SPONSOR WELCOME: MEET UPLO

Photos courtesy of Patrick Cline/Lonny

Photos Patrick shot in Morocco while at Lonny

A swimming pool surrounded by lush greenery

A private road with intricate tile and carvings

A red hallway with Moorish archways

A bustling square

An open window with beautiful carvings

I recently caught up with the busy photographer Patrick Cline, who has been hard at work since leaving Lonny, the game-changing digital magazine which he co-founded with Michelle Adams.  He recently unveiled UPLO, an e-commerce site and creative hub for photographers and anyone with a creative eye to share and sell their photos, which can come framed and ready to hang.

What is UPLO? 

UPLO promotes itself as a hub to connect photographers with buyers. It is about art, it’s about quality printing, getting great work into peoples homes, and on the wall. Digital may have changed the “canvas” upon which we record photography, but it doesn't change the fact that people still want prints and framed pieces on their walls, be it home, or the workplace, and UPLO is just a great way to purchase it quickly.

With your editorial past and being a Lonny founder, what do you hope to accomplish from this new creative outlet?

Lonny was without a doubt one of my greatest achievements, and of course made possible by the partnership with Michelle Adams (now the Editor in Chief of relaunched Domino). It has definitely changed my life as far as my interest in interior design. I still shoot homes, but I think what I want to accomplish now, is to create a community that is so very organic for me, I have now been in the photo industry for 20 years, and getting that message out there, that UPLO is backed by a photographer, retoucher, printer and entrepreneur will be essential to its growth, and standard. And then I’m pretty much in my element, I love to see people decorate with photography, and I love to see a photographer do well from their efforts as an artist. I feel lucky to be so heavily involved in two such creative industries.

 For you, what is the best part of having the site, your passion project, live? 

Hard to describe, so proud to have brought a brand, a service to market, so it’s a little surreal, but at the same time, it’s such a natural company for me to be behind. I would say one of the best parts is that all the people that have known about it for so long can finally stop asking me when, "when!!".

What are people gravitating towards, as far as photos to buy, and what they are uploading to sell? 

I wanted to go to my photo community first, some of the photographers that I built great relationships with when I had my retouching and print house in NYC, the likes of Gigi Stoll, Wolfgang Wesener and more. These are people that trust me with their work and reputations, and it was important for me to have quality imagery up from the start. I see a huge potential for files that photographers have of old archives. Then I went to some of the great iPhoneographers, like Matt French, for example. He shoots everything on his phone, his work is amazing, and this has set a high standard for that crowd, too. As for the purchasing, this can be answered in a couple of different ways. I have noticed that the more people get the word out to their already existing social networks, the more they sell. Basically the work that is selling the most, is the most promoted, and its UPLO’s mission to make the self-promoting as easy as possible, every time a gallery is updated. Jack Hollingsworth, who sells his amazing India portrait series, all shot on an iPhone 4s, is a social media master. I also made a point of allowing rectangular imagery, and any jpg file, from desktop and phone too. Essentially, I wanted to create a hub, a community of like minded creative people, and help them gain a large audience.

Who are some big names on the platform and who are some surprise discoveries? 

I really like having talent like Douglas Friedman, Gigi Stoll and Wolfgang Wesener. Then there are some great IG finds, like Matt French, Ian Dennis (Densf) and Tony Cruz. I’ve also had some fun doing some collaborations with different bloggers. I did a cool series called Trespass with Nicole Cohen of Sketch42. I’d always been a fan of her blog but then she started showing me some of her photography and it was a real surprise.

Does this format make everyone with an iPhone an artist? 

Definitely not. There is a distinct difference between the Instagram or Facebook user that is basically using those apps to document and share their lives. Although UPLO enables everyone to create Private Galleries for personal use, that they can share with friends and order prints, the core fundamentals still stand. I believe that people are either talented photographers, or they are not, regardless of the equipment used. Talent is talent.

Some of my favorite shots found around Uplo:

   

Photos courtesy of UPLO

A chic girl shot by Matt French

A moody underwater shot by Derin Thorpe is very Bright Lights Big City to me

Bill Hale captures an ocean view through the trees

Sky on Fire by Victoria Mann 

Pink Ladies by Sketch 42, an amazing Flamingo pairing

Rose Bush by Colleen Nathanson

THE FLOWERS OF AMY MERRICK

Photos courtesy of Amy Merrick

Amy Merrick's flower arrangements have an ethereal, otherworldly quality to them. Their free and unbridled-ness make them an instant mood-uplifter. The Brooklyn-based floral artist includes an array of natural elements, also found in the wild, so the unexpected addition of fruit or branches adds a whimsical element.  And the way she photographs her creations, the arrangements really take on an Old Master painting still-life quality. I adore her work and think you will too.

