Tom McFarlan is an independent graphic designer who has worked primarily in the client-service graphic design industry for over 10 years, but during the last few, he has slowly been transitioning the focus of his work efforts toward art and design entrepreneurship. He is now to publicizing his latest and largest art print brand StarArc.

“The StarArc idea was born out of the intention to create an intrinsically personal art print that would be unique, meaningful and that could be visualized in abstract form. Based on this intention, astrology came to mind as a meaningful theme that is of intense interest to a large percentage of the population and a passing interest to an even larger percentage. So I dug deeper and started experimenting with different ways to visualize astrological information. I quickly identified the geometric aspect pattern that is found in every individual’s astrological birth chart as an expressive one-of-a-kind form that is unique to every individual and very meaningful in the context of astrology. I realized that these geometric forms have a distinctly modern look to them and aesthetically would have an appeal to people who love modern aesthetics. It was from this initial spark that the StarArc prints developed into an innovative personal modern artwork. Available in 27 color schemes and in 8 sizes from 10’’x10’’ all the way up to 48’’x48’’ they can be customized to fit any interior environment. They’re printed on rich textured canvas with a proprietary museum quality giclée printing process that utilizes environmentally friendly materials.”

Many people are fond of astrology and thus this might be the best piece of art they could acquire. For those who do not appreciate astrology that much it can be a modern piece of art added to a minimalist or modern decorated space, it can be the piece of resistance (center piece) or just another piece that completes the decor. Any way you look at it this innovative project that turned into reality is pretty good for almost any space.

I would for sure acquire one of these awesome pieces! How could you miss having your astrological birth chart looking like a piece of art on your wall? To make an idea about how they can complement a room take a peak at the pictures.

Turn your walls into the focal point of your home with these awesome decorative space systems by 3-Form.

The latest in easy-to-assemble, do-it-yourself decor, these modular wallcoverings let you express your style in an individual way. The Ditto puts structure, shape and light at play. Simply click together these colored cross-shaped pieces to cover a whole wall, use them as a room divider or create your own art installation. The Wave Wall is another decorative space system that takes shape as undulating panels featuring beautiful tile finishes, available in continuous or alternating motifs. And if you like these, you’ll love the Wood Veneers wallcoverings. Translating a traditional building material into an ultra-modern design element, Wood Veneers is available in a range of finishes like Old English Mahogany, White Oak, Asian Cherry and Ebony, along with many others, so you can express your style, your way. And the best part? They come in a box. Could it be any easier?

Mythology and Fairytales

Dimişcă has got everything to be the leader of this Free Figuration. His work is between Raw Art and Contemporary Art. He has boldness in brush, in color. He has spontaneity in ideas, in the narrated happenings. He is a narrative painter. His inspirational source is the great culture where from he extracts: mythologies reviewed and improved by himself, folk-tales from his childhood, from his homeland.

Make love not war…

He paints with a warlike passion, with exaltation, with a great deal of physical engagement. However, Dimişcă doesn’t make war but love through his colors. He can pass from icon to the erotic painting. Both will be full of tenderness and love. Look in the eyes of his characters.they love you! Dimişcă loves you too, as much as he loves Art and Freedom. He helps us to travel back in time, his imagination strikes you, overflows, fills you, hits you with the colors of his characters, from the past, yet so present.

Questions…

What if nothing would be changed, what if everything would stay still, what if everything would be alike, what if there would be no difference? Dimişcă asks and asking questions means to believe in future. His work is full of that optimism, which is indispensable for the development of the art.

Who am i?

Is he a painter? Philosopher? Both, carry him undoubtly to the peak of the art. As all the artists of the world, he is a defender of the freedom of creation. Realism and Utopia lead his hand, he hurries, paints fast, there are many things to be done and the life is so short.

He is possessed by grace, it seems that he does everything effortlessly, his easiness, his skill surprises you when you get lucky and have the chance to watch him painting-which is very rare. His bashfulness and shyness makes him more comfortable in the solitude of his workshop than in public.

I can write page after page about Dimişcă and his work…, so much did he surprise me, astonish me. He was like a thunder strike. I am sure that Dimişcă will amaze us again.

If you like his work. want to see more or even want to buy some pieces of work just visit his site DimiscArtGallery as he paints not only pieces of furniture but alot of other wonderfull things.

P.S.: If you will visit France go to see the mural painting made by Dimişcă on the wall of museum from Lapallise, in Allier, in the middle of France. It happened in a spring day, with a golden sun, golden as his yellow colors.

