"I'm just a monkey with a paint brush. Put something in front of me and I paint it. I can only paint what I can see." That's Brett Neal, the artist who creates a history of art series by taking everyday ordinary objects and make them extraordinary. His witty fiberglass sculptures, such as this Beagle in Boots is to take the kitsch object to the point of art at the same time creating a diversion by placing the work of great masters on the object that is totally out of context to the paintings. Pondering the fine line between kitsch and art.

Spotted these super cute dog and cat bowl from Reiko Kaneko online shop. The Echo cat & dog bowl are made of fine bone china, and believe it or not, Reiko claims the pets apparently prefer the bowl. 

It's October now, and the world's largest paints company, AkzoNobel (Dulux) is releasing their Color Futures 2012, which present one dominant trend and five relating trends. The single color that best sums up the prevailing mood, attitude and fashion of the time is deemed the Color of the Year 2012.



Trend 1: Living Scrapbook
Our preoccupation with documenting and sharing our lives has become multi facetted with the likes of Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and a myriad of blogs all allowing you to invite people into your personal, self designed zone. This culture of showcasing 'who I am' has crossed over into the physical world and influenced how we present ourselves through our homes.

This palette reflects the quirky aesthetics of blogs and social media. Happy, yet mature pastels beloved by designers like Ray and Charles Eames. This collection is modern but ever so slightly degraded and non-mainstream.



Trend 2: One Small Seed
We can't save the world on our own, but we can enjoy the small wander of nurturing our own plants at home and creating new life from one small seed. Growing our own food helps us reconnect with the importance and delicate balance of nature. Plants are no longer simply decoration but a vital part of our interior environment.

Nature inspires a palette of watery greens, fresh sky blue and earthy neutrals with deeper accents of dark soil, leaf green and bright pink and red blooms. Which one will you choose?



Trend 3: Rediscovered Heroes
Hard times have their advantages; they prompt us to look around at what is already there and find new ways of using it. Abandoned buildings and discarded objects are re-invigorated and re-imagined to create useful and individual design. It's time to celebrate the humble lamp post, paperclip and milk bottle as heroes of design.

This palette rejoices in the down to earth colors of our industrial heritage. Denim blue, rusty metal tones, concrete grey and sewing machine green are accented with signal brights inspired by the bold hues of wires and pipes.



Trend 4: Delicate Mix
In times of turbulence we are attracted to design which offers silence and visual stillness. Very simple, beautifully made pieces are a real luxury and exude subtlety and refinement. A juxtaposition of materials creates the perfect balance and the smooth lines and polished surfaces demonstrate the love and care that has been taken to produce them.

If you're feeling elegant and understated, these might be the colors for you. Refined neutrals, warm caramels, and blushing corals paired with polished concrete, wood tones and a hit of copper orange to add spice.



Trend 5: Different Worlds
We have always been fascinated with the idea of exploring the line between fantasy and reality. Ever since Lewis Carroll's Alice dropped down the rabbits hole we have been enjoying weirder and more wonderful worlds and today's technology allows us to inhabit several worlds at the same time through gaming, Skyping and 3D movies

This color palette is dreamy and surreal. Choose from lush blues, greens and reds or set your sights on a delicate, ethereal pastel.



Color Of The Year
This radiant shade is the most important color for 2012 as it is at once whimsical and serious, dynamic and soft, perfect for a tiny accent or for a feature wall. Red is held in high regard around the world. In China, it is associated with good fortune; in India it signals marital bliss and insightfulness.

+ colourfutures

Internationally acclaimed designers Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby have their first monograph published by Rizzoli in New York. 

Britain two of the most most innovative industrial designers, the firm Barber Osgerby has won numerous awards since its founding in 1996. Distinguished by clean, modern lines, BarberOsgerby engages in furniture and product design, as well as consumer electronics, architecture, and interiors, making their mark with technical craftsmanship, formal vigor, and inspired use of color. BarberOsgerby’s work includes iconic designs like the best-selling Tab Lamp (2008), and is part of permanent museum collections worldwide. Their portfolio ranges widely from accessible work to custom one-off pieces, including pews for a cathedral, hangers for Levi’s, and the brilliantly hued Iris Tables. Their work has been produced by manufacturers and clients such as Cappellini, Swarovski, Stella McCartney, and Coca-Cola. Featuring sketches, concept renderings, and compelling photographs, the book is organized thematically with an emphasis on materials and process, tracing the inspirations and working method of this unique design duo. 

If you like the book, buy it here! 

The 40th Annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta lifted off from 1st October till 9th October in Albuquerque, New Mexico as hundreds of balloons sailed into the crisp autumn air. The festival is expected to attract 800,000 balloon enthusiasts from all over the world to the 365-acre Balloon Fiesta Park. 555 balloons and 600 pilots from worldwide are registered for the nine-days event.

For the first day, the fiesta has set the world record for most balloons launched in one hour, sending 345 hot air balloons into the sky from Balloon Fiesta Park. Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, Inc. is seeking the world record for the greatest mass hot air balloon ascent in one hour from Guinness World Records.

Earlier this year, the 12th Lorraine World Air Balloon Festival in Chambley-Bussieres, France launched 343 hot air balloons in one hour. 

