An idea...

A little winter DIY might be in order, to pass the long nights and introduce some colour!

I came across this lovely pic of a street in Athens decorated in an assortment of old lampshades. I'm off to Ebay some outdoor light strands and old lamps ASAP.

Cataplexy...

I've long known our cats sleep/eat/live better than I do. And now with a new house to furnish, I'm not sure I'm going to stop everyone else seeing just how spoilt they are.

But have you SEEN these tipis?

And then there's the luxury furniture...

And some very cool up-cycled furniture. I especially love the framed cat photos.

 (and yes, I do know that's a dog)

Sunday DIY...

Some home painting inspiration now. 

The artist Ernst Caramelle does wonderful blocks of sedate colours which are like softer Malevitch's, and now she has started doing them in interiors as installations. When I have a free wall I will absolutely nick this idea and paint some random, overlapping blocks, they look fantastic!

If you didn't want to go quite so "my wall is ART", a few simple painted squares, especially atop shelves like the below photo, would add a little interior pep

And if you are feeling more adventurous (I am), the below should give you some ideas. I'm particularly keen to go all geometrically Op-Art on a dining room table.

If I were very brave I would definitely attempt something like this:

Scenes of a graphic nature...

A collection of highly graphic and geometric household design, starting with this intense wallpaper by Minakani Walls. 

Various designs by the ever sleek Christian Fiebig

Geometric Living Collection by Rockman and Rockman, available at design mecca Darkroom. And below that, Rayuela Stool by Alvaro.

Despite the plethora of quirky shelving being designed, it's amazing/depressing how many people just have pine shelving. It's such an easy way to make any flat really special, whilst being functional and (usually) quite affordable. Very affordable if you attempt to replicate someones work. I'm not advocating plagiarism, but if you can't afford the real thing, you're never going to be a customer and are thus not denying the designer a sale, and if you tweak it a bit and don't sell it on or make any money from it, it all seems fair and above board.

One such statement piece that should provide ample inspiration is Norwegian designer Bjørn Jørund Blikstad's Imeüble, which is a very clever mix of simple rhombus shapes, clumped together and given the illusion of faux depth (I think that's how I'd describe it - they are really deep but look 2D).

The "Gem" series by Norman Copenhagen

Andy Gilmore's work could best be described as kaleidoscopic and hypnotic. Interestingly, the NY Times refers to his prints as "visually acoustic" as his "complex arrangements reference the scales and melodies in music." They are available from The Ghostly Store starting at US$110. They come framed with a letter of authenticity, but as far as I can see they aren't signed or printed in limited editions, so a little on the 'slutty' side, as far as having a collection goes. But they are certainly striking and beautiful and it would be great if you could find out which piece of music was behind it.

Boco do Lobo's Pixel cabinet is another thing of kaleidoscopic beauty, not just for colours on show, but for the sheer range of materials used to produce it. The cabinet combines silver leaf, gold leaf, lacquering, 10 different types of wood leaf, aged mirror and polished brass. The quilted effect if known as "capitoné".

TV cabinet and other assorted items by Joel Escalona for his Rocky Collection

Translucent chair: Random8 is designed by David Lesort and Arnaud Giroud of Pitaya Design and produced in a limited edition of 12 by Gallery Gosserez. Sold online exclusively by Outdoorz Gallery.

Millinery by House of Architects

 Other wearables and designs of graphic note

The Wolf Shirt by Marshallah Design. Pink Lo Rez shoes by Nude United, "Invisible Shoes" by Andreia Chaves, paper bags by Ilvy Jacobs, origami inspired suitcase by Naoki Kawamoto.  

And last, but by no means least, these curious "wooden textiles" by Elisa Strozyk. She uses wooden waste to create an array of textiles that challange our idea that something has to be soft to be comfortable. She describes it best herself, stating that "the processes to transform wood into a flexible wooden surface is its deconstruction into pieces, which are then attached to a textile base. Depending on the geometry and size of the tiles each design shows a different behavior regarding flexibility and mobility. There are various possible applications, for example as floorings, curtains, drapes, plaids, upholstery or parts of furniture." Sign me up for the curtains!

Hang about...

 These are just dyed scraps of muslin cut into squares, ironed into triangles and hung alongside dripping fairy lights. Very simple and effective, and whilst they've been done here for a wedding, once you've put in the initial effort of making them you can bring them out to make any occasion special. Or just leave them up as a permanent fixture.

If your skills go a little further than cutting squares you could try your hand at:

And if you're up for creating your own hanging installation and need some inspiration, the below are by  London based artist Nicola Yeoman.

Or if you have no time, buckets of cash and want to go kinetic, get the professionals in. Xavier Veilhan is the modern day Calder, and his mobiles work just as well in small modernist flats (£s permitting) as they do in ornate and grand public spaces. I imagine when spinning they conjure up images of mythical solar systems.