Jeff’s VC Picks
Jeff is the founder and creative director of Visual Contrast and this week we are highlighting his favourite pieces from the VC catalogue. Drawn to bold designs and earthy colour tones, Jeff’s selections span multiple mediums and are Visual Contrast staples. We sat down with Jeff to learn more about why he loves these pieces.
A Deep Dive into Our Handmade Papers
Papermaking is a captivating process and unique art form, requiring immense skill and care. The earliest known paper dates back to 200 BCE in China and was made of mulberry and hemp. After the inception of paper, papermaking practices quickly spread throughout Asia and Europe with each region putting their own twist on the process.
Designer Spotlight: Liz Marchant Interiors
With a penchant for soft contemporary interiors, Liz Marchant Ourston brings her thoughtful and deliberate design approach to homes all over the country. Evoking feelings of lightness, calm, and relaxation, her interiors are marked by light colors, organic shapes, and natural materials. Having lived all over the United States, Liz infuses influences from different cities into each of her projects, whether it’s through the architecture, lifestyle, or design. We sat down with Liz to learn more about her design journey, process, and inspiration.
How to Hang a Gallery Wall
A gallery wall is the perfect way to showcase your personal style while creating an eye-catching statement in your home. An alternative to showing a single artwork or matching series, hanging a variety of different artworks creates an interplay of color and texture, with each artwork adding something new to the composition. Whether you have many collected artworks or are just starting out with a couple pieces, a gallery wall is a great opportunity to display your art collection in a unique and fun way. There are truly endless possibilities, so here are our tips to create a compelling and intriguing gallery wall.
Designer Spotlight: AE Design
Employing bold color palettes, eye-catching patterns, and modern silhouettes, Amy Elbaum of AE Design creates smart and sophisticated interiors in southern California. With a focus on clean and contemporary design, Amy aims to create inviting spaces full of character that fit the needs of her clients.
Designer Spotlight: Jenn Feldman Designs
From an unexpected design contest win to a complete career pivot, Jenn Feldman has had quite the inspiring journey to establishing Jenn Feldman Designs. With her modern-aged design, Jenn creates classic tailored spaces with rich antique accents, seamlessly blending old and new.
Small vs. Large Artwork: What to Choose
The size of an artwork is essential to how the artwork is perceived and what response it provokes. Large artworks command attention, influencing passerby to stop and look from a distance, while smaller artworks draw a viewer in from afar to examine their detail. When designing a piece of art, size is a crucial factor to take into account.
Designer Spotlight: SALTHOUSE Collective
Leigh Jendrusina of SALTHOUSE Collective creates vibrant and unexpected spaces inspired by California cool design. Based in Carlsbad, California, Leigh is the founder and principal designer of SALTHOUSE Collective, a boutique interior design and styling studio. With coastal, bohemian, Mid-Century, and Scandinavian design influences, Leigh prioritizes effortless and easy living while making an impact with her eclectic and collected style
Highlights from Coco Republic: Creative Perspectives
This June we had the honor of being featured in Coco Republic’s Creative Perspectives series. With the goal of showcasing the artworks of diverse artists, Creative Perspectives focuses on a different artist each month, exhibiting their artwork at HD Buttercup in Culver City.
Designer Spotlight: Jessie Ann Design
With a focus on clean lines, natural materials, and neutral color palettes, Jessie Ann Design, an interior design firm based in Newport Beach, creates serene and inviting spaces in southern California.
Designer Spotlight: Laura Brophy Interiors
Laura Brophy is the principal designer and creative director at Laura Brophy Interiors, an interior design firm headquartered in Newport Beach. Laura and her team’s specialty is providing design services for bespoke residential and hospitality spaces. Innovative, creative, and authentic, Laura’s style is unrestrained and can’t be described by traditional labels.
The Story Behind Our Premium Frame Finishes
Feeling restricted by the frames offered on the market and frustrated by supply chain shortages, we worked with our framing partner to develop an exclusive series of custom frame finishes to accompany our artworks. Drawing inspiration from prominent wood finishes in the design world, the five unique finishes were designed in neutral warm and cool shades to complement furniture finishes. With the help of our neighbors at Community Mfg, we researched the most popular furniture finishes purchased by designers and created our frame series based on our findings.
Lulu and Georgia Capsule Collection 2023
Versatile yet refined, this collection encapsulates our collective nature, with multiple artists and designers working together from development to production to create a cohesive body of work that will fit any interior.
Project Spotlight: Magnolia
Inspired by crafted eclectic design and the urban art scene of Long Beach, we worked with Ariel Fox Design to create art for the Magnolia, a modern upscale apartment complex in downtown Long Beach. With a focus on bright color and three-dimensionality, our goal was to create inviting and welcoming spaces with unique and thoughtful artwork. We wanted the art to excite, captivate, and interest the residents of the building, with mixed media gallery walls and intriguing materials that wouldn’t get tiresome.
Taking the Flatness out of Art
At Visual Contrast, we are continuously striving to take the flatness out of art. We want our art to surpass the expectations of wall art with three-dimensional compositions, varying textures, and unconventional materials. We don’t want to be limited to creating art on paper with a glass barrier- we want our artwork to attract, captivate, and stand out from what has been done before.
How We Create Our One of a Kind Artwork
Our one of a kind section has been revamped with some well-loved favorites and never-before-seen concepts, all truly one of a kind and inimitable. Embracing the exploratory nature of art-making, we love seeing the patterns, markings, and designs that form while silkscreening and painting that make each artwork unique.
Visual Contrast x Coco Republic
This year we had the amazing opportunity to create an exclusive art collection for Coco Republic’s flagship San Francisco store opening in September 2022. Since this was the Australian lifestyle brand’s introduction to the United States, we had to be sure to encapsulate the mood, attitude, and atmosphere of Coco Republic in our artwork. Inspired by the neutral tones, curvy geometric forms, and natural finishes of Coco Republic, we created this material-forward collection to let the art elements and craftsmanship speak for themselves.
Lulu and Georgia Capsule Sale
Over the past couple of months we have worked closely with the Lulu and Georgia team to create a series of one of a kind abstract paintings inspired their new colour story this spring; new neutrals. From the conception to the creation of the pieces, our team collaborated on each step of the process to produce fifty original paintings.
Project Spotlight: LendingTree
Last year we were contacted by KVID to collaborate on their newest project, the LendingTree Headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina. LendingTree had just relocated to a new part of the city and needed a revamp of their offices, which Kelley Vieregg of KVID was enthusiastic to lead. Inspired by her visit to the LinkedIn offices in New York City where her son works, Kelley wanted to create a workplace with beautiful design without forgoing the functionality of the space.
Project Spotlight: Huntington Beach
When we received a call from the team at Laura Brophy Interiors asking whether we’d be interested in creating custom artwork for a condo in Huntington Beach we jumped at the opportunity. After visiting the space and hearing Laura’s vision for the interior design we set about the task of creating art concepts to fit.