Amberg Studio Creates Digitally Printed Leather

English leather craftsman Bill Amberg of The Bill Amberg Studio commissioned artists and designers to create patterns to be digitally printed onto leather hides. This new technology offers exciting possibilities in the world of leather upholstery but also other applications as well: leather floor tiles, wallcoverings, and fashion items like bags and shoes!

Avant garde furniture designer Faye Toogood opted for an abstract pattern reminiscent of cave drawings...

...while L.A.-based interior and product designer Natasha Baradaran went a different route with a traditional floral lace pattern.

Design icon Tom Dixon created a pattern that mimics crinkled aluminum foil! This trompe-l'œil effect will surely delight anyone who first sees the pattern and then feels the soft smoothness of the leather!

And interior designer Alexandra Champalimaud imagined a set of hand drawn concentric circles in soft, comforting colors. They recall growth rings of trees.

Happy designing!

The White Kitchen

For those of you who were a little anxious and short of breath contemplating a black kitchen last week, here is something to calm your color nerves... the good ol' classic white kitchen!

There is something comforting about the brightness and cleanliness of a white kitchen. The absence of color lends itself to a super-modern approach:

As we have discussed in past posts, modern elements can be set off by placing them in a traditional context, as seen in the kitchen below. Remember Design Mantra #1, at right: Contrast brings interest!

But of course white looks great in a more traditional setting as well.

And if you want something with a little more kick than white but not as adventurous as black, an accent color like yellow or blue, or a natural texture like brick or wood goes a long way to adding some interest and life to a space.

This kitchen below has always fascinated me. I love how it feels more like a lounge or living room than a kitchen...a fact that is helped by the presence of a few beautiful table lamps!

Whether black, white, or in between on the color spectrum, there are wondrous kitchens out there, waiting to be born. Perhaps one is in your house this very moment. Give me a call...

Happy designing!