Today I’m featuring the work of photographer and stylist, Mark Seelen.  His work resonates with me on so many levels.  This post will focus primarily on his muted, warm hued interiors.  Balance is such a key component for my eye when I look at interiors or other forms of art.  I am very well aware that style is a personal preference….what works for me, might not be appealing to others.

Rarely do I find a photographer who conveys my design aesthetic as spot on as Mark’s portfolio does.  I have mentioned here before, my personal aesthetic is not a driving force for my design work as each project calls for a different look and ultimately, the client’s preferences of style (reined in or enhanced, as needed) form the basis for the design concept and the overall look of the project.

There are those occasions when the client and I either see eye to eye, or the project…it’s bones, the architecture, the scope and the client’s involvement allow for me to wholeheartedly execute my dream design preference.  Those occasions are rare, but ever so lovely.

These examples are a bit cold as shown, as they do not illustrate actual “lived in” spaces…in other words, they are stylized for the shoot.  A bit of artwork, more table top items, and the wrinkles, paper and pitter patter feet (two or four legged friends) that mirror daily life would fold very well within these spaces.

Mark has an extensive body of work with a nice range of styles and visual categories.  I plan to do another post with a bit more color and playfulness.

It’s Valentine’s day weekend….hope you have an amazingly sweet time with those you cherish.

Peace.

One of Ben Kelly Design (”BKD”) exhibitions….a design firm, London based…a very impressive breadth of work

wooden telephone poles juxtaposed with brass L brackets housing business gear and lighting—smart and chic

lovely custom woodwork with the repeated pole element…housing a simple Thomas Edison bulb; love the aggregate tile flooring with the weight of the sleek concrete wall

on color…..vivid, rich and decisively placed….complimentary, subtle yet brilliantly effective

custom wood cut and inlay elements mixed with the sleek, yet masculine element of steel; sound architecture and material selection

color and material selection is a delicate rope to walk in design without overstimulating the space—-a fine example of a job well done on all levels

rich, textural, primarily masculine with brilliant red wall and bar beverage pull elements…concrete wall, high gloss red wall, and stainless (thicker edge detail) counter married with a sleek black elevated skateboard counter.  I’m lovin how the stools are floor mounted to blend in as permanent fixture

accomplished in color splashes and mixing materials is clearly evident in this vignette; there are at least a dozen worthy elements to soak in for design inspiration on future projects

Peace

love this; she’s a new friend, we are unravelling together.  for my birthday, i thought i’d pick something i’d love to wear, to inspire me; this wins.  her photostream is here, and her sweet etsy shop, bella wish can be found here.  she’s lovely. dreams are so so important; having, believing, and remembering this today.

have a great day :)  sending you smiles, warmth and inspiration

On the heels of hearing that some reader’s prefer simple, subtle black and white images and tone on tone colors, I thought I’d share the work of photographer  Adrian Briscoe, care of Sarah Kaye Representation. This selection is a small representation of his work, focused primarily on simple, yet stunningly rich images.

So quiet, sexy and delicate

Linear, still rich, but with a bit of masculinity

Stylish, organic, with rumpled goodness (cords exposed).  I LOVE the weathered concrete and painted pipes.

Texture, metallic materials and hues, smoking pretty

Vertical orientation, quiet color palette, perfect balance of light, touch of feathery texture

Materials juxtaposed, worn wood, porcelain, mossy branches…a magical use of shadows

So drawn to the minimal, the mastery of texture, muddy hues, sexy lines, the back wall on top photo is nothing short of spectacular for the vignette

Simple goodness, texture, symmetry, tone on tone, all against a quiet backdrop

This space calms my soul, don’t mind if I do have a seat, and stay for awhile.  I promise to be quiet.

This site was found via a yellow house by the sea

Happy Weekend to all of you.  Sending smiles, warmth and self acceptance (I need the last one at this very moment).

A quick pop in to share a very cool art gallery with you.  Hardware, an art gallery in France.   The space reflects warmth and style… a balance of calm with thoughtful use of open, negative (empty) space.  A perfect blend of materials in their use, color, and finish.

The artists represented include Baecile Gabrielle, Berrada Barbara, Thierry attic, Guiome David, The Guy Dish, Saux Daniel, Marsh Christelle, Othon Patrick, and Serc Patrick.  The diversity of artist representation is also quite appealing, with a refreshing take on placing the works.

I found the gallery while visiting this blog.  You can translate her writing into English, but I thought I’d give you an option to explore without the weight of words.  I find myself enjoying that at times. I must tell you, having you here, well, it makes me smile.

A couple of weeks ago I visited the little Etsy shop fric de mentol.  The shop owner, Ana, a native of Portugal  currently lives there and supports herself through making artwork.   She sells original illustrations, and other gocco screen print pieces. All of the pieces are handmade, one of a kind and from what I can tell are constructed with a great deal of care. Her fascination with portraits, people, and nature is very evident in her work.

