Photo courtesy of Kitchen Craft
Featured image courtesy of Lime Lace
Looking for inspiration this holiday season? Check out this gift guide with an edge. These concrete-inspired items are perfect for your home or office and will stand the test of time to celebrate for years to come. Concrete is an environmentally friendly material. The fabrication of concrete uses fewer fossil fuels during the whole production process than traditional ceramics, making it an ideal addition for those interested in sustainable living.
Photo courtesy of Tom Tailor
Mensch Made Concrete Vase with Gold-plated Leaves
http://www.thedesigngiftshop.com
The design of this Concrete Vase plays with the contradiction between culture and nature. A bold geometrical shape is combined with a texture of organic ornaments, delicate foliage imprints, some of them gold-plated. Natural grey concrete contrast with genuine gold. A very special object that can be appreciated by itself and of course be used as a vase for flowers or twigs.
Photo courtesy of The Design Gift Shop
Block Concrete Disc Pendant
https://www.blockdesign.co.uk/
This concrete pendant necklace is inspired by iconic British Brutalist architecture.
The hand-cast concrete necklace celebrates the dynamic monoliths of the controversial movement. Statement concrete jewelry embraces the character of concrete, a lively material. Its surface reflects its history, presenting imperfections and changing with you and your environment.
Photo courtesy of Block Design
Concrete Cubic Pendant Light
This eye-catching Concrete Cubic Pendant Light by German label GANTlights combines light gray concrete with silver, gold or copper, resulting in a timeless and elegant designer lamp.
Part of the B series collection, this handmade lamp is ideal for illuminating a long dining table, a sideboard, a desk or a bar and is suitably hung individually or in a group. The high-quality gilding of the insides emits a pleasant warm light. Due to its minimalist design and the contrasting materials, the designer lamp can be combined with any style.
Photo courtesy of Lime Lace
Ava & I Pretty Little Things Concrete Trinket Pot
This trinket pot is from the Ava & I collection, combining influential on-trend elements for a collection that embodies empowerment with modern style and a dash of sass. A real quality design, the pot is made of concrete with gold detail and a sweet Pretty little things motif. A stunning addition to any dressing table or a useful piece generally for the home, the heavy nature and lid of this pot will not be knocked over easily.
As family and friends gather around, set an unforgettable spread this holiday season with these tips.
Photo courtesy of Canva
Patterns and More
Mix and match prints for a festive and comfortable look. There is a time for pristine white table cloths and identical table settings. If you’re looking for a slightly more cozy feeling, try mixing and matching various prints and textures to create a one-of-a-kind look. A vibrant table cloth will pair nicely with a neutral or complementary napkin. Your colorful salad bowls or bread plates can shine against a muted dinner plate. Explore new prints and patterns this season!
Photo courtesy of Canva
Greenery is Key
Whether it’s a sprig of holly on dishes, a bowl of multicolored gourds or a towering vase of flowers, even the smallest touch of nature can go a long way. Garlands of pine or other greenery can make the perfect runner for your table. Allow fresh flowers and plants to complement colorful tones in your table cloth and other fabrics.
Photo courtesy of Garden Trading
Decorate the Bar
Don’t neglect your bar area, buffet table or side tables. The dinner table is the main show but side tables can be as festive as they are functional. Add small lights to your drinks cart. The lights will reflect in the glasses and bottles to create a magical setting. Add a runner or exiting table cloth to your buffet table to keep the merriment going.
Photo courtesy of AUDENZA
Consider a Treat
A small favor is a great way to begin your meal! Consider incorporating a small treat into each setting or amongst the table for guests to enjoy. A sweet treat can be placed on the dish alongside a touch of greenery. The table can be spattered with ornaments or small trinkets for guests to take with them. Fresh whole fruit or a small dish of berries can serve as a hint of color in your decor as well as an appetizer. A tiny wreath or potted plant will also welcome guests!
