Yes, it’s that time of year where all you see are holiday colors. Everywhere you go, it’s red, green and gold - too flashy and too much. So to my surprise, when I entered the doors of Bloomingdales Home Store on Wabash Avenue in Chicago, all I saw was a nice, serene green. This wasn’t your normal Christmas green, it had a lightness yet boldness to it. Paired with black & white, this pop of color was utterly stunning, transforming the entire store into a calming yet festive mood.

I also noticed this message, shouting out to me very clearly, “No pictures allowed except for specific written consent…” or something to the affect. All I can share are my descriptions of the inside and pictures of the outside building and display windows.

This building is unique – a massive, domed space called The Medina Temple. The 140,000-square-foot property had been owned by the Shriners, but was out-of-date for its original purpose as an auditorium and was unused. Beautiful stained glass windows adorn the inside and out and a similar green appears as one of the many colors present in the design.

What a difference really good design can make. Everything in the store clearly had its place, nothing cluttered or overworked. There are three levels - I especially loved the long draped fabric against the wall, presenting the escalators. A nice glow of green light cast its spell for the perfect ambiance.

Yes, it’s that time of year where all you see are holiday colors. Everywhere you go, it’s red, green and gold - too flashy and too much. So to my surprise, when I entered the doors of Bloomingdales Home Store on Wabash Avenue in Chicago, all I saw was a nice, serene green. This wasn’t your normal Christmas green, it had a lightness yet boldness to it. Paired with black & white, this pop of color was utterly stunning, transforming the entire store into a calming yet festive mood.

I also noticed this message, shouting out to me very clearly, “No pictures allowed except for specific written consent…” or something to the affect. All I can share are my descriptions of the inside and pictures of the outside building and display windows.

This building is unique – a massive, domed space called The Medina Temple. The 140,000-square-foot property had been owned by the Shriners, but was out-of-date for its original purpose as an auditorium and was unused. Beautiful stained glass windows adorn the inside and out and a similar green appears as one of the many colors present in the design.

What a difference really good design can make. Everything in the store clearly had its place, nothing cluttered or overworked. There are three levels - I especially loved the long draped fabric against the wall, presenting the escalators. A nice glow of green light cast its spell for the perfect ambiance.

Walking along the streets of Chicago after our movie outing, I spotted a wonderful painting in a huge gallery. The color and texture captivated me. Thankfully it was lit well so my iPhone did an okay job. If you had to give the face a name, what would it be? I’m thinking “Raúl”.

A Ferris Wheel Made out of Plastic

Last night, while waiting to be seated for Avatar at the IMAX 3-D theater, my husband and I had time to kill looking around at the various tourist shops at Navy Pier in Chicago. We ran across this replica of the Pier’s ferris wheel. It was quite stunning - there were seats too and everything was moving round and a round. My photo does not do it justice. You can by all the kits to make one yourself, for the low price of $500.

A young designer brought this blog to my attention and I have to say, they post some pretty beautiful stuff that inspires them, which in turn, inspires me. I love the work on this so much that I have put the link permanently under our section: Links of Interest.

Check it out!

Graphics Exchange

I ran across these illustrations when searching stock imagery last week. The illustrator, I believe is Simon Oxley. I really like the minimal use of color here. Really, you’re looking at 2-4 colors on each and the shadows and highlights are all tints of one another. Very nice.

See more at: Idokungfoo.com