Blake Studios

Manufactured in bulk or crafted individually by hand; $10 a square foot or triple digits; the variety of Ann Sacks products extends beyond pure aesthetics (or emotions for that matter). The three-dimensional, burnt red Dahlia tiles by Blake Studio were introduced at K/BIS and on view recently at the National Kitchen and Bath Association’s convention in Atlanta. Potentially the most iconic of Ann Sacks’ new designs, these bold tiles have not surprisingly received the majority of press attention. Designed to be composed into dramatic, show-stopping murals, they epitomize the concept of tile as art. Each is made by hand using the age-old Italian technique of Sgraffato, “to scratch,” so it is not surprising that their price-point is more in line with one-of-a-kind art than standard tile. Another dramatic gesture with an equally impressive price-tag ($665/square foot), the mosaic from the Beau Monde Collection creates a wall of billowing roses with each petal as its own individual tile. The mosaic style is inspired by the ancient mosaic art form of Pietre Dura although Beau Monde but presents a fresh and updated graphic interpretation of this elaborate imagery.

Robert Kuo Carved Stone

Robert Kuo Carved Stone is inspired by traditional Chinese craftsmanship and motifs alongside design elements of Western European Art Deco. Han Bai Yu (Chinese White Marble) and Qing Shi (Chinese Black Marble), fine marbles found in the Hebei Province of China are carved using a chisel and hammer to create intricate designs and finished by with grinding tools used in the traditional jade-carving technique. This same method was once used to carve pieces for Buddhist temples. Vernacular inspirations define the Bali Collection, a unique standing pebble for vertical surfaces available with flooring pebbles in matching colors. The neutral colors and simple forms create a textural surface that can feel simultaneously modern and historic.

Ann Sacks

“Everyone’s idea of how home feels is different.” Ann Sacks, premier manufacturer and distributor of tile, stone and plumbing products, has created a series of collections to address individuals’ varied desires. From the bold and dramatic Dahlia mural and the glamorous billowing rose mosaic to the Chinese-inspired carved marble and vernacular-driven pebble surfaces, Ann Sacks seeks to address the movements in design, color and form throughout history. Although you’re likely driven to one more than the others, the quality of each design is worthy of appreciation.

Designed by Cell DSGN for Pachamama, the Eclipse carpet collection includes the Cosmic and the Sunshine line, created to transform the ordinary into something quite extraordinary. No longer is a carpet just a carpet; the modern Eclipse designs delight even the most discerning tastes; modern art for the floor. The Eclipse carpet collection is described as a “post minimal pop” interpretation of colors from the ‘50s and ‘60s era, “when man was striving more than ever to explore the boundaries of the universe,” and are available in leather finished in Violet, Optical and Wineberry, which feature various combinations of trendy dark reds, smoke grays and rich violets.

“The headquarters of ‘Krysztalowy Swiat’ is situated in Wieliczka, in the close vicinity of Wieliczka Salt Mine – the oldest polish salt company which origins reaches back to Middle Ages. The aforementioned mine entered the UNESCO’s First World List of Cultural and Natural Heritage on 8th September 1978, together with 11 other sites from around the world. “Krystalowy Swiat” is the only European company which offer its clients interior salt design such as: crystal salt chambers, salt grottos, salt caves, saline graduation towers, salt plates, jigsalt puzzle and salt panels to saunas.

Salt Plates

Environment

“Living with handmade studio furniture by Nathan Hunter is living with a piece of functional art that reflects the dynamic beauty of nature. He reacts to the material sculpturally, responding attentively to the grain and movement embedded in each piece of wood as a record of seasons, climate, drought and fire.

When created properly and responsibly, a fine, functional art piece will extend the life of the wood as it continues to change with time. It breathes and expands, becomes a part of your space and daily life. Each piece is designed to last at least as long as a tree takes to grow – in many cases well over a hundred years.

Every time we use a tree, we have a responsibility to renew and care for the forest. We must harvest carefully and replenish fully in order to continue our symbiotic and nurturing relationship with the environment. To this end, Nathan Hunter offers wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, and is committed to converting exclusively to certified lumber in the near future. Nathan also prefers to use finishes derived from natural and renewable sources.”

In 1986 Peter had the idea of growing a chair. Nine years later Peter and Becky became partners. Pooktre was born. Together they have mastered the art they call Pooktre, which is the shaping of trees as they grow in predetermined designs. Some are intended for harvest to be high quality indoor furniture and others will remain living art. And this is how a beautiful story started…

Pooktre is the art of gently shaping trees as they grow. The designing and setting up is fundamental to the success of the piece. The growing of the idea is the magic of time bringing the piece to fruition. The tree’s growth is guided onto predetermined design pathways. This is a very gentle but time consuming way of shaping.

