A Great Idea : Heat-Sensitive Wallpaper

Here's a very interesting design project by Schuyuan, a recent grad from the University of Portsmouth, (who speaks English, Mandarin and Cantonese...by the way).




Called Design with Life, the project, as described by the artist, was "..to explore a new definition of decoration which brings life to design" .

A very compelling part of the project described above is their Heat-Sensitive wallpaper, which when activated actually blossoms flowers (see below).

Below: Radiator Off


....and with the heat from the radiator on:


A section from the nicely designed brochure that accompanied the project describing the wallpaper's reaction at different room temperatures:



What a fun interactive and creative idea. No doubt some interesting design firm will snap up this recent graduate. I bet Schuyuan will not be looking for work for very long. Go to the artists'site to see more.

Contact info:
The artists' e-mail: schuyuan@gmail.com

Design Is Blind: Beautiful, Wearable & Functional Objects With Braille

'Love Is Blind' Vase by Jessica Lertvilai, Canada




What makes this vase extra beautiful is that those are love letters transcribed in reliefed braille on the surface of the earthenware vase. The vase's narrow oval shape is ideal for floral arrangements, and unfilled it makes a romantically statuesque statement.
12" x 6" x 2", Earthenware.
Buy it here.

Raised Flocked Braille Wallpapers by Ilias:




Ilias makes actual Braille wallpaper with raised flocked dots in various colors, including one with accompanying text. All of their wallpapers are printed by hand and made in England.

Braille Wall Flats By Inhabit


Inhabit's Embossed Wall Flats are designed to expand in any direction with an automatic pattern repeat. Cover a existing wall, help disguise a not-so-smooth wall or add a modern pattern to any room setting.

They are good for the environment too, because they are made from bamboo pulp, one of the world's most renewable resources. No trees were harmed in the making of this product.

Customize them by rotating every other tile or row, mix-and-match patterns or paint them to coordinate with your decor. The rule is there are no rules and the important thing is to have fun with it. It¹s low stress, low commitment and a big payoff in the way Wall Flats from Inhabit impact a space. Wall Flats can be used to do an entire room, one wall or to create free-standing-art pieces.

Specs:
Dimensions: 18"x18" panels
Content: 10 panels per box
Coverage: 22.5 square feet
Color: Off-white paintable surface
Material: 100% molded bamboo paper pulp. No chemical fillers or additives.
Hand: Feels like a dense hardboard
Buy them here.

Dennis Lin's Braille Tiles -Totem Design



Dennis designed the tiles when he was looking for a way to express a message in a literal, but subtle, way. If the writing 'aint on the wall already, these tiles provide the perfect way to get it up there. Each 6 x 12 cast polymer tile represents a character of the Braille alphabet. To display your own tactile message, please order the total quantity of tiles you require (including blanks). Since every tiled message is different, Totem will contact you to confirm exactly which tiles/letters you require. $50/each
Buy them here.

Braille Furniture by Marielle Wichards



"Yes, I am fascinated by the fact that blind people experience forms and material in a completely different way. This fascination was born when I worked for 'het Schild', on the signposting in the building. Dealing with a physical handicap is complicated enough already, as a designer I can make things easier, more practical or more interesting. And that is very rewarding."
Read about it here.

Ingrid Lilligren's Braille Ceramics



See all her work here.

Braille Jewelry by Kim Christiansen

Buy it here.

Some braille rings from At First Sight

buy it here.

And Braille necklaces from Blugrn Design

Buy them here.

Auguste Raymond's Braille Hi-Touch Watches appeal to both the blind and seeing customers who like a functional, design wristwatch.

learn more here.

Wenger's Braille Watch:

buy it here.

Custom Braille T-shirts and Hoodies
At Primitive State, you can create custom t-shirts and hoodies you like in Braille:

above: an example of the braille translating interface at Primitive State.


Lego-Type Bricks for the Blind

A Tack-Tile® is interchangeable with any of the LEGO® -type blocks on the market.
Tack-Tiles® slates accept LEGO-type blocks; boards bought at toy stores accept Tack-Tiles® , yet differences exist. Tack-Tiles® slates are heavier and have receptor sites spaced like letters and lines of text. The receptors are rounded making placement of Tack-Tiles® easy even for many with fine and gross motor control problems. Tack-Tiles® may be pushed on with whatever force is available.



Buy them or learn more about them here.

What's Wrong With A Bare Wall?

I've always liked a good wall.
That's right, one with nice surface area and light hitting it just right.
I love to see shadows undulate across them or, even better, if there's an outside pool nearby, the dancing reflection of light upon the wall.


