These posters were recently rediscovered in a London Underground station during renovations. They passage where they were posted had been sealed off for about 50 years. Recently workers doing renovations found the abandoned passages and uncovered these great examples of mid-century British design. The posters are all so perfect we have a hard time believe they’re not from a movie set (or Disneyland!). Check out the post for some close up photos and more information on some of these spectacular posters.

The Hidden Posters of Notting Hill Gate (Kuriositas via Neatorama)

Chema Madoz is a Spanish photographer whose work we thought we stumbled across today. However, after finding out more about him we realized we’d picked up a postcard for our collection featuring one of his photographs many years ago and it’s been hanging in our office for three years now. Mr. Madoz creates beautiful black-and-white images that you can look at for hours. None of them are digitally manipulated to created the effects, and several are simple ideas well-executed that make you smile. As stylists we sometimes forget how re-thinking and re-imagining a problem can create amazing results. But that’s one of our favorite parts about the job. It’s practically magic.

Chema Madoz (Web site in Spanish) [via Gizmodo]

If ever we’ve wanted to have an affair with our secretary, it’s now! The gorgeous Mayfair Steamer Secretary Trunk by Timothy Oulton at Restoration Hardware might not be the most practical workspace, but it sure is fun. It features a canvas interior and distressed leather exterior; a fold-down desk and wheels make moving and conversion a breeze.

Mayfair Steamer Secretary Trunk (Restoration Hardware)

We came across this photo on Scouting New York and wanted to post it. It’s a “ghost sign” or a sign for a business that no longer exists. It has great atmosphere with the old building behind and then the style of the letters with that touch of rust…add the snow on top of it and wow, instantly transported. Just thought we’d share.

Scouting New York (today’s post is about another ghost sign, but we liked this photo best.)

This hotel is getting a lot of press today, and we couldn’t help but post it as well. Above is a construction shot of Hotel Inntel Zaandam by WAM Architecten in the Netherlands. The hotel is made to look like a mass of houses typical of the region, “from a stately notary’s dwelling to workers’ cottages,” according to the firm’s chief architect, Wilfried van Winden. His favorite is the blue house at the top of this photograph and is modeled on one featured in a painting by Claude Monet. (We were unable to find said painting, so we’ll take Mr. van Winden at his word.) Mr. van Winden told The Guardian that the idea came from him when thinking about traditional hotel design and felt that hotels should be a “home away from home.” He may have taken that idea quite literally, but we like the results.

Hotel Inntel Zaandam

WAM Architecten (site in Dutch)

We stumbled on a garage sale this weekend while home for Mother’s Day. There were some great finds in our small Texas hometown. The homeowner had great style and there were several things that piqued our interest! Above is an old Samsonite suitcase with its Braniff tag still attached! Check out the full post after the jump to see what else we found and what we ended up buying!

We ended up buying this great silver bamboo-inspired table with a glass top. It’s in great condition…jus a few little rust spots and some cleanup on the glass. We waited until the end of the day and got the seller to throw in these old bottles. They’ll be great to add a little bit of vintage atmosphere in a shoot.

Below are some more fascinating objects we found…A couple of old army equipment chests with great colors and lettering (they’d work well as side tables or even a coffee table), a vintage Fish Lo-K-tor and an old Exxon gear oil barrel in a great blue! It would make a neat industrial umbrella stand or planter if you didn’t mind the rust.

We just posted some new photos of a shoot we did for Rare magazine in Austin. It was one of our favorite shoots ever. The house was gorgeous, the homeowners and their family were beautiful and the whole day was fun. Check it out!

Spaces

We stumbled on this today and thought it was hilarious. Nothing beats kids’ forts made from couch cushions (and other various household materials) paired with serious architecture criticism. Here’s the review for the above photo, one of our favorites: The crisp, orthogonal structure is, in a way, camouflaged by the informality of the landscaping. While a clear bifurcation exists between site and structure, we give high marks to the close coordination of architect and landscape architect in using similar materials to exaggerate the divergent design concepts. Grade: B+

Having worked for years at architecture and design magazines we give the reviews an A+.

Couch Cushion Architecture, a Critical Analysis @ Build Blog (via Neatorama)

We love reading Scouting New York, a blog by the once-anonymous Nick Carr, a film location scout in NYC. A couple of days ago he posted some amazing pictures of 570 Lexington—originally built for RCA-Victor, then sold to GE, and finally donated to Columbia University. The building is an Art Deco-lover’s dream with beautiful details depicting electricity everywhere you look. It’s unbelievable the flourishes incorporated into such a magnificent building…and a shame that most people don’t even notice them. Take a look at Nick’s blog for even more photos, including a spectacular image of the building’s top.

Grabbing Electricity at the Old G.E. Building (Scouting New York)

Continuing in our series of How’d They Do That? is Diane Birch’s video for “Valentino.” The concept of the video is great to begin with…the singer interacts with a projection screen, both in front of and behind it…but what we find intriguing is the “Making of” video where the screen is missing and we get to see all the action and quick-changes that made the video possible. Plus, it’s a catchy song.

“Valentino” official video on YouTube

“Valentino” Behind the Screen on YouTube