Posted in color, Design, furniture, inspiration, new, tagged color, contemporary, Design, high point furniture market, inspiration, interior design, laurie prophater, ornamental elements, polymer, polymer clay on March 29, 2016| Leave a Comment »
The next few posts will feature the colors, textures & trends from the Spring 2016 High Point Furniture Market. The preview books arrived yesterday and after a quick perusal, it appears this deep blue is ‘THE’ color. How to describe it…HMMM!!! The deeper blues in this beautiful agate are close, as is the background color of blueprints.
Posted in art, color, Design, inspiration, tagged color, contemporary, Design, inspiration, interior design, ornamental elements, polymer, polymer clay, sarah bagshaw on March 12, 2016| Leave a Comment »
Sarah Bagshaw’s work is informed by artists and designers working in a wide range of disciplines. That description applies to the underlying design process of many artists. We collect, study and ponder the world around us and then transform or translate those insights. Sarah Bagshaw “makes one-off pattern designs using handmade processes (drawing, painting, printmaking, photography and collage) combined with Photoshop. I use Photoshop in an experimental manner and love ‘happy accidents’.”
Posted in color, Design, fashion, inspiration, tagged color, Design, fabric, fashion, inspiration, laurie prophater, ornamental elements, pantone, pantone fall 2016, polymer, polymer clay on February 13, 2016| Leave a Comment »
It isn’t even Spring and I am already looking forward to Fall…at least the Pantone colors of Fall 2016. As you may know, I was not very excited by the Colors of 2016, Serenity & Rose Quartz.
From Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute: The desire for tranquility, strength, and optimism have inspired a Fall 2016 color palette that is led by the Blue family.
Along with anchoring earth tones, exuberant pops of vibrant colors also appear throughout the collections. Transcending gender, these unexpectedly vivacious colors in our Fall 2016 palette act as playful but structured departures from your more typical fall shades.
Blue skies represent constancy as they are always above us. Grays give a feeling of stability, Red tones invite confidence and warmth, while the hot Pinkish Purples and Spicy Mustard Yellows suggest a touch of the exotic.
My next project, translating these colors into the Kato color pallette.
Posted in color, Design, fashion, inspiration, tagged color, contemporary, Design, fashion, inspiration, laurie prophater, ornamental elements, polymer, polymer clay, salvatore ferragamo on February 9, 2016| Leave a Comment »
According to the March 2016 Town & Country, stripes were the dominant pattern in Spring Collections. This Salvatore Ferragamo Aileen purse is already a best seller…and Spring is a month away. BTW…more stripes in a chevron pattern on the Ferragamo home page.
Posted in art, Design, fashion, inspiration, jewelry, we can do this, tagged contemporary, Design, fashion, inspiration, jewelry, laurie prophater, lizzie fortunato, ornamental elements, polymer clay on January 15, 2016| Leave a Comment »
Twins, Lizzie & Kathryn Fortunato founded their eponymous line in 2008 with the intent of creating unique accessories that use unexpected materials. “Lizzie designs the line, while Kathryn, who got her start on Wall Street, oversees sales and operations. Lizzie studied Art History and English at Duke University (where Kathryn majored in Economics) and her interest in “dressing to tell a story” is reflected in the pieces she creates.”
Posted in art, color, Design, enamel, fashion, inspiration, jewelry, tagged art, art deco, color, contemporary, Design, diamonds, inspiration, laurie prophater, nc rocks, necklace, ornamental elements, polymer, polymer clay on January 6, 2016| Leave a Comment »
The Mother-Daughter team of Nadine Hammoud and Cherine Altobaishi design jewelry that is inspired by their Lebanese heritage and their travels to exotic locales. Timeless in style and modern in expression, NC Rocks creations recall the abstract musings of artists like Al Held and Pablo Picasso, Wassily Kandinsky and Piet Mondrian. They honor the stylized ornamentation of art deco, the contoured fashions of the 30s and 50s, and the liberal, versatile vibe of the 70s.
My New Years resolution to post on a timely basis was foiled by technology…our internet connection evaporated on New Years day and did not return until today.
