Ocean Waves - Limited Edition

our new limited edition collection is all about subtle colors + serene scents. we sat down for a relaxing chat with our senior designer to meditate on what inspired these oh-so-calming designs and what fuels her creativity every day.

what was the thinking behind this limited edition collection?

at method, we’re always doing research to help us stay in touch with the way people feel about the world around them. one thing we noticed was this idea that we’re surrounded by technology, which makes our lives easier in lots of ways, but can also make things more complicated and stressful. with everyone moving so fast, some are seeking products or experiences that connect them to a slower pace of life—like simple, handmade and thoughtful crafts.

how’d you approach creating the actual designs?

what I actually had in mind was a ceramic bowl that I’d seen in a pop-up shop. its design featured two different textures of white on white, and I guess I was designing for the type of person who would appreciate the subtle beauty of that.

after a lot of exploring and experimenting I created seven or eight rough concepts, most of which looked quite different from the final execution.

we chose the concept that we were most excited about as a team, and it featured neutral colors, a matte finish and painterly textures. I bought some paint and spent a weekend covering pages and pages of paper with paint strokes. I even experimented with chalk and charcoal. then, I scanned images of the paint strokes and digitally colored and arranged them.

I actually only used one paint color to create the all the textures that you see on the bottles. it was bright orange! I added all the other colors digitally once I had the brush stroke designs I was happy with.

you must need regular inspiration to think up stuff like this. where do you get your creative hits?

• It’s Nice That is a website full of creative inspiration.

• I’m also obsessed with magazines of all kinds. I have a subscription to Stack that sends me a different independent magazine every month.

• The New York Times does a great job combining photography, illustration, animation and interactive to make great journalism.

• I love looking at interiors on Apartment Therapy.

• some of my favorite Instagram feeds are: supermundane (illustrator/artist), tamumcpherson (fashion), streetetiquette (fashion), sjoerdgerrits (minimalist environmental images)

staying true to the mood of the collection, do you have any advice on keeping calm, cool + collected?

my mom once told me that the only thing I learned at art college was the fine art of relaxation. LOL. but I really am easy going by nature. I make a point of starting my day with at least an hour to myself before I get ready for work. I’d rather wake up at 5:30am, have coffee, read magazines and have a leisurely shower, than wake up at 7am and race out the door to work.