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.

Thank you, thank you.

I received so many wonderful sympathetic, empathetic and supportive e-mails about the loss of my dog that it's almost enough to completely renew one's faith in humanity.

E-mails and messages from complete strangers who clearly understood and related to my loss as well as love and well wishes from those who knew me and what Abbey meant to me! Wow.

Thank you to everyone who wrote, I cannot tell you how much it meant to me.
Bless you and all your loved ones.

Now, back to what's hip!

Happy Mother's Day

This weekend I deviated from the normal routine by posting some very personal articles instead of the usual. Monday this blog will return to its usual posts. Thanks for your indulgence.
-laura


Above: My own beautiful mother at the age of 19


Above: My own beautiful Mother in 2004

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

In honor of Mother's Day and the passing yesterday of what was 'my child'.
I thought I'd share some images of the love Abbey brought into several lives in addition to my own.






To Mother's of children, animals, art and anything else for which you care a great deal...
Happy Mother's Day.

In Memoriam

Abbey

March 7, 1993 - May 12, 2007

As some of you know, my dearest friend and devoted canine companion of 10 years, Abbey, was diagnosed with terminal cancer last september. After pallative treatment of chemo and radiation in October, and several efforts at staving off infections with various antibiotics (and yet making sure she has a positive quality of life), at the age of 14, she is finally leaving me.

A jack russell terrier with tons of attitude who was smart as a whip and equally as beautiful, her absence will leave a hole in more lives than just my own.

Not everyone understands what the love of a dog can do for your life. I am thankful that I do. Abbey basically saved mine by coming into my world at a point when I was suffering from severe depression, a broken heart and was painfully lonely.

I never had any pets growing up. Well, okay, not entirely true. I did have some of those tiny turtles in a plastic bowl with a fake palm tree and a hamster named Cream Puff, but never knew what it was like to have a pet who curled up with you during an afternoon nap or lick your face in the morning to wake you. The birthday wish I made as I closed my eyes and blew out the candles from age 5 to age 16 was to have a dog.

I'm forever grateful to my friend Kim, who was Abbey's original mommy but whose life at the time was complicated and wasn't the best for raising a dog. She saw that I needed something to love and she generously let me adopt Abbey in 1998. Not once did she ever ask for Abbey back nor during her numerous and frequent visits over the following years, did she make me feel like Mommy #2. Because of her generosity, I had the wonderful unparalleled experience of having Abbey for 10 years.

Abbey and I drove across the country, just the two of us, twice. She was my partner in strange hotels and adventures in towns I'd previously never seen. The perfect road trip companion, she never wanted to change the radio and not once asked "Are we there yet?" She helped make every unfamiliar place comforting. She gave me strength to do things I'd never undertake alone.

I moved to Michigan for work in 2003 and returned in 2006. Part of what made that experience endurable and void of homesickness was Abbey. Wherever she was became home to me.

It will be hard to adjust to life without Abbey. In the past ten years there were very few nights she did not sleep tucked under the covers with me. More often than not, hers was the last face I saw before going to sleep and the first face I saw as I woke. But, like all living things, no matter how wonderful, she cannot grace the world forever.

She is being peacefully euthanized today in the comfort of her home, in the safety of my arms. And someday, someday I hope to see her again. To hold her, to let her nuzzle her snout in my neck and to give her kisses on the belly.

Until then I can happily say I have no regrets. None at all. I'm so happy that I spoiled her rotten, put her needs before mine, and spent every penny on everything from gourmet dog food, beautiful collars, the finest medical care and all those deposits for hotel rooms.

It was completely worth it.



Goodbye Sweet Abbey.



-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Below are a few of my favorite pictures from the past ten years:


Abbey, 1999


"Abbeytude" 2000


Abbey, 2002


Portrait, 2002 photo by Jon Pearce


The perfect passenger, road trip 2003


Dec. 2005

Luxuriating in bed, 2006


Napping in a hotel in Sante Fe, 2006


March 2007


April, 2007


Yesterday: Abbey sleeping peacefully on the porch the last day before her death.

