Madrid based art director Nico Ordozgoiti created these iPhone wallpapers called Truth Hurts. Yes, you know it – this is tragic because it’s true!

You can download your own free iPhone wallpapers here.

[via My Modern Metropolis. Images © Nico Ordozgoiti.]

‘Necklace with Bouquet.’

‘Bracelets and Limes.’

‘Wading Knees.’

‘New Knee with Tulips.’

‘Wrapped Wrist.’

‘Banana.’

‘Lips.’

‘Heartthrob #2, David Bowie.’

Matthew Cox is a Philadelphia based artist who embraces and joins a variety of media in his work. His medical x-ray and embroidery series is just soooo… oh, I don’t know… bizarre, bad-ass and pretty amazing all at once.

The contrast of decorative and technical, labour-intensive and instant comes together so beautifully, and I love the way Matthew’s touch makes lifeless x-rays literally come to life. Clever. And a little bit crazy. But mostly really clever.

[Images © Matthew Cox.]

The extremely awesome Stockholm based studio Claesson Koivisto Rune designed these stunning cement floor tiles for Marrakech Design, which were released at the recent Stockholm Furniture Fair. The CKR trio travelled to Morocco to gain an understanding of the local tile making industry and applied their learnings when creating these contemporary tiles which use traditional materials and old production process, blending it seamlessly with their signature Scandinavian aesthetic. Ahhh, they are sooo beautiful, no?

Dandelion is a hexagonal tile influenced by patterns from Japanese textile prints and lacquerware. 

Casa is a hexagonal tile which is inspired by Arabic geometry.

Stone is made up of three different square tiles which can be mixed and installed randomly, creating an almost endless possibility of different layouts.

These tiles come in three different patterns – ‘Dandelion’, ‘Stone’ and ‘Casa’ – with each design available in several colors. By laying the tiles in various ways, each pattern opens the opportunity to create several new macro-patterns. See all the available colours and layout possibilities here.

Extreme love!

[via designboom. Top image © designboom. All other images via CKR and Marrakech Design.]

I seem to come across more and more interesting examples of great design emerging out of Portugal, particularly in Porto. Time to put it on the list of places to visit? Oh yes I think so. Who knows, this hotel could be exactly where I stay when I go there.

Designed by Pedra Líquida (Liquid Stone), Casa do Conto (House of Tales) began over three years ago, however a fatal fire interrupted the project in March 2009. The owner and the architects went on to complete the hotel and subsequently collect several design awards in 2011.

I am particularly intrigued by the interesting approach to ceiling design - covering six separate rooms, each ceiling is engraved with text that narrates a little story. Each quote was created by a different author, and related to the city and its architecture. These six “tales” were spatially organised by the architects and designed by graphic designers from R2 Design.

BUT… there’s always a (big) but somewhere. Once I get over the cool-town ceiling, part of me starts to feel like this interior is a bit of a missed opportunity. Looking at the images of the backyard makes me realise that the exterior is far more humane and warmer than the interior. This project looks like a classic example of an interior designed by architects. By the way, I don’t mean to sound condescending or disrespectful toward my fellow architects in any way. The undeniable truth is that I see far too many examples where architects, who appear to only be interested in architectural form, volume and exterior, get commissioned to design interiors without really understanding them (especially hotel interiors.) Just look at the image of the restaurant/ cafe space. Come on, right? Anyway, this is just like interior designers attempting to design buildings. What a friggin’ mess that would be (in majority of cases).

Anyway, what do you think?

[via ArchDaily. Images © Fernando Guerra & Sergio Guerra.]

Big thanks to Skye for having me and for organising such a lovely interview.

x dana

Leviathan P.V.C installation at Grand Palais in Paris, 2011. It measured – wait for it - 33.6×99.89×72.23 metres. Wowee!!!

Tell me – what do you do when your head is really full, your list of things to do seems to get longer each day and the more you do, the more you actually have to do… almost like you are stuck in this really weird dream? You know the feeling I’m talking about? Ok, so… do you completely freak out, lose the plot and start ripping your own hair out? Or are you more the type that sings Kumbaya and does meditation and shit? Me…? I sit somewhere in between, depending on the day really. But what I really wish I could do in those moments is escape to some amazing mind-bending place that completely takes me out of my own world, shakes me up, resets my thoughts and gives me a new perspective.

