If It's Hip, It's Here (Archives)

Add Flavor To Your Kitchen With Custom Range Hoods By Bastille Metal Works.

With range hoods varying from modern to baroque -fit for any style kitchen, Bastille Metal Works has has revolutionized the art of cooking ventilation.

Art Inspired Range Hoods:

above: Andy Warhol's Soup Can and Knives silkscreens are translated into custom range hoods by Bastille Metal Works

above: A Jasper Johns inspired range hood

above: A vintage Chevy's front end crafted into a functional range hood by Bastille Metal Works.

With a 100% customizable line of slip cast range hoods in an endless combination of patterns, sizes, designs and materials, the artisans at Bastille Metal Works pride themselves on their ability to offer beautiful, hand detailed functional additions to your kitchen that will captivate the eye.

The slip cast zinc range hood (also available in bronze, copper and pewter) is designed specifically for each client. Where another company may hesitate to take on a custom project, Bastille Metal Works accepts such ideas not as a challenge, but as an opportunity to truly shine at their craft as custom metal designers.

Traditional range hoods:

Bastille Metal Works

Remember That "World's First All Diamond Ring" ? I Do, So Here's Some New Photos.

When the news broke in March during Basel 2011 that Shawish Jewelers of Geneva had created the world's first entirely all diamond ring (a ring that would have no setting, no metal, but instead have entire ring and shank cut from the stone), the story of the unusual piece of precious jewelry was featured on blogs and news sites all over the world.

If you can connect the dots, you'll have seen this latest collaboration between luxury brand Louis Vuitton and 83 year old Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, known for her dots, waves, pumpkins and brightly colored severe haircut, hyped to the hilt.

above: A wax figure of Yayoi Kusama stands in one of the window displays of Louis Vuitton's Flagship New York store

Along with the launch of the new womenswear ready-to-wear collection (the entire collection of which is shown further down in this post), the New York flagship store has been covered in dots with its windows filled with wax figures and miniature versions of the artist surrounded by her work and the collection:

The Whitney Museum has a Kusama Retrospective timed to coincide with the collection's release.

The Tate Museum just featured an exhibit of Kusama's works, and the line is accompanied by artworks that will be showcased in the Louis Vuitton New Bond Street Maison’s dedicated exhibition space.

Yayoi Kusama: Princess Of The Dots:

iPhone App:

As part of the collaboration with Yayoi Kusama, Louis Vuitton has created an iPhone app that turns any picture into a unique visual inspired by the artist’s signature waves or Dots and upload it to their online gallery, Visions of the Kusama World.

Collaborations between artists and fashion houses are nothing new, but this one is being heralded like the Second Coming.

The collection includes four subcategories based on the signature art styles of Yayoi Kusama: Dots, Waves, Pumpkin and Town. The expansive line includes Fashion and Fine Jewellery, Handbags, Small Leather Goods, Luggage, Scarves, Pareos, Pumps, Flats, Sunglasses and Ready-To-Wear fashions.

above: The pumpkin bag is a precious creation of galvanised metal with pure gold and resin

While I'm a fan of Kasuma's work, some of the pieces in the new collection are truly fabulous while others look like they came straight from Minnie Mouse's wardrobe closet. No doubt about it, you gotta like dots to like Louis Vuitton's Infinitely Kusama Collection.

The Infinitely Kusama Accessories:
Infinitely Kusama Pumps: