Disclaimer:For some reason my post didn’t schedule but  I had been looking forward to sharing this post all last week. Oh well, better late than never. Read with caution; lots of pretty ahead.

There’s not enough information about women designers in the grand scheme of art and design history. I feel like I accidentally “discover” a new woman designer, who worked during a time when very few women worked in design. Luckily I’ve studied a few,  including  Charlotte P, CoCo C, and Eva Z but many more that those that I discovered because of blogging, reading or researching something else entirely.

This whole rant came about while I happened to pop over to Surface View. You see, I hadn’t been there for a while and always loved their wall murals. True to form, they were beautiful but my heart skipped a beat when I saw the work of Atelier Zina de Plagny.

So who was Zina? I needed to know…

{image via atelier zina de plagny}

From what I could gather (from her website mostly), Zina was  a Russian-born textile designer  who established her practice in Paris.  She learned the textile industry courtesy of her mentor and husband, Leon Koudine, who after he died, de Plagny took her knowledge and worked for several studios.  It was during the post world War 2 era  that she launched her own studio, Atelier Zina de Plagny, working throughout the 40’s and 50’s.  Again, why didn’t I know who she was?

Thankfully Surface View tapped the atelier’s archives and turned her textile prints into these amazing over scaled wall murals. I’m in a floral mood right now, but that can’t be my Nana’s floral patterns. No, I’m talking big….something like this:

Or perhaps something a touch more abstract would be fun:

{all room sets via surface view}

Gosh, I’m totally daydreaming about the beauty in the studio archives. I want to see more of the textiles from Atelier Zina de Plagny, don’t you?

PS. I’m gonna a mini-blogging break  for the long weekend starting Friday. I will see you bright and early Tuesday morning!

Happy Long weekend!

xoxo,

Jessica

Sometimes all you need are the contrast of subtle textures, warm neutrals and bold graphic art to make a room perfect. Oh, and fabulous built-in shelves for books help too!

But look at the difference a warm wash of cocoa paint brings to this  den. Isn’t it lovely?

{images via atlanta homes and lifestyles and courtney giles interiors}

I’m not sure which I like better, but when a room has good bones  and there’s time and thought put into the palette it’s hard to make a mistake.

Which version of the room do you prefer?

Most of the designers I know have a great love of Textiles, including yours truly. Last year I found out about Aviva Stanoff and was in awe of her designs. Over the weekend, I found this video that at the time was done for pointclickhome. You get a dose of what goes into her  design thinking and creative process.

I’m not sure why I haven’t seen this sooner. I guess inspiration comes at the right time.

If you  have been reading this blog a while, then by now you know about my slightly unnatural undying love for graffiti (see here and here). Perhaps I’m a latent graffiti artist, because I love seeing text transformed into bold art and I’m pretty open to any form of creative expression even if it happens on the city streets. So you can imagine that my heart got all aflutter when I saw these beautiful porcelain tiles. Graffiti might be better on the floor.

Making their debut this year at Coverings, these porcelain tile beauties are a part of the Banksy Collection by Peronda, a Tile of Spain branded manufacturer. For use on wall and floor, they come 17″ x17″ and use digital printing technology to capture actual images of  some of  the world’s best graffiti onto the the tile. ( At work, I’ve been reading and talking to reps about digital printing technology on tiles and I’m fascinated by the realistic look .)

Seriously, I can’t get enough; these are art pieces for your space. I get so much inspiration from seeing amazing materials and right and now I’ve got a billion ideas whirling around my head.  All I need now is the right client!  I can’t wait for that day!

So, my dear readers, I’m off to to work then to start the weekend fun! I hope you have a great weekend! I will be out treasure hunting and exploring the urban landscape this weekend. Hopefully, these tiles will inspire me to look  for unconventional beauty everywhere I go.

Happy Weekend!

xoxo,

Jessica

I love these out of scale, dollhouse views of Claire Coles‘ wallpaper designs. All of her papers are handmade and it’s easy to get a sense of her artistry when looking at them this way.

Happy Monday! I want to wish you a good week. I’m going to to the Bright Star later this week  so I can do a special post today.

I consider myself an eternal student, especially when it comes to issues of design, resources and  sustainability. That’s why,  last Wednesday, when I had the opportunity to pay  a visit GoodWeave USA (formerly Rugmark) to learn more about ethically produced rugs, I practically ran there.

GoodWeave is a non-profit organization that works in two  countries, India and Nepal, to put an end to child-labor practices in the rug industry. At work ,we source rugs all the time and most are constructed in the areas GoodWeave serves.