The tree species that they have used the most is wild plum (Prunus myrobalan). They have been trailing Black Cheery (Prunus Serotina) and they are happy with the process so far. The type of tree is not the reason for the even and balanced growth however – it’s the method of shaping the trees that results in even or uneven growth. They guild out tree’s growth onto predetermined design pathways. They “evolved their techniques of shaping trees in complete isolation from the rest of the world”. With their techniques they know what will or won’t work and they can reproduce any of their pieces.

About a year ago they decided to write a book about their process Knowledge to grow shaped trees. This book consists mainly of photos with explanation text. It goes through how to choose a tree type to the finished piece. They are “flat out trying to finish the book and they plan to release it as a printed book and then an ebook”.

Peter and Becky have two different styles of art. One is the trees that are to remain alive and the other is the trees the are to be harvested so that they can be enjoyed indoors. The shaping of the tree takes place in the first few years, depending on the length of the piece as to the time needed. Once the shaping is finished most people don’t see the tree/trees and will walk right pass the young trees. The trees need to mature in girth before people notice them. A grown neck piece takes about 1 year from seedling to be ready to be worn. Other pieces have taken 8 or 10 years before they mature enough be photographed. The people trees are one example. Most of our pieces take 8 to 10 years as we like to do the bigger projects. Their photos have the date of planting marked on them for the living pieces. The harvested pieces have the date of planting and harvest marked on them.

As they have two types of art, the moving process is different for each type. For the living pieces they grow, when the piece reaches the perfect moment they transplant it to the new owner as in for the harvested one, they just cut it off and transport it.

Their work has only been shown once, at the World Expo 2005 in Japan. After that, they have been told that the effect of their trees on the bonsai community has been profound. The producer of the Growing Village John Gathright said that they have the most refined pieces in the world, and that they rarer that the finest jewels.

A word from the artists who create Pooktre: “Most people seem to think tree shaping takes too long. That’s not how it should be viewed, rather think of it like this: the time you spend shaping a tree is captured by the tree, then amplified. Twenty, thirty, fifty or maybe a few hundred years from now people will be able it see a tree shaping that you did today. Whether or not you chose to shape a tree, the time passes.”

Hudson Furniture Inc.

All Hudson furniture is available in custom dimensions, custom finishes and a variety of wood species such as Claro Walnut, Black Walnut, Myrtle, Jasmine, Acacia, Satinwood and Ebonized Pine.

None of the woods they use are harvested from old growth forests. Their wood slabs are domestically sourced from either salvaged trees or wind/storm damaged trees. The trees have an average life span of 250-300 years. When these trees die, they gradually do so from the crest to the roots. The farmers or the tree owners thus have to remove these trees as they might cause damage to houses, other trees or outlying areas. They integrate various wood species into their designs to produce unique works of art.

” We put high regard and value on these trees by turning them into pieces of enduring art instead of leaving them out to decay “, Barlas Baylar, Hudson Furniture Inc. founder and designer.

Hudson Furniture Inc. is also New York’s only repository for legally harvested petrified wood. For Hudson Furniture Inc. it was second nature to explore petrified wood as an extension of its already existing collection of organic contemporary designs. Petrified wood, having the visual characteristics of wood but the feel of stone, represents a contemporary fusion of the two original materials into a new compelling organic interior accessory. Hudson Furniture Inc.’s owner Barlas Baylar takes extra precaution with embassies and consulates to seek approvals and legalities of petrified wood exportation from all regions of the world. Hudson Furniture Inc. has also recently added a line of solid walnut furniture designs by startchitects Renzo Piano, Mario Botta and Terry Dwan.

If it were for me to redecorate my back yard or even my whole house, they are the people who i’d choose to buy all the stuff from. Not only that i can be sure i didn’t “kill” a tree but the look of all their work is just wonderfull.

In order to add up to the Bathroom Inspiration section i’ve decided to post more bathroom design pictures, this time i want to present you Kos – a modern bathroom collection by Nova Linea.

The collection features a simple, yet striking combination of both beautiful curved shapes and straight, sharp lines which combined create a really modern feel, further embellished by beautiful decorative patterns. Featuring a strong contrast of simple shapes and rich decorative patterns as well as color, and ridden of any excess details, such as cabinet door handles which could only disturb the harmony of elements, the beautiful and bold Kos compositions will easily steal the spotlight in any bathroom.