FastCoDesign: The Most Beautiful Modern Church Alter We've Ever Seen

Mathieu Lehanneur, a Frenchman known for organic forms, creates a rippling choir out of slabs of marble.

 

A Romanesque church might be the last place you’d expect to see a sprawling modern pulpit. And yet that’s exactly what the St. Hilaire in Meile, France got, thanks to the French designer Mathieu Lehanneur, who loosely modeled his renovation on a sedimentary formation in the church’s basement.

For the complete article by Belinda Lanks, please visit: http://www.fastcodesign.com/1664048/the-most-beautiful-modern-church-altar-weve-ever-seen-slideshow?partner=co_newsletter#3

A Robot Hand That Draws Artfully Demented Portraits

They're programmed to approximate Tresset's own style... just not particularly well.

We have machines that can recognize faces and machines that can draw. Now, thanks to scientist/engineer/artist Patrick Tresset, we have robots that do both -- look at your face and then draw a portrait while you wait. One catch, though: Tresset has programmed them to be kind of clumsy.

[Read more about Patrick Tresset's exhibition at Tenderpixel]

By John Pavlus, a writer for Fastcodesign.com - thanks John from Lisa Powell at Art Rent and Lease!

An Online Artwork Drawn by You and 999,999 Others

On the Internet, anyone can be an artist. In Xavier Barrade’s hands, everyone is.

Barrade, a British artist studying in Paris, has masterminded an interactive, online drawing that’s got virtual space for as many as a million (a million!) contributors. Developed with Wake Up Web Solutions, Epic Exquisite Corpse is designed to let anyone, whether a sketchpad virtuoso or a hack who can barely rough out a stick figure, unleash his inner Picasso. Just go to the site, click “draw,” then start sketching away in the blank square. The only instruction is that you start your drawing by following the lines in the neighboring squares.

For the complete article, please visit:  http://www.fastcodesign.com/1664047/an-online-artwork-drawn-by-you-and-999999-others-slideshow?partner=co_newsletter

A Hotel to Experience: Kosta Boda Art Hotel

If you're making a trip to Sweden.....here is a hotel you can't miss, The Kosta Boda Art Hotel.  Exploding in colour, shapes, flavours and pleasure - you'll be inspired!  For information, visit: http://www.kostabodaarthotel.com/en/home.html

Indoor Vertical Garden Waters Your Plants, So YOU Don't Kill Them

Though we're sure some of you will find a way.

 

There are some people in the world who, try as they might, can never, ever keep an indoor plant alive. (Hint: me.) Here to save the day -- or at least the life of a few wax vines -- is Brooklyn designer Danielle Trofe, who has invented a whip-smart planter that does the watering for you.

Though we're sure some of you will find a way.

There are some people in the world who, try as they might, can never, ever keep an indoor plant alive. (Hint: me.) Here to save the day -- or at least the life of a few wax vines -- is Brooklyn designer Danielle Trofe, who has invented a whip-smart planter that does the watering for you.

Obviously, the system's uniformity limits the diversity of plants you're able grow; you could not, for instance, use a single Live Screen to raise both a cactus and an orchid, lest you water the cactus to death (or, conversely, parch the hell out of the orchid). So yes, hypothetically, you could still screw this up. But it'd take work. Sadly, you won't have the opportunity to find out; Trofe's design isn't in production. That said, she encourages anyone who's interested in manufacturing, distributing or buying the piece to contact her directly at danielle@danielletrofe.com.
[Images courtesy of Danielle Trofe; hat tip to Inhabitat]

by Suzanne Labarre via Fastcodesign.com

Lisa Powell at Art Rent and Lease loves to share ideas for your interior spaces and not always just about art!  You can email her at: lisa@artrentandlease.com

Handmade Paper Wall Relief, Soothing Medical Center Installation

"Pond Reflections" by artist Meg Black was recently installed in a Boston-area Medical Center waiting room.  An excellent example of soothing (not boring or dull) artwork in a patient-sensitive area.  Meg's handmade paper pieces are amazing in their detail and vibrant color.  In "Pond Reflections" she's crafted a collage style piece that measures 34" high x 68" wide, perfect for this space.