Phot courtesy of Canva
A Centerpiece with Pieces
The centerpiece should attract attention but not overwhelm the table. Keep your centerpiece at a reasonable height so as not to block guests but still draw the eye. The center of your table can be made up of several components that work together to create a warm and welcoming scene. Try a collection of small vases, bowls, mixed with greenery, fruit, or traditional candles. Be creative when bringing your table together this season.
Photo courtesy of Lights4fun
Featured image by buffetcrush
For those who are looking to find more storage for their clothes and accessories, or those who simply want to elevate the style of their home, look toward making the dream walk-in closet. Not only can it be practical by offering ample storage, but it can also be a reflection of your style, so don’t forget to make it yours. Here’s how:
1. Sleek, Organized Design
When it’s completely organized, having all your clothes on display can add vibrant color and a beautiful composition to your walk-in closet. But practically, it can be a challenge to keep the storage space that organized all the time. So instead, look toward stained cabinets with a matte finish. Use gold to add a pop of color and a simple design for a sleek finish.
Photo courtesy of LUXXU Home
Photo courtesy of LUXXU Home
Photo courtesy of PullCast
Photo courtesy of Brabbu Designs
2. Not Just a Closet (seating, too!)
When you have the space, add in comfortable seating as well. Not only does it elevate the luxury-end of the design, but it functions well when changing or putting on shoes. Add a comfortable bench or chair for the same effect.
3. Effortless Impact
When designing a walk-in closet, there’s one word that’s a must: effortless. Whether it’s more monochrome or vibrant in color or more spacious or closed off, let the room be yours. Let it reflect your personal taste — both in fashion and design.
Photo courtesy of Chaplins Furniture
As the first impression a visitor receives, the front door is arguably one of the most important pieces of your home. Whenever you’re rushing to get out the door, walking back in from a long day or inviting guests in, the front door should be a reflection of you and your style.
For a bolder style, look toward a deep blue colored door like this. The clean lines and bold colors are sure to turn heads. Add floor-to-ceiling glass panels on the sides to create a sleek and stylish look.
Photo courtesy of Urban Front
Photo courtesy of Urban Front
The glass around this front door also works to bring a modern flair. Both doors are conversation pieces for the home, inviting you and your guests in.
Photo courtesy of John Cullen Lighting
For a more comfortable and warm approach, look toward different materials and textures. This rustic wooden door establishes an inviting atmosphere, and the dramatic lights add a striking feature. The distinctly modern approach paired with the rustic wood creates the perfect balance.
Another way to find a door with a more relaxed style is in its colors and simple design. The recessed doorway draws attention to the simplicity of this home. The light fixtures and the paneling complement each other on their simplicity. Meanwhile, the neutral colors brighten the exterior on a sunny day and complement the hues on a rainy day, too. This stoop is sure to invite you in.
Photo courtesy of Garden Trading
Many contemporary luxury watches are inspired by the sleek aesthetics and seductive instrumentation of the automobile and aerospace industries, resulting in endorsement deals with Formula One drivers and marketing campaigns featuring test pilots. Some of the high-tech materials that make sports cars and fighter jets lightweight and aerodynamic are now incorporated into watches.
For many consumer products, there is a correlation between weight and value, a concept manufacturers have, sometimes misleadingly, reinforced. Watchmakers, whose sleek, svelte products have evolved into large, chunky ornaments per current style, have been forced to explore the use of lighter materials. Now the ethereal is being equated with value, and the race to lightness has produced some remarkable products.
Astronaut photo courtesy of NASA; Watch photo courtesy of Roger Dubuis.
Several lightweight watches later, Richard Mille introduced the RM 50-03 McClaren F1 model in 2017, a limited edition of 75 pieces priced at $980,000. At less than 40 grams (including the strap), it became the world’s lightest split-seconds chronograph tourbillon watch. That product introduced a new nanomaterial called graphene (aka Graph TPT) that is 200 times stronger than steel but far lighter. Noting watchmakers’ proclivity to mimic machines on the race track, Adams suggests, “Timepieces are often referred to by modern watchmakers, including Richard Mille, as ‘race cars for the wrist.’”
