Image via: jcrew.com

Everyone needs a little advice sometimes. Who do you turn to? Family? Friends? Co-workers? The archives of Ann Landers? Well, how about Jenna, Lisa, and Rachel?

Let’s start with Jenna, who is actually Jenna Lyons, Creative Director of J.Crew and driving force behind their recent soaring success. She’s also the brains behind “Jenna’s Picks,” a regular feature on their website, in catalogs, and in stores. “Jenna’s Picks” highlights her top items sold by the brand with a little insight on why she picked her current collection of goodies and how you should wear them.

Read more…

Materials via: Pantheon

I have always loved Pantheon for the wide variety of porcelain tile options available.  They have a great line of in stock items that are an affordable option for low budget projects.  And there also are lots of beautiful, high end items like faux wood planks and stained concrete-like tiles. But Pantheon has really raised the bar with a new line called Bling!  This unfortunately does not fall in the “short lead time/low budget category” but that’s okay with me. This line is like nothing I’ve ever seen.

Read more…

Image via: maharam.com

Maharam Digital Projects recently visited Chute Gerdeman with an update on their new products. Maharam has literally taken digital wallcovering to a new level, turning wallcovering into a true art installation that is affordable and durable for even our retail projects.  Also, I love that Michael and Stephen Maharam have collaborated with up and coming artists, most of whom are in the New York area.

Right now, there are 18 individual pieces and Maharam hopes to release eight to ten new prints each month, for a total of 200 to 300 individual art projects over the next few years.  Each piece is shown on the website as an installation, a close up detail, and a great story about the inspiration from the artist.

I want to highlight a few of my favorites.

Read more…

© 2010 Google, Map Data © 2010 MapLink/Tele Atlas. Inset image property of Chute Gerdeman.

On my recent trip to Rio de Janeiro during Carnival, I came across an interesting technique–each beach is identified by a unique pattern layout on its sidewalks.  I was fascinated with the stone walk and how they have made these “graphic patterns” famous around the world.

Read more…

Image property of Chute Gerdeman

Fashion retailer Opening Ceremony recently opened their first flagship outside the US in Tokyo’s trendy Shibuya district. The store, an eight-level, 26,000 sq-ft department store, is more like a “mini-mall” of shop-in-shops that celebrate the attitude of each featured brand. This location features designers such as Rodarte, Alexander Wang, and The Row.

Opening Ceremony first opened its doors in New York in 2002. The concept applies the mission statement of the modern day Olympic Games–to creatively combine sports, business, and global participation–to the world of fashion by featuring well-known designers, up-and-coming labels with vintage goods and flea-market finds, all from different parts of the world. Collaborative design is a major part of their retail philosophy. Opening Ceremony Tokyo joined forces with Tretorn, Sanrio, Betsey Johnson, and actress Chloe Sevigny (to name a few) to create private label products.

Read more…