A colourful play on our perception of passing time

The Ink Calendar is an innovative and extremely creative idea by Spanish designer Oscar Diaz. Unlike any calendar I've ever seen before, or, moreover, dared to imagine, this creation works by relying on the capillary action of ink spreading across paper and, in turn, displaying the date.

This cute idea works by the ink being slowly absorbed such that a new number becomes visible each day, corresponding to the correct date, of course. The concept behind Ink Calendar is to enhance the perception that we relate to passing time and, hence, goes beyond that of simply signaling the date. Furthermore , it addresses our senses rather than our logical and conscious brain.

The artist's ingenuity of the simplicity of litmus paper carrying the vibrant colour through a graphic bridge is unique and rhythmic to the eye. I love how the numbers live brazenly in contrast to the wall and the choice of the deep splash of Bordeaux is delicious. I find this idea is fun, light, vibrant, and perfect for a Sunday blog post. Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed posting it.   

Source - dezeen magazine

For more killer products that will put a smile on your face and a spring in your heart you are welcome to escape to my Pinterest.

Hexagonal speckles of fun & function

Form Us With Love are Stockholm based designers and the masterminds of these very quirky hexagonal wall panels. The panels are not only funky, lots of fun to assemble and easy on the eye, they're also sound-absorbing, moisture-regulating, heat-accumulating, and made from all natural recyclable material composed of wood, wool, cement and water. These designers are smart cookies indeed!

Coming in a variety of eight colours these hexagonal pieces have won my heart. Even the idea of holding one in my hand and sticking it to the wall is enticing. The little hexagons enrich the whole design journey from assembly to complete visual satisfaction of a job well-done. So below I share with you some fun & bright pics from this product. Enjoy, it's the weekend!

Source - dailytonic

And for more weekend fun and finger-licking creative inspiration I invite you to indulge in my Pinterest.

Portrait coming alive through sculpture

Meet Julian, he is born through a portrait study of one individual's rebirth and, hence, understanding of their body and spirit. Artist Alejandro Maestre chose his good friend Julian in order to depict this emancipation through self-discovery. Julian himself is a talented soul, among his occupations he bears those of a film director, sculptor, painter photographer and artist...

The study aims to depict a certain quiet, human struggling, one that is a journey through shaping one's self towards becoming a better person. The work absolutely took my breath away. I revel in the simplicity of the rhythm and composition of the collected works, from the brave, accepting hands, to the emotion in Julian's eyes, and the self-comforting in the last image's tender embrace. For me it provokes both a beauty as well as a touch of humbled sadness, one that sees the subject alone on this journey of self-discovery, all while being somewhat brutally exposed as he accepts his own soul, being & existence... 

I just wonder what the experience would be like if we looked at the collection backwards? Would it be the going-into-hiding of Julian, the shame of one's life lived with error and regret? Interesting to ponder on...

Source - ignant

For more minimalist love I invite you to feed your creative hunger through my Pinterest.  

Paris apartment dreaming, with Paola Navone

Everything about Paris that exudes immaculate design and sheer inspiration, I love. So I absolutely had to share my recent apartment find with you, that of eclectic Italian designer Paola Navone. This woman is amazing. With an incredible career behind her and having lived in various countries in the world, not to mention travelling extensively, her Paris apartment is an embodiment of all that has inspired her over her incredible journey.

Enter her loft and you're in another world. Every colour compliments the one next to it, every texture is executed to perfection, and no surface goes untreated. The overall feeling is one of magic! We see clear tones and accents influenced by her years in Hong Kong as well as notions of Morocco. There is also a certain childlike approach to many of the apartment's design aspects, such as the marriage of tiny lamps with those that are clearly oversized, and designer chairs from various styles coming together like the perfect orchestra. Oh, and the garden of the makeshift tall, yellow poppies in the living room... ecstasy! What an imagination!!

I wholeheartedly love this space and find this woman is a true inspiration. I do hope you'll enjoy it equally as much...

Source - Sharedesign (originally from Casa Vogue & Cote Maison)

Photography - Jean-Marc Palisse

For more glorious apartment pics you can lose yourself in my Pinterest pages, you may particularly like perusing the Inspiring Spaces folder. 

  

My rainy retreat in Café de Flore

Saint-Germain is by far my favourite area in Paris and with some time to spare I embarked on the sixth arrondissement to feed my artistic hunger. Before I knew it I was faced with edgy street art, crazy buskers and typically cute parisian bikes parked wherever a free street cobble was found, all while their funky owners sipped on hot coffee and rich, red French wine in neighboring cafés. It's fashion week here in Paris and I dare say the locals are inspired more than ever.

Each and every time I step foot in Saint-Germain I'm intrigued and my heart is smiling. There is always something to touch, see, sip, snap... On this particular outing the rain got me, so as I capped my Canon  I found refuge in the nearby Café de Flore for a hot, strong, well-deserved coffee...

Here below I share with you some of my favourite snaps...

If this inspired you, you are welcome to check out more goodies via my Pinterest. 

   

Whispers on a canvas

I think the title of this post embodies what I think of this wonderful, soft, non-intrusive yet inspiring work. It is no secret that I'm a minimalist addict and I recently came across the below AO Collection via my Pinterest, which I immediately wanted to share on my blog. The work is magic, such a light presence on canvas that you may walk by it the first time your paths cross, but once you notice it, it is delectable, a whole world of detail on such a small and soft scale. Despite its simplicity I feel that the artist laboured over the pieces for hours, with delicately porcelain hands. 

Not only is the work seductive but the AO site is really very funky. The site mostly concentrates on the beautiful work and shares little information about the artists*, so I'm sorry I can't give you more here. But I do know that the work is mixed media on canvas and have shared a couple of in-situe examples below to give you an idea of scale.

*Additional information added 21 March 2013: The artist behind this collection is Ayşen Orhon. You can discover more of her work in a more recent the post titled Timid, sophisticated beauty by Ayşen Orhon.

You can find more of the artist's fabulous work at - aysen orhon, ao collection, instagram, pinterest