Lightweight materials like carbon fiber and titanium have been adopted by manufacturers of mass-produced watches, brands such as Citizen and Casio, but luxury watchmakers are consistently pioneering newer, lighter materials. The carbon nano-fibers employed by Richard Mille are similar to what are used for the U.S. Air Force’s stealth bombers, and graphene is being tested by McClaren for its Grand Prix race cars. “I’ve worn many lightweight Richard Mille watches and they’re very cool,” reports Adams. “The irony is that the more lightweight they are, the more difficult it can be to present them as the mega-luxury products their prices suggest,” he adds.
Ariel Adams, whose A Blog to Watch is a leading resource for watch enthusiasts, reports, “Watch brands typically are poor at selling anything new, and thus rely on other products and industries who have already created an appetite for particular materials or themes.” He cites comfort as a prime motivation for reducing weight, stating, “There’s a very real reason why a collector might prefer to wear a watch that’s barely noticeable as opposed to a ‘gold brick on the wrist.’”
Nancy Olson, managing editor at Inter-national Watch (iW) magazine, reports, “It’s all about expanding the limits of development and design to set themselves apart within a somewhat crowded watch market, as well as, in this instance, sturdiness and comfort—particularly in the sport watch arena.” Richard Mille, arguably the trendiest brand in watches, is particularly influential in sport-themed design.
At the French Open in 2010 Richard Mille debuted the RM 027 tourbillon watch, a limited edition designed for tennis superstar and brand ambassador Rafael Nadal. Able to withstand the violent gravitational forces he produces on the clay court, the watch weighs a mere 19 grams (0.670 ounces) with its strap, thanks to a carbon-based composite. The entire movement, crafted from titanium and a high-lithium content alloy — the light yet durable lithium is used in aircraft, rockets and race cars — weighs just 3.83 grams (0.135 ounces).
Oris Williams FW41: Limited Edition. Photo courtesy of Oris.
Richard Mille is not the only manufacturer with a connection to auto racing, and the FW41 from Oris is part of a racing-themed collection that celebrated the Williams Team’s 41st season on the Formula One circuit. The total weight of this limited edition watch, comprised largely of carbon fiber and titanium, is not disclosed but the middle case weighs in at only 7.2 grams (0.254 ounces).
Known for capitalizing on trends set by more expensive watchmakers, Oris brings greater accessibility to feather-weight watches, as the FW41 costs approximately $4,350. With its patterned black carbon fiber dial, the FW41 has a dark, sultry aesthetic, reminiscent of the aircraft that share the same materials. Roger Dubuis, which frequently collaborates with iconic racing brands Lamborghini and Pirelli, uses carbon and titanium to lighten its skeleton-style Excalibur Spider watches, both an automatic model and flying tourbillon.
Excalibur Spider Carbon Skeleton: Flying Tourbillon RD509SQ. Photo courtesy of Roger Dubuis.
Montblanc, the legendary German manufacturer of writing instruments, is also a superb watchmaker and in 2016 it released a concept watch, the Time-Walker Pythagore Ultra-Light that weighed in at an extraordinary 14.88 grams (0.525 ounces) sans the strap. Montblanc achieved this lightness through skeletonization and the use of mineral glass, titanium and a Swiss composite material charged with car-bon nanotubes called Innovative Technical Revolutionary Resin.
For those who value a thin profile even more than lightness, the crown would go to Bulgari, which at Baselworld 2019 — the celebrated timepiece/jewelry exhibition held in Switzerland every spring — debuted the thinnest automatic wristwatch in the world. The venerable Italian brand has long specialized in ultra-thin watches and with a 3.3mm movement housed in a case just 6.9mm thick, Bulgari’s razor-thin Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT is the company’s latest achievement in condensing complex mechanisms.
Ariel Adams cautions that thin watch engineering differs from lightweight watch engineering in significant ways. “Thin watches tend to be a lot more diffcult to make because you aren’t just working with materials but also tolerances and moving parts that need to go next to one another,” he explains. While the Octo Finis simo secures a new title for Bulgari, Piaget (another specialist in slender timepieces) holds the record for mechanical watches. “While thin watches can also be lightweight, appreciating the effort that’s required to make them is an entirely different discussion,” insists Adams.
