Tag Archives: retail interior design

SPOTTED – screenprinted vintage mirrors of asintended

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We adore finding beautiful, handcrafted pieces to feature here on The Ecospot, or for the projects we work on with our clients. We are particularly in love with anything letterpress inspired, and this traditional way of printing often crops up in our projects in some way or another.

she stood in the storm

So we were delighted when we spotted these gorgeous letterpress inspired screenprinted vintage mirrors by graphic studio asintended, who we discovered on an Artists Open House trail in Brighton.

Using vintage mirrors  the studio prints inspirational quotes over the top to create a beautiful decorative, reflective piece with stacks of depth.

she stood in the storm

Perhaps not the mirror you would choose for a bathroom  but we are thinking about this for a hallway, or even a kitchen diner space to add a bit of extra character and to bounce the light about.

Stunning – and one we will be specifying without doubt. Contact asintended for further information on the mirrors or the other great letterpress prints in the studios collection.

(image via asintended)

Wednesday Walls – beautiful Pythagoras wallpaper

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Today on Wednesday Walls we are looking at a brilliant wallpaper which would be perfect for an eclectic interior. The pick was also inspired by a particular scene we witnessed this week whilst at the University of Sussex marking the Product Design 2013 Show…

Wandering along a corridor, we happened to pass through a corridor which formed part of the Physics department. Instead of the desks of people working quietly, there was a scene of a group of students frantically scribbling equations over a wall wide chalk board. Laughing, joking, doing physics. What they were actually doing totally escaped us, but the image of the wall was beautiful.

So when we spotted this aptly named ’Pythagoras‘ Wallpaper over at Rockett St George we knew we had to feature it on Wednesday Walls. A little bit eclectic, a little bit Victorian Steam Punk, it was the closest we would ever get to a wall of physics.

Navigator Collection Pythagoras Wallpaper available in Charcoal, Stone and Taupe

And along with the taupe and stone colourways, it is also available in our favourite shade of charcoal, as pictured above, for only £39 per 10m roll.

A bargain for a nice and unusual wallpaper and much cheaper than having an in house physics professor. A perfect addition to an eclectic interior.

(image via Rockett St George)

weekend colour inspiration – grey and mustard yellow colour scheme

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There are a few pairs of colours that are just perfect together. Dark grey and mustard yellow in a colour scheme is one of those parings - demonstrated beautifully by this image we spotted on Pinterest.

This has to be one of our favourite images at the moment. The dark grey wall has a great depth and almost warmth, making it the perfect foil for the rest of the pieces. Textural interest is brought into the mix with the varieties of timber, in pale to deep and the grey is able to hold all the colours together in a harmonious way.

But the true stars of the shot are the dark grey and the mustard yellow. They are just a perfect pairing.

Highlighted with a little pop of pink and turquoise blues, in essence you have got an almost 50′s inspired colour scheme, but interpreted in a very modern way. The Hare print brings all the colours together and ties each piece neatly into one.

A wonderful eclectic interior design image - and one of our all time favourite colour scheme images featured here on weekend colour inspiration.

Yet another colour scheme that shows just why dark grey is one of our favourite colours.

(image by Armille Habib for Fenton and Fenton Rugs)

Wednesday Walls – the Flax Lamp

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This week on Wednesday Walls we are featuring a beautiful light we spotted at Hotel Droog whilst on a recent trip to Amsterdam. We are calling this a wall light, but really, it is so much more and could hang just a happily from the centre of the room.

The Flax Lamp by designer Christien Meindertsma is quite simply, a light with a flex contained within the core of a large rope. It looks very utilitarian and industrial. And we loved it.

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What is also lovely about this light is that the flax which makes up the rope is grown, processed and constructed into the rope in the Netherlands itself.

Flax was a very important material for the Dutch in previous years, with the fibres being a real backbone to the native textile industry, but now it is farmed on a smaller scale with the majority of the product being shipped to China.

The Flax Lamp uses a traditional process, a traditional rope maker and traditional material in a way which is relevant to 21st century design and way of living, just like the Godogan Table we featured yesterday.

This reinvention of craft is how we can ensure that skills are not lost, but reinterpreted with modern design.

(image by claire potter design)

weekend colour inspiration – colour using light

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Last week we looked at how colour can be brought into a space with a little caution – with a display that can be easily altered and amended to suit your changing preferences. For this week for weekend colour inspiration we are looking at how you can bring colour into a space using light.

The example we have is quite extreme but shows just how light, and particularly coloured light can affect a space.

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This installation is situated in the original stairway to the Stedelijk museum in Amsterdam and is by the light artist Dan Flavin.

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Based on the shapes and colours of Mondrian, the installation brings a very ethereal feel to the otherwise white space.

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And instead of detracting from the architecture, the lighting helps to direct attention to elements of the space which could have otherwise been missed - the perimeter architrave detailing and mouldings for instance.

So when you are planning the use of colour in your own spaces, why not consider using coloured light to direct attention? LED lighting strips are now available in a whole range of set of customisable colours and are very energy efficient. Choose carefully, as it can end up a little too disco, but get the shade and intensity right and it can really add to a space.

And the great thing is that if you fancy a bit of white again, you can just turn it off…

(images by claire potter design)

recycled plastic lights by Sarah Turner

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Every year, Ecobuild gets bigger and bigger – to the point that it gets a little eye glazing as you wander around discovering the latest tech in solar panels, biomass boilers, paint finishes and prefabricated buildings. Every now and then however, you turn a corner and see something quite unexpected, just like these fantastic recycled plastic lights by Sarah Turner. 

