delectable fruity summer striped ice cubes from Oh Joy! She combines juices, smoothies and coconut milk to form these perky treats that only bring more happiness as they melt. Happy Friday!

via Oh Joy!

the little free library

noreply@blogger.com (KAT!) — Thu, 29 Aug 2013 12:00:00 +0000

The Architectural League of New York partnered with Pen World Voices Festival and asked ten design agencies to come up with new types of Little Free Libraries.

Stereotank's design created an 'inhabitable' library, where users could immerse themselves and take the time to browse through books and borrow or exchange them. The structure is built out of an upside down plastic tank and a wooden frame. Perforations around the tank allow visitors to peek inside and preview the interior, which invites them to duck under and discover the book collection while still having a connection with the exterior. Wonderful!

via Pop Up City

IBM's smarter cities

noreply@blogger.com (KAT!) — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Ogilvy & Mather France designed a series of slarge-scale, dual-purpose ads for IBM's Smarter Cities campaign. The billboards embody the company's mission, transforming static advertisements into useful urban tools. The critical part of my brain thinks the ramp is a bit misleading since it probably doesn't meet ADA standards for slope, but it's creative nonetheless!

via 2Modern

colorful canoe paddles

noreply@blogger.com (KAT!) — Tue, 27 Aug 2013 12:01:00 +0000

I'm still enjoying the hipster camping trend, and jumping on that bandwagon is Norquay, a creator of pleasantly painted cherry wood canoe paddles. The paddles are, of course, not recommended for the rigors of extended wilderness trips, but would certainly look snappy on a cabin wall.

via 2Modern

strike matchbox

noreply@blogger.com (KAT!) — Tue, 27 Aug 2013 12:00:00 +0000

The Strike Matchbox is a perfect example of no product or experience being too small for great design. Shane Schneck "honors the the activity of creating a flame" with his lovely red phosphorus patterns. The final packaging is both bold and minimal, void of other graphic branding elements.

via Moco Loco

colorplan swatch book

noreply@blogger.com (KAT!) — Mon, 26 Aug 2013 12:00:00 +0000

This playful swatch book, designed by Made Thought for Colorplan, uses a swirling, gridless layout to highlight the paper company's color, weight, and paper embossing options. Check out Colorplan's delightful website, which continues the dotted swatch theme.

via Plenty of Colour

friday inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (KAT!) — Fri, 10 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Painterly aerial photography from the husband and wife team Patterns From Above. Happy Friday!

bronco stool

noreply@blogger.com (KAT!) — Wed, 08 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

I love the subtle sprout in the rear of this stool seat that playfully implies a saddle and also serves as a short handle or a place to loop your bag and sweater. The Bronco Stool, designed by Guillaume Delvigne for super-ette. To view more by this artist, see his porcelain bowl that can be embroidered in this DV post.

via Contemporist

cass art packaging

noreply@blogger.com (KAT!) — Tue, 07 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

The clean, minimal layout of the Cass Art packaging allows the stock and the paint medium to express the quality of the product. The result is a bold, textural statement about the unique performance of each paper pad. Lovely and inspirational! Designed by Pentagram.

via The Dieline and Lovely Package

textielmuseum and textiellab identities

noreply@blogger.com (KAT!) — Mon, 06 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Beautiful identity work for the TextielMuseum and TextielLab in the Netherlands by Raw Color. Next to hosting exhibitions about textile and design at the Museum, the Lab produces and develops textile projects with contemporary designers and artists. The letters T, M and L overlap with different opacities and color combinations, and the design quickly becomes its own woven textile, especially when repeated.

via Plenty of Colour

the chroma bench

noreply@blogger.com (KAT!) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Once again, I've disappeared, and perhaps you're wondering where I've been. Well, my friends and I entered an international design competition and we were selected as one of twenty finalists for the Street Seats Design Challenge. The next week and a half will be very, very busy, because we are building a full-scale bench to be installed on the Fort Point Channel of Boston!

If you would like to see the bench in person, the opening day is Saturday, 4/27, from 1-3pm. You can vote on your favorite bench, enjoy tasty food trucks, and mingle with the benches' designers. I hope to see you there!

Here is our full bench description:
"The Chroma Bench was inspired by colors, patterns and materiality of the maritime environment. The seating surface is a contemporary interpretation of linear decking found on classic wooden runabout boats. The rear “billboard” of the bench was influenced by the vibrant water hues observed underneath the Evelyn Moakley Bridge.

Triangular colored panels create an optical effect on the back of the bench. As walkers pass by, their direction determines what color is visible. This element of discovery will intrigue visitors and foster conversation about the piece.

The Chroma Bench is intentionally high-backed to protect from noise and wind, to make a “billboard” for the rear color feature, and to create an intimate sitting experience."

soundmachines

noreply@blogger.com (KAT!) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Soundmachines is an interesting instrument for translating and performing electronic music. It consists of three units resembling standard record players, which translate concentric visual patterns into control signals for further processing in any music software. The rotation of the discs, each holding three tracks, can be synced to a sequencer. Designed by The Product.

via designboom

wind maps

noreply@blogger.com (KAT!) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Beautiful wind maps from artists Martin Wattenberg and Fernanda Viegas. You can watch realtime data, or look up specific dates - the second map is from Hurricane Sandy. Check it out!

via MocoLoco

autumn/winter collection by gareth pugh

noreply@blogger.com (KAT!) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 12:00:00 +0000

For Paris Fashion Week, British fashion designer Gareth Pugh created these intricate ensembles by folding, shredding, and weaving trash bags. The line has a lovely combination of volumes, and its aesthetic is both architectural and a bit "goth" - inherent in shiny black outfits.

via Dezeen

noorderparkbar

noreply@blogger.com (KAT!) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Noorderparkbar is not only a fabulous-looking coffee bar; the freestanding cafe was entirely constructed from reclaimed materials purchased on marktplaats.nl, the dutch eBay. The resulting design was influenced by what materials the designers could find secondhand: wood, old windows and skylights. The final aesthetic is light and airy, with a playful framework of differently-sized components. Designed by bureau SLA and Overtreders W.

The structure of this project (local resourcing) made it financially feasible, sustainable, and socially significant. During the building process, the designers interviewed all people involved in the project - almost one hundred people in the community who sold or donated construction materials. You can view the interviews here (Dutch only).

via Frame