If Mom Likes Diamonds, Bling's the Thing

Does Mom like diamonds? Don't be a dork. That's a rhetorical question.
Well, here's a few dazzling items if you feel like dropping some serious coin for Mother's Day:

Asanti's Diamond studded wheels $1 million dollars for the set:


www.asantiwheels.com

Diamond studded eyelashes by She Uemera:


Originally created by Gina Brooke, shu uemura Artistic Director, exclusively for Madonna - These custom mink false eyelashes are adorned with 0.75 carats total weight of hand-faceted diamonds featuring featuring a unique new diamond cut - the "Star Shimmer Cut".
A single pair of the $10,000 shu uemura false eyelashes will be exclusively available at seven Neiman Marcus stores. For inquiries, please contact
customer service.
Or if you want them with 'diamante' diamonds (crystal), go here.

Luvaglio's Million Dollar Diamond Studded Laptop:


It is often quite easy to take your trusty computer for granted. This, despite the incredible convenience and entertainment it affords you. But for those who want everything they touch to be of a certain level of quality, including everyday items, Luvaglio has the answer. According to reports, the London-based company is planning a million dollar laptop computer – yes, thats $1,000,000 for what is essentially an appliance. And yet, for the people who could afford this who made their money on a computer just like it, the asking price could just be worthwhile considering the added features such as an auto-cleaning screen, state-of-the-art Blu-ray optical drive, and lots of solid-state memory. It is also said to have a diamond on the start button, although from the “By Appointment Only” website, it is hard to confirm.
www.luvaglio.com

Gold-plated diamond studded camera:


The Minox DC1011 gold-plated edition is really going to woo you with its shine and sparkles as it comes wrapped in 24K gold and a handful of diamonds. The Minox DC1011 digital camera is a perfect thing for the bling-thing lovers.

The blinged Minox DC1011 (aka the carat) features ten 2-millimeter 0.03 carat diamonds encrusted around its lens. It manages to pack 10.1-megapixel CCD sensor, 3x optical zoom, 2.5-inch TFT display, 32MB onboard memory and SD card slot to hold up to 2GB.

The diamond encrusted Mercedes Benz SL600:




Diamond-encrusted Ambilight FlatTV from Philips:


Philips Electronics unveiled this stunning diamond-encrusted Ambilight FlatTV to celebrate its one millionth Ambilight FlatTV. The 42-inch Ambilight LCD HDTV features 225 carats of diamonds that are applied along the sides and edges of the TV’s frame to accentuate the ambient effect. Seems like Philips took inspiration from the creators of Yalos diamond TV set (pictured below).

Yalos Diamond TV set studded with 160 real diamonds:


The stunning diamond studded LCD HDTV is one of the most luxurious and pricey TVs in the world. Keymat’s Yalos Diamond has a 46” screen and studded diamonds on the edges of screen.

The diamond studded TV has been priced at an exclusive cost of $130,000. Appeared at IFA show, 2006 in Berlin.

Diamond Binky:


An exclusive line of custom Diamond Pacifiers, the newest trend in celebrity baby gifting is available at ItsmyBinky.com. The glittery Diamond Pacifiers feature over 278 pave cut white diamonds totaling 3 carats with a 14K European nickel-free white gold base. An exact replica of a real pacifier, Diamond Pacifiers features a genuine silicone nipple and a real moving handle. Though it has a silicone nipple, this pacifier is merely for looks. Jeweled pacifiers are choking hazards. This Diamond pacifier undoubtedly makes a fabulous, upscale souvenir for $17,000. Mathis Riiber, founder of Itsmybinky.com, had quoted that the pricey aide was originally made for Donald and Melania Trump's son Barron William. The company also offers customized pacifiers of colored diamonds for high-end customers.

Below is the $17,000 diamond binky, supposedly a gift to Brad and Angelina:

www.itsmybinky.com

Goldvish's Diamond encrusted cell phone:



In fact, this phone is so expensive that the manufactures even go so far as to recommend a particular car that, they feel, would compliment the most expensive phone in the world admirably.

If I tell you that the car they name is none other than the Bugatti Veyron, then perhaps you’ll get the picture.

The Piece Unique Vertu, whilst having been named with the aplomb of a road-kill, boasts a casing exquisitely manufactured from 18 carat white gold, 120 carats of diamonds encrusted across almost its entire surface and a little platinum just for good measure.