Nancy Olson, who professionally observes the often-fickle trends in watch-making, does not dismiss the flight-to-light or thin-is-in movements. “A trend always leaves something behind, even when the expression of it evolves,” she states, adding, “Every milestone in watchmaking changes the whole in some way.”
Light & Lean
Bulgari- www.bulgari.com
Montblanc- www.montblanc.com
Oris- www.oris.ch
Piaget- www.piaget.com
Richard Mille- www.richardmille.com
Roger Dubuis- www.rogerdubuis.com
Resources
A Blog to Watch- www.ablogtowatch.com
International Watch- iwmagazine.com
Richard Mille RM 027 Tourbillon – Rafael Nadal.
Photo courtesy of Richard Mille.
The Run To Ibiza
Roger Dubuis has created “The Run To…,” a series of extraordinary supercar adventures, with the signature drive concluding at the Monaco Grand Prix. Participants pass through unrivaled natural beauty in the world’s finest automobiles, enhanced with fine cuisine, lavish accommodations and world-class entertainment. The glamour of these journeys fuel the company’s inspired watchmaking. Photo courtesy of The Good Life Inc.
Cuba’s capital, Havana, is celebrating its 500th year anniversary in November this year, a legacy that has led to a delightful cultural atmosphere, one that has drifted into the design sector. The style of Havana decor is a wonderful, bright and fun, as well as easy to replicate with a few simple touches. Here are some key trends that easily bring Cuban decor into your home.
Cuban decor is nostalgic and charming — a trend that is likely here to stay. With a few easy touches, a room can be transformed into a bright and fun haven to enjoy a mojito in as if you were in Havana!
Architects, designers, artists and more often pull inspiration from their surroundings to create unforgettable final products. Tectonic accessories, designed by Rogerseller, were created with the idea of earth’s most enigmatic natural processes — tectonic plate motion — in mind.
A series of floating plates make up the enchanting collection. They can be placed in various planes and axis’ to each other, representative of the plates that make up the Earth’s surface and their dynamic interaction with each other.
An intriguing addition to any bathroom, these elements are undeniably modern, yet pull from an ancient process that began over three billion years ago. The sleek finishes are appealing in both their function and style. These accessories are the perfect detail to finish your space.
The linear design provides a bold signature aesthetic that appears throughout the collection, which is available in a selection of the Rogerseller Natural Elements finishes.
The accessories feature multiple-length towel rails and shelves (with the option of custom tile inserts), a combination shelf and towel rail, angled and straight robe hooks, double or single paper holders with shelves and a vertical heated towel rail that provides greater heating efficiency.
Each rail, shelf and robe hook is of equal height, allowing installation as a continuous linear feature wrapping around the bathroom.
Photos courtesy of Rogerseller
Fashion brands held to the highest style standards are now being called on to create unforgettable designs, responsibly.
The footwear industry poses a few hard-to-answer questions when it comes to sustainability. The amount of waste generated in the production phase is staggering and the options for recycling post-consumption are challenging due to the wide variety of materials used.
For example, rubber and leather are difficult to recycle and the chemicals used, such as glues and dyes, can be detrimental to the environment. Despite the many obstacles, there are companies that are more than up to the challenge.
Photo courtesy of Rothy’s
Model with shoes photo by kerstin jacobsen
ALINASCHUERFELD, named after its founder, is the perfect example of a fashion-forward company offering high-end products without harming the environment along the way. “We are galvanizing the way to a fair and sustainable fashion industry, built upon the powerful human and planetary principles of respect and responsibility,” says the founder and CEO, Alina Schürfeld. “I am using fashion as a tool to create consciousness; the products tell a story about traditional craftsmanship, quality, and appreciation.”
