Shine On

I find it strange that most people don't give a lot of thought to ceilings. I mean, that's kind of like ignoring the sky, right? Lately, however, I've noticed more ceilings becoming part of an interior's overall design, perhaps because we've exhausted the ornamental possibilities for every other surface. I like the idea of using ceilings as fifth walls. After all, Michelangelo didn't paint the floors of the Sistine Chapel... possibly because he thought it was a little blasphemous for poo encrusted shoes to sully God's face, but that's really for another discussion. As far as the 21st century goes, I think uber glamor goddess Kelly Wearstler may have kicked off this latest development of transfigured ceilings. Behold:

A little bordello and a lot Sinatra-era Las Vegas, but the mirrored ceilings expand the height of the room to a much more impressive scale, and the patterned rug fits with a bit of breathing room into a space that may have felt squeezed and claustrophobic without its reflective counterpart.

If the mirrors are a little too honeymoon suite for you, Domino featured a DIY segment on silver leafing your ceilings a while ago:

It's still pretty bold relative to ordinary flat white ceiling paint, and at least you wouldn't be worried that guests were looking down your blouse while checking out the chandelier. I think it's softly sweet (though not with that blue paint, and I would prefer the baroque solid gold of Karly's old discotheque bathroom); the real issue is the cost -- Domino listed the price for this project at slightly over $3500. Dollars. For a teeny tiny space. And gold costs a lot more. But if you gotta have it, you can check out gilded planet for more info on how to (tediously) do it yourself.

While catching up on my Decorno posts, I saw that New York Magazine featured this frankly awesome Christopher Coleman designed apartment replete with ultra shiny everything, especially the ceilings.

Sterile, yes, but how often do you see surfaces so smooth outside of a museum? There is serious obsession at work here; for everything to be so glossy and white, the finish has to be absolutely flawless. I don't think I could ever live here, but I admire the (piercing) clarity of vision.

Flickr user Survivestyle5, who I found on Jennifer Perkins' Naughty Secretary Club blog, showcases this quiet beauty designed by one of my heroes Miles Redd:

Ah, exhale. Now I could live here. I love the combination of darkish ceiling with ultra glossy paint -- shiny is almost always sexy, but the blue keeps it serene and the dark floors keep it cozily grounded.

My faves are the rooms designed by Vicente Wolf. He's like a maturer, er, cleaner version of me:

I'm sure a lot of people will find these rooms boring -- there's no Hick's Hexagon fabric, no pink and red color palettes, no zebra or coral, and no turquoise foo dogs in plain view. And, yes, for the record I do have pretty much all of the above mentioned things in my own home, but sometimes it's nice to focus on texture and scale and light. The glossy white ceilings are such a huge part of everything that is right and refreshing in these rooms -- they're like a vacation from sensory overload.

In fact, I'm feeling so cleansed that I may have to run out and buy some paint to outfit my hallway in crazy black stripes. Definitely glossy.

Getting to know you: Geoff McFetridge

As a graphic designer by day and home obsessed fantasy decorator by night I can't help but have a big giant soft spot in my heart for Geoff McFetridge.  While I was mildly impressed by such yawn-inducing accomplishments as directing the Beastie Boy's magazine, Grand Royal, founding the Director's Guild with Sophia Coppola, and scribbling a bunch of silly doodles for some of the greatest movie opening credits ever; Geoff really stole my heart when he designed this wallpaper:

(way to take the roll of the toilet before getting the shot, homeowner) 

Left: little whales in gray Right: shadows of the paranormal in red

I love how everything just looks like crazy insane shapes, but then you look closer and see this:

Left: Shadows of the Paranormal in Gray

Right: All of Us in Black

Hello! Do you see how sasquatch's legs are actually a hunter shooting him?  Genius I say, mad genius.   With everyone and their kitten getting into wallpaper design these days, papers start to blur together and there's really only so many flowers and birds one girl can look at.  Geoff's designs quietly make their way through the crowd, not really asking to stand out, but really really standing out.  

