Daring Green...

After two years of living in our wonderful apartment I've recently decided that I'm finally ready to move on to phase two of the renovation, or rather interior redecoration to be more precise, as we won't be knocking any walls down. Phase one comprised of the necessary tasks one must undertake when buying an already lived in home, a fresh coat of clean wall paint, a retile of what was a once flooded laundry yet never well cleaned, and the replacement of a couple of decayed floor boards. So nothing overtly exciting. 

Now, I'm hoping this next phase will be more exciting, it 's less a 'fix it' phase and more of a design phase. But I'm at a cross roads. It being your own home, and you being the person who can implement any visual idea that you want, it actually makes it hard to know where to begin. Do I put colour on the wall or wallpaper, or what about a mirror to reflect the amazing view? And do I gather beautifully aged recycled wooden furniture or do I invest in ruggedly grungy copper accessories? All these things appeal to me, and maybe all can even work together if well mixed. But I want to be sure to avoid making our humble ninety square metre apartment look like Willy Wonka's chocolate factory...

So here I am, I guess more in a planning phase rather than designing for now. This week I've been exploring the idea of adding some green into the interior. It'd be a colour I've never thought to use before, but I think it could work well if done right and in the right measure. I definitely feel a little out of my comfort zone with green, but these images show just how incredibly well it can be incorporated if one can exercise self control...

Images - all via my pinterest

Layers of paint and love define Kiki Slaughter's studio

Painter Kiki Slaughter builds her large-scale abstract artworks in the enchanted ruins of a 377-square-foot studio in Atlanta. The space is set within a 19th-century cotton gin factory converted to contemporary art studios and gallery venues, all sitting on 12 acres of land within the heart of the city. The bare, industrial bones of the artist’s studio space offer big windows, hardwood floors, exposed brick, and tall ceilings, of which many surfaces have become layered with pigment, in a similar fashion to her paintings. 

Amongst the surfaces covered with colour and pigment is a set of beautiful vintage French chairs that the artist had picked up at one of her favourite stores. Slaughter then had them covered in her fabric with a fun pop of pink piping.

The studio's paint-covered floors are juxtaposed by tall ceilings with exposed rafters. The colour hasn't quite splashed so far, and therefore we find that the ceiling is perhaps the only element of flat, natural colour. On the back of the main wall of the studio is a pair of large paintings titled 'Rebel Rebel' which measure an impressive 5x8 feet apiece (below image).

On another wall, a beautifully exposed brick surface, we find a large painting called 'Spring Cleaning'. It hangs above a collection of canvas strips which are soon to be made into a sculptural piece (below image).

Not far along, a beautifully humble and simple glass container sits quietly with one paint brush in it (below image). It is one of many that the artist uses to mix colors. "You can tell from its opaqueness that a lot of colors have been mixed!," Slaughter says.

There is such humanity and 'realness' in this studio. We take such care to keep our homes clean and pristine, but in reality we need to create and leave our mark. I find that Slaughter's studio is an amazing example of giving a presence and a voice to everyday objects. She hasn't just stuck to expressing herself on canvases, but also given colour and life to glass jars, the studio floor and walls, random rags, and beautiful French furniture.

Source - designsponge.com

Images - designsponge.com

Related Nest of Pearls post - Inspiration for a creative 2013

Vivacious photography by Metz + Racine

How crazy cool are these photos from the photography team Barbara Metz and Eve Racine! Working under the professional industry name Metz + Racine, the two women founded their eponymous photographic studio in 2000, and to date have enjoyed great success, having worked for clients such as Hermès, Krug and Chanel. Their photography is simply fun, vibrant, refreshing, and so rich with detail.

Metz + Racine are very well known for their 'not-so-still' still-lifes, as well as their love for colour, art, storytelling, food and fashion. Their pictures are attention-grabbingly fantastical yet classical, all at the same time. On their website, their work is described as the type that 'brings a welcome sense of puckishness to the sometimes stark and masculine world of still-life photography. In a Metz + Racine photograph, intimate objects are brought gloriously to life.'

Of their many sleek and colourfully sophisticated projects of work, I've here selected three Metz + Racine editorials to share; De Chirico for Casa Da Abitare, Acrobazie for Case Da Abitare Extra Soft for Corriere Della Sera Living.

Source - metzracine.com

Images - metzracine.com

Related Nest of Pearls post - Rainy Sunday colour whiz-bang fun, by André Britz

CUT Architectures designs third PNY burger joint in Paris

A new, colourful and super dooper contemporary PNY burger joint has opened in Paris in the 3rd arrondissement Les Marias, designed by CUT Architectures. I'm guessing this is only due to the success of the existing two restaurants, PNY Oberkampf and PNY FBG St-Denis, both also in Paris, and both also designed by CUT Architectures.

A little bit about the PNY burger establishments... They're actually part of what is becoming a flourishing concept in Paris, that of digging into burgers. While devouring burgers has always been more of an American thing, the French, who are generally more choosy about the quality of their food, seem to slowly be coming across this concept.

And the success of the PNY concept probably lies largely in their philosophy around the quality of their food. They carefully choose only the very best meat and ingredients, all while serving up a culture that is a blend of NYC and Paris, but minus the typically, corny clichés.

Whereby the first two PNY joints, in Oberkampf and St-Denis, were less colourful and certainly darker, the Les Marais PNY is completely animated with colour and eccentricity. There are a couple of things that stand out for me in the photos here; I love the juxtaposition of the bright, metallic, shiny colours against the rugged, textured wall, and I also get completely lost in the rectilinear, geometric visual cues that pop up as one moves through the space.

So with my flying to Paris in exactly one week from now, this is a definite must do on the list. It ticks all the boxes; I love burgers, love NYC, love Paris, love the colourful interior... however, the waistline may suffer...

Source - contemporist.com

Images - contemporist.com

Photography - david foessel