Now transparent objects in interior design is not a new concept. Kartell for example, has made a huge impact on the design world from the 1950s with multi-coloured clear plastic design objects including infamous pieces like Philippe Starke’s Ghost Chair and Ferruccio Laviani’s Take Lamp that were part of a resurgence around the year 2000. What can be more intriguing is transparency used to ‘frame’ or ‘house’ another object. We’ve collated some examples of glass and acrylic design objects that, while lovely in themselves, also highlight the beauty of the objects within.
The stunning and quirky ‘Curiosity Object’ by Gaëlle Gabillet Stéphane Villard breathes new life into the common display cabinet:
Some further examples of lights used to display objects, including the ‘Favourite Things’ lamp by Chen Karlsson (at left).
We love these gorgeous glass display boxes and table perfect for showing off your own precious treasures:
These designs take a twist on the traditional glass bottle/vase/bell display, including the ‘Cylinder Vase’ available from Danish Modern, the adorable ‘Mosser’ on Etsy, and the ‘Milk Bottle Carafe’ from Three Potato Four.
This stylish work station is clear and crisp, while these jars have made a simple but effective DIY photo display:
“Can you imagine going about your day with no one ever saying ‘thank you’ to you? Being grateful makes you happy. Being happy makes you productive and helpful. Being helpful will make someone else grateful. It’s a win-win.” So believes talented Adelaide-based designer Melissa Jaine of Thank You Shop, where you can find these bright, fun and heartfelt prints to express your gratitude to the people you care about, or the things that bring you joy. These artworks are printed on 8” x 10” thick, smooth-pearl semi-gloss paper which has a beautiful, subtle ’sparkle’.
There are so many different designs at Thank You Shop – a charming reminder of all the good things in life to be thankful for! Leading up to Mother’s Day we especially love the “Thank You Mum” print in deep rose pink!
Melissa took her idea one step further with what she has titled, the “Twenty5 Project”. Generous portions of the sale of Melissa’s artwork are shared between 25 charities that support the efforts of those in the Defence Forces, a cause that initially inspired her to say “Thank You”. 
GIVEAWAY FOR MOTHER’S DAY! For your chance to WIN 2 fabulous Thank You Shop prints, simply “like” Melissa Jaine Blog on Facebook and post a message on the Design Muse Facebook wall telling us what you you are thankful for. You could WIN the above featured “Thank You Mum” & “Thank You Brother” or “Thank You Chocolate” & “Thank You Darling” prints! Entries will be drawn on 6th May 2012.
While watching the news recently it dawned on us that much of our current way of living can carry a great deal of seriousness and angst. Goodness knows that we all need a laugh from time-to-time and with this in mind we ventured off to find something to make you smile.
Our search came to a sudden halt when we discovered SignFail, a Melbourne-based business filled with some very chuckle-worthy home decor signs and stationary. SignFail’s humour is pooled directly from the funniest and most ironic English translations, known as “Chinglish”, “Engrish”, “Czechlish” and so on. However politically incorrect these translations may be, they sure put a big grin on our faces!
We met the mastermind behind this witty business concept, Designer and Artist Michael Bancroft, who we have interrogated for your amusement:
Please sum up your products in three words.
Same, but different.
What is your favourite Sign Fail product and why?
Promised Land, inspired by an overhead freeway sign. I love that in China, the Promised Land is a real place and you can get there just by taking the next off-ramp.
Are your products robust? Do they have an average lifespan?
My signs will last years both indoors and outdoors. Aside from making them out of metal, my acrylic perspex signs are about as robust as they can get.
What are your Top Selling items?
My top selling item by far is the Do Not Disturb, Tiny Grass is Dreaming sign. It has almost fifty thousand likes and re-blogs on Tumblr. What I like about this is that it’s not even a fail, more like public poetry rather. The Dying Right Here is Strictly Prohibited and Toilet: One Place, One Dream signs also sell well.
Tell us a little about your background as a Designer.
My Design schooling started at TAFE in 1999, though I was interested in art well before then. I eventually moved on to uni and travelled to Germany to study (which every young Graphic Designer should try), then returned to Melbourne to begin my career.
Which other artists or creative people do you admire?