{the goodweave label}

Since GoodWeave started in India, the number of children affected by child labor has been reduced from 1 million to 250,000. And those children who rescued, are given educational opportunities, that ordinarily they wouldn’t have access to as part of a black market labor force. But there’s still more work to do if GoodWeave plans to corner 15% of the rug market. Designers and Retailers can help with that if we increase demand for ethically produced rugs.

To make it easier to source a GoodWeave approved rug. the organization, has put out a resource guide for the trade that covers different styles of rugs, enough to fit into a number of interiors. Here’s a few companies that proudly wear the label.

Company C:

Malene B:

Florence Broadhurst Handmade rugs:

PS…This rug is being given away in the 2010 GoodWeave raffle.

Because clients entrust designers with their money, it’s really important that it is spent wisely. For me that includes making the best ethical choices possible. The  next time i source another rug, I will definitely be looking for the Goodweave label.

I have been going through an endless stack of magazines updating my inspiration files. Then guess what happened? I picked up the May issue 2010 of House Beautiful  ready to rip and conquer. Well, That was until I turned to page 135 and saw Dan Marty’s dining chairs. FABULOUS! Hadn’t I seen them before?

{image via house beautiful}

Notice the open back, revealing the hand-tying and structural components.   Don’t we learn that everything should be perfectly finished and covered up in  interior design?  Is  this wrong? Not to me.  Seeing the hand involved in the process of upholstery and revealing the structure makes these chairs are so interesting and evocative. In this case,  it’s like seeing a corset’s boning or the structural underpinning of a dress.

{mainbocher corset, artist: horst p. horst, 1939, silver gelatin print; image via artnet}

{ petticoats and  hoop skirts from the 1950’s; image via flickr}

And , dare I say, it’s like the nape of the geisha. It hints of the flesh, and in the chairs’ case, the bones, underneath.  The makeup and the upholstery serve the same purpose;  the fabric  and the nail-head trim on the back, highlights the silhouette of the chairs, as the makeup highlights the neck. Yes, it’s  risque, but it’s mysterious at the same time.

{image via trek earth}

{image splendorosa via the la times}

In 2004, The Metropolitan Museum of Art did an exhibit, called Dangerous Liaisons, which documented how fashion and furniture worked together  as a part of  flirting and courting rituals  and ultimately the art of seduction in 18th century France. Perhaps, these are a modern day, albeit less formal interpretation of that same flirtatious philosophy.   I’m not sure a client would go for unbacked chairs, but I’m loving these little flirty things.

What do you think of these chairs? Are they flirty and fun or a decor faux pas?

Everything got pleasantly quiet when I stumbled across  this beautiful room from designer Tracy Reese’s home.

We’ve been looking at global influences at work recently and I love the bold mix of colors,  patterns, textures and accents in Reese’s home. Clearly, she uses the same philosophy at home as she does when design clothes. My  only wish I could speak on the spatial layout as well as the compelling decor. But, my goodness, what you see here is stunning isn’t it?

Click here to see more images of Tracy Reese’s home.

Funny enough, I chose this room before I knew that the Domino archives are back online at brides.com. It’s former Domino editor in chief Deborah Needleman’s  loft apartment. It is perfect for two reasons: It’s pretty and functional for a family of 4 and the way the image is taken, it shows a successful  (partial) space plan for loft living.

{images via nymag.com}

Living zones have been created to use the space wisely and a mix of  and high and low items were used for the decor.  And the monochromatic greige palette is to die for. Mostly I love and chose this room because of the design plan; it’s perfect for entertaining as well as everyday living. Don’t you just want to sit in this room and read a book?

Sometimes I forget to talk about the practicalities of the design process when I put up these gorgeous inspiration images. Planning out a space must be done first before the pretty decorative stuff.  After that step is done, then comes the fun. And while no one can possibly love textiles, furniture and finishes more than me,  at work  we would do a great disservice to a client if I didn’t take the time to organize and plan. It’s the main reason I don’t leave home without a tape measure and sketchbook. But don’t think that you have to have a ton of loft space, have a successful home design. Small spaces need the same amount of planning love and often give the most beautiful moments when finished.

Since I’m feeling all glam and fashionista-like today, I MUST have stairs like this in my life…

{image via apartment therapy}

What a lovely slice of decor heaven! I saw them yesterday on Everything Fabulous and stopped in my virtual tracks (yes, for those that know me I clutched the imaginary pearls once again). Don’t mirrored mosaic stairs make everything better? Plus, I think it would go gorgeously well with my dream home full of Rodarte textiles. This stair is the perfect mash up of glamour and disco. And that is just how I like things.