According to an interview done with Geoff by Loftlife, most of his paper designs originate as art installations, others are cast off projects for various clients reincarnated through his own design company, Pottok.  Who would cast these off?  Probably the same people who would leave a roll of TP in a DAMN HOME DECOR SHOT. Let's get past the anger and see some more pics, shall we:

Dead Trees in Green

I love how each panel tells a story.  One day, when my entire house is covered floor to ceiling in his (ahem) $150 / roll paper I will spend hours and hours finding new secrets in each picture, my cat will be there, she will like it too, Matt will be somewhere else.  In addition to providing countless days of looking at walls in a dream-like state, my hard earned duckets will have also helped save my dear, precious life:  each of the papers is hand silks-creened on recycled paper with water based inks.  good for me, good for you.

When McFetridge isn't scheming to cause my soul and bank account heart break, he works on these amazing installations:

the (in) Mind (or in the Mind), installation at the Seattle Art Museum Olympic Sculpture Park

hooray!  it's like his wallpaper in 3-D!  Or his wallpaper is the installation in 2-D?  Oh, deep thoughts, very chicken or the golden egg.

When looking at Geoff's work, I couldn't help but be reminded of uber-pattern designer, Alexander Girard, take a look at Girard's disigns:

Turns out, McFetridge is a big fan too.  There's the same stark contrast, pattern within pattern, and a sense of a story with Girard's work.  McFetridge's art really takes it one step further, sort of like a grande Girard acid trip.  I would love to tell you more but I am dead tired, mostly from all the wallpaper fantisizing, it tires a gal out.  So, why don't you go check out this great video on Geoff over at Western State and I'll get some dreamy sleep time. 

Get Felt Up

Remember how felt was always the material of choice for grandma's special sequined fruit thingies? Well, leave the dentures in the Polident because felt is back, but not in a grandma kind of way. Check out a tiny sampling of always crafty Etsy's amazing selection of hip felted objects:

Etsy finds, clockwise from top left: Mix-tape Pouch by BraveMoonman, Red Felt Necklace by vaivanat, Custom Felted Likeness of Your Dog by AmeliaMakesArt, and Felted Goatee by bornlippy.

Need a place to play your felted mix-tape? How about this crazy felted boombox by flickr user blueblythemonster... it actually houses speakers that play music through your ipod!

(And check out her insane felted typewriter at notcot.org)

It so happens that the world of crafts and the world of home product designs often collide -- sans blood, one hopes. Branch is featuring a number of felted goods, most of which are modish and streamlined, but I am particularly liking their felted egg crate:

Mostly what I appreciate is its commitment to material, in that it looks just like what it is -- shaped felt. It also makes me think that the common egg crate is a marvel of industrial design, such an economical use of material and such a functional form. So very Bauhaus (no, not the band). Hmmm. Maybe I'll just cut up a regular eggcrate and put it on my table. Ok, that feels just a little too Vacation Bible School. Keep those dried-bean-and-paper-plate tamborines in the closet, please.

Speaking of the angelic, who knew felt could float? Check out this dreamy gigantic felt chandelier designed by Christopher LaBrooy at Innermost.

That thing is a whopper. I mean, seriously, it looks like a jellyfish preparing to swallow your head. I want it.

Of course I am saving the best for last. The very French Florence Doleac's felt covered chair is a beautifully elegiac piece, sentimental and simultaneously stark:

It reminds me of Joseph Beuys' nutty performance art that used fat and felt (and live coyotes. Yes, coyotes.) In Doleac's statement she says the chair recalls a tradition in which a new bride is gifted a felt rug by her mother, and you really can see the dress, the rug, a bride's flowing hair, in the lines. And of course I love this piece because I have a thing for chairs; they have so much presence. I mean, what takes up more space than an absent ass?