And if the wall seems lonely, I can't think of a better way to celebrate it than with an original piece of art. A painting, mixed media, even a wall sculpture.

But, apparently a bare wall is a displeasing thing for many people. Just witness the explosion of companies and designers creating everything from large photographic wall murals like Surface View in the UK to Blik's incredible success with their vinyl wall decals. Not to mention the numerous wall hanging companies creating coverings with felt and metal.


Above: Some of Blik's available wall decals

There have been sooo many trends this past year to cover one's walls, it will be hard to address all of them. Below are a few of the most popular.

From Blik starting the enormous trend of vinyl stickers and Tord Boontje's self adhesive mirrored icons called "puddles" (see below) to Chalkboard slate wallpapers on which you can write. Even 3D wallpapers have entered the market. And now we see growing popularity of 'large sized' wallpapers or murals.


above: Mio's 3D wallpaper


Above: Tord Boontje's self adhesive mirrored "puddles"


Even "conceptual" wall decals have it the market like those from Domestic. as seen below:






I've watched the trend of wall 'coverings' come back in a big way over the past year. And I must confess, many of the additions to the market were unique, new, and beautiful.

Like the Paint By Numbers wallpaper by 2 Jane (seen below in my own laundry room in my Michigan Home).




Above: A close up of the Paint By Numbers wallpaper in my mudroom


Or Timorous Beasties stunning and extravagent wallpapers seen here:


Above: Timorous Beasties stunning iguana wallpaper


Or Erica Wakerly's unique artistic wallpaper seen in this previous post and below:




Above: Bradbury & Bradbury's 1930's silk screened Aviator wallpaper
available here.


above: Hybrid Wallpaper pattern by Nice in the UK

Hybrid Wallpapers By Nice available here

But are people already getting tired of all the beautiful hand printed and silkscreened wallpapers out there?

How about the interactive wallpapers? Like the scratch-off wallpaper or flocked and leather wallpapers by Linda Florence?


Above: Linda Florence's Scratch-off Wallpaper

Or these retro flocked wallpapers from Flocked Wallpaper and Retrowalls?




okay then...

So, if you're bored of the above...you need to go back to large photographic wall murals a la the Seventies? Well, I guess that explains the fast growing popularity of Surface View.

When I was growing up in the 70's, photographic murals on bedroom walls was very popular especially for the teenage male. Usually the wallpaper mural was a forest scene of tall redwoods with light peering through or of a Sunsets and palm trees.


Above: An example of the popular photographic wall murals in the 1970s

It wasn't considered the most 'vogue' thing to do, but these overblown photographic wall coverings were in many a frat house or basement. Surface View of the UK offers a similar idea but with a more contemporary twist. In addition to landscapes, you may choose from retro illustration or random interiors.

So what makes the popularity of "Surface View" and their products any different? Frankly, I'm not sure. But I have a feeling that many of my readers may not recall the popularity of the original, being that they are too new to this planet (you darn young things you!)





Above: Some examples of wall murals available from Surface View

Even books are sprouting up about popular wallcoverings, this recent one is available from Amazon.



The Cutting Edge of Wallpaper available here.

Another increasingly popular wall treatment are what is being referred to as Wall Flats or Wall Panels. Inhabit and B&N Iconic Wall Panels


Above: a few of Inhabit's available 'wall flats'


above: One of B&N's iconic wall panels


above: Tracy Kendall's 3D wall coverings



Now, even felt wall panels are gaining popularity.
Just see Anne Kyyro Quinn's work.
and wall hangings from Construct in felt or metal, available here.


above: One of Con/Struct's wall hangings

Customised wallpapers (also being called 'Bespoke' wallpapers, the hot buzz word as of late) are also available.

Like those from Designwall or from Naked And Angry


Above: custom designed wallpapers from Naked & Angry

So, if bare walls bug you, here are a few links that sell unique wallpapers and vinyl decal options:


Concept Coverings

Flavor League

Timorous Beasties

Cole & Son

Wall Candy

Blik

Vinyl decals from Ugly Home

Paint By Numbers Wallpapers

Paintable Wall Applications by Walter available here

Vinyl Surfaces by Domestic

Pop Cling

Interactive Wallpaper

Tracy Kendall

Osborne & Little

Sky Murals

Wall Murals by Surface View

It's impossible for me to list all the sites, so I suggest you visit This Next and type in wallpaper to see many other options.

Now a few options to those above would be the huge and wonderful limited edition museum banners available from Betterwall.

Or, god forbid, a piece of original art from up and coming artists at sites like Hang, or from one of the many galleries or artists listed in my links on the right.

So, although personally, I like a bare wall, clearly I'm in the minority.