Trend Report: Tetrahedron-Inspired Design

Alex here. I've long nurtured a love for all objects faceted and polyhedron-inspired. A big trend these past couple years. Lately, though, I've been noticing a sub-trend-- design inspired by tetrahedrons specifically. A tetrahedron is a polyhedron with four triangular faces, three of which meet at each vertex. So while not all of these are, strictly speaking, tetrahedrons they certainly take their cues from the 4-faced platonic solid.

Sources (clockwise from top left)

1. Wooden Textiles by Elisa Strozyk
2. Tetrahedron Earrings, via Fab.com - $64
3. Tetrahedron Cocktail Table, via 1st Dibs
4. Jar No. 3, via Present & Correct
5. Geometric Wooden Ring, Officine Microcosmo @Etsy - 35 EUR
6. Tetra 3-Light Pendant, 10-Inch - Polished Chrome, via Amazon.com - $498
7. Tetra Shed, by David Ajasa-Adekunle

Color Crush: Tomato + Turquoise

Sherry here!

I have always been partial to a red with a touch of orange--a tomato red. When I saw CB2's circus striped shower curtain, I started to dream in tomato and turquoise. Next came the emotional response to a "vi motas i Danmark" poster spotted at Bo Concept. Yes, I have fallen hard for this color combo. What do you think? Would you use this bold pairing in your home? I plan on it!

Sources (Clockwise from top left)

1. Cashmere Popover Hoodie - Turquoise, J. Crew Collection- 248.00.
2. Urbanears Headphones - Tomato, J Crew - $60.00
3. Room Essentials Towels, Set of Three, Target - $11.97
4. vi motas i DANMARK poster, Bo Concept - $225.00
5. Barque Stripe Shower Curtain CB2 - $49.99
6. Red Wireless Speaker by JAMBOX, via Apple Store - $179
7. Turquoise Necklace by Kenneth Jay Lane, via ShopBop - $220

Trend Report: Owls

Feeling a bit owlish? So is the design world! I first began to notice owl motifs on pillows. When traveling in Toronto, I saw owl pitchers and owls featured on greeting cards...and when I picked up the New York Times on Tuesday and saw owls front and center in the Science section, I knew we had to give a hoot!

Sources (clockwise from top left)

1. Irving Harper: Works in Paper, Skira Rizzoli
2. Owl Needlepoint Pillow, Jonathan Adler - $98
3. Owl Bottle Stopper, Jonathan Adler via Macys - $24
4. Creature Kingdom Hook, Owl, Anthropologie - $22
5. Owl Ablaze Lamp, Anthropologie - $88
6. Hermes Owl Pillow, Joss & Main - no longer available
7. Wide-eyed Owl Bookends, Black Forest Decor - $40
8. Owl Street Art Print, Karin Lindeskov, Society 6 - $17-$50 (price varies based on size)
9. Owls of the British Isles Wallpaper, Anthropologie - $148/roll

Color Crush: Navy + Persimmon | Etsy Edition

I think we're witness a key shift in the evolution of Etsy. Etsy began as a celebration of craft and community. It's business function was to connect crafts people with each other, and provide them with an opportunity to reach buyers outside of their local market. That is to say that participating in the Etsy community was the end goal. 

Now, due in large part to the growth of the blogosphere's influence and in even larger part to the trend of retailers (like West Elm and One Kings Lane) partnering with Etsy, the online community seems to have evolved into a stepping stone for creatives. It's now a weigh station on the road to discovery. 

As a consumer, I'm so happy to see my favorite Etsy sellers (like OneFortyThree or Lisa Golightly of Kiki and Polly) move on to the next stage of their careers-- whether it's launching their own e-commerce site in order to accommodate increased demand or partnering with a retailer. 

I do sometimes wonder, though, what the founders of Etsy think about the shift. When you read their mission statement, you don't get exactly get the impression that they intended to be a stepping stone to partnership with big box retailers. But you can't argue with the benefit to the individual craftspeople. And, after all, aren't big box retailers just furthering Etsy's mission to make craft more accessible to the broader public?

Since all this was on my mind, I thought I'd do a round up of some recent discoveries on Etsy in one of my favorite color schemes-- Navy and Persimmon. Enjoy!

Sources (clockwise from top left)

1. Moab I, 16 x 20" Archival Print - Limited Edition, Callie Helen @Etsy - $100
2. Ouija Board, Melamine Decorative Plate, Burke Hare Co. @Etsy - $16
3. Red Cardinal, A4 Print of Original Illustration, Tiny Kiwi Illustrations @Etsy - $14
4. Modern Table Lamp, Ample Furniture @Etsy - $395
5. 16 x 16" Vintage Turkish Kilim Pillow Cover, Sukan @Etsy - $170
6. Urban Tote in Navy Waxed Canvas and Distressed Leather, Red Staggerwing @Etsy - $95

Covet List: Brushstrokes, Geometrics, Muted Browns + Blues

I'd been coveting each of these items independently for the past week. It wasn't until I threw them together to share that I discovered the common threads. Muted browns, brushstrokes, geometric patterns, soft blues and grays...I guess this is just where my head is right now?