An arrangement taking shape.

A yellow arrangement reads spring.

The containers Amy chooses provide an additional storytelling element.

Lush greenery.

Dahlias! And cherries.

Moody pinks and reds.

A perfect still life.

MARISA'S MEMO: STATEMENT - MAKING MONOGRAM MEDALLIONS FROM CINCO POWELL

Substantial and shiny, the oversized round monogram pendants of Cinco Powell won't exactly go unnoticed. Statement making accessories, the attention getters that they are, allow your individuality to shine through.  Whether you are wearing it as a necklace, using it as a keychain, or as a decorative accessory on your bag, Cinco Powell's hubcap-sized (at 30 inches!) medallion tags with engraved monogram and colorful enamel border of your choosing are chic as can be.

Photos courtesy of Cinco Powell

The classic medallion with circular monogram and teal enamel border reminds me of things I had with my monogram as a child of the 80's. So basically, what's not to like? If nostalgia is involved, count me in.

The same piece with a lime enamel border. Maybe I can get a fall and summer version for seasonal color shifts.

The same great monogram with the palest blue border.

Like a silver dollar, these things have heft. Here, the chartreuse border adds zing.

STYLEBEST: THE SPUTNIK CHANDELIER

A light fixture or decorative accessory can hit a tipping point in popularity when you start to see it everywhere. If that piece was vintage, it can be hard to get your hands on one. That is where reproductions come in.  The upside is, the redesign can mean the scale has been changed, or the piece just works better in its newest incarnation. This sought-after piece, the Sputnik Chandelier, is a silhouette first came on the scene in the 1950's and 60's, and it has risen in popularity recently.  Known for its spiky, sun ray arms, it adds an interesting shape with its linear yet airy form.  This repro version from Arteriors, the Zanadoo, has become wildly popular with the vintage brass finish. It has the right amount of arms, and a great scale. It was such a hit they recently added to the Zanadoo family, creating a larger chandler and a flush sconce, and they can now be used outside. I think the sconces would add just the right amount of glamour to a powder room.

The large version

The baby 

The sconce has 5 lights

SARA BENGUR GOES BACK TO HER ROOTS WITH TURKISH- INSPIRED DECORATIVE HOME ACCESSORIES

Photos courtesy of Sara Bengur

Inspired by organic forms and materials, New York-based interior design Sara Bengur's new collection of decorative home accessories stems her interest in bringing the beauty of handmade products to her fresh, modern designs. Celebrating her love of ethnic craft as well as her Turkish heritage, the array of globally made goods, from soft throws to colorful plates, combines unique artisan talents with modern sophistication. The palette, ranging from earthy to rich colors, adds a bit of Bengur's artistic aesthetic home.  Here are some of my favorite pieces from her collection.

Saturated color in Merino wool and Mohair, Dolcino throws woven in Italy

Organic 100% cotton Hand-Woven Peshtamal Yazlik Towels with soft alternating stripes and long fringe. They get even softer with washing.

Peshtamal Scarves, with a crisp stripe and short fringe, woven in Turkey.

With a rustic appeal, the soft colors and striated weave on the OK pillow come from wool spun on hand-woven kilim looms.

Rust and cream form a geometric linear pattern in Kuytu.

 Eggplant is a color so well suited for this weave, especially when paired with yellow and cream.

Screen printed on linen, Ay napkins feature an organic circular shape.

Made on Malta, ceramic dinnerware. has a playful edge. The Nokta platter, made of ceramic with a dot border in jewel tone colors.

Incorporating symbolic graphic designs, The Para dessert plates.

Set against a solid, colorful ground, oversized dots adorn the surface of the Bonjuk dinner plates.

A circular drip pattern at the bottom of the Ecrou nut bowl is off-center for a  playful touch. I love these colors together.

In another zingy color grouping.

A circle holds rectangular forms in the tiny Saliere Salt and Pepper servers.

In the pink and orange color.

ALL TOGETHER NOW: 3 WAYS TO AVOID DESK CLUTTER

Photo courtesy of Kaufmann Mercantile

I love brass accessories. They add a bit of gleam, especially when used sparingly. I recently came across these stunning brass desk trays with cut corners on Kaufmann Mercantile, the online purveyor of all things cool, slightly rustic and well-designed since 2009. 

The trays, which range in size, are perfect for holding objects that would otherwise create a messy and cluttered surface. Made in the oldest Japanese metal foundry, in operation since 1897, each surface finish and patina is unique, since it is sanded down after being removed from its mold. 

Originally designed Oji Masanori, a designer of pared-down household objects, the trays hold their own today, looking just as fresh as they did all those years ago.

SO POLISHED: FORM AND FUNCTION MEET WITH CHