The Accidental Curator

The Sad and Beautiful World of Julie Morstad

 

I stumbled upon Julie Morstad’s work on one of my favorite blogs Design Milk (http://design-milk.com/) and loved it from the start…it has sort of a Grey Gardens shabbiness about it but with the bitter undertones of teenage angst that can only be mustered up by a girl of a certain age. Julie’s drawings can be disturbing on the surface but at its heart the work is deeply poetic and insightful, as beautiful as they are sad.

http://www.juliemorstad.com/home.html

JORINE

 

 

I love these porcelain wonders crafted by Jorine Oosterhoff in the Netherlands. Each design has its own unique personality creating a tea setting with enough eccentric yet whimsical charm for the Mad Hatter himself.
http://www.jorineoosterhoff.nl/index.htm

Keep an Eye Out

Get in touch with your inner Goth chick with this “Pair of Eyelashes” necklace designed by Stehanie Simek. Sure it’s a little Tim Burton-ish but everyone needs to exercise their dark side every once in awhile. Made with Sterling Silver and sanitized human hair, available for $38 from Chocosho.

http://www.chocosho.com/Pair+of+Eyelashes+-Stephanie+Simek+-80313.asp

Poketo

I love these vibrant and whimsical prints from Poketo. They have this sort of beautiful yet chaotic feeling about them…sort of like life.

http://poketo.com/shop/archives/category/shop/prints

Wind-lit: Solar

Imagine lounging outside some hazy warm summer night with some friends when all of a sudden your ultra green lanterns, powered solely from the wind and sun, illuminate as dusk approaches. These lanterns are but one of the many projects Developed by cutting edge design and technology group Living World. Living World attempts to actualize an idea called “senseware”, loosely translated senseware is a concept that strives to detach production from creativity, by realizing this detachment one attains a heightened awareness or sympathy for sensing the beauty of the living world that surrounds us. Senseware literally means “tools for sensing the living world”.

http://www.livingworld.net/

Studio 5050

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I first read about Studio 5050 in WWD and how they make clothes that blend technology with fashion I was ecstatic. I have long been a advocate for ”smart” textiles and clothing and have long wondered why Hussein Chalayan remained a lone wolf on the runway with his animatronic fashion. Isn’t it 2008…shouldn’t clothes address a variety of needs and adapt to our current, increasingly urban landscape? Studio 5050 feels the same way, pictured is a “Masai Dress” that plays music when the wearer moves, an “Embrace Me” sweater that lights up when a loved one hugs you and a “Temprature Sweater” that displays the temperature. What’s next…flying cars?

http://www.5050ltd.com

 

Luma

Luma is a line of beautifully constructed bed linens, throws and towels that are all focused around the concept of "ethically made organic luxury". Luma works with small communities and co-ops in India and Peru to source and manufacture their products and helps to support the traditional skills of the women in those areas. By upholding ethical working standards and fair wage practices, Luma empowers the women in these communities and injects a much needed economy in disadvantaged areas. All the cotton used is organic and all of the embroidery is done by hand.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/03/luma_luxury.php

http://www.lumadirect.com/index.asp

Forever 21...?

Lately I have been hearing a buzz on the street about Forever 21 and its designer line Twelve by Twelve, at first I was in denial, could this be the same Forever 21 that I frequented as a pimple faced awkward teenager in dare I say, a MALL. Finally I succumbed to curiosity and check out their website and was taken aback when I was indeed overwhelmed with cute, wearable trend items that were reasonably priced...and you don't even have to brave the mall to check them out thanks to their online store. http://www.forever21.com/twelve/default.asp

Icon Chair

This “Icon Chair”, designed by Alexander Lervik, contains sixteen Vitra chairs submerged in the transparent acrylic plastic that forms the its body. The concept behind the piece was to collect the "best" examples of icon chairs and constitute them into a singular piece of furniture.   

http://www.lervik.se/prod/icon.asp

Motivate

Inspire your co-workers and plaster your dreary cubical with these “alternative motivational posters” by RBT, now available at uber design and housewares online store Vitamin D(esign). All the posters are  printed on 100% post-consumer recycled papers that are FSC certified and certified processed chlorine free (CPCF). They will only print with vegetable based inks, such as soy, the tubes that ship all of these posters are made from 70% to 100% post consumer recycled content, and at about $15 bucks a pop you can be green and bag some great art at the same time.

http://vitamindesignshop.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=46