friday inspiration




I won't spoil the ending to this truly delightful promotional video about the anticipation of Christmas day - but it may bring a tear to your eye. Happy Friday!

PS. I'll be taking a little blogging break from now until the new year. May your holiday celebrations be joyous!

gift couture gift wrap


gc

Hilarious and delicious gift wrap by Gift Couture. This makes me absolutely giddy! Can you imagine having four or five burgers under the tree for your family members on Christmas!?

via Design Milk

dubuc santa scarf packaging


xmassid

GAH! Well, that isn't my normal response to Santa... thankfully Santa's teeth are removable. This (creepy and fun) packaging houses a scarf designed by Philip Debuc for Sid Lee and the agency's clients. Designed by Melanie Boucher.

via The Dieline

dashwood playing cards


xmasdeck

Dashwood playing cards were created by Dashwood as a promotional holiday gift for clients. The cards embody the company's love of typography and its sense of humor. The face cards were all illustrated by Dashwood with each character being based on one of their team, including Hamish Meikle, Creative Director and Andrew Gair, Managing Director being the two ‘jokers’.

via Lovely Package.

maple syrup packaging


syrup

Delicious packaging for organic maple syrup by Best Made Co.

a dreamy cabin christmas


xmas

Winter is my favorite season, and I'd love nothing more than to buy a quiet, tiny cabin off in the middle of nowhere, with nothing else than the shivering trees, gentle snow and a crackling fire. Above are a few decorating ideas for a humble Christmas in my dream cabin with a neutral palette.

[ 1 ] A winter home in Finland, by Helsinki studio Avanto Architects
[ 2 ] Story Lamp, Vibeke Skar and Ida Noemi Vidal
[ 3 ] Feather Wreath, West Elm
[ 4 ] Oak and maple wooden cones, Ferm Living
[ 5 ] St. David's Cross Throw, Terrain
[ 6 ] Marimekko Oiva white teapot, Crate and Barrel
[ 7 ] Oji Masanori Kami Mug, Mjolk


friday inspiration




An adorable advertisement for Fedex using Fedex boxes as "dominoes" to illustrate shipping from Canada (by a Canadian goose) to the United States (a puppy). The monochromatic floor map is wonderful. It combines what I see as two childhood pastimes: dominoes and model trains - at least by reference of a miniature world and travel. My favorite details are the "C'est la V" poster in the goose's office and the photo on his desk of the man at the park who feeds him.

Designed by BBDO. Happy Friday, and may all your holiday shipments be this exciting!

via adgoodness

jamie oliver product packaging


jopack

Wonderful product shipping boxes for Jamie Oliver. How delightful it would be to come home to this delivery! Now if only someone would apply this perkiness to moving boxes. Designed by Pearlfisher.

via The Dieline

john & john potato crisps


chips

Lovely graphic packaging for John & John Potato Crisps, reminiscent of nautical flags.

via The Dieline

magic by david fox


magic

Magic, designed by David Fox for Boss Design, looks like a cluster of woodland mushrooms when grouped. I like the contrast between the thick pouf and the airy base. If I knew I wouldn't be moving the table or seats around I would capitalize on that lower open space - a faux terrarium perhaps? What would you put in the "cage"?

via Design Milk

pencil shaving portraits


pencils`

Another post about peels: a series of portraits from colored pencil shavings for the contributors page of Wallpaper* Handmade 2011 by Kyle Bean. Excellent!

via Design Milk

peelpride


peel01
peel02

Designed by Rianne Koens, Peelpride is an attractive process for peeling, drying and grinding citrus fruit skins. The dried outer layer creates an intense garnish for foods and tea. This is a process that I never considered before, but now I find it quite intriguing. The dried skins are a lovely element stored in their containers.

via designboom

imd office in rotterdam


office01
office02

I'm smitten with this office design by Ector Hoogstad Architecten. Located in Rotterdam, the converted steel mill now houses a bright, airy office space. My favorite detail? The "outdoor" seating and eating areas! Spectacular.