Posted in art, color, Design, fashion, green design, inspiration, jewelry, re-purposed, tagged art, color, contemporary, Design, inspiration, jewelry, kyanite, laurie prophater, monique pean, ornamental elements, polymer, polymer clay, rings on December 20, 2015| Leave a Comment »
As you scroll through the work of Monique Pean, you may be struck by a simple yet powerful design aesthetic. “MONIQUE PÉAN uses environmentally responsible procedures to source its materials, and uses 18 carat recycled gold and platinum, conflict and devastation free precious stones, diamonds and fossils, which are gathered with no mining involved. MONIQUE PÉAN is a member of the No Dirty Gold campaign and a supporter of the Too Precious to Wear campaign.”
The stone in this dramatic ring is Kyanite. Some believe kyanite is a calming stone, helping to quiet the mind and dissolve feelings of anger and frustration.
Posted in art, color, Design, inspiration, jewelry, tagged art, color, contemporary, Design, diamonds, fashion, inspiration, interior design, jewelry, laurie prophater, ornamental elements, polymer, polymer clay, rings, rug, solange azagury-partridge, wall street journal, youtube on December 13, 2015| Leave a Comment »
Solange Azagury-Partridge has a rather eclectic mix of inspirations…Berbers, Rubies, the Moon, Gargoyles etc….but first on the list “LIONS”. “I feel a huge love and affinity with Lions. My star sign is leo, my hair is big and frizzy like a lion’s mane, I’m a carnivore, I’m from Africa, I’m sociable and lazy”
Like the inspirations, her work encompasses a wide variety of styles and several categories. Rings, in the jewelry category, move from refined to playful and then into edgy. I was attracted to the stairway in her London showroom. Each step is carpeted in a different pattern, creating a riot of color. HMMM!!! I wonder if I can talk my husband into that for the stairway to his loft office!!!
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal featured Solange and highlights of her work over the past 28 years. The 1999 ‘Nature Ring’ for a mere $24,500 caught my eye…but the 1996 ‘Hotlips’ ring is still a best seller…$9,600.
Posted in color, Design, fashion, inspiration, new, tagged color, contemporary, Design, fabric, fashion, inspiration, interior design, jewelry, laurie prophater, ornamental elements, pantone, polymer, polymer clay, rose quartz, serenity on December 6, 2015| 1 Comment »
The wait is over and the Pantone colors of 2016 are Serenity and Rose Quartz…YAWN!!! Since the last 20 years of my career was in interior design, I am seeing nursery decor, or onesies in Serenity and possibly party dresses up to age 6…beyond that…NOT SO MUCH!!!
From the Pantone Executive Director “Joined together, Rose Quartz and Serenity demonstrate an inherent balance between a warmer embracing rose tone and the cooler tranquil blue, reflecting connection and wellness as well as a soothing sense of order and peace.”
As you look over Pantone’s color of the year for the last 6 years you will see several colors that have ‘legs’ and some that fall flat. While my favorite color palette includes the rusts, golds and neutrals of the Fall, Radiant Orchid through Turquoise find a way into my Spring and Summer designs. (My daughter’s burgundy school uniform definitely influenced my decision to avoid Marsala) Let’s talk next year about Serenity & Rose Quartz…I would love to know how they have influenced your designs…or not!!!
Posted in art, Design, inspiration, jewelry, lighting, tagged art, bec brittain, calder, contemporary, Design, fashion, hilda hillstrom, inspiration, interior design, ladies & gentlemen studio, laurie prophater, ornamental elements, polymer, polymer clay, wall street journal magazine on November 14, 2015| Leave a Comment »
The latest issue of the Wall Street Journal Magazine features a series of ‘Calderesque’ light fixtures. The dramatic arrangement of the elements in the fixtures would translate well as pendants, suspended on a cable necklace.
The photo on the left features a fixture from Ladies & Gentlemen Studio. “Ladies & Gentlemen Studio is a bi-coastal based design studio operating between Seattle and Brooklyn and embracing the best of both coasts. L&G Studio’s aesthetic and design philosophy is a balanced blend of warm minimalism, playful austerity, and simple sophistication.”
The photo on the right features the Helix Variant from lighting designer Bec Brittain & sculptor Hilda Hillstrom and ” pairs LED lights and brass forms with pigmented jesmonite, illuminating the relationship between planar forms and volume.”
Ornamental Elements 