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Kitty Came Home vintage creations
Henry here at Design Tavern has proven now that he has an eye for innovative design and all things inspiring. Knowing him personally, thus, has its perks. Especially when they come in the form of a gorgeous Kitty Came Home vintage fabric clutch.
Kitty Came Home was founded by Katrina Weber in 2004. Based in Adelaide, Weber pieces together these delightfully lovely purses, wallets, journals and jewellery.
Editorial Design
It was only yesterday when @designtavern and myself were in my ordinary local newsagent, buying the latest issue of Frankie. The friendly man behind the counter, by no means Frankie’s target demographic, remarked happily “I love the design of this one, it’s really great!”.
This is someone who looks at the hundreds of different covers every single month. So you know what? I’m inclined to trust his judgement.
Editorial design is now going beyond merely getting a mag off the shelves and into the hands eager readers. Intricate folds, a nod to minimalism and all things organic, perhaps this shift is just what the magazine industry needs.
These two publications have quickly become two of my all-time faves -
Editorial Design is an amazing book, exploring both the fundamental principles of magazine design (i.e; get a product off the shelves) but also pays homage to some of the outstanding publications of yesteryear. From grid principles to Vogue layouts, it’s a must read for any magazine enthusiast, those who write and those that work behind the scenes.
IdN’s latest issue is dedicated to celebrating the wonders of modern editorial design. The pages are positively littered with innovative publications that push the boundaries in terms of design. From intricate folding publications, to fresh and exciting typography, it’s a truly inspirational issue. As for the free DVD included, it’s a muuuust must have.
L’Oreal Turns 100
L’Oreal Paris has been celebrating its 100 Years of Legendary Beauty (aka, its 100th Anniversary) for the past couple of weeks. Okay, big deal – make up for 100 years, who knew? But it seems the campaign which has been sparked by such an event, has dealt us lovers-of-all-things-lovely a nice big serving of vintagey glamour.
A collection of the vintage advertisements from L’oreal has been gracing the pages of girly magazines across Australia and, I’m sure, the rest of the L’oreal saturated world.
What can I say, it’s a lovely tribute to both the make up company and its female disciples bringing out the sentimental side of the make up industry which is a welcome change than the usual air-brushing/false advertising diatribes. Enjoy! For more pics, check out Harpers Bazaar or the official L’Oreal Website for more celebatory glamour!
Refined, handcrafted laptop bag
Renowned as one who loves all things pretty, my search for a new laptop bag has been quite an ardous task. Not only must the bag be fresh, unique and totally unlike anyone elses (not to mention a far cry from the ‘default’ grey one which came with the aforementioned laptop), but it must also be completely practical. Sounds impossible, yes? Wrong – I stumbled across, and fell completely in love with, this baby last night -
Say hello to the 2UNFOLD Multi-use Leather Laptop Bag from HardGraft:
The 2UNFOLD Laptop bag is described as “something of a sartorial transformer” and it’s no guessing as to why. It’s one bag, yet can be used/worn in eight different ways.
Handmade of leather in Italy, the bag is incredibly versatile, easily changes from style to style and has that air of timelessness we all know and love. I know my laptop would feel right at home in this toasty little number, which costs more than half of what I paid for my actually computer – my impractical side still lives! But goodness, it is awesome.
You can purchase this incredibly innovative and desirable bag from here, ships worldwide!
What is Eco-design?
It’s not easy being green, Kermit once sang, but in terms of design, it’s the way to go these days. In spirit of saving the earth through innovative design, What is Eco-design? is an online resource established by Design Victoria aimed at providing a “solid grounding in eco-design principles and practice”.
In a nutshell, the website is designed to provide a myriad of resources to designers which is relevant, timely and, most importantly, practical. Developed by the Centre for Design at RMIT University, WSP Environmental in collaboration with industry experts, the resources featured come in a variety of formats filled with all the information an earth-conscious designer could want. There are quick reference guides, dozens and dozens of useful links as well as quick tips, advice from industry professionals and vodcasts of “Design Victoria’s sell-out eco-design seminar and workshop series including introduction to eco-design; life cycle analysis and eco-labeling”
The most important selling point of the initiative is that it is by no means suggested that function, practicality and design are not to be compromised by doing things in a more eco-friendly manner. In fact, it’s quite the opposite; the resources here are able to demonstrate that our design and building practices can be enhanced by this move towards a greener world.
“It is important to emphasise that eco-design is not about dismissing the fundamental principles of design simply in favour of environmental gains. Positive environmental outcomes can be achieved during the design stage to ensure the best performance or result can be delivered over the long term without compromising form or function.”