For information on Meg Black's handmade paper pieces, please contact us at 888-440-9260 or visit our website at www.artrentandlease.com

The Art of Hanging Art #2

Courtesy of Nielsen Bainbridge:  http://michaels.com/The-Art-Of-Hanging-Art/as0108,default,pg.html?sms_ss=twitter&at_xt=4dbd6f5a13e06ecb,0

Continued from the Art Rent and Lease blog post of 5/1/11

Create A Display
Clustering	Clustering For a display with impact, start with your largest frames in the center as a focal point. From there, surround the frames with smaller frames for a balanced grouping. To create visual interest, hang frames at varying heights.
Staircase	Staircase Want to create visual drama? Hang your frames following an upward angle such as a staircase. Use larger frames as an anchor, then complement them with smaller frames. Hang frames at varying heights, but be sure spacing between the frames is equal to create a balanced look.
Leaning Art	Leaning Art Not all pictures need to be hung , arrange a group of frames in varying heights on a mounted ledge to create a striking display. Overlap frames and vary spacing for a casually elegant effect. Stay tuned for the 3rd series of "The Art of Hanging Art" and call if we can help you with any artwork, framing or installation you may need:  888-440-9260

24 Smart Logo Color Designs

COLOURlovers.com from logospire

With little space and few words available, symbols, and especially color, need to to be smart when it comes to creating logo identities to communicate your brand. Its nice to check in from time to time to see how designers are using color to make a big impression. Here is a selection of recent designs from logospire.

We can design artwork to communicate your brand: a painting that incorporates your name, your logo, your products and services.....call us for more information (888) 440-9260.

For the link to logospire: http://www.logospire.com/

Our Favorite Rotating Art Display System for Facility Designers

Rotating art displays are gaining in popularity across the country:  low cost installation and new artwork every 6 months in the lobby or conference room. 

The process is simple:  building and facility managers and designers contact us, we view the space, make recommendations and install beautiful artwork.  Our clients can expense the art rental payment and enjoy original art with the convenience of Art Rent and Lease making the decisions and facilitating the program.

For information on how you can have a rotating art display in your lobby, conference room or other public area, please give us a call at (888) 440-9260.  We work with clients in virtually every industry throughout the US to bring the beauty of fine art into the workspace!

If Gumby Were A Shape-Shifting Sofa, Here's How He'd Look

We love this article from fastcodesign.com, written by one of our favorite editors Suzanne Labarre

Sosia packs an entire living room's worth of furniture into one Chinese acrobat of a sofa.

 

If you’re a regular reader of our site, you know that we’ve got a bit of a thing for flexible furniture, whether it’s a couch that indulges all your bitchy moods or the touchpad-controlled “Dynamic Life” that’s either the world’s techiest transforming sofa or the world’s drabbest robot. But for sheer bendy cred, Sosia, by the young Italian designer Emanuele Magini, beats 'em all. This chameleon of a living-room fixture can morph into a sofa, a bed, a set of chairs, a changing room, and all points in between. And with its bright green foamy surface, it both looks and acts exactly like you know who.

For the full article, please visit:  http://www.fastcodesign.com/1663764/if-gumby-were-a-shape-shifting-sofa-heres-how-hed-look?partner=co_newsletter

We have some fabulous artwork that would look amazing with this sofa, just in case you're interested, call us at (888) 440-9260 and we'll help you with your art and design needs anywhere in the US!

Make Custom Color Chalkboard Paint

From Martha Stewart Living

A wall calendar for your home or office, mural, message center.....your imagination is the limit.  A cool idea on utilizing your paint in a truly useful way.

How to:

1.  Pour 1 cup of paint into a container.  Add 2 tablespoons of unsanded tile grout.  Mix with a paint stirrer, carefully breaking up clumps.

2.  Apply paint with a roller or a sponge paintbrush to a primed or painted surface.  Work in small sections, going over the same spot several times to ensure full, even coverage.  Let dry.

3.  Smooth area with 150-grit sandpaper, and wipe off dust.

4.  To condition: Rub the side of a piece of chalk over entire surface.  Wipe away residue with a barely damp sponge.

Voila!  For the complete article, please visit:  http://www.marthastewart.com/271574/make-custom-color-chalkboard-paint

Funky Modern Sculpture aka: Desk Set

Designers Adrian and Jeremy Wright aim to rescue your office widgets from the ignominy of the top drawer, crafting modern office tools that ease the mind as well as the workload.

 

There's perhaps no more fruitful landscape than your messy desk, but a shot of order and color might do it good. Created for Lexon by the London-based team of brothers at DesignWright, these Buro Desk Tools are the visual antidote to those mountains of white paper, books and ore-colored Apple products that litter your desk already.

Sliced from one rectangular form and colored in a gradient of green, gray or violet, the seven tools may not all come in handy every day, but once plopped on your desk like a planar Southern California house, they could serve as sanctuary for your wandering eyes. Like any good Wild West story, this one may end with guns blazing, should your office-mates walk off with one of these useful little slabs; they're not easy to get in the United States. Email one of the French retailers listed here to arrange the transaction. 

By Chris Dannen, for the full article visit:  http://www.fastcodesign.com/1663765/wanted-a-desk-set-that-looks-like-a-funky-modern-sculpture?partner=co_newsletter