There really are too many to list. Suffice to say, I love art, going back to the Renaissance all the way through to stencilling. I’m also heavily inspired by music. Again, I listen to everything from Beethoven to Karnivool.
Where would you be spotted on an average Sunday morning?
I wouldn’t be. Sunday doesn’t start until at least 1 o’clock in the afternoon, right?
GIVEAWAY ALERT! “Like” SignFail on Facebook and send them a message mentioning “Design Muse” for your chance to WIN the sign of your choice! 5 lucky winners will be drawn randomly on 13th May 2012.
All Design Muse readers will receive a generous 20% discount on all Sign Fail products from now until 6th May 2012! Head over to the Sign Fail Etsy Shop and enter this code at the checkout: DESIGNMUSE.
We have developed a new obsession with skulls as of late, so today we bring to you a collection of our favourite skeletal finds thus far…
This work by talented NZ Photographer Ross Brown has really taken our fancy. Brown eloquently exposes the union of both the romantic and the morbid, perhaps depicting a poisonous relationship? It sure does make the mind wander!
If you have ever experienced a migraine, then you will certainly relate to this sculpture by Canadian Artist Maskull Lasserre. This piece has been meticulously created from books, steel and hardware. View the production process here, it’s all rather intriguing!
This new EarthSeaWarrior glass jewellery box is certainly worth lusting over. It features a striking skull carved out of precious Australian Opal and a quartz crystal point cluster: 
Etsy shop iamhome also share our skull obsession. Of course you need one of their Chalkboard Skull ornaments for your kitchen bench! What a fun way to leave messages for loved ones!
It was instant love when we set our eyes upon this silver metal Halo Skull Ornament from Spell Designs. Just divine!
Our weakness for chocolate has developed into a grand infatuation thanks to sparganum‘s Chocolate Skulls Gone Nuts! These fine cacao confections are skeletally shaped with delicious walnut or candy brains: 
There is a great deal of unnecessary over-consumption that comes with Easter and other such occasions, so anticonsumerism is the theme of the week here on Design Muse! Today we show you how to take ordinary items, re-use them and made them extraordinary! Why not try this super-easy DIY Easter Gift?
We do not claim to be cooking masters, but these Easter biscuits look and taste fabulous! In this particular instance we used a fairly fail-proof shortbread recipe which resulted in that deliciously familiar buttery finish! Find this step-by-step Shortbread recipe here.
Once you are done with baking, let your creative juices flow! Decorate the biscuits and gift box using any colours and patterns you like, just have fun with it! With any DIY craft project, do try to be resourceful! We like to keep wrapping paper and gift ribbons to re-use later for these such crafts.
…and here is the final product! How easy was that? Looks rather professional, dont you think?
A particularly treasured pastime of mine is our family’s annual Easter Decorating Eggstravaganza, a day filled with lot of crafty Easter DIYs, great company and delicious Easter treats! Today we share with you a taste of this beloved Easter tradition with a sample of our favourite Easter Egg Decorating ideas for you to try this year! Happy Easter!
First up, you will need to discover your inner egg-colouring skills, Spearmint Baby has a great step-by-step egg dyeing guide here. 
Next, learn how to create beautiful hollowed and hand-painted eggs with Home Life’s simple DIY tutorial.
Getting inspired by Willy Wonka now, we love this Golden Chocolate Easter Eggs how-to by The Kitchn. “I want my geese to lay gold eggs for Easter, at least 100 a day!” ~ Veruca Salt.
Why not send Egg-o-grams to your family and friends? These are surprisingly easy to make and will certainly create smiles-all-round! A step-by-step guide can be found here, thanks to Poppytalk.
These Paper Flower Easter Eggs are perfect for a table top display at your Easter Luncheon or as hand-made Easter gifts. The DIY tutorial by Such Pretty Things can be found here.
Last but not least, this super-cute egg decorating project by A Bit of Pilli Pilli is a fun one make with the kids!
Before his killer career in Rap music, Ice Cube studied Architectural Drafting at the Phoenix Institute of Technology. Slightly out of character, yes, but he now openly celebrates the architectural beauties of his hometown, Los Angeles!
Ice Cube’s familiarity and respect for design emerges from behind his notorious hard shell in this recording as he dotes on the iconic Eames House (also known as Case Study House No. 8) and it’s creators.
