Inspiration #3: Sexy Furniture

When most people think of Portugal, they probably think of Port and Madeira wines, amazing food or Ferdinand Magellan. We should all be thinking about design! I stumbled across this site for a Portugese company making the sexiest, most interesting furniture I’ve seen in ages. Talk about thinking outside the box! They combine traditional/historical and contemporary forms with super-modern materials to make furniture babies that any parent would be happy to have at home.

Check it out!

Boca Do Lobo

Inspiration: Art meets Design

An amazingly impactful and artful idea that, even though it's typically thought of as a traditional printmakers technique for intaglio printing (an acid etched zinc plate), can also be used in an interior design application, on a wall or ceiling, or wherever you can come up with really. This beautiful example was done by a local artist, http://www.bethweintraub.com/archive2006/index.html

Think of something like this on a wall in your home! Graphic patterns, organic shapes and images, words...the variations that are achievable, are as endless as the imagination!

Here's what Wikipedia has to say about intaglio etching: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intaglio_(printmaking)

Zinc sheet is commonly sold for counter tops and other industrial applications. It's inexpensive as far as metals go. Here's a company that sells online, to give you an idea of the sizes and costs. http://www.rotometals.com/ZINC-SHEETS-s/29.htm

If you DO choose to try this project, you will need to do some serious research about the process of acid etching zinc. Although relatively simple, it can be very dangerous! Printmakers study for years to perfect their technique, and learn how to minimize their risk of exposure to dangerous acids and gasses.

I think i'm going to give this a go, and see if I can come up wth a process that creates a similar result, without all the toxic mess. I'll get back with you then!

Remember, anything is possible, if you put your mind to it, and devote some time to learning about it!

Beginnings are a good place to start

Welcome. 

This blog is something i've been wanting to do for some time. I need a place to share, and a place to both inspire and be inspired. 

Who the heck am I? Just a creative guy working in the design industry, who's spent most of his adult life honing his eye and coming up with creative solutions for interesting problems. I ravage second hand shops, thrift stores and estate sales. I collect far too many things & get far too excited about little things like color, texture and finding just the right lamp, and have zero fear about destroying something in order to put it back together the way I want it. 

It's all about potential, people. It's about seeing "junk" sitting at the curb, and recognizing that the lines of the thing are there, the bones are solid, and the potential is there to take that thing, apply some love (or tough love) and end up with something that will make your heart sing. 

That's what good design does. It makes our hearts sing. It inspires us. Good design is tangible; you can feel it. You may not recognize immediately that you feel it, but more than likely if you walk into a room and feel good just being there, it's because there is a balance there. That balance is good design. 

I want to share the treasures I find in my forages, images of the things that stop me in my tracks while walking down the street, and the projects that turn me into a recluse for as long as it takes to realize them.  Question me, challenge me, share with me. Let's inspire each other. It'll be fun! 

So, I welcome you, my reader, as I also welcome myself on this journey. I'm excited about it!