For my money, the work of celebrated Bombay born, London based artist Anish Kapoor has exactly these types of qualities. Kapoor is renowned for his enigmatic sculptural forms which are incredibly difficult to describe in words. So who am I to even try, right? Right. There is no doubt that his ginormously epic installations are captivating and visually arresting, like the incredible Leviathan (above) at Grand Palais in Paris last year (2011). It’s seriously serious and absolutely mesmerising, no? Having said this, I am equally intrigued and captivated by his smaller, seemingly simpler works, such as the Untitled series shown below. To me, looking at these incredible pure glossy shapes is a form of visual meditation (but then again, it’s no secret that I am a total visual junky). Their purity, simplicity and ability to look solid and intangible at once make them a perfect site for any sore mind…

Anish Kapoor’s Untitled series of works utilising materials like resin, lacquer, paint, fibreglass, copper, silver, gold plate and stainless steel.

By the way, I only just realised that Anish recently created an installation titled Between Shit and Architecture. Ah, I could seriously write a whole article around that title alone. So funny.

[All images courtesy of Anish Kapoor.]

Glee, 2010.

Primary School, 2009.

Master Of The House, 2011.

Country House Hotel, 2005.

Bethnal Green Working Mens Club, Pure council, 2008.

The Accountants, 2006.

Norman Rockwell meets The Sound of Music, 2007.

Possibly THE best and most hilarious annual corporate Christmas card series I have EVER seen! These ridiculously fantastic staff portraits are the work of London based creative agency Isobel. Their idea for the cards came from wanting to reflect that their agency is “about people” and chose to swap the “cold, faceless e-cards” for traditional printed cards which have become the source of the agencies pride.

Awesome beyond words… I almost can’t pick a favourite. Which one is yours?

[Via It's Nice That.]

Beautiful and super fun trompe l’oeil style alphabet photography by Vienna born, New York based Bela Borsodi. Apart from being clever and talented, Bela must be an incredibly patient person in arranging these incredible sets before photographing them. Imagining the patience required for this makes me get all fidgety…

See more of Bela’s excellent work here.

[Via typetoken. Photos by Bela Borsodi.]

It is interesting to note that the vibrant colours and colour blocking seen in Milan last year are still very relevant in the world of furniture and product design, and I suspect we will continue to see this trend filtering through the mainstream for quite some time. Super duper I say, as delicious colours are “a few of my favourite things”.

So without further ado, I present you with the following little gems:

W103s collection by Inga Sempé for Wästberg.

W103s collection of LED pendant lamps was designed by French designer Inga Sempé for Swedish lighting brand Wästberg. Different combinations of colours and tones can be combined as separate pendants, arranged along a bar or coupled together on a hexagonal frame.

This could be slightly off topic, but I just need to say this - Wästberg, I adore you. I really do. Your product is extremely and consistently shit-hot. I would happily own and specify every single one of your lights. Every single one. I cannot say this about many other lighting companies out there. That’s all.

Marginal Notes by Note Design Studio.

Marginal Notes collection of furniture was inspired by camping and field trips by Stockholm based Note Design Studio. The collection was developed from doodles the team made in the margins of their sketchbooks over the year, which were revisited and worked through until they became physical objects. Such a great idea, no?

Keep storage system was inspired by cages for trapping specimens.

Settler bench resembles logs on a sawbuck.

Tuck seating was inspired by a hat.

Nour lamps is based on multi-colored origami polyhedra.

Les Poupées by Luca Nichetto.

Les Poupées (meaning ‘dolls’ in French) by Luca Nichetto for French gallerist Pascale Cottard Olsson. This collection consists of a ceramic candle holders and glass vases beautifully combined into a single object.

Bidoun Sofa by Katrin Greiling.

Hoof by Samuel Wilkinson is a collection of tables with legs that are sharpened like pencils. Created for Danish brand &tradition, the collection is named after the way horses hoofs are trimmed before they are shod. Awesomeness!

Spin Stool and Drum Bowl Table from Swedese.

Spin stool became “higher, happier and more upholstered than ever” in the hands of Swedish designer Staffan Holm for Swedish furniture brand Swedese. Following the successful launch of the same stool last year, more additions were launched including these fabulous five graphic colours.

Drum bowl tables by Berlin born designer Corinna Warm for Swedese. The bowl, which is detachable, is made in solid ash wood. This is such a beautiful, timeless and elegant piece of furniture.

Bento by Form Us With Love.

Bento is an inaugural collection by Swedish studio Form Us With Love for a brand new design brand One Nordic Furniture Company which just launched during Stockholm Design Week. This collection consists of a chair and three tables with wide bent-wood legs.

Form Us With Love also presented five new projects at the Swedish Museum of Architecture during the design week. The work on show included their Bento chair (above), pendant lamps for Design House Stockholm, dividers for Swedish brand Abstracta, a lamp for Swedish firm Ateljé Lyktan and vases for Spanish company Cosentino Silestone.

If you are one of the thousands of lucky buggers who attended Stockholm Design Week this, I’d love to hear your impressions and some of the things you saw and loved at the fair. So please – do share!