Inspiration comes from every pocket of life- from the worn path on your weekend hike to the makeup counter on your lunch hour errand run. Sometimes the parallels are crystal clear, though oftentimes it’s easy to miss the touch points. Today’s post highlights how close natural and manufactured patterns can be and how taking note of your surroundings can expand your creative palette. This geometric print at the Sephora counter is timeless, popular and a staple for many designers. While it’s common to see this pattern in concrete and urban architecture, it’s refreshing to see a man-made path. What natural paths have you found to be inspiring?

It’s always interesting to see how brands interpret seemingly simple trends. Boxed grids, for example, keep surfacing throughout fashion and retail displays this summer. From store windows to dress prints to retail structures, grids are an intrinsic part of this season’s design. This Gregory Parkinson dress marries a 2D print with 3D patchwork, mirroring the front and backside of ceramic tiling. Proving this style can easily become a wearable print, Dries Van Norton adds texture and shading. Using color blocking and grout, this boutique in the Daikanyama district, just outside of Tokyo proves that the intersecting lines are just as interesting as the tiles, something Louis Vuitton’s made evident with their hand-drawn window display on Fifth Avenue this month.

Tribal narratives, wood cutouts and sumi-ink drawings have been around since the beginning of time. While geometric interpretations have been surfacing in art and fashion for over a year now, it’s refreshing to see a more fluid technique taking hold across several mediums.  A major influencer in this space is the Sumi Ink Club. Based in Los Angeles, this creative community is producing work at a rapid pace. From this Keith Haring-like blazer to this Lucky Dragon’s Open Power Record, it’s pretty clear that this topsy turvy style is gaining traction in several branding markets. Contrasting the soft shapes of the sumi brush, Dennis McNett reminds us that black and white texture can be sharp, surly and folk-like. Barneys Department store recently commissioned him to design their summer windows, bringing this underground skater-style art [...]

Last week I had true artist admiration (and envy!) while dining at Chubby Cafe with Michael Keferl, of CScout Japan. Michael turned me on to this gem of a spot which is tucked away in the Setagaya suburb, just outside of Shibuya station. The cafe is a creative trifecta of art, food and retail and is housed just below Hiroshi Murakami’s graphic design studio, Gaim Graphics. Murakami is a believer in merging interesting people with good art and soulful music and has succeeded in creating an unpretentious vibe in the space below his office. Everything is perfectly curated, from the organic menu to the paintings on the walls to the graphic merchandise on the shelves. If you’re in the Tokyo area, definitely check it out- it’s a rejuvenating break from the madness [...]

The right lighting can make or break a retail space. Every interior designer knows this. While exploring Tokyo and Kyoto last week, I stumbled upon several lighting displays that completely blew me away. Interestingly (and practically), all of the rounded sculptures were open, intricate and reflected the mood of the store’s merchandise. Pass the Baton‘s white cups resembled recycled china, a theme consistent to the store. This rose ball from furniture row in Kyoto, had a polished boutique-like vibe. One of the most impressive interpretations of the dome trend was on full display at Franc Franc, a newish luxury concept store that housed wares ranging from Monocle to J. Period. The chandelier was so impressive and open, it allowed shoppers to view from above and below, making it interactive, tangible and a [...]

If today were to have a theme, it would be maze-like, the perfect analogy for what 9-5ers call the “hump day.” Off the heels of Luke Ramsey’s playful collage-like paintings, we thought we’d bring the day full circle with another artist who is making waves with black and white movement. Hisham Akira Bharoocha is an artist currently based in Brooklyn with a portfolio chock full of intricate linework. While the contrasting linear movement all happens within a singular canvas, it’s amazing to follow the dead-ends, as they create 3D-like texture from afar. Piecing these black and white bits together as mixed media, H&M’s retail display in Paris reminds us not to fear mismatched textures. These busy prints are wearable, as evident by Isabella Blow, proving the timeless appeal that can accompany simple geometry.

