DNA 11, the inventors and creators of custom portraits made from customers’ DNA, has opened its first pop-up gallery called the DNA 11 House. The gallery marks the first location on the West Coast where authentic DNA 11 art is on display and available for purchase. Located at 218 6th Street in Hermosa Beach, California, the house is open to the public by appointment only now through April 1, 2009. We’ve known co-founders Adrian Salamunovic and Nazim Ahmed for years and manufactured the window graphics for this awesome house. But more importantly, we’re psyched for these guys – their stuff is amazing so you should definitely make an appointment to check it out.

Hotel Andaz is an innovative, new hotel by Hyatt Hotels set to open January 8th, 2009 on Sunset Boulevard in the heart of Hollywood, California. The hotel offers a blend of personal preferences with attentive and uncomplicated service. Sounds good to us! To add to the ambiance, Louey Rubino Design Group asked us to collaborate with them to create 260 custom rooms at the hotel. blik Anise by Ilan Dei makes an appearance as does Threadless Living in Harmony, along with original graphics designed by Louey Rubino.

This is just one blik custom project “on the boards.” Stay tuned for more updates and photos as this and other projects come together.

On October 12, the much anticipated Designer Toy Lounge opened at Selfridges & Co in London. Located next to Christmas Shop on the ground floor, the Lounge is tailor-made for fans of all things vinyl and according to Clutter Magazine, features “six key brands” – Momiji, Kid Robot, Uglydolls, Mimobots, STRANGEco, and blik. In total, there are over 300 groovy vinyl products to choose from, all neatly displayed in a modern, museum-like space. See if you can spot blik Invader on the wall.

Dutch designers and friends of blik, Jan Habraken and Alissa Melka-Teichroew, just wrapped up an exhibition at Peel Gallery in Houston, Texas. The art – which included the brand new silhouettes they designed for us – was displayed in house-shaped units: “The use of bare wood is a little wink to the crates where the expensive art pieces normally are transported in and normally are never seen by the public,” says Habraken. Such a fresh approach from the duo who always has an inspired point-of-view on everyday objects. One of the things we love about them. Congratulations, guys!

To read more about the show and the designers, visit Dezeen Design Magazine.

We are fortunate enough to have a fan in Candice Olson, interior designer extraordinaire and host of HGTV’s Divine Design. She recently used our blik Paisley in “Audrey’s Office” to help transform a shabby attic into a gorgeous home office. We’ve been flooded with calls ever since from folks eager to know what colors she used, so here you go: gold, silver and light gray. Obviously, these are not standard colors offered for Paisley, but in case you didn’t know, you can custom color most of our wall decals. We have 33 colors from which to pick and choose so you can create your perfect package.

All photos courtesy of pointclickhome.com

The kick-off to Jon M. Gibson’s renown I AM 8-BIT art show was a big success with eye-popping art, great music and lots and lots of people. If you didn’t make it, not to worry – the show is on exhibition until Sept. 7th. For all you non-locals, here are some “before” shots of the blik team installing custom graphics designed by our creative gurus, along with some “after” photos where you can see how it all came together.

Members of the blik team work their magic

blik team dwarfed by our own custom graphics. Nice job, guys!

Curator Jon M. Gibson gets a pep talk from Mushroom

blik, art and people come together

DJ spins tunes in front of our Nintendo wall decals

Curated by Jon M. Gibson, I AM 8-BIT is the ultimate retro-game experience, showcasing the work of cutting-edge artists paying tribute to their favorite videogames of the ’80s. These artists share their reinterpretations and outlandish depictions of the all-time greats, including pieces inspired by Donkey Kong, Joust, Q*bert, The Legend of Zelda, and Tron. I AM 8-BIT is more than just a walk down memory lane – each artist injects a degree of thought-provoking analysis and self-reflection into their work as they revisit their youth.

The new show kicks off this Thursday, August 14th and runs ’til Sept. 7th. We’re decking out the awesome space with oversized 8 bit graphics. Come by for an experience like no other.

Here are just a few of the pieces from last year’s show. Whether you’re a gamer or not, the artwork is sure to strike a nostalgic chord or simply stimulate your imagination. Either way, it’s a win-win.

The other day, while perusing our favorite design blogs (as we do every day), we were delighted to find a stunning photo incorporating blik’s Flying Paper Plane by Mel Lim on Grace Bonney’s beloved blog, Design*Sponge. First of all, the Portland house, decorated by Jessica Helgerson of Jessica Helgerson Interior Design, was so impeccably done, we all wanted to move in. It didn’t hurt that we have a few Portland natives in the house. But no matter where you’re from, you’ll want to make this house your home too. It is simply done with striking details, airy, cozy and tranquil. We felt the kids room with Flying Paper Plane illustrates perfectly how a child’s room can incorporate whimsy yet still be timeless. To see more photos, beautifully shot by Lincoln Barbour, and read more about the interiors, click and enjoy: Design*Sponge

Check out these amazing stamps in recognition of legendary designers, Charles and Ray Eames, and their groundbreaking contributions to architecture, furniture design, manufacturing and photographic arts. These collectables come as a pane of 16 stamps designed by graphic designer Derry Noyes of Washington, DC. Perhaps best known for their furniture, the Eameses were husband and wife as well as design partners. Their extraordinary body of creative work reflected the nation’s youthful and inventive outlook after World War II. Without abandoning tradition, Charles and Ray Eames used new materials and technology to create high-quality products that addressed everyday problems and made modern design available to the American public.

We are fortunate enough to have licenses to two of their striking designs, Crosspatch and Circles. As you can see, Crosspatch was included as one of the designs on the stamps. The collectables are available now at your local post office…well, what’s left of them, anyway. We kinda went crazy.