via Dezeen

friday inspiration


FCpen



Incredible marker work and production video by the team over at Faber Castell. Happy Friday!

ogami notebooks


notebook

Swooning over these vintage-inspired notebooks by Office Milano.

via WANKEN

iris tables


iris

Aluminum slices combine to create a unique spectrum of color for every Iris Table, designed by Barber Osgerby for Established & Sons. The table is so stunning on its own that I would be too intimidated to set anything on it!

via MocoLoco

klassiker lounge chair


mwc

Klassiker lounge chair by Minwoo Lee. Gorgeous.

via MocoLoco

molecules lamp


molecule

An intricately folded single sheet of paper defines this intriguing light by Ofir Zucker & Albi Serfaty, in collaboration with origami artist Ilan Garibi, for Aqua Creations. The mahogany base adds a whimsical detail for the cord.

via Dezeen

madame paper dresses


tape
tape2

Exquisite paper dresses for Madame magazine created by Matthew Brodie and Hattie Newman. You can see their process - sketch to final photography - here. The floating peacock/mushroom is my favorite because it looks like layers of lingerie - a white, lacy top layer and a scandalous, black bottom layer.

via Plenty of Colour

brushes by iris hantwerk


iris

Who knew that I could get so much joy from a simple brush? Iris Hantverk products are made individually by hand by visually impaired craftsmen. I love the hand woven stitching. Available at Mjolk.

megaphone by en&is


ipodhorn

Megaphone is a ceramic passive amplifier for the iPhone. Honestly, I think this is the best "speaker" system I've seen for any portable music device, due to its cleverness and cheekiness. Kudos for having one less thing to plug in - talk about an old school solution! Plus, it's a fantastic conversation piece whether in use or simply on display.

via designboom

papernomad


nomad

Tear resistant paper packaging for your personal electronics by Papernomad. Leave it looking inconspicuous, or personalize it with hardcore doodling. Wonderful!

via Core77

jason lewis furniture


jchairs

Two lovely, hand built black walnut chairs by Jason Lewis Furniture. The gesture of the "joined" bench above knocks my socks off. I'm not sure why they aren't facing the camera - perhaps they're in time out?

via 2Modern

kishu binchotan


stick

Kishu Binchotan is a special activated carbon from Japanese oak. Through the combination of activated carbon and a unique pore structure Binchotan cleans the water of chlorine, pesticides, herbicides and solvents such as benzene, and it also ionizes the water. I never thought water purification could be so beautiful!

via things

waste treatment green roof


greenroof

Disks of vegetation dot the roof of this waste treatment facility, creating a pleasingly patterned green roof. From far away it looks like a painter's palette. Located in Vallès Occidental, Spain, and designed by Batlle I Roig Architects.

via designboom

new blogs


I've updated my blogroll on my About Me page. I'm so happy to welcome WANKEN, Daily Icon, Mrs. Easton and Plenty of Colour. I find so much inspiration from their blogs and I'm glad to have stumbled upon them in this great, big internet.

sacks by varpunen


sack01
sack02

Sacks by Finnish blogger Varpunen. Fantastic patterns!

via Nordic Design

clae shoes


shoes

An incredible collection of shoes from Clae. View their full lineup here.

hatziyiannakis' pebbles packaging


pebble

Wonderfully minimal packaging allows the beauty of Hatziyiannakis' ‘pebbles’ - round candy with a core of juicy fruit or nuts and bitter chocolate covered with a thin sugar coating - to shine. The "interior view" (haha) is helpful and enticing. Designed by Mousegraphics.

via The Dieline

wooden clock


clock2

If I'm interpreting the Google translation of Japanese correctly, this wooden clock is created from the scrap wood of various trees, resulting in the fractured surface and color variations. Lovely!

wave commuter cup


cup

Wave is a beautiful cup made of double-walled porcelain with a soft touch on the outside and polished inside. It is designed for gentle sipping, and who wouldn't want to savor coffee in this lovely mug. The cup has a matching coffee filter holder - that fits perfectly into the cup - so you can always go back and brew fresh coffee.

