Art In The City

Sometimes it’s the little things that set a place apart. And in the case of Art In The City it’s the very little things. These beautiful miniatures not only say a lot about their owners but they energise even the plainest space and, though you might not expect it, they can fit in almost anywhere. Art in the City describes its work as “colours having sex”. Right.

Imagine this elephant spicing up a kitchen.

Or this fish splashing around the bathroom.

Best of all though are these amazing, hilarious and very individual cows. Each one has something special about it, whether it’s an Elvis cow, a bath time cow or a film noir cow.

To decide on your favourite you’ll just have to pop into a Vanlian store where the entire range is on sale.

Don’t fear storage

Storage can be a nightmare. If we’re not careful, our space can end up overflowing with old books, movies and magazines (thank god the CD is pretty much a thing of the past). Cowards may find it easier to just run away from the problem, letting everything pile up until they have to pick their way through towers of discarded junk. Even worse are those who just hire themselves huge amounts of storage space in a locker by a highway somewhere and forget about the problem. What they don’t realise is that with every design challenge, there is an opportunity to make something fresh, new and exciting. Storage systems don’t have to be drab and functional, they can really transform and energise your home.

The key is to make your storage into a feature, something that fits with the tone and tenor of your house. These apple crates create the perfect down-home, rural feel for your mountain escape. Fill them full of beautiful books or old LPs and you’ve got that urbane farmer year-in-Provence thing all sewn up.

Used wisely, storage systems can vastly improve the flow of a space, anchoring it and drawing our focus – in a good way. At its best, clever storage defines some of the best modern interiors.

If you’re feeling bold, go for the No. 216 Sideboard, designed by Jesper Ståhl.

Each of the doors corresponds to a different size of paper in the global standard A series (remember those from school?), combining form and function to create a funky but unobtrusive storage solution for all purposes.

Whatever path you take, don’t fear the storage problem. Check out Vanlian’s range of cabinets, crates and cupboards to find ways to turn your clutter into a beautiful mess.

Inspiration

Here are some images that inspire Vanlian and Envy designs.

See if you can guess which pieces they influenced.