Faye Toogood’s Painted Faces Do All the Talking for Her Collaboration with Calico

Faye Toogood, a British designer, has launched her latest furniture collection, "Lucid Dream," showcased at two New York galleries: The Future Perfect in the West Village and TIWA Select in Tribeca. The exhibition runs from May until June 21, coinciding with the NYCxDesign festival. The collection is notable for its fusion of fine art and furniture, with each piece individually hand-painted by Toogood herself in her London studio, following fabrication by small-scale artisans. "Lucid Dream" presents an experimental and intuitive approach to artmaking, utilizing existing furniture lines such as the Roly Poly Dining Table set and the Gummy furniture line as canvases. Toogood enhances these pieces with expressive and often haphazard painted motifs and shapes, giving them a sculptural quality. David Alhadeff of The Future Perfect characterized the collection as evoking the atmosphere of a "moody evening with Faye," highlighting its vibrant creative energy and expressive color palette, particularly evident in the living space display at The Future Perfect. At the TIWA Select gallery, the nocturnal influences of "Lucid Dream" are emphasized, with Toogood showcasing crumpled lighting made from Japanese paper. These lighting pieces are also adorned with linear improvisations, demonstrating the designer's distinctive artistic style. Alex Tieghi-Walker, founder of TIWA, expressed his belief that "Lucid Dream" underscores the significance of handmade, one-off design. He further remarked on Toogood's ability to bridge the conceptual gaps between two galleries, each with distinct philosophies regarding design and craft, through a cohesive body of work. The collection’s methodology involves a deeply personal touch, transforming functional furniture into unique art objects. Toogood's practice combines industrial design principles with fine art techniques, resulting in pieces that blur the boundaries between the two disciplines. The exhibition aims to offer visitors an immersive experience into her creative process, where each piece tells a story through its spontaneous and dreamlike aesthetic. This approach not only showcases Toogood’s artistic vision but also champions the value of bespoke craftsmanship in an era of mass production. Overall, "Lucid Dream" serves as a testament to the power of artistic expression within functional design. Toogood’s decision to hand-paint each item ensures that every piece is distinct and imbued with an individual character, reinforcing the concept of art as an integral part of daily living. The dual exhibition across two prominent New York galleries highlights the collection's versatility and its capacity to engage with different interpretive spaces, from the domestic setting of The Future Perfect’s townhouse to the more art-focused environment of TIWA Select’s studio. #FayeToogood #LucidDream #FurnitureDesign #FineArt #HandPainted #NYCxDesign #TheFuturePerfect #TIWASelect #Exhibition

Stacey Dooley MBE has partnered with COAT Paints to launch a new collection of six paint shades, each reflecting personal aspects of her life, family, and travels. The collaboration emphasizes a 'slow decorating approach,' focusing on thoughtful choices, repurposing items, and selecting colors that evoke warmth and joy within the home. This philosophy is deeply ingrained in Dooley's own home design process, where she prioritizes making choices that authentically represent her and her family over rushing the decorating process. The collection features a sophisticated palette where each color is subtly softened with a hint of black pigment, offering a nuanced and timeless aesthetic. Among the six shades is 'King Kev,' a deep olive green named after her partner Kevin Clifton, and 'Mersey Sundown,' a dusky pink inspired by the location of their new home. These names directly link the colors to significant personal experiences and places in Dooley's life, adding an intimate layer to the collection. Rob Abrahams, co-founder of COAT Paints, elaborated on the collaborative process, stating that the development began by touring Dooley's family home to understand the desired ambiance. This hands-on approach ensured the resulting palette would resonate with Dooley's personal style and COAT's brand identity, which focuses on creating colors for real people and homes. After multiple rounds of testing and refinement, the final six shades were chosen to be both personal to Dooley and consistent with COAT’s existing range of tasteful colors. Other notable shades in the collection include 'Stage Door,' a bold red that speaks to the ongoing popularity of vibrant hues in interior design, and 'Big Hoops,' a buttery yellow designed to introduce dramatic accents into otherwise neutral spaces. For those seeking a serene and cohesive look, the collection also offers 'Minnie D,' a soft sage green. This shade, when combined with 'King Kev' through a technique called double drenching (where walls and ceilings are painted in harmonious colors), can create a relaxing monochromatic scheme, particularly suitable for living rooms or bedrooms. The COAT x Stacey Dooley paint palette is exclusively available for purchase online through the COAT Paints website. This collaboration not only offers a range of carefully crafted colors but also promotes a mindful and personal approach to home decoration, encouraging individuals to create living spaces that truly reflect their identity and experiences. #StaceyDooley #COATPaints #HomeDecor #PaintColors #InteriorDesign #SlowDecorating #ColorPalette #HomeRenovation