“In a world full of McMansions, where da structure takes up all the land, Eames made structure and nature one. This is going green 1949-style, bitches”.
We love Ice Cube’s no-bull approach to design education. Perhaps a new gangsta-style Grand Designs series is in the making? What do you think?
PEACE OUT.
Autumn has shown its grey face in Melbourne and as the rain and cold set in we reach out for designers offering colour, warmth and something a little quirky…
We have been admiring the work of Melbourne-based illustrator and designer Beci Orpin for a while. Her work invokes memories of childhood, a time of intense imagination and wonder. Bright colours, geometric shapes and folklore imagery feature heavily in her work. We know you will love one of her recent designs, these amazing mushroom canisters. Simple, cute and useful! Available exclusively from Ganim’s Store in Fitzroy.
Sydney-based designer Rachel Castle offers handmade artworks and designs
through Castle and Things. A perfect way to inject fun, colour and style into your interior, Castle and Things offer artwork, linen and these bright garlands that we absolutely adore. Sure to brighten your day, they are 4 metres of hand-cut paper, linen and felt. Beautiful.
Heading further north, Leah Bartholomew from Northern NSW shares her love of colour through Beneath The Sun. Keep that cheery, summery feeling with this fun print. Have a look at her website for some great tea-towels, prints and stationary too!
Meet Sarah Reed, a Melbournian fashionista whose penchant for bold threads and knack for tracking down vintage gems brings to 
us a fabulous treasure trove of recycled clothing that is Haras Deer.
Sarah is not afraid to embrace her wild side and proudly “walks the fine line between fashion revolution and ridicule”. Her daring personality and natural flair for styling quite obviously feeds through to her clothing designs ultimately creating a modern, fun and frisky aesthetic that packs a punch. Haras Deer sets its own fashion rules with dramatic mash-ups of old and new, feminine and masculine, furs and florals – each piece telling a story of its own…
Join us in the fight against boring mass production fashion lines with a pair of custom-made Haras Deer vintage denim shorts! With next to no fashion limitations these are a fantastic way for you to get really creative without having to do any hard work. Just supply Sarah with your design ideas and she will source, create and deliver the shorts right to your door! Too easy!
Want to WIN a pair of this season’s Best Selling custom-made ‘Wild Side’ or ‘Americana’ shorts? All you have to do is share this post on your Facebook and/or Twitter page with ‘Design Muse’ or ‘Design Muser’ tagged. You can also comment on this post and/or send an email to Jess@designmuse.net the more entries, the better chance you have of winning! Winners to be announced 31st April 2012. Product enquiries should be directed to the Haras Deer Facebook page.
We were able to fit in an interview with Sarah and this is what she had to say:
Where are your favourite places to source vintage clothing? I really rate The Market Roll website – they provide heaps of updates on markets with art, crafts and fashion and help to inspire me on buying trips. I like to go to hidden or dodgy looking charity shops – they always stock a gem that will appeal to our fashion victims!
Sum up the Haras Deer aesthetic in three words. Daring, mad & unpredictable.
We love the fact that you are supporting anti-consumerism by recycling unwanted (but perfectly good) items. What other steps you take to help the environment or the community? I always give my unwanted items to charity shops and strongly believe that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
Which other creative people do you admire? I really admire people who chase after their dreams and who never work a day in their life because they love what they do so much. People who listen to their gut instinct are truly inspiring to me.
Tell us about your upcoming Winter collection? I will be making some more custom denim designs for Winter so keep your eyes peeled. I will be sticking to more raw and washed effects rather than embellishments.
Valentines Day may have come and gone, but we think there is still some romance in the air! Encapsulating the feminine nature and romance of the Art Nouveau era, we are inspired by two Australian designers offering some particularly gorgeous jewellery. Based in Sydney, Zoe Sernack of Zoemou takes inspiration from the Art Nouveau and Art Deco movements creating timeless accessories in gold and sterling silver.
Similarly, Simone Walsh is creating beautiful designs from her Adelaide Studio. Her Art Nouveau inspired pieces offer a more contemporary take on the style, with laser-cut silver pieces displaying those familiar curves and flourishes. These are two designers you must look into, as both their collections are stunning.