New from Umbra Shift for Fall 2015

Different designers offer their playful, creative takes on home goods and furniture

Umbra Shift, the semi-experimental branch of Toronto’s Umbra studio, works with a wide range of designers to breathe contemporary influences into the home. The latest functional products to be released (just in time for holiday) in the Umbra Shift collection range from trivets to tables and the results incite curiosity and carry a jolt of personality. For example, the Switch Tray by Lambert Rainville, can …

Artist Travis Durden Combines Star Wars Characters with Marble Sculptures

If Darth Vader, Yoda and General Grievous existed in a galaxy far, far away, would they have their own marble statues just as ancient Roman leaders do? In his latest photo series, artist Travis Durden aims to envision exactly what it might be like if they did. Durden combined photos of marble sculptures he found in the Louvre with digital compositions of prominent Star Wars …

Seven Beautiful New Books on Design

From packaging and storefront creations to waterside modern homes

With the prevalence of design imagery circulating the internet, and many people mixing and matching from centuries of aesthetic developments on their own Pinterest boards, sometimes we all need a reminder that there are experts out there. Nothing speaks to expertise on design like a beautiful book filled with imagery and insight. The following seven selections represent a broader look at design as a category, …