From the beginning, Schürfeld knew she wanted to create well-crafted, distinctive pieces, and sustainability was always the starting point. “The fashion industry has disastrous, often irreparable socio-cultural and ecological effects,” says Schürfeld. This is why her company utilizes salmon leather and chrome-free tanning, which help to reduce chemicals and limit waste.
Leather tanning is the process that transforms animal hides into a durable and long-lasting material that will not quickly decompose. However, the approach involves harsh chemicals that not only contain dangerous carcinogens but can contribute to harmful runoff. To avoid certain hazardous chemicals, ALINASCHUERFELD uses leather that is tanned with chrome-free, vegetable-, or rhubarb-based substances.
Additionally, the eco-conscious company uses bio-certified salmon leather, which would otherwise be disposed of and wasted. “I was inspired by the idea of adding extra value to a former waste product that was discarded from the processing fish industry,” Schürfeld says. Salmon leather provides the same durability as traditional leather and offers a unique texture that contributes to the style of the shoe.
The texture of the salmon leather is clearly preserved and adds to the individual design.
Photos courtesy of Alinaschuerfeld
Rothy’s, another unforgettable brand, proposes fashion crafted mainly from the dreaded, post-consumer plastic water bottle.
This sustainable footwear company is growing in popularity, not only because of the big names that are sporting its shoes, like Kristen Bell, Amy Adams and Meghan Markle, but due to the company’s admirable goal to create shoes without leaving behind waste. The Flat, the Point, the Loafer, and the Sneaker are made from recycled PET plastic — a widely-used packaging material — that is transformed into yarn and then 3D knitted, according to Rothy’s. Even the foam and the rubber used for the soles of the shoes are made from recycled materials and designed to reduce waste.
The company emerged in 2015 when co-founders Stephen Hawthornthwaite and Roth Martin realized comfortable and fashionable flats were hard to come by. Once understanding the amount of waste that’s created in the footwear industry, they decided on a sustainable process. Rothy’s 3D knitting process reduces waste significantly compared to other companies. The entire procedure from the plastic bottles to the minimalist shoe box has been streamlined in terms of sustainability.
Already, 25 million water bottles have been saved from a lifetime at the bottom of the ocean and transformed, according to Rothy’s. The sophisticated designs and brilliant colors are professional enough for the office, stylish enough for a night out, and comfortable enough for a day of adventure. Rothy’s also offers a collection of kids shoes that are lasting and easy to care for in a variety of prints such as flames, rainbows, and more.
Photos courtesy of Rothy’s
Responsible footwear continues to be a new kind of luxury that facilitates fast-paced and fashion-forward customers. “VEERAH is inspired by women, made for warriors,” says Stacey Chang, founder of VEERAH. “We are a mission-driven luxury shoe company founded for women to conquer the world in style and make a positive impact.”
The company works with a variety of groundbreaking materials that are cruelty-free and non-harmful for the environment, making the brand stand out among others. With sustainability in mind, VEERAH uses cork, which is durable, soft, and water-resistant, as well as post-consumer PET plastic bottle fabric, vegan calfskin, and even apple peel skin. This revolutionary bio-based vegan leather comes from actual apples harvested in the Italian Alps. The peels are dried, ground into a fine powder, and transformed into a breathable and sturdy material that is perfect for crafting footwear.
“As a socially and environmentally conscious woman, it was essential for me to create a versatile collection that aligned with my own personal values. I knew that sustainability and luxury could harmoniously coexist when you combine smart sourcing and thoughtful design,” according to Chang. Chang decided to start VEERAH when she couldn’t find a shoe that was sustainable and vegan. Every aspect of VEERAH shoes, from the fabric and the soles to the ink used for the packaging, are designed to effectively reduce landfill waste and limit toxic chemicals.
VEERAH’s apple peel skin is a sustainable, vegan alternative to traditional leather.
Photos courtesy of VEERAH
For similar content, try; Sustainable Shoes and More by Nisolo, Comfort and Style, Sustainable Design Highlights.
