Paint It What I Tell You

Artist Brendan O’Connell paints Walmart interiors. He makes them look fantastic.

Brendan O’Connell, an American painter born in Georgia but now residing in Connecticut, likes to paint the interior of Walmart stores.

In addition to sweeping scenes which capture – pretty accurately – the bad fluorescent lighting of these vast warehouses, he does a lot of vignettes that prominently, though sometimes very abstractly, feature grocery store branding that we’ll all recognize. I’m a sucker for branding; food branding especially.

R.I.P Wonder Bread!

I really love this highly abstracted painting of a Crisco cooking oil display, which you may also recognize if you frequent a grocery store as much as I do.

According to his website, his work ranges from photo-realistic to abstract expressionist painting (which is what I’d say is most fitting to this series), and he studied his craft in Europe before returning home to America. His wife is also a painter, so that must be a house with very adorned walls!

You can purchase originals here.

(All of the images above are via the artist’s website, which is linked to throughout.)

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

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Categories Art, Painting

Another Instagramed View of Durham.

21 Apr

The other weekend my husband and I got away for a much-needed trip to Durham, North Carolina. We went for his law school reunion, but we really enjoy the town, so we spent time visiting places we love and enjoying the awesome weather. Last summer we took a similar long-weekend, during which I took a lot of pictures with Instagram. So I decided to carry on the tradition for this trip as well.

The town is filled with lots of old (mostly tobacco) warehouses which have been converted into any number of new uses: housing, communal art space, restaurants, and other creative adaptive-reuses. Here’s the side of one of the old buildings, featuring one of my favorite combinations: candy and soda.

Another old building, this one a showroom for Organic Transit, which sells what I like to describe as a space-aged green golf cart. They were parked out front one of the days we were there, but I didn’t snap a picture that day. I adore the signage.

An old building in the middle of downtown. Loving the green…

…and you know I’m not lying. Look at my pants:

Not all of the architecture is so hipster-y. The Carolina Theater at night is pretty classic.

And the new Cupcake Bar and The Parlo ur, and ice cream shop, are pretty cute. Here’s a shot of the exterior of the cupcake shop – prime real estate on a prominent corner, plus a very “apple store” aesthetic – and a shot of the neat art inside The Parlour.

Of course I can’t resist a photo of a dilapidated public health building. This is what Instagram was made for. Not sure why, I just think it’s beautiful.

But all else aside, you can’t go to Durham and not go to Parker and Otis. Because candy. That’s why.

Can’t wait to return again!

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

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Categories Architecture, Art, Candy, Photography

Eggs in Every Color…an Easter Craft Round-up!

29 Mar

Coloring eggs this weekend? Here are five fun methods to try for all skill-levels.

Pantone Eggs (via How About Orange). Easier than you thought!

Sprinkle Eggs (via Studio DIY). An egg after my own heart…

Marbelized Eggs (via Camille Styles). Not food safe, but totally gorgeous.

Wax Patterned Eggs (via Martha Stewart Living). Because is it really a craft round-up without a MSL project? No, it’s not.

Rubber Cement Swirls (via Parents). Genius, and reminiscent of my 80′s childhood with the rubber cement.

As a relevant aside (is that a thing?) I read on Slate this week that the correct way to boil eggs is to immerse them in a pot of water, bring it to a rolling boil, then turn the heat off and let them sit there, covered, for 10 minutes. Not 8, not 12, just 10. Apparently this allows the yolks to cook-through completely without making the whites rubbery. Who knew?

Have a great weekend!

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

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Categories Art, Crafting, DIY, Holiday

Splashes of RED!

29 Mar

This week I was looking at two previous projects I’ve worked on that feature bold, graphic, red elements at the forefront of the design. In sharing the photographs with some friends and my students I got quite a few “Oooh”s and “Ahhh”s for these two projects, which both showcase the color red but in two dramatically different ways.

The first is a bathroom that was completed back at the end of last year. It features an exquisite Farrow and Ball wallpaper that, when paired with gold finishes and a graphic black and white aesthetic, makes for a super dramatic and moody space. Here are some instagram shots I took when visiting the site yesterday. I love this room. LOVE IT. (You can click to see the image in a larger format).

The other instance of red is in much smaller quantities, and it comes from a dining room. This was a project that I just consulted on and specified furniture for, so the image is a board and not a finished-photo. The client had a great blank slate to work with: an eclectic, colorful space with a fun rustic table, and she wanted ideas for interesting chairs. My idea was to curate a collection of several different chairs in the current palette (aqua/turquoise with a splash of red) to maximize the eclecticism and highlight the fun of the space. I’ve just always liked this board, and wanted to share it:

Important functionality tip: if you ever do this (mismatching chairs) just be sure that the seat height is relatively consistent. I wouldn’t recommend deviating more than an inch from one to the other.

Hope you enjoy these splashy projects! I’m off to stuff plastic easter eggs for a while…

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

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Categories Bathrooms, Color, Designers, Dining Rooms, Wallcoverings

Pinata Cake!

26 Mar

My son turned FOUR yesterday, which is a big deal if you didn’t already know that about turning four.

It’s also a big deal to me, because I feel like this:

…turned into this overnight:

And I guess it kind of did. I guess that’s just how it happens.

His cake of choice was a “Pinata Cake” which I found here at A Subtle Revelry. If you want to make this for yourself, I definitely encourage you to try via the tutorial: it wasn’t too difficult, and the end result was awesome.

Basically, you bake two “layers” in pyrex bowls. After a thorough cooling session, you carve the insides out (to make each half like a scooped out melon). Then you fill one of the “bowls” with candy, top it with the other to form a sphere, and frost it.

It looks like this from the top. Just like a regular cake.

And when you cut into it, it looks like THIS:

So fun. So good. So easy. Give it a try for your next 4th or 5th or 35th birthday – I bet you’ll like it!

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

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Categories Baking, Candy, Cooking, Personal Musings

Super Mario Inspired Metro Map!

19 Mar

Graphic designer Dave Delisle has created a fantastic map of the Washington Metro, in the style of Super Mario Brothers. It even includes the new silver line!

You can purchase a print here. I’m pretty sure I’ll be getting one for my public-transit-obsessed son.

Design consultations for all styles and budgets: JGB Interiors.

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Categories Art, Blogs, Designers, Graphics, Washington DC

Pink and Green Picks!

18 Mar

Pink and green is a super classic combination (I could tell you about it via the tile floor in my childhood home…but I’ll save that for when I find photographs one of these days) but it’s often depicted as a extremely pop-ish or overly sweet. Not that there’s anything wrong with that approach, which is beloved by teenagers all over the world, but I want to point out that it can definitely be done in a way that is both a little more refined, a lot more subtle, and quite a bit less girly.

Here are five pink and green items that caught my eye because they take a typical combo and update it a bit. I especially love the globe! Enjoy the round-up!

1. Globe 2. Jar 3. Hoodie 4. Art 5. Sofa