If you prefer a smaller mug with the same amazing lid design, check out the Lotus tea cup.

via things

transience mirrors


mirror

Transcience shows the beauty of the natural oxidizing process of mirrors. By accelerating and manipulating this process, the mirrors show various stages of oxidation in three different geometrical patterns. A lengthy process usually regarded as degradation shows the beauty of this material transition of silver. ByDavid Derksen and Lex Pott.

via designboom

design museum holon


museum

Colorful steel ribbons envelop the boxy two-level frame of the first design museum in Israel. The gorgeous topographic form and warm palette are reminiscent of the Israeli desert. Designed by Ron Arad Architects Ltd (RAAL)

via Arch Daily

friday inspiration


slide

Um, YES. The city of Utrecht allows citizens to take the stairs or use the transfer accelerator (aka. slide) to get to the train. My only concern is the the end isn't elevated like in US slides, so that you end in a "sitting" position. There might be a few butt scrapes with this one. Designed by HIK Ontwerpers. Happy Friday!

via The Pop Up City

taste buds graph


tastebuds

Can't decide on what to make and what flavors to pair with dinner? This is just a snippet from the helpful and comprehensive Taste Buds chart, sure to steer you in the right direction.

via It's Nice That

the seven seals by kinwah tsang


tsang01
tsang02

The Seven Seals is an on-going series of seven digital video installations using texts and computer technology to show Kinwah Tsang’s thoughts on various issues of the day. “The Seven Seals” draws its reference from various sources including the Bible, Judeo-Christian eschatology, existentialism, metaphysics, politics, etc., which all attempt to articulate the complex situation of the world and the dilemmas that people are facing while approaching “the end of the world”.

I like that the "thoughts" overlap, muddle, complicate and build upon other thoughts, slowly growing into an incomprehensible mass. Do you ever have a day like that? I sure do!

booster energy drink


booster

Cute, energy-packed design by Saatchi & Saatchi Belgrade.

via The Dieline

blue nectar packaging


bluenectar

Blue Nectar Design, a design consultancy working primarily in the alcoholic drinks arena, created this wonderful ale and its packaging to advertise their company. The dipped bottle tops sold me!

“Blue Nectar’s No. 1 is a limited edition ale designed by ourselves and brewed by one of our local brewery clients in the city of Derby, UK. The purpose of the ale was to produce a product that captures the essence of everything we do, creating compelling brands and putting them into beautiful packaging."

via Lovely Package

quarry lamps


marblelight

Quarry - hand-turned, thin-walled marble pendant lights with roughly finished interiors - utilises the marble’s translucent properties to diffuse the light and reveal its veining. The aesthetic is completely different when the light is on, which I love. Designed by Benjamin Hubert for De La Espada.

via Contemporist

dune interactive landscape


dune01

DUNE is a public interactive landscape that interacts with human behavior. This hybrid of nature and technology is composed of large amounts of fibers that brighten according to the sounds and motion of passing visitors. Gorgeous! Watch a video here. Designed by Studio Roosegaarde.

via designspotter

friday inspiration


magic


A splendid way to catch the attention of passersby for the upcoming Quebec City Magic Festival - Happy Friday!

via Ad Goodness

letters


paper

Beautiful layered paper sculptures by Bianca Chang. Could you ever have this kind of patience?

via Paper Crave

tessellation formation


frag

Tessellation Formation 5 by Matt Shlian. Nice!

via Design Sponge

inspiration pad


pad01
pad02

This inspiration pad by Marc Thomasset brings a smile to my face! What a great way to start an overwhelming day. Available for purchase in his shop.

via Swiss Miss

typefaces of the world


typeface01
typeface02

Typefaces of the World illustrates popular typefaces using a datamap design to portray the information. The poster includes information for each typefaces such as the year it was made, the location and the typographer. By Shelby White.

via Paper Crave