Archive for the ‘Atomic Eye Candy’ Category

We would like to wish all our clients a very happy holiday and a healthy & peaceful 2013!

We thought that you would appreciate these Canadian snowflake stamps produced in 1976 – true to life with every snowflake being unique! {image via CDR}

Atomic will be closed from 2:00pm on December 24th until January 3rd.

We will re-open on Friday January 4th.

Happy Holidays!

Atomic welcomes Monocle shop to Toronto´s West End.

Situated just two blocks north of our location on the north side of College & Shaw St, it is the first Canadian outpost and the fifth bureau in the Monocle empire to open following London, New York, Hong Kong & Zurich.

Notable items on offer will be staples such as nylon Japanese Porter bags, bespoke stationery, CD´s, Comme des Garcons fragrances and naturally the magazine itself, both current and back issue.

Interestingly the shop also shares space with Mr Brule´s international ad agency Winkreative (clients include canuck air line Porter) and an in-house radio station with correspondants broadcasting 24hrs to the Monocle site.

{Images via Monocle}

We are generally known for presenting quality mid century furniture, art and lighting, but we could not resist in showing this super stylish Italian folding bike by  Italian company Carnielli.

We love the retro ‘burnt orange’ paint job, chrome trim and colour coordinated seat.

Made in Italy and dating from the 1970′s, it’s the perfect mode of transport  for exploring the backstreets of Rome, Paris and Toronto!

Complete with original sprung seat, headlight and Allen key to assist in folding neatly for winter storage.

Bellissimo!

We would like to wish everyone a very happy and healthy 2012!

We thought that you would appreciate this New Year card designed by Brian Tsang for design firm Eskid Waddell and their client Just Type.

Created in 1982 it is an excellent example of minimal typographic design.  It looks as fresh today as it did over two decades ago.

Image courtesy of the Canadian Design Resource.

Source: AIGA Design Archives.

Andy Warhol’s classic silkscreen of Elizabeth Taylor fetched $662K at the Christie’s Elizabeth Taylor auction held at Rockfeller Centre in NYC this past Wednesday. The lucky bidder not only received the iconic portrait but also a handwritten thank you letter that was sent to Warhol from Taylor. The screen legend waited over 14 years to acquire the personalized painting which reads: To Elizabeth, with much love.

Taylor will always be known for her impressive jewellery collection but from a young age, she appreciated decorative arts.  She grew her art collection over decades and inherited many paintings from her father, an art dealer. Christie’s calls her private collection an “exceptional group of late 19th century and early 20th century French and British paintings and drawings.” These were not auctioned off at the recent auction. Instead, they will be presented by Christie’s in London on February 7, 2012 at the Impressionist & Modern Art auction.

This is not the first Liz portrait to command top dollar. In June 2010, the famous Silver Liz (with violet coloured eyes – one of the only two made by Warhol)  sold for £6.7 million at another Christie’s auction held in London. This particular silkscreen had not been seen for over 20 years when it went under the hammer.

The image of the actress was taken from a publicity photograph for the film, Butterfield 8. Warhol started the paintings the year Taylor became gravely ill with pneumonia. When she recovered, Warhol went back to them and added the brightly coloured lipstick and eyeshadow.

Elizabeth Taylor was always a muse for Warhol.  Men in Her Life, a 7-foot canvas inspired by a photo from Life Magazine, features Taylor walking with her third and forth husband. The black and white painting sold for $63 million when it was auctioned off at Phillips de Pury & Co. in NYC on Nov. 8, 2010. It was the second most expensive Warhol painting ever sold at an auction. The most expensive? Green Car Crash (Green Burning Car 1), 1963, sold at an auction in 2007 for $71.7 million. The most expensive private Warhol sale was for Eight Elvises, which was sold to a private collector for $100 million.

Andy Warhol's 'Men In Her Life'

images via Dezeen

If you have spent time in the UK, you will know Pizza Express. Located in almost every major city, this chain pizzeria is a staple in the British diet. Although the restaurant usually does do a good job of working with its original interiors and exteriors, we can’t help but be impressed with the decor in their Richmond (London) location. The Living Lab concept restaurant which was designed by Ab Rogers was unveiled about a year ago.

What so special about this location (besides the obvious)?

• Customers can play their own music from their iPods when sat in one of the booths.
• The kitchen has suspended mirrors above so diners can watch their pizza being prepared.
• The lighting domes above the tables can be controlled by the customers to create their own ambiance.
• No more waiting to get the server’s attention – just press a button and the dome above the table illuminates to attract a server to your table.
• Projections play at either end of the restaurant and a soundscape plays in the washrooms.

Who needs fish and chips when you have Living Lab Pizza Express?

Located in a wooded part of downtown Madrid are the the offices of Selgas Cano, a Spanish architect firm who self-designed the unique workspace.  They don’t talk too much about the office on their site but say that materials used in the construction included trees, plants, acrylic, polyester with fibreglass, wood and concrete.

The office features a 2cm thick curved window, which allows natural light to pass through eliminating the need for excessive artificial lighting. There is a hinged opening with a weighted pulley system at one end to allow for natural ventilation when needed.

I am sure that overtime is a regular occurrence in this office!

{images via HUH}