Brian Dettmer is a sculptor who came to our 10th Volume of Atlanta Pecha Kucha to show us how he celebrates and exploits the materials that he interacts with on his current work.

Atlanta Pecha Kucha is an informal forum for creative work that mixes it up — bringing you activists, animators, arbiters, architects, artists, chefs, community organizers, coolhunters, critics, curators, designers, dreamers, enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, fabricators, fanatics, fashionistas, historians, rabblerousers, scientists, students ‹ all manner of insiders and outsiders.

Outdoor Flooring

Flooring for outdoor living spaces include wooden decks, stones, cement patios, outdoor carpet, tile flooring, and wood flooring that snaps together and lays on flat surfaces to mimic hardwood floors found inside homes. The “inside flooring” look is especially attractive when put together with furniture and accessories that compliment or draw attention to the floor. Outdoor area rugs made of bamboo or all-weather fabrics add style and flow to outdoor living rooms, kitchens, and recreation areas. If you are happy with the floor on your patio or deck and are simply looking for ways to update with a few accessories, start with one or two area rugs. Place round rugs under round patio tables, rectangular or oval rugs in front of lounge chairs or couches, or use one large outdoor area rug as a base for a dining or living room set.

Lighting

When you consider lighting for your outdoor paradise, consider the function of your space. The occasional picnic or barbecue calls for the natural light of the sun, but if you wish to entertain at night, explore standing floor lamps, hanging lights, wall sconces and table lamps. For a more natural appeal, use torches, candles, and lanterns.

Sun Protections

Trees are natural protection from the sun, but if you do not have many tall trees in your yard or need to protect your outdoor furniture from the elements, you can create shade from the hot sun with a quality awning or solid overhang over your patio, or build your own pavilion a few steps away from your home. A protective roof is particularly important for fabrics and materials that fade in the sun or remain wet for a long period after it rains.

Extend the indoor to the outdoor

The popularity of outdoor living spaces has created a demand for all-weather furniture and appliances and the result is a wider selection from which to choose. Extend your home’s interior décor to the outside, or create a clear distinction between your indoor and outdoor world with durable, attractive pieces that work with your flooring, lighting, shade and functional needs. For example, wood floors work with rustic, modern, or any other “indoor look”, while tile or cement works well with either indoor or traditional backyard patio décor.

Large Conversation Zone

One of the most important zones or areas on the patio is the large group conversation area.  It usually consists of two or more multi-seat pieces of furniture.  On a patio, that could mean a pair of two-person gliders or love seats facing one another.  A comfortable chair at either end of the love seats would also be a great addition.  Include a small, narrow table in the center, or a footrest that doubles as extra seating.  The goal is to create a space where multiple people can gather, share conversation and enjoy the company of a large group.  Depending on your entertaining style, this might be the largest zone on your patio.

Small Conversation Zone

A small conversation zone is similar to its larger counterpart, but is designed for more intimate conversations between two people.  Two recliners placed next to one another, or two comfortable sling back chairs arranged at a ninety degree angle are ideal for such a space.  A small table for holding drinks and small plates is necessity.  Also consider placing a large plant or potted palm near the area to separate it from the rest of the space.  You can also use unique outdoor wall decorations for this area to create a truly special feel.

Eating Zone

If you are a big fan of outdoor cooking, and picnics and parties play a large part in your life, the eating zone on your patio is going to be the most prominent part of the decor.  As tempting as it may be to invest in the largest table you can find, consider the available space on the patio.  It is more important that the table fits the space properly rather than having an excessively large table that makes the space crowded and uncomfortable.  Other areas of the patio space can accommodate the guests that will not fit at the table.  In addition to the table, an umbrella and comfortable chairs are ideal.  The umbrella may seem unnecessary if the patio is covered, but it can be used for decorations and outdoor lighting.

After creating the zones and arranging the patio furniture accordingly, take into consideration the decor.  Some choose to have fun, whimsical decor that might include pieces like butterflies metal wall art, while others prefer more contemporary designs.  The style of decor that you select should also be reflected in the lines and fabrics of the furniture.  Coordinating the accessories with the furniture will ensure that the patio has a professional decorating feel.  Selecting the right pieces for your patio is the key to creating the space you desire

Since a good mood  can start from basically anything, like from a nice designed interior, the following artist will probably make you feel like a child again with her work. Maria Yasko of Moscow, Russia took on an interior design project for a family entertainment Center that was motivated by the collection of Moomin books, by Tove Jansson, a Finnish novelist.