Toyin Ojih Odutola, a Nigerian-born, New York-based artist, is presenting her fourth solo show in four years at New York’s Jack Shainman Gallery, titled *Of Context and Without*. The exhibition, which opens on December 11th and runs until January 30th, delves into themes of race and identity through her distinctive figurative drawings. Ojih Odutola is known for her hypnotic works created with ballpoint pen ink and charcoal, which have garnered her recognition in various art surveys and solo exhibitions, including those at the Studio Museum in Harlem, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, and the Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art. Despite her success, Ojih Odutola felt that previous interpretations of her work sometimes missed the intended narrative, leading to what she describes as “quick reads.” She aims to challenge these preconceived notions, particularly the expectation that a black woman artist's work must conform to specific themes. Her intention with *Of Context and Without* is to “confuse people” and make them question their assumptions about identity and representation. The exhibition marks a deliberate shift in her artistic approach to address the complexities of blackness and societal perceptions. The show begins with a series of works executed in white charcoal on blackboard, a technique that introduces a sense of ambiguity and slipperiness. By using white as a demarcating tool instead of black, Ojih Odutola creates an environment where viewers struggle to delineate clear meanings, making the concept of context suspect and the content unreliable. An example includes a portrayal of a black runway model rendered in white charcoal, giving it an almost otherworldly appearance. Further unsettling the viewer are grayscale figures with shimmering, seemingly pupil-less eyes, which blur the lines between form and image, pushing the discussion of race and blackness beyond conventional representation. Ojih Odutola emphasizes that her work is not merely about depicting black individuals but about addressing the societal inability to properly address the image of blackness. This perspective was deeply influenced by a commentator on CNN who discussed the dehumanization of figures like Michael Brown, who were reduced to concepts rather than seen as individuals. For Ojih Odutola, “blackness is an obfuscating element that obstructs anything that’s behind,” preventing true recognition of the person. To counteract this, she developed a series called *The Treatment*, featuring drawings of famous white men with black faces, their identities obscured by simple pencil outlines for hair and clothes, transforming them into anonymous figures. This intentional evasiveness aims to prevent singular, superficial interpretations, highlighting the multifaceted nature of people and situations. The exhibition also includes self-portraits, such as *Subway Selfie (Or be Thankful to Exist)*, a white charcoal piece reflecting the contemporary impulse for self-documentation. Another significant self-portrait is a larger-than-life marker drawing of a nude Ojih Odutola, initially titled *What’s on offer* and later renamed *The Object is the Technique + The Technique is the Object*, inspired by a Francis Bacon quote. This title underscores her desire for the marks themselves to be the subject, inviting viewers into her creative process and revealing the intricate layers often hidden in the final product. Through these diverse works, Ojih Odutola seeks to challenge viewers' perceptions, encouraging a deeper engagement with the complexities of identity, race, and artistic representation. #ToyinOjihOdutola #ArtExhibition #JackShainmanGallery #FigurativeArt #RaceAndIdentity #ContemporaryArt #CharcoalDrawing #NewYorkArt

Gladys Tay, a vintage dealer and social media personality from Singapore, showcases her eclectic and maximalist design style in her 1984 Shoreview split-level home. Her unique approach to interior design, which blends modern and traditional furnishings with a keen eye for sculptural and artistic pieces, has garnered a significant following on Instagram. Tay's design philosophy is characterized by a playful attitude towards objects, where items are not confined to their intended use but are reinterpreted as art or multi-functional pieces. This is exemplified by her perspective on a hand chair, which she views as both a functional item and a piece of art to be creatively integrated into her space. Tay's home, spanning 1,800 square feet, is a dynamic canvas where pieces are regularly rotated from storage to display, ensuring a fresh and captivating aesthetic. Despite the spontaneous appearance of her arrangements, each item's placement is thoughtfully considered to maximize its visual impact without overwhelming the overall design. She maintains a neutral color scheme throughout her home to create a sense of cohesion and continuity between different spaces, often moving items between rooms to achieve a desired look. Timelessness is a core value in Tay's design ethos. Her art collection, which spans various eras and styles from portraits to abstract works, is a testament to this principle. She believes that good design, regardless of its age, can stand the test of time. As a vintage dealer, finding such pieces is central to her work. She frequents Minneapolis stores like Covet Consign, Bauer Brothers Salvage, and Hunt & Gather, seeking out items that are at least 20 years old and possess strong aesthetic appeal, purpose, and functionality. Tay is particularly drawn to multi-use items, such as a console table that can serve as a desk, entryway table, or bathroom vanity, always considering how an item can contribute to a room's energy and character. Her passion for unique finds and eclectic design is deeply rooted in her childhood experiences. Her father, who traveled extensively for work, would bring back limited-edition items from places like Manila, Japan, Hong Kong, and China, fostering her appreciation for one-of-a-kind objects. This early exposure to diverse cultural artifacts shaped her current design sensibility. Tay's Instagram profile, @thegladystay, initially started for personal lifestyle sharing in 2016, evolved into a platform where she shares her home's evolving design and her distinct style. Her hand chairs, in particular, often generate significant engagement and discussion among her followers. Her advice to aspiring designers is to maintain an open mind when shopping, avoid preconceived expectations, and trust one's intuition, emphasizing that true design comes from within. She also operates a vintage market called Foo Shoppe on chairish.com/shop/fooshoppe. #GladysTay #EclecticDesign #MaximalistDesign #VintageDealer #HomeDecor #InteriorDesign #Shoreview #ArtCollection #TimelessDesign

Farrow & Ball, a company renowned for its meticulously curated paint colors, is set to release its first new color palette in two years, diverging from typical trend cycles. Joa Studholme, the company's color curator, guides this process, emphasizing a gut feeling rather than consumer data to introduce new shades. The upcoming collection features twelve colors, comprising nine new additions and three archival shades that are being reintroduced for the first time in the company’s history. This collection is inspired by themes of childhood nostalgia and a profound connection to the earth, marking a shift away from the prevalence of gray tones in home decor. Studholme highlights a move towards embracing the 'indulgence of everyday colors'—hues that are constantly present but often overlooked. She exemplifies this philosophy within her own home, which showcases a blend of new and existing shades from the collection. For instance, her backsplash is painted in Duster, her cupboards in Marmelo, and her lower cabinets in Reduced Green. The reintroduction of archival colors like Etruscan Red, Broccoli Brown, and Sap Green is particularly noteworthy. Studholme explains that these colors perfectly complement the new palette, noting that sometimes the ideal match for a new shade, such as the lighter clay color Naperon, is an existing, perfected hue. Among the new colors, Studholme points to Dibber, a deep muddy green reminiscent of khaki, named after a gardening tool, which she describes as a 'hidden hero' that evokes old, nostalgic memories and grounds a space. Other new additions, such as Kakelugn, address specific gaps identified through customer feedback. Kakelugn, for example, is a cleaner version of the existing 'Light Blue' shade, designed with fewer gray undertones based on customer comments about the original leaning too silvery. Duster, a yellow named after childhood dusting cloths, and Reduced Green, a subdued teal, are also highlighted as treasures within the new palette. Studholme anticipates that these colors will enhance homes by bringing forth a sense of comfort and familiarity. #FarrowAndBall #PaintColors #InteriorDesign #HomeDecor #ColorPalette #JoaStudholme #NostalgicColors #ArchivalColors #DesignInspiration

Amy Feigley-Lee crafts captivating three-dimensional artworks using meticulously layered strips of vintage wallpaper. Her compositions, when viewed from a distance, present as ambiguous and alluring, prompting questions about their texture and structure, appearing woven, protruding, or hollow. Upon closer inspection, the intricate details of the layered wallpaper become evident on deep, geometric birch panels. Feigley-Lee's artistic approach emphasizes color, pattern, and contrast, through which she constructs visual rhythms from the carefully arranged vintage materials. The artist's journey into this unique medium began with remnants from her grandmother's home, including a pastoral toile and floral patterns found in her attic. This initial inspiration led her to explore the conceptual potential of wallpaper, moving beyond its traditional application on flat surfaces. She now sources her vintage wallpaper from various avenues such as eBay and garage sales, maintaining a connection to the material's historical and domestic origins. Feigley-Lee is particularly drawn to the associations people have with ornamental patterns and interior furnishings, viewing them as elements designed to be decorative, soothing, and reflective of cultural norms. To create the structural foundations for her work, Feigley-Lee collaborates with Nick Pence of Pence Fine Art Services, who constructs custom geometric birch panels. These panels serve as the smooth substrate onto which she applies the hand-cut strips of wallpaper. The creation process is described as meditative, involving the precise cutting of paper into thin strips, followed by their arrangement based on size, saturation, and tonal values. This meticulous method allows her to manipulate perspective and depth, challenging the viewer's perception of space. Feigley-Lee's artistic objective is to engage viewers deeply, encouraging them to slow down and observe the intricate details and visual illusions within her sculptures. Her work aims to confound perception, transforming a familiar domestic material into complex, sculptural forms. Currently, her pieces are featured in Detroit as part of Louis Buhl & Co.’s _Salon Highlight_ series, running through July 17. The artist also shares insights into her creative process on her website and Instagram, offering a glimpse into the making of these unique vintage wallpaper sculptures. #AmyFeigleyLee #WallpaperArt #VintageWallpaper #GeometricSculpture #FoundObjects #PaperArt #PerceptualArt #TextileArt #InstallationArt