Always try to catch your flight in the airport? This cabin-size, hard-shelled case with a fold-out third roller can immediately transforming your travel luggage into a micro scooter that you can ride around the airport.

This scooter luggage or better known as Micro Scooter is a collaboration between Micro and Samsonite, has invested three years in its development.

Weighing only 5kg and compact enough for hand luggage, Micro scooter will make dragging your luggage behind you is a past. 

Dubbed 'The Pearl', Solaleya’s latest sustainable house designed by French designer David Fanchon is aiming for LEED Platinum certification. This completely customizable structure can be sized between 500 to 5,000 square feet with a bevy of layout options and finishes available. This specific structure is inspired from a seashell which offers great structural strength and aerodynamics.

The Pearl was designed with both the Sun's daily and year-round course in mind. Its shape is optimized to take advantage of the Sun's benefits when needed and to protect from its harsher heat when necessary. The front of the structure offers large bay windows to take advantage of the Sun's heat in the winter while being completely protected by its adapted roof during summer's warmer days, therefore keeping the house's interior naturally cooler. This translates into a highly energy efficient home where the need to artificially heat and cool your interior is tremendously reduced. Its unique shape and inclinable solar panels provide maximized solar energy gains and additional shade when necessary. The roof's shape along with the use of thick wooden arches procures the structure with great resistance against earthquakes and high winds, providing inhabitants with the incomparable comfort and safety of a cocoon.

Beside the sustainability features, Fanchon’s philosophy behind The Pearl’s design is “Functional Beauty: create ideal conditions for people to live and blossom in harmony with our environment." The open layout allows light to fill the entire house without any obstruction giving its inhabitants a full 180º panoramic view. Every room gets its due share of sunlight; making this a pleasant environment for all individuals to grow and blossom.

A successful re-design of the classic beer-garden bench, designer Dirk Wynants has produced an outdoor furniture with its very own style. Got inspired by the hop culture, Dirk was thinking of the large group of hoppers & farmers who used to celebrate the end of the hop picking season at long rows of tables. The Hopper outdoor bench with its asymmetrical lines makes it seem to be both new and familiar. Four access points make it easy to leave the bench and return to it.

Classic car enthusiast Arturo Alonson, who also an engineer has transformed a £30,000 Ferrari 456 into a rare classic Ferrari 340 model worth £655,000.

Launched in 1952, the Ferrari 340 was designed for the legendary Carrera Panamericana road race in Mexico and was limited to just three models.

Arturo Alonson converted the chassis of a Ferrari 456 with a modern twist, retaining the car's mechanical with power coming from a 5.4-litre V12 engine boasting 476bhp to give it a top speed of around 185mph. He has also remodeled the car's interior and fitted new wheels and brakes.

I never thought a helmet can be so fashionable and exclusive. Les Ateliers Ruby, the best of the best brands in motorcycle safety and fashion flagship helmet model is an open face helmet using 'retro' inspiration but maintains a modern, harmonious design which is both conventional and sensual, thus highlighting the simplicity of quality.

Every ruby® helmet is made using only the very best carbon fibre, a technology inherited from the aerospace industry: guaranteeing maximum solidity combined with a feather-light weight for added comfort and stability. The Pavillon subtly asserts its personality through a number of details: Its integrated 'backbone' is inspired by knights’ helmets, and the chrome-plated strip which runs around the edge of the helmet is its 'steel coat of arms'. Its claret interior, made of nappa lambskin is reminiscent of the aesthetics of vintage luxury cars; their is something special about the pure attention to detail given to the design and working of each part. Ruby do not even overlook the packaging, which is a heavily padded red case which would be worthy of even the finest jewel..

With the Ruby Pavillon, the motorcycle helmet is now an object of pure desire! 

Swedish designers, FRONT's first work for Morosso, the Soft Wood Sofa looks like a fine piece of furniture made of rough-pine. But when you sit on it and you'll discover that it's a silky smooth textile with photo-realistic wood print cover the stress-resistant polyurethane foam and polyester fiberfill on a hardwood frame, the only real wood are the legs.

With the use of photographic images to create an illusion of movement in the objects and to twist the experience of their shape and materiality, the images make the cushions of the sofa balance on their edges, turn a flat surface into one richly draped with fabric, and make a wooden surface soft. Real light and shadow mix together with printed ones.

Just like a real nice outdoor sofa bench, but it's recommended you put it in your living room.

Another more trees product.

Perpetual calendar is made with 7 prismatic columns with a date written in every 7 days. Like playing puzzle, you can use this calendar eternally turning and changing the position monthly. The lacquer and wood fit together well as they’re used and add unique flavor to the surface.

Designer Reiko Kaneko specially customized Kartel's 'Ghost Chair' for Lifestyle Bazaar, London Design Week 2009.

Playing with the idea of illusion, magic and ghostly convention, Reiko sends a flock of birds flying through the chair seemingly unaware of its presence. The energy and sense of capturing that moment of birds in flight is in stark contrast to what a chair stands for – inherently to stay put.

Beside the Birds Ghost Chair, Reiko also have fun making the “Ghost Chair” more ghostly and invisible by sending all sorts of animals through it.