Surfing has always been one of the most approachable, laid-back sports in the world, with no cost to entry beyond access to a public beach, a second-hand board and a pocketful of change for an after-wipeout fish taco. But with iconic luxury brands like Louis Vuitton and Hermès creating boards for their exclusive clienteles, another side to the sport has emerged.
Among the most striking boards available are those from Haleiwa Surfboard Company, at which septuagenarian surfer and veteran artisan Mahlon (“Lon”) Klein typically crafts no more than 15 exquisite wooden boards per year. Located on Oahu’s North Shore, one of Hawaii’s most storied surfing destinations, Haleiwa incorporates indigenous hardwoods such as koa, mango, kamani, and monkey-pod into its unique boards.
#68: Hand-crafted by: Lon Klein @ Haleiwa
Dimensions: 7′-3″ X 18 1/2″ X 2 5/8″
Surfboard Company Deck: Koa, mango
Shape Design: Dick Brewer Bottom: African mahogany
Photo courtesy of John Bilderback.
Klein originally began crafting boards from lightweight woods, and some are used to this day by pro surfers Michael Ho and Roger Erickson, but he eventually sought out more attractive woods that are too heavy for competitive surfing. “My audience was no longer the surfing market but the art market,” explains Klein, who insists no two of his boards are alike. “I never thought of myself as an artist,” says the native Californian who moved to Hawaii for the surfing. “But I’m always trying to accentuate the beauty of the shape itself,” he adds.
Klein says that more than 200 hours of labor go into each handcrafted, triple-gloss-finished board, and the artisan has no interest in compromising his craft for mass-production. Haleiwa Surfboard Company’s worldwide following includes clients from Europe to Japan, and Klein reports that a member of the Moroccan royal family purchased a pair of the wood-clad “sticks.” The firm’s larger surf-boards are currently priced at $22,000 while a shorter ver-sion commands $14,000.
Far from the iconic beaches of Hawaii or California is England’s LUX Surfboards, a collaboration of Ellie Miller, the only female professional board maker in Europe, and artist Danni Bradford. “The Aureus,” is their ’70s-inspired board, entirely sheathed in 24-karat gold leaf and currently priced at the equivalent of $45,600. The deck features a triple elliptical pinline design and the hull includes a single gilded fiberglass fin.
“A 24-karat gold surfboard had never been made before, and we were inspired by how unique it would be if we could achieve it,” says Bradford, whose studio is close to her favorite surfi ng spot in North Devon. “I’ve been riding Ellie’s surfboards exclusively for the last six years, and watching her grow as maker,” says Bradford, who adds, “It seemed only natural for us to combine our skills.”
“The board took months to complete, and it was incredibly painstaking,” says Bradford, who explains the gold was integrated into the construction of the board, not simply applied to the surface. The artist, acclaimed for her imaginative work with glass, says of her partnership with Miller, “I definitely think we’ll collaborate again on another board.”
In Los Angeles, designer Elisabeth Weinstock covers everything from handbags to soccer balls in exotic anaconda or boa skins. Her surfboards ($5,600), clad in snakeskin or other exotic leathers, are popular even with people who never venture into the waves. “Whether you’re a surf enthusiast or just appreciate the California beach vibe, this is the ultimate luxury objet d’art,” says Weinstock, who notes, “It was designed for the lover of the art of the sport.”
Kelly Wearstler, a prominent L.A. interior designer known for her trendy Holly-wood Regency- or Art Deco-in-spired hotel commissions, has also waded into surfboard design. Handcrafted from shaved Russian birch and sealed with surf resin, her $8,900 boards display compel-ling patterns, some organic and others more structured, that bring artistic expression to the sport. While you could conceivably paddle out on one of these glossy boards, they are primarily decorative, designed to bring the spirit of surfing indoors. Wearstler reports they were inspired by her love of the Malibu beach culture.
Photo courtesy of iStockPhoto.com/EpicStockMedia.
