Jocelyn Warner
Bold patterns can work wonders on plain walls, as evidenced by Jocelyn Warner’s savvy wallpaper designs. Here are a few to whet your appetite:
DIY Cardboard Furniture
In school, I once had a studio project that called for the design of a stool made of corrugated cardboard. The idea was simple — to create a piece of furniture that was easy to assemble, structurally sound and made from inexpensive, readily available material.
Following this concept, Foldschool offers free furniture patterns which you can use to make your own chair, stool or cute little rocker from corrugated cardboard. Swiss architect Nicola Enrico Stäubli began Foldschool to provide “a face-to-face approach to design and [bring] together product and user the closest possible.” With beautifully sculptural lines, each of Stäubli’s designs strikes a strong impression.
Longoland Mania
Can you seriously think of a more inviting rug for your guests? The Monster Skin Rug practically screams, “Come hither and let me bite off your ankle!”
While hunting for flat furnishings, I stumbled upon the work of Brooklyn-based designer Joshua Longo, whose freaky rug sent me rolling over with laughter. Aside from the craggy clay teeth, the rest of the beast — made of brushed woven cashmere and wool — seems to make for a snuggly treat for the feet.
Also not to be missed:
The Monster Skin Chair (a bit tamer, but same idea)
The Mano Efferus — one of many strange creatures by Longo.
Color me Blue Iris in 2008
Consumer trends may be turning greener, but next year’s looking pretty blue: Pantone has deemed Blue Iris (PANTONE 18-3943) as the official color of 2008. Holding a spot in the company’s eco-friendly paint line, Blue Iris is a showy color that moves between bold shades of blue and purple. It’s a bit too bright for larger areas but would serve well as an accent color when paired with a neutral palette. I’m slowly warming up to the color and think that a hint of black might move it into a richer, more subtle realm. Here it is:
Pantone may be the global authority on color, but it certainly has followed a rather curious path through color expansion (whoever needed an entire swatchbook of ghastly pastel colors?). Over the last 40+ years, the company has grown well beyond graphic color management; it now produces premium Dutch-formulated interior paints, custom-dyed textiles and guides for the fashion industry, inkjet cartridges and plastics. You can even get your own Pantone flash drive!.
Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec.
The two irresistible brothers have unveiled yet another fabulous creation! Perhaps inspired by Interface’s mix-and-match FLOR tile system, the French design team created flexible foam and fabric units which can be linked together to form wall coverings. Image shown above is from the Kvadrat showroom in Stockholm.
