Petal to the Metal

Design expositions inevitably evoke images of sleek, futuristic, not to mention impractical prototypes that bear little resemblance to the forms we are used to associating with a particular object. Say a table or a chair. Home decor's equivalent of runway couture: Extreme versions of concepts that will quickly be adapted and mass produced as relatively inexpensive, more functional pieces available at chain retailers.

For furniture, when materials like metal, leather, glass, and wood are used in designs looking close to their raw, unfinished state, the result can be imposing and even austere. And then there's the magic that happens when contrasting materials and textures are combined into an original and beautiful design, like Patricia Urquiola has done with her Antibodi Chaise, seen earlier this month at the Milan Furniture Fair.

Urquiola's gorgeous chaise blends a chrome-plated frame, exposed just enough to see the contrast between the metal and leather covering (with wool or leather flowers).

I absolutely love the flowers. The background of the dusky green covering gives rise to plush, oblong petals that overlap just like they would growing in a garden. Placement of the flowers also emphasizes the polygonal edges of the chair.

Nature interpreted and brought indoors.

Spellbound

More pretty things at Starbucks...

If you've been to a Starbucks in the last few weeks, you can't help but notice that their stores are decked out in a pale yellow and apple green spelling motif promoting the new film Akeelah and the Bee.

Spelling words like "pulchritude" and "eudaemonic" also appear on cup sleeves and cardboard coasters.

Regardless of how Akeelah does at the box office, Starbucks has a hit with its design-savvy marketing campaign. The colors are great, and the graphics are smart and simple.

Oh, and the coffee is good, too.

Art by the Pound

Artful packaging of Starbucks regional blend coffees gives me yet another reason to love the coffee giant. The Latin America, Africa Arabia, and Asia Pacific blends feature beautiful stamp-style labels, complete with scalloped edges and iridescent sashes of color at the bottom of white bags. Brilliant from both an aesthetic and marketing perspective, these eye-catching labels combine bold colors, symmetry, and abstraction to highlight the essence of each blend.

My favorite. I love the how the brighter colors of the butterfly pop against the more subdued green and brown tones. The body of the butterfly is aligned with the leaf stem and intersected by the blue on the forewings, creating a stunning radial symmetry and overall effect. And the brown border beautifully frames the butterfly silhouette.

I love floral images and prints. Even though this label is on a Latin American blend, the design has an Eastern feel characteristic of Japanese woodcuts that I like. Red tonal outlines integrate the minimal green and white elements into the whole flower.

Sunshine with an edge. A ruddy, ethereal face and two sets of lines balance each other for a soft, angular effect. The broken, colored lines also accent the warm yellow tones. Light and bright.

The Café Estima design captures the energy and exotic beauty of a Gauguin painting.

Images © Starbucks Coffee Company