At first glance, last week’s New Yorker cover by Kathy Osborn seems like a cute parody on rabbits, Easter and Grant Wood’s infamous 1930 farmer portrait. The idea of a family tree composed entirely of bunnies, captured in stylistic unison is humorous, charming and rather surreal. A year ago, Bergdorf Goodman’s window display revealed a wall of hand painted bunnies framed against a green backdrop. Fast forward and we now have framed imagery from Hunt Slonem’s Manhattan oasis showcasing his own homage to the bunny world. Joe Zee, Elle’s Creative Director, always says, two times a coincidence, 3 times a trend, so we ask, are other adorable cuddlies going to continue adorning walls around the world or will these visual stories alternate as whims change and moods shift?

I spent some time walking round the meat packing district today while waiting for my laptop to be maintenanced at the 14th St. Apple Store. Though I’ve seen D*Face‘s mural close to a thousand times, it’s relevancy was elevated after noticing Generra‘s storefront. Black and white blocks stacked together comprised of Flora and Fauna were a complete parallel to D*Face’s baseline concept.  Both compositions are beautifully designed, interesting to dissect and provide social and political commentary of our current global climate. Whichever brand of culture you choose to identify with- be it historical, branded or generic, these geometric “quilts” are a thoughtful reflection of current creative styles, not to mention an interesting window into a now popularized counter-culture.

While shopping in London last week, I couldn’t help but notice all of the string installations that kept popping up throughout the big department stores. From elaborate window displays to intricate floor designs, immense and artistic webs seemed to be woven throughout the merchandise in an effort to spice things up.

Selfridges, one of London’s main department stores, always dedicates a portion of it’s windows to art and is currently displaying a truly complex and over sized replica of a twisted loom. The design is very abstract with a constructivist style. Not only is it impressive, but wholly inspirational; I love it when I see good modern art that can inspire my own work.

Over at Liberty, there’s a beautiful geometric crystal chandelier installation that spans at least 4 floors in the Women’s section. It’s gorgeous and truly [...]

A few weeks ago we went to Paris on a trending trip for one of our clients. Along the way, we shot imagery, left and right, as everything caught our eye! Few places are more inspirational during holiday season and we wanted to share a few of our favorite and most relevant window shots with you.

Creative Sleighs

The idea of the sleigh will never go away and Printemps has reinvented the idea this season with a few clever solutions. Lucky cats double as carousels, blending eastern and western themes with the use of color and costume. Contrasting the slick porcelain sleigh, needle point horse and chariots sit a few windows away, giving the concept of decoupage new meaning.

Pretty in Pink

Be it evil chucky babies or over sized matryoshka dolls, Parisians are pulling at [...]

Over the next few days we’ll be rolling out various gift guides from a pattern point of view. Today we’re focusing on the little ones. Whether you’re in the market for your own kids, your friends kids or your beloved pets, we’ve got crafty ideas to inspire creative giving at every price point. Take a look and let us know what’s on your  list this holiday season!

1. ShapeMaker by Miller Goodman, $54

2. Organic Fun Dough, $15 and up

3. Doodles: A Really Giant Coloring and Doodling Book, $18.95

4. Bla Bla Tiger Doll, $36

5. And to Name but Just a Few, Red, Yellow, Green, Blue, $12

6. Cheyenne Collar + Leash Set, $65 and up

7. Baby Jungle Dish Box Set, $34

8. Books to Bed: “Corduroy” PJ [...]

Everyone’s aware that the fashion industry’s taken a bit of a beating over the past year. As brands struggle to stay afloat, artists continue to incorporate economic themes into their design work.  Beyond creating money inspired products, we’re beginning to see marketing dollars move in the same tactile direction. Both Bond St. no 9 and Vince are provocatively challenging street audiences to embrace this ominous topic by putting dollar signs and bank robbers in their windows. Taking a similarly playful approach, Alexandra Cassaniti has recently released this money bag into her product line-up, proclaiming, “it’s funny to carry a bag with a dollar sign down the street. People are always like, ‘did you rob a bank?’ or ‘do you have money in there?’”