I'd love to share some of my work with you today. I'm about to debut my patterns at the New York Surtex (surface pattern/textile) show on May 18-20. It would be wonderful to see my patterns turn into practical applications. That's how I want to share my art. Perhaps they could be made into wallpaper, wall decals, bedding, you name it. It should be an interesting show (I'm a little nervous). If you're coming please stop by my booth to say hello (booth 1010). Before I show you some stunning ways to add color to your home without the arduous task of taping and painting your walls, here are some of my own patterns for you to see. For more of my work please visit my site.

Samantha Hahn Patterns

Pneumatic Knockout:

Fireflies:

Botany 101:

And now for some great companies that sell beautiful wallpaper, and decals ready for you to brighten your decor without paint!

I can't imagine living with a beige decor. I love color and feel that my home should reflect that love. At the same time I don't want a
rainbow home with garish flashy colors and prints all over the place. I think the key is to have vibrant colors dispersed amongst more modest ones.

We just moved into a new place and chose a dusty rose for the bedroom. I love it because my bedspread has a bright green butterfly pattern on a white background. Our livingroom/diningroom is an atmospheric blue that contrasts the warm wood tones of the floor and table. A brightly colored vase or cushions on the couch can accent any room. I go for the colors I love without trying too hard to match everything, and at the same time without going mad with bold colors everywhere.

Here is some stunning furniture that would brighten up any room!

Esque Slump Vases via Velocity

Each glass esque creation is hand-blown and will vary slightly from piece to piece. Each piece is a signed, unique, original, functional work of art. Esque glass is now all made with recycled glass stock; processed in an electric furnace that's powered by wind energy. Another Velocity Green Product! Available in fuschia, orange, or extra light blue.

Ferm Living wallpaper

WallSmart is a new generation of non-woven wallpaper that is designed for easier and more flexible hanging by applying the paste directly to the wall. It is washable and has very good light resistance. It is designed in Denmark and manufactured in Sweden.

Sprout ornate folding chair

So it's just a folding chair eh? But not like this, not this darn cute. Powdercoated Steel makes this chair fairly weather resistent, that said we suggest putting it away during wet periods, if you were to use it outdoors. Sit, done sitting, and want it out of the way, fold it up...

Strut dining table via Design Public

I'm excited by artists who are finding ways to adapt the rainbow spectrum in their work. Color is so powerful and can be so striking. The color field (or chromatic abstractionist) artists of the 50's often painted with bold swaths of color but rarely used as many together as the featured artists of this article. In the 60's, psychedelic art used colors and patterns together too. The modern artists I'll cover in this post use color in an undiluted, anything but soft array of graphic lines and shapes resulting in work that is both vivid and alluring. Their work circumvents the boundaries their predecessors put in place to arrive at a new and bold take on prior styles.

Jim Lambie

Jim Lambie is represented by the Anton Kern Gallery. Glasgow-based, Lambie uses glossy tape in varying colors to build installations. The vinyl tape, an everyday material applied in continuous lines, transforms the dynamics of space, changing a white box gallery space into an energetic/emotional space of sensory pleasure. To read more about Lambie's work click here.

Maya Hayuk

New York based, Maya Hayuk is an artist I first noticed on Fecal Face, they did a great interview with her that is a must read.

A few months ago I visited MASS Moca, a modern art museum in a converted factory in the Northern Berkshires. The space itself is worth a visit with its exposed brick walls, high ceilings, huge windows, and industrial feel.

Spencer Finch

My favorite work was by Brooklyn artist Spencer Finch. Finch explores how people perceive lights effect on an object’s color, the boundaries of the human field of vision, and the influence of language, memory, and the subconscious.

His works re-creates specific light conditions experienced at a different place and time. Above are photos I took of two Spencer Finch installations, “Sunlight In An Empty Room (Passing Cloud For Emily Dickinson, 2004)" and “Candlelight (2007)" at Mass Moca.

Philip Rahm & Lisa Yuskavage

I love how color and light can impact all they touch, be it skin, grass, water etc. To see artists that are artificially capturing and portraying these effects is so thrilling. My husband and I went to Paris for our honeymoon on a whim last summer. We planned to be in Italy but it was sweltering so we hopped a train to beautiful, colorful Paris (hence my obsession with macarons and previous post on this blog).

Philip Rahm

Color has always been an important component of fashion whether it be a heather grey or crimson red. Each designer makes color choices that will be indicative of their aesthetic, season, and era. Lately, I've been seeing beautiful and rich color choices in the fashion and accessory world. It seems that everyone is becoming obsessed with Pantone gradations. Check out some of my favorite examples of some stunningly colorful products as well as Pantone's Spring color predictions.

Softbank Cell Phones

SoftBank Cell Phones in glossy bright colors via Geeksugar

Kate Spade

I'm quite obsessed with delightfully delectable French macarons. Last summer we went to Paris on our honeymoon and it was the best vacation we've ever had! If it weren't for our families and the petty but rather hindering language barrier I was ready to pick up and move there. One of the main reasons was the colorful and heavenly macarons. I wish I had taken more photos of them but we were too busy having them for dessert after breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

1 Paulette Macarons in Cali via happy cavalier.
2 Payard Patisserie in New York, Vegas, Tokyo etc.
3 Of course Laduree in Paris.

The History of The Macaroon

Some say they were Created By Italian Monks, Refined By French Pâtissiers.