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Describing herself as both an artist and designer, Turner takes very standard plastic bottles and with a bit of reshaping, cutting, perforating and reconstruction, turns the otherwise recycling bin fodder into quite stunning lights and sculptures.

Ranging in size from desktop to absolutely huge, Turner’s recycled plastic lights have been featured in fashion shoots, events and were also included in the interior design of one of the Olympic cafes where Coca Cola commissioned a chandelier using their empty bottles.

plastic light 2

The melted plastic bottle chandelier at Ecobuild was absolutely beautiful and had a real glass like quality as the light filtered through the plastic.

But our favourite of the recycled plastic bottle lights has to the Ella – which includes over 300 bases which have been sandblasted to create a solid yet sculptural piece at over 1 metre wide.

Daisy 12

At Ecobuild, Turner was actually showcasing the connection methods she employs making these beautiful lights and it was very interesting to see how the structure soon took shape.

But as well as the large scale, very statement pieces, there is a range of smaller recycled plastic lights on her online store, so there will be something for everyone…

(images via claire potter and sarah turner)

Weekend Colour Inspiration – a wall of coloured tiles

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This week on Weekend colour inspiration we are going all out with one image we found on Pinterest. It is a complete riot of colour, and we think it would be a fantastic scheme to utilise perhaps a whole range of coloured tiles which are end of lines, left over from other projects, or possibly even factory seconds?

Peyton & ByrneLondon

The most important thing with this type of colour scheme is to choose only coloured tiles in exactly the same size – the colours themselves are something which is far less important.

You could take all the colours you have, arrange them carefully to ensure that there are no strange colour clashes, then apply then to the wall, but unfortunately this can create a really contrived look.

Do not worry about which coloured tile goes where. Grab one, apply one. There will be happy accidents of great combinations and some really odd ones. This is the magic of such a scheme.

This is also a perfect way to fill one wall to create a really impactful surface as it could get a little bit too kaleidoscope for a whole room.

So, take a look at your tiles and mix it up a bit.

(image via Coloriz)

Wednesday Walls – coloured blackboard paint

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Today’s post for Wednesday Walls was inspired by a tweet we received, and subsequently replied to last weekend. The tweet was from the lovely guys at the Brighton Wood Recycling project, asking if we knew anything about coloured blackboard paint. We do, so we replied with a link to a great product.

And so we would share this product today on Wednesday Walls, because Blackboard paint does not need to be black.

Ecos creates a fantastic range of organic paints, which we have always been very impressed by when we have specified them on projects. They are solvent free, odourless and water based and have always been well received by our paint contractors which have used them. One remarked that it was the first time he had completed a job without getting a headache.

What is also great about Ecos Organic Paint is that even the very specialist paints are available in a huge range of colours.

The blackboard paint is one such specialist paint, with the traditional ‘black’ being joined by another 107 colours, so there would definitely be a colour to suit any scheme. Price wise, at £25 or so per litre, it is higher than the ‘standard’ blackboard paint you can purchase in all of the DIY stores, but this is a naturally based product and the colour flexibility ensures that it can be used in a great deal more ways, so is worth the extra pounds.

So, when you think about creating a blackboard, you can think in colour, not just black.

(image via Ecos Organic Paint)

Wednesday Walls – reclaimed industrial wall lights from Skinflint

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The use of reclaimed materials and fittings and the modern industrial aesthetic are specialisms of the studio – we find the genre exciting and honest, with no two spaces ever looking the same.

There are a few ingredients which are common to all industrial interior design, namely the use of timber, metal and usually obscure or industrial type fixings and fittings. The raw robustness of these fittings works equally as well in a domestic setting as it does a retail space, if used carefully and with attention.

But finding these reclaimed fittings can sometimes take a little while. That is why we have a list of specialist suppliers who can always be trusted to come up trumps with something very unusual for our schemes.

Skinflint Design source a great range of 20th Century fittings, then lovingly restore them so they are ready for re-use and this week for Wednesday Walls we are lusting after these absolutely beautiful salvaged prismatic lamps.

Originally found in a factory in North West England, these lights which were made by Heyes circa 1950, are housed in a nice bulky brushed steel case and are a whopping 400mm in length and weigh 28kg each.

We think they are absolutely beautiful, and with only two left in stock, grab one (or both) while you still can. They would make a fantastic centrepiece to any industrial interior design.

(image via Skinflint)

SPOTTED – a beautiful Pop-up shop screen

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The pop-up shop concept was quite a trend for 2012 – and one which we think will become even more entrenched within the retail and promotional spheres for both emerging and existing brands.

Another hint to the adoption of the pop-up concept from the fringes to the mainstream is how different designers are now considering the fixtures and fittings as products in themselves.

There have been a raft of designs appearing, from pop-up point of sale counters, to foldable display options, but this freestanding screen from Australian design studio Old Made Creative is one of the most beautiful we have seen to date.

Australian designer, Old Made Creative, Emerge, pop-up display, temporary screen, temporary displays, recycled materials, 100% recyclable, retail display, eco display, eco pop-up, exhibition display

The ‘Emerge’ screen is made from 100% recycled materials and explores the relationship between horizontal planes and three dimensional forms.  It is also highly customisable and could work just as happily as a office divider or as a pop-up shop retail or exhibition display structure. It even folds flat for transportation.

We really like this screen – it has a beautiful textural quality and it’s adaptability means that it can be used by a variety of end users in a variety of places, not just as a piece of pop-up shop furniture.

We predict we will see a lot more of this type of design as the pop-up shop becomes part of our ever changing exhibition and retail design spectrum.

(image via Inhabitat from Old Made Creative)