Cavern booth at the NYIGF

Thanks to everyone who popped by to visit us last week!

Lena Wolff

Designsponge.com posted some images today by Lena Wolff and that must be shared.

National Martin Ramirez Day

So I'm currently reading Murakami's, "Wind-Up Bird Chronicle"...( I know, I'm so late to that bus). Man in the well? I mean, the book and the these drawings should have tea together. I feel like they'd be best friends.

And for some facts on Martin Ramirez: ( I'm going to let wikipedia take this one): Having migrated to the United States from Tepatitlan, Mexico in 1925, Ramírez was institutionalized in 1931, first at Stockton State Hospital in Stockton, California, then, beginning in 1948, at DeWitt State Hospital in Auburn, near Sacramento, where he made the drawings and collages for which he is now known. At DeWitt, a visiting professor of psychology and art, Tarmo Pasto, came across Ramírez's work and began to save the large-scale works Ramírez made using available materials, including brown paper bags, scraps of examining-table paper, and book pages glued together with a paste made of potatoes and saliva. His works display an idiosyncratic iconography that reflect both Mexican folk traditions and twentieth-century modernization: images of Madonnas, horseback riders, and trains entering and exiting tunnels proliferate in the work, along with undulating fields of concentric lines that describe landscapes, tunnels, theatrical prosceniums, and decorative patterns.

L.A. Mart Gifts Show.

We were psyched to be included in interior designer Jason Oliver Nixon's "California Bespoke" booth at the LA Mart Gifts Show, this past july.

Check out his booth and Cavern's Palm in Mustard.

Off the Wall: Geometric

Intern at Large Karli Hendrickson just wrote me about a fantastic book she's reading: "Off the Wall, Wonderful Wall Coverings of the Twentieth Century"  by Lena Lencek and Gideon Bosker. In the second section of this book "Circles and Squares- Geometrics, Abstracts, Op Art, Minimalist Art" the book explains that geometric motifs were typical of the 1950's. Post World War II, low-cost screen printing inspired the production of more experimental and avant-garde patterns. Also during this time, an upwelling of ranch homes in the growing suburbs inspired the wallpaper industry to create bold patterns wallpaper to accent and jazz up the simple, open, and modern design of these ranch houses. Textile designs at this time were also very bold and featured prisms, grids, doodles, and loops of geometric inspired design.

New York Watertowers in LA

Just got these installation shots from Social Control, a very cool production company in LA, that installed Tom Slaughter's 'NYC Watertowers' last week.  I'd say the pattern holds up quite well on the West Coast.  Thanks for the photos Jessica!

Blackbird & Cupcakes

Just saw these installation shots of our Blackbird pattern on Jen Marsh's charming website, Cattywompus.  This is a cupcake shop in Hoboken apparently.  Charm abounds!

New Installation Shot : Migration

Just got this installation shot of "Migration" in a powder room.

I LOVE wallpaper in bathrooms -- for a few reasons:

- You can take more design risks in a bathroom because the stakes are not as high as, say, the living room or the bedroom.

- The small space will enhance the wallpaper effect, allowing the pattern to really pack a punch and define the room.

- It can be a fun surprise when you open a bathroom door and see vibrant color or pattern inside.

- When you have people over, they will end up using the bathroom and complimenting you on your bold, design taste.

- Plus, wallpaper in the bathroom gives everyone something to look at while they're taking care of business ;)

Thanks for sending the photo Katherine-- it looks great!

Cavern at the Park Avenue Armory

Images from the fully mounted antiquarian book fair at the Park Ave Armory in New York.  It's amazing how dramatically the room transformed over the course of the week. Tom Slaughter's 'Library' pattern is looking great!

Blackbird in New Zealand

Just got this installation shot from Auckland, New Zealand.  (Those blackbirds are really quite international.) I really like how wallpaper functions at the top of a staircase, expanding the space and revealing itself as you walk closer to it. Thanks for the photo Natasha!

Designers We Love : Diamond and Baratta

I am pretty much obsessed with the New York design team Diamond and Baratta.  Their bold style, whimsical exuberance, and use of pattern are remarkable, whether they are working on a Miami apartment, a Hamptons cottage, or a Western ranch.  From rugs to wallpaper, pillows to fabrics, their spaces incorporate so many geometric patterns, stripes, and other repeats.  Most of the design elements are designed by the duo and custom made by artisans for each of projects, so you can't really buy this stuff anywhere (unless you hire Diamond and Baratta!) but if you are interested in patterns and how to use them in a space, look these guys up -- their portfolio is the best lesson book in how to do it.  A few photos from their website are below, but check more out here.  Truly inspirational!

Damien Hirst Wallpaper

Last month I posted about Damien Hirst's work, and I just realized (via one of my favorite blogs, The Year in Pictures) that he has done wallpaper!  I don't know how I missed it when I was at the Gagosian gallery shop; maybe it's relatively recent.  In any case, talk about graphic wallpaper- wowzer.  The pattern seems perfect for a retail or public space; I can't really imagine it in most home environments.  But it's nice to see digitally printed wallpaper in a high-end context.  Well done Mr. Hirst!  (And thanks for taking the on-the-sly pictures, James!)