If you’re an aspiring architect, designer, builder or artist, there is an abundance of insightful information here just waiting to be put into practice – definitely one for the faves.
See for yourself – read more info about the initiative here, or skip straight to the What is Eco-Design? Website!
Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Connector
It’s quite a basic algorithm – more people equals more traffic, more traffic equals more noise. Whilst the noise itself may be inevitable, it can be muffled these days by innovative, unique and groundbreaking design concepts.
The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway at Brooklyn Bridge Park generates an overwhelming hum of traffic on a daily basis. In response, architect Donald Rattner in collaboration with Hage Engineering have “created a proposal intended to ameliorate traffic noise, provide more usable park area than has been possible to date, and enhance the public realm with a work of civic art.”
The design proposes to enclose the expressway, trapping the noise and preventing it from disturbing the visitors to the park. The expressway is set to undergo repairs from 2018 and the project could easily be factored in to the repairs. Rattner explains –
“There is a practical need to deal with the vehicular noise that emanates from the BQE. Regardless of what is ultimately built on the waterfront – housing, restaurants, ball fields, passive recreation areas – visitors to the open space and surrounding structures will be subject to relentless, unpleasant, potentially deafening noise – at 85 decibels, the equivalent of standing next to an operating lawnmower. But there is also an aesthetic dimension that needs to be addressed. Our proposal seeks to provide a pragmatic solution to the problem and simultaneously to offer those on both sides of the river an attractive piece of public sculpture to appreciate.”
The structure also aims to utilise innovative green architecture concepts; the exterior of The Connector will use photovoltaic cells designed to absorb solar energy.It’s the clever mixing of a traditional park with modern and highly practical design which makes the proposal so intriguing.
http://www.brooklynbridgeconnector.net/
For more information, have a read of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Connector e-book.
Creative Desks & Workspaces
“It is almost necessary to make sure you love your workspace: because it is at your desk where your best work and ideas are born and developed.”
Well, can’t argue with logic like that! Check out the post here!
It’s always an ardous task when you go to sit down at your desk. In fact, these days just sitting down is half the battle when it comes to completing assignments or doing some work. For this very reason, you might as well make your work space an attractive one. Over at La Couturier, this is exactly what her latest post suggests you should do.
Fashion blogger and writer for DuJour mag, ’La Couturier’ knows her stuff. In this latest post, entitled My Space she gives you all the advice you need to revamp your work space and make it an inspiring and oh-so pretty one.
Images via weheartit.com
Cecilia Levy – Illustrator and Artist.
Perhaps a better title would have been “Cecilia Levy – Globetrotter, wife, mother, artist”
– Cecilia Levy is an amalgamation of many different things who believes that “In the words of German techno group Scooter: It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.”
Yoann Henry Yvon – Industrial and Product Designer
You know someone who subscribes to the belief that “design is a language and the designer the translator” is something special. Yoann Henry Yvon, a freelance product and interior designer based in Milan, possesses an earnest desire to “create iconic designs using pictures of symbols that[...]develop a special relationship between products and people”, bringing something new to design.
Though born in 1983 in Nice, France, Yvon lived in Spain for twelve years. There he studied at the University of Economy in Valencia before graduating with honors in interior design from the Istituto Europeo di Design in Italy in 2008. Now, instead of study, his days are filled by working on freelance projects and constant communication with a few different designers . A typical day includes scouring the net for new and exciting design blogs to keep himself up to date which what’s going on in the design world, administrative work, sketching and creating 3D models aiming to “make a rendering as realistic as possible”.
Abhijeet Kumar – Industrial Designer
The 'Welcome Chair'
An “industrial designer by profession” Abhijeet Kumar, based in Ahmedabad, says he was initially inspired by his family: “It was quite natural since my uncle was an artist and I saw him draw all the time”. However, it wasn’t until he discovered the work of industrial designer Raymond Leowy that he decided to make his creative passion into a career.
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The thin line between concert and works of art
Barthes once wrote of the Death of the Author – the declining importance of an artist’s involvement in constructing the meaning of an artwork. In terms of modern art alone, this ‘death’ has allowed for new degrees of viewer and audience participation. Some of the best examples today, I think, are concerts and large scale performances. Thanks to countless advances in modern technology, including video screens and lighting, arenas and venues are able to be transformed into living, breathing artworks in themselves, their aim precisely to involve the audience and the viewer in ways never before thought possible.