I purchased this card above from her shop.  I have found that I need to see the work that I spot on-line in real life, to touch it, to confirm that what speaks to me on the Internet actually speaks to me in person. This is a responsibility I take seriously because people rely on me to have aesthetic certainty.

 Yesterday, I received her package, which included the card I had ordered, and a trove of other darling treasures. She actually created a handmade thank you card, with hand embroidery and personalized lettering.  But wait, there’s more.  She also included a sweet little illustrated bookmark and business card.

Her work is stunning, sweet, and textured with character.  I would venture to guess her heart is quite similar. I feel honored to share her work and recommend it to you.  

Ana is having a spring promotion in her shop through April 10th, buy three gocco prints on paper and receive the 4th free (her choice). 

Here are a few of her current pieces sitting pretty in her shop (not for long, I’d expect).

Oh and please do visit her lovely blog here.   I will be visiting her shop again soon, I am certain.

Aurélie Mathigot is a french woman, whose artistry uses such elements as cotton and wool fiber, photographs, nature and canvas. She’s been featured on many design blogs over the last several years and participated in numerous exhibits in and around Paris.

My initial introduction to her work came through one of my daily design blog visits. Unfortunately, I did not have a discipline of documenting my sources when I bookmarked her website. I have since altered my process so that I document the source of all new-found websites, blogs artisans and other design resources.  

I emailed Aurélie a couple of weeks ago as I was curious about her more recent works. She was kind enough to respond and include two visuals of new pieces for me to share with you. The depth and breadth of her work is simply amazing. Artists of this caliber leave a lasting impression in my mind for days and weeks after I spend time in their visual company.

Here are a couple of her varying works that I originally fell head over heals in love with.

Here is a taste of her photography, printed on canvas and embroidered to add texture and meaning. I’d love one of these pieces for the studio to coat my eyes with inspiration on a daily basis.

Part of my draw to her work, aside from it’s sheer genius is her concept, which I lifted directly from her website, as I felt that paraphrasing would be delusive.  

“Aurelie Mathigot’s work is largely inspired on the notion of recovery and the necessity of talking about everyday life in another – new – way.”  

Several preoccupations recur throughout her work which she speaks about on her website:  like the will to hide, the need for isolation and for being overwhelmed by the material she is working with.  I love what I do and am grateful for the opportunities I have been given thus far.  But with that opportunity comes responsibility, time pressure, budget constraints and the stresses of the ever present Murphy’s law of the construction business. Another aspect that is different, from say, a fine artists ‘own work,’ is the timing of making expensive decisions.  These decision have to be made so often quickly, and primarily based on concept.  This is part of the exposure that designers are subject to. It is all a balancing act because waiting until all of the known elements are present to facilitate more informed decision making isn’t realistic and would result in project delays that most clients cannot absorb.  This really is the ‘value’ of engaging a professional designer…their ability to make hard decisions on space plans, overall designs, scale, materials, color, finish and layouts with limited real life visual information.  

The longer I work in this industry, the more I recognize the importance of a thorough, well defined, and comprehensive concept phase for my projects.  I am hoping to expand my working platform to make room for more undefined, playful, self interpretive works.  Aurélie’s work expresses some of these freedoms to me.  I cannot be certain of whether she feels these freedoms in the process of her creating.  What I am certain about is that I respect, appreciate and love her work.   

Here is Aurélie’s latest work.  If you are interested in learning more, please do visit her website.  I barely scratched the surface on the extent of her loveliness.

She came to my studio yesteray. early.  She brought her camera, to shoot photos of the studio.  She offered to do this for me, as a gift…a very special gift.  Her photography, it will be lovely.  Her company, in the studio, was familiar and refreshing.  It has been a while since we connected.  The connection returned with such grace.  Spending time with people I love is important. Finding time or making time is not easy for me.  The best things don’t always come easy, so remind me, will you?  Remind me to make time for you.

Her photos, pretty, thoughtful, a delicate balance vivid color with unexpected hits of rich, deep neutrals. Feeling blessed?  I am clearly blessed.

This evening, I came across a French sketch artist, Alexandre Day, whose graphite work on wood is shown here.  His work resonated with me immediately.  Having a lil biscuit and a lil boy G might have a bit to do with it. maybe. well, yes, of course.  He has so many yummy works, with additional gallery links on his blog. I encourage you to take a moment to visit.

The last few weeks have been challenging and tiring; learning a new skill and becoming more visible is hard on this girl.  But, I’m feeling inspired by all of the incredible artisans I have recently discovered and the new connections I am making along the way.  I’m thoroughly enjoying being here, and you, yes you, make it all the more fun, comfy and worthwhile. Comments are always appreciated but visiting silently is no less meaningful to me. really.  

Please visit periwinklebloom, it’s the cool place where I discovered this work, among other stylish, family oriented goodies.