Pretty Purple

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Purple Collage by Liz Nehdi, 2014

I’ve had a major colour crush on purple recently. I’m in love with all shades of it: lavender, aubergine, violet, orchid, mauve, amethyst, raspberry, lilac, mulberry, plum and wisteria. It’s an incredibly versatile hue that can set the scene for a variety of moods – from sultry to feminine to bohemian to calm.

Here’s a massive collage of purple pretties. I’ve also included cropped segments of the overall collage so that you can see all of the beautiful details.

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Purple Collage by Liz Nehdi - Detail 1

Detail 1 (images clockwise from top left)

• A design by Michael Chase
• Purple bedroom via Design Crisis
• Liberty Art Fabric "Solsetur B Tana Lawn"
• Circles III by Georgiana Paraschiv via Society6
• Juicy Couture purple floral dress via AMNewYork (at center right)

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Purple Collage by Liz Nehdi - Detail 2

Detail 2 (images clockwise from top left)

• Purple fabric via Coquita
• Marc Jacobs via Kalifornia Klass
• Taylor Tomasi Hill via The Living Daylight
• Kelly Wearstler scarves via her blog My Vibe My Life
• Amethyst via Pinterest
• Print by Theodora Callum via Amoebas Amoebas Everywhere (at center)

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Purple Collage by Liz Nehdi - Detail 3

Detail 3 (images clockwise from top left)

• Radiant Orchid dining room via Homedit
• Kelly Wearstler scarves via her blog My Vibe My Life
• Rhythm of Color Kuzu Oushak Grapes Over-dyed rug formerly available via Domino
• Agate Bookends formerly available at Joss & Main
• Australian Aboriginal artwork via Susane Brown Interior Design

What’s your favourite shade of purple?

xo Liz

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In the Studio: Hypnotic and Kaleidoscopic Explorations in Radiant Orchid

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A hypnotic surface pattern design by Liz Nehdi

While my final designs are often riotous and exuberant – the kind of prints that you’d want on a party dress for a fun night out – my work process can often be quiet and meditative. I find painting swirling and curved lines very relaxing and often find myself completely locked into my work and unaware of the world around me while I design.

I’ve been working on a body of hypnotic and kaleidoscopic work that I think reflects my meditative design methods. I find that when I stare at the work I’m transfixed by the cacophony of swirls and the rest of the world falls away. This latest print celebrates Pantone’s official colour of 2014: Radiant Orchid. You’ll see a lot of these shades in my work these days; I’m in a purple state of mind.

What does this design make you think about? What would you like to see it on? A scarf, stationery, an umbrella?

xo Liz

Stay in touch, learn more and buy:

Portfolio | Website | Blog | Facebook | Shop | Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter

Color inspiration: Lupins + Miss Rumphius

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New designs by Liz Nehdi

If you’ve been following me for a little while, you’ve probably gathered that the range of things that inspire me is pretty broad. So far I’ve shared some of my inspirations from art, fashion, home décor, nature, the work of other textile designers and travel. It’s about to get even more personal.

I’ve always loved the visual arts, thanks to my mom, a fellow artist, who gave me all of the drawing and painting supplies I could have ever wanted and always encouraged me to “draw outside the lines”. I’ve also always loved reading and these two passions came together in my second career aspiration as a child: to be a children’s book author and illustrator. Well, I haven’t made that happen yet, but there’s still time ;) Oh and my first career goal was to be a neurosurgeon. That dream quickly got squashed though when I discovered how squeamish I am around blood.

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Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney

But back to inspiration: one of my favourite children’s books – Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney – has provided the color inspiration for a lot of my new work. Miss Rumphius lives out her grandfather’s advice that we’re all here to make the world a more beautiful place by planting lupins everywhere she goes and thereby leaving a gorgeous trail of purple and blue in her wake. And actually, it’s more than the color palette that I’ve taken from this book; I do my best to live by the moral of the story too.

So there you have it, a peek into why I do what I do.

And all of you parents out there – I highly suggest adding Miss Rumphius to your bookshelf; it has proved to be a classic and in 2012 was named one of the top 100 picture books of all time by School Library Journal.

What’s your favourite children’s book? How do you make the world a more beautiful place?

Xo Liz