I am crazy about Rachel Comey's Revival Bikini-- although it's difficult to justify the purchase when it will be another 3 months before I find myself in circumstances requiring a bathing suit. (To say nothing of the pasty white expanse that is my February bod.) Until then, I can admire Portland artist Lisa Golightly's print, "In the Depths" via One Kings Lane or Etsy (one of my favorite Etsy artists, who I'm so happy to see receiving more recognition), and listen to summer jams on the walnut edition of Tivoli Audio's Model One Radio.

This weekend, I popped into Module-R, one of my favorite neighborhood spots for ogling things out of my budget, and discovered Fleet Ceramics by Zoe Garred. Wouldn't these pieces be perfect in Ryan's bathroom? It's almost like she designed her collection around our color scheme-- alas, not so much for our wallets. Maybe I could swing a teeny-tiny jewelry dish?

Also spotted at Module-R, a very dignified wooden dog-- Architectmade Oscar. Is it just the hound lover in me or don't you want to pet those floppy felt ears?

Speaking of my hound, I think Hektor would love to sink into the Urbanest Pet Bed by Lovethybeast.

In other patterned news, Dash & Albert's newest collection is worth a peek. While I have personal experience with their woven cotton and indoor/outdoor polypropylene rugs only, I'm particularly intrigued by their new Nordic Kilim wool. Dash & Albert is one of those companies I always feel 100% confident recommending to friends-- the quality and value is so dependable! Anyone need a wool rug?

If you're not in the market for a rug, how about tile? I'm also looking to live vicariously through someone with a place in their home for Ann Sack's Tiempo line of terra cotta tile. Such a fresh alternative to the now ubiquitous tumbling block motif, but with the same geometric appeal.

Trend Report: Rope Lighting Installations

Nautical-inspired lighting may be perennial in the design sphere, but lately designers (and DIYers) seem to be employing hardware store variety rope in a fresh way. This new trend is more in touch with heavy duty rope's industrial applications than its typical nautical association. I especially like the way these fixtures read as installations, but still play a functional role as light sources. Utilitarian in aesthetic and in the true sense of the word.

Original Manila Rope Lights, Atelier 688 via Etsy

via Gilles and Bossier

Outdoor Rope Lights, Atelier 688 via Etsy

DIY Rope Light Strand via A Merry Mishap

Hemp Rope +  Copper Pipe Lighting by Jay Sae Jung, via Flodeau

West Bridge Restaurant in Boston, via Remodelista

Waldraud Concept Store in Zurich, via The Perfect Lounge

Dispatches from a Student/Blogger

Yikes. The truth is I didn't have a post prepared for today. Bad Alex! Instead of skipping today and hoping no one notices (a strategy that crossed my mind...), I thought I'd share a few instagram shots of what's been keeping me so busy lately.

Back in January, I enrolled in a 24-session continuing education class at Parsons called Interior Design Basic Core. We meet for three hours, two nights a week. It's taught by two architects and is essentially a crash course in architectural modes of communication-- floorplan, axonometric, perspective, collage, diagram, etc.

Here are a few of the assignments I've completed so far, plus a gratuitous shot of coffee (the fuel that keeps me powering through late night homework sessions) and a lovely valentine's day bouquet that is still going strong 10 days later!

(I so wish I could share some photos of my classmates' work, but I don't want to put them up on the interwebs without their express permission. You would be blown away by some of these collages. Suffice it to say, I am not the class prodigy.)

Clockwise from top left:

1. Week 1: Orthographic Drawing. A floor plan of my bedroom + bathroom in 1/2" scale and my bathroom in elevation.
2. Week 2: Axonometric Drawing. An axonometric collage of my bedroom and bathroom in 1/2" scale.
3. Week 3: Perspective. A collage of Tadao Ando's Modern Art Museum of Fort Forth, identifying the vanishing points and focusing on our own interpretation of material selection.
4. Weekend Diversions. My morning coffee from Bien Cuit and a floral bouquet by Flora, courtesy of my very thoughtful boyfriend.
5. Week 3: Perspective. A collage of Peter Zumthor's Therme Vals,  identifying the vanishing points and focusing on our own interpretation of color and light.
6. My homework taking over our dining table. Sorry, Linzee!