I have searched for a feature list concerning this phone but I am yet to find one. Certainly the company’s website feels that such details are obviously of little concern - even if the phone costs a staggering $1.2 Million USD (€1 Million).

Then again, I suppose if you have to ask you probably can’t afford it.

www.goldvish.com

The Diamond Cell Phone Strap:

The diamond phone owners might would like to pimp-out their ultra-blingy sets even more with this diamond studded mobile phone strap that costs way more then a majority of the luxury phones in the market. Or if you don’t possess a diamond Vertu or a Goldvish, you can add a million dollar appeal to your handset with this dangling diamond mobile phone charm! This one-of-a-kind diamond-studded strap is designed by Diaddict, a designer Japanese brand that specializes in jewelry. The luxurious phone accessory features a 6.02-carat yellow diamond, as well as 2.1-carats in clear, white diamonds, a .61-ct. blue diamond and a .36-ct. pink diamond and is currently on display at the Takashimaya Co. departments store in Nihombashi, Japan for a listed price of $842,000.

Diamond Studded Cricket Ball:


One simply has to wonder what lengths people will go to gain attention. Just when you thought that you had seen it all, in comes the mother of all bling! Bollywood actress Mahima Chaudhary holds one of the diamond studded cricket ball to be presented to the best Indian Cricketer of the ongoing World Cup Series at West Indies. The other ball will be presented to the Best Interim Player. There are 5,728 diamonds encrusted on each ball, which costs about $68,500. Well all the fuss is fine if the team is a solid rocker, but apparently team India seems to be having starting troubles, considering it lost its match to Bangladesh! Too bad we don’t play cricket out here west!

$150,000 Diamond Encrusted Bentley Shifter Knob:


icedoutemz.com

Blinged out ipod:

$15,000.00
Over 580 diamonds worth 10.32 carats in total and set on 120g of 14K white gold.
www.intergem.com


This diamond-studded bottle of Kattus Hochriegel is worth €10,000 (US$13,200)

www.johann-kattus.at/

The Snow Drive, A diamond studded flash drive:


Blinged USB flash drive. It is called as the Snow Drive because of the casing made up of 18 carat White Gold with three strips of 1.44 carat white diamonds totaling to 96 on the sides and comes with 18 carat white gold chain. It features a Sandisk 4GB drive. Price: 9950 GBP ($18,856).

Not enough memory OR diamonds? Try this:



For the super-rich tycoons who need to carry useful business data all the time, Mii Stor has created a 4GB flash drive made from diamonds and white gold to pack your million dollar data in equally luxurious style. The Snow drive is a Sandisk 4GB drive encased in 18ct white gold studded with 96 white diamonds totalling 1.44ct. And, with the white gold chain, the precious little thing can be worn round your neck too. So, another chance to show off your wealth in an elegant yet geeky manner. The shiny flash drive retails for around $19,000. But, if more storage capacity is what you are looking for then leave the bling thing and get yourself the Buslink Pro 2 flash drive from CDW that is though not made of gold or platinum but it packs 64GB of data in it.
www.stor-data.com

Diamond Studded Flat iron by M1:

For the woman who has it all, this Diamond Encrusted Straightener from Selfridges is a must-have to match your high couture collection. The limited-edition hair tamer is made in 18-carat yellow and white gold and is encrusted with six Dutch Crown Rose Cut diamonds for that luxury trim! The luxury cosmetic equipment sells for approx $15,000. USD exclusively from Selfridges on Oxford Street. And, the device comes encased in an Italian leather pouch.

And finally, perfume infused with real diamond dust (And a rockin' name to boot). Stoned Perfume with Real Diamond dust:

Hailed by designer Solange Azagury Partridge as 'the most fun one can have being stoned without breaking the law', Stoned is a scent designed to create an addictive animal attraction (rahhh!) and is infused with diamond dust . Created as part of a jewellery collection, it's no wonder the bottle looks like a work of art and costs roughly $350.00 USD.
www.solangeazagurypartridge.com


There's more, too, Don't forget to check out:

Real diamond flatware by Christofle here.

Diamonds suspended in stemware and more from Diamonds In Glass here.

The Diamond and Platinum Ego laptops here.