swatch: MESH bench

MESH by horgen becket via contemporist

love the use of materials in this bench by horgen becket.  MESH also includes a table and pendant light.

swatch: lucienne day textiles

textile patterns by lucienne day

if you haven't watched the video on robin and lucienne day yet, watch it!  totally inspiring.  equally inspiring are these beautiful textile patterns designed by lucienne day.

swatch: the bird's nest

 beijing olympic stadium via texturadesign

HdM (herzog and de meuron) have made the k:designs cut, again!  this time in the form of a bird's nest, or rather the bird's nest.

swatch: city scale

as you may have noticed, i love textures.  k:designs has been a great avenue for me to fulfill this love and post about interesting building skins.  yet, i've found that "swatches" can go beyond the building.  cities have swatches too - in their architecture, landscape, food, lifestyle - these textures make up the identity of a city.  so, i've decide to take these city scale swatches over to k:plays, where my fondness of travel and exploring new cities can encompass more than just architecture.  head on over to k:plays to see the clips from my first city adventure in newport beach.  as for building typography and skin studies, you can still catch them here on k:designs.  hopefully there will be some tag-team opportunities for "swatches" in the future!

swatch: argos

Argos Electrical Generator by Felipe Gonzalez-Pacheco

via arch daily

loving the texture on this - almost like a geometric interpretation of a basket weave.  and goes to show that even "insignificant" buildings like a generator room can have design appeal.

swatch: seattle public library

seattle public library by rem koolhaas

with all the rain as of late, i thought it only appropriate to do a little post for seattle.  although the exterior comes off as a dense mass, the seattle public library is a completely different spacial experience on the inside.  i love shadows cast by the skin on the interior space as much as i love its open voluminous feel.  and to make it better, its a public library that actually gets used by the public!  i don't care what you seattleites think, its by far one of my most favorite places in the city.

swatch: de young museum

de young museum by herzog and de meuron

just did a thesis critique at cal poly.  the project site was in san francisco and i was reminded of all the great textures of the city.  the skin at the de young is one of my favorites.

swatch: flor

 

all squares in lime by flor

flor is modular carpet tiles in a huge range of patterns, colors and thicknesses (they even make round ones).  low-VOC, recycled content, washable, replaceable, and adaptable - which is a definite plus for couples (like us) who aren't exactly "settled" yet - flor tiles are definitely worth considering if you are in the market for a new rug.  plus, they have a return & recycle program, and a good steward to the land is a good friend to me.  b and i settled on the above "all squares" in lime to cozy up our tiled living room and have been loving it for the better part of a year now.

swatch: brian everett's home

photo by from me to you

b got me into mid-century design and of course the eames' sealed the deal for me.  so i was pretty much in love when i stumbled upon this photo.  one look and said to myself, "brian everett, meet your new best friend - me."  once i started reading the article... he is an industrial designer with a line for CB2, his wife is an architect who shares his love for mid-century craft... i knew we were kindred spirits. tack on flor tiles in the basement and a hot pink table on the patio and well, we are practically friends for life. 

swatch: succulents

succulent love

i heart succulents.  they have been quite trendy as of late (even in weddings: bouquets, centerpieces and favors) but my crush has been going for years now.  going to start saving my peanut and coffee cans to plant a fun grouping on the porch.  hoping b will warm up to these cute little darlings once his bamboo kick is over...

swatch: mums

 photo: (201) bride

its official.  my current flower fancy is the mum.  i particularly love the cute little bright green ones.  fluffy and a splash of bold color - whats not to love?  especially when paired with hot pink (what a surprise) gerberas.  makes ya wanna smile, huh?  :-)

swatch: pinnacles

Took a day trip up to Pinnacles National Monument over labor day weekend.  I was reminded of how many great textures can be found in nature.  A few of my shots are shown here.  Love how the neutral palette showcases the patterns and characteristics of the surface....

swatch: argyle

this once deemed "preppy" pattern has been reinvented to be quite fun when done in a cute shoe, fresh stationary, trendy luggage, or (my personal fav) arygle dog collars and leashes.