House Tour: Low Profile Getaway
Posted by Gina | Filed under House Tours, Musings
You might recognize this house from our recent FLOR catalog. This home away from home is about 100 miles west of Chicago, nestled into a community that still holds nature high on its list when it comes to its surroundings; which is fine by its occupants.
Richie and Diane Pascal were eager to find that perfect getaway where they could integrate themselves into their rural environment. But true to their nature, they brought with them a little bit of that urban feel that they just couldn’t leave behind.
Take a tour, and you’ll quickly see why we couldn’t wait to adorn the pages of our catalog with this beautiful, unique home.
Notice the single red tile; that’s a staple of our scouting photography – a practice our photographer uses when first visiting a home so we can determine the size and scope of the rug that will eventually accompany the photo. And he notes that without fail this tile becomes the resting place for any cats or dogs in the home immediately upon it being set down.
So that’s how the process begins, a simple walk through and some photos. That’s also when the fun begins, as our designers start salivating over what rugs they can create for which rooms, taking into account color, textures in the room and overall ambiance. And then… the final reveal – the images from our Fall 2012 catalog.
Situ Studios
Posted by Gina | Filed under FLOR Stories, Inspiration, Musings
Every once in a while, someone takes FLOR and goes beyond a rug and into a new world of inspiration and innovation that both humbles us and inspires us to continue pushing the boundaries of what we do.
Situ Studio is a design studio in Brooklyn and the brains behind an exhibit currently running at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Lower Manhattan called “Hava Nagila: A Song for the People.” This exhibit was developed by Situ and their partners, MTWTF.
If you look closely you’ll see that those colorful squares that adorn the walls and hang from the ceilings are, in fact, FLOR tiles.
But they didn’t stop there. Situ Studio used the FLOR squares as a canvas and insituted a laser technology to engrave text and signature images directly into the carpet tiles to to tell their story.
So if you’re in the area stop by the exhibit – running now through May, 2013.
Have you decorated with FLOR in a way that goes beyond using it as traditional carpet? We want to see what you’ve done. Email us at pictures@flor.com or post your creation at facebook.com/flortiles; and who knows, we may share your story here.
Lorena Siminovich
Posted by Gina | Filed under FLOR Events
Originally from Buenos Aires, Lorena is a San Francisco based designer, artist and author. Lorena has written and illustrated over 20 books for children with Chronicle Books, Templar UK, and Candlewick Press. She started Petit Collage in 2006. With her team of designers, she creates modern wall décor and home accessories influenced by midcentury design. The studio, located in an artistic hub of San Francisco, is an incubator of new ideas, art, and illustration where creating great design and pushing the envelope on new formats is the norm.
Please join us on August 30th to meet Lorena in person. As a very special added bonus, Lorena is creating gift bags for the first 30 attendees – which will include a signed San Francisco print on wood and some of her patterned packing tape! Please RSVP here.
Tags: lorena siminovich, patterns, san francisco
Flat Vernacular
Posted by Gina | Filed under FLOR Events
Payton and Brian have merged their aesthetic viewpoints with their fine art and design expertise to create, Flat Vernacular, a company that, for now, creates surface treatments for walls and in the future, who knows? I can certainly envision their patterns translating to textiles or product design and their ideas into progressive restaurant and retail interiors. Presently, we are treated with a collection of wallpaper designs that range from colorful, fashion forward floral to illustrative derby cars that from a distance have a deceptive twist.
Below is another example of how they’ve created designs that from a distance provide a very traditional look and feel while closer inspection reveals their whimsical, playful approach to their work.
Payton and Brian have designed their company with their client in mind, taking great care and time with every project that comes their way. They aim to remain faithful to the tradition and character of wallpaper while taking a more contemporary twist with the designs themselves. Flat Vernacular infuses color, design and their playful spirit into all of their papers.
To get a better sense of the hand-drawn, hand-printed aspects of their work, watch this video by Lilian Haidar. There are a few time lapse series showing Brian and Payton working together and it is immediately clear what an amazing partnership they have.
Please join us on August 30th to meet Payton and Brian in person and learn more about their work. RSVP here.
Tags: brian kaspr, Brooklyn, flat vernacular, patterns, payton turner, surface designers, wallpaper
Rusty Arena
Posted by Gina | Filed under FLOR Events
Rusty’s art background combined with an inherently rebellious nature have resulted in a gorgeous body of work that blurs distinction between fine and decorative arts. A Houston native, his interest in classical art and architecture took him on a journey traveling the world. He’s returned with his signature style that combines hand-painting and hand-printing techniques.
Beautiful, rich and luscious are all words that describe Arena products. They have a quality of depth that can be attributed to their unique production techniques. Rusty is dedicated to preserving and developing new hand printing techniques that are impossible to replicate through computer generated imagery. The technical capabilities of Rusty’s facility can be attributed to the engineering brilliance of his brother who designed and built custom curing units that allow for the creation of durable and colorfast textile products.
Rusty has created designs that have a fresh modern feel but are clearly rooted in a great appreciation and understanding of classic design. The above patterns are printed on linen further enhancing the natural and handmade feel of the product. In addition to the Arena line, Rusty creates custom couture textiles and wall coverings for clients.
Rusty has the ability to see things in the natural world and imagine how elements would translate to different surfaces – printed on linen or embossed into velvet. His natural eye for color and content is evident in his work, as well as the technical skills that allow him to move between media with such ease.
The above swatches are from his wallcovering collection, he also has a collections of designs printed on jute, linen and velvet. And have I mentioned that he is also a sculptor, painter, designer and enjoys cooking – kind of a renaissance man, wouldn’t you agree ? Stop by our Houston store on August 30th to meet Rusty in person and learn more about where he finds inspiration to create so many beautiful things.
Tags: arena design, houston, patterns, rusty arena, textile designer