Hawaiian artist Tim Nguyen, whose idyllic images of his fellow Islanders are expressed with rich tropical colors reminiscent of Impressionist painter Paul Gauguin, presents his love of the Aloha State on a surfboard. His “Under Banana Leaves,” currently offered at specialty retailer Martin & MacArthur for $8,190, is the ideal piece of décor for a luxury Hawaiian estate — or even a Chicago penthouse whose owner yearns for the Maui sun.
“Art on surfboards is my expression of Island beauty, my passion for the ocean and the depiction of Hawaiian culture,” says Nguyen, who resides on the tranquil, unspoiled west side of Oahu where local traditions endure. “My board represents a scene in my imagination about a lush tropical garden,” reports the artist, whose frequent images of banana trees capture the magical qualities of Polynesian culture.
Russian Birch Board by Kelly Wearstler. Photo courtesy of Kelly Wearstler.
Roses surboard from Elizabeth Weinstock. Photo courtesty of John Milios.
The most expensive surf-board on record was created by New Zealand designer Roy Stuart in 2014 and priced at $1.3 million. The board, named “Rampant” was crafted from paulownia, an Asian tree known for lavender-colored blossoms and has a 23-karat gold lion emblem engraved into it. The hull of the board has a unique tunnel-shaped fin created from kahikatea wood, a towering tree native to New Zealand, along with a distinctive neon blue polycarbonate fin for further balance.
The Aureus by LUX Surfboards. Photo courtesy of M. Corker / Shimnix Films.
In addition to iconic fashion labels delving into surf culture — Chanel currently offers an elegant board for $8,900 — auto manufacturers like Peugeot and Tesla have also applied their distinctive style and engineering to the once-pedestrian boards. Mercedes-Benz created the “Silver Arrow of the Seas,” an aerodynamic carbon-fiber board with the sleek good looks of a sports car, tailor-made for monster wave master Garrett McNamara. In 2014, the legendary surfer used the board to ride some of the most enormous waves on record off the coast of Nazaré, Portugal.
Sophisticated Sticks
Elisabeth Weinstock
www.elisabethweinstock.com
Haleiwa Surfboard Company
www.haleiwasurfboards.com
Kelly Wearstler
www.kellywearstler.com
LUX Surfboards
www.luxsurfboards.com
Martin & MacArthur
www.martinandmacarthur.com
Photo by Alem Sánchez.
With literally millions of shades and hues to play with, color can also be intimidating. In a recent post by Northeast Meetings + Events, a series of experts give their professional advice on how to utilize color to enhance an entertainment venue and decoration. Fulfill the entertainer in yourself with their insight!
Expert advice varies on if there should be a color limit or if there’s a perfect strategy to picking colors. But when you do, internationally recognized color expert Leatrice Eiseman suggests starting with one lead color. “Then build the other colors around it.” And always take into consideration the existing room’s colors and lighting. “Whatever the venue is you’ve got to take into consideration what is already there that is immovable. What could you do to draw attention away from or disguise a presence of color that really is interruptive?”
As Director of the Eiseman Center for Color Information and Training, and the executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, Eiseman definitely has the know-how on color. She says that early in her career people outside of fashion didn’t pay much attention to color. “When I started out I’d often meet with a bunch of engineers sitting there with crossed arms,” she says. “But people have realized the psychological impact color has. … Color is a very important aspect of any work you do across design industries.”
When using color in decor, for events or otherwise, consider the mood you want to establish.
Photo by Kaboompics.com
“The use of cool colors and hues such as blues can help calm and relax individuals and generate clearer and a more relaxed mind-set, great for business sessions,” says Sarah Kelly, senior event producer with Cantrav Services. She often incorporates color to set a mood. “While the use of warmer colors and hues such as ambers and reds can help stimulate and generate a more active and warm response, great for team-building or brainstorming sessions,” she adds.
Photo by Pixabay.
Photo by Designecologist.
You can even use color to play off of factors such as the season of the event, suggests Dwayne Thomas, owner of Portland lighting company Greenlight Creative.
“There are some perennial things. If I do a fundraiser in the fall, there’s a 50-50 chance it’s going [to show] fall colors. In winter, blues tend to be more popular, and in the summer, reds are more popular.”