Guess what she did! She actually took the illustrations from these books and gave them life in a few fantastic spaces. Talk about utopia living, check these spaces out! Ludic is what you’re probably thinking, and you’re probably right.

The children’s play hall  takes you back to the realm of a winter wonderland fairytale.

The recreation area is full of energy and those abstract doorways add a wonderful touch of adventure!

The cafeteria hall is nothing but stimulative and inviting for guests. The design elements are so simple, yet so effectfive. This is exactly the kind of place that would make any child eat his veggies, and well behave!

[via]

It’s hard to beat the look of black for sheer dramatic emphasis when decorating your home. There are many different ways that you can use this versatile color, but one of the most eye-catching methods is to incorporate it into your room’s wall art displays. Of course, there are many styles of wall art from which to choose, but black metal wall art can be especially fun to work with. Depending on the style of art you choose, you can create a dramatic, sophisticated and modern look, or a bold rustic look that will blend well with casual or country decorating styles.

Choosing Sophisticated Black Metal Art for Your Home

For a coordinated look, it can work well to use a variety of different black metal art in your home. For example, if you add a contemporary piece of black metal wall art, perhaps in an eye-catching abstract style, you can further complement the look by using one or more pieces of table art in a similar style somewhere else within the room. Mirroring the art throughout the room in this fashion will make the room seem more balanced, and it can add extra visual emphasis to your art selections. Black also combines beautifully with natural shades of metal, such as copper, brass or stainless steel. Light colors of metal such as stainless steel, accented by black painted metal, have a particularly modern appeal that will look great in a contemporary-styled room.

Choosing Rustic Black Wrought Iron Art to Add Charm

If your room is decorated in a more rustic style, black wrought iron decorating accessories can add a nice visual touch. Wrought iron works well with many different styles of country decorating, including Southwestern, French Country, and Tuscan. There are many styles of wall art that are functional as well as beautiful. Functional art choices include wrought iron picture frames, wine racks, shelves, and hook racks. Wrought iron can be quite decorative, turning these everyday functional items into works of art on your walls. Of course, you can also add to the effect by using purely decorative pieces of art, such as a wrought iron plaque or decorative panel. In fact, wrought iron pieces work just as well for outdoor uses, such as decorating your patio or deck area. Hang a piece of black metal wall art. On an exterior wall, add wrought iron shepherd’s hooks as plant hangers, or utilize a decorative black wrought iron trellis for climbing plants.

Colors that Work with Black Metal Art

One of the great things about decorating with black is that it works so well with many different color combinations. For a fresh contemporary look, try combining black with white, cool light blue, gray, or even metallic shades of silver. Black also works great with pink, sage green, and plum. For a traditional rustic look, combine black with warm colors such as goldenrod, pumpkin, brick red, and apricot. It can also look nice with neutral shades such as cream, taupe, and beige.

When you look at this amazingly organic walls you might start believing the one that built it is really passionate about walls, or is really OCD. But the fact is these crazy shaped walls are in fact the result of robots, and a highly advanced computer construction program, and they are able to curve the wall not only on two axis, but actually in a 3d fashion.

You may say the robot as a creation, is the exact aesthetic opposite of it’s work. The walls as you can see them are installed in cities like Venic and New York. The technology can be transported bare-bones shack-on-wheels structure from which the single arm arcs out to life and position the composing pieces into organic soft and incredible curves.

[via]

These are indeed made out of used tires, so if you indeed love the earth, and art of course, you’ll love this idea. This method for reusing car tires can be the best recycling method for the used rubber that otherwise could end up in a landfill. As you can imagine, these sculptures are made of used tires in combination with stainless steel and resins.

This fantastic forms are artistically used into creating fantastic forms, and are the work of the Korean artist Yong Ho Ji.

An excellent video work of the director John Patrick. The soundtrack is signed by the group Naive New Beaters having the title THE Trumpets. A video produced by OneMoreProd.

I found this on the Contemporist website in furniture. I love concrete as a material for furniture, actually I’ve wanted to start a business with this, but that remained at the stage of concept and sketches. Anyway, this collection is awesome, and if you love modernism, than this has the perfect lines for you. I know, the house in the background is brilliant, and yes, I will give you details about it after the pictures, aight?

The house you see in the back is The Annie Residence by Bercy Chen Studio and it’s located … guess where? Yeah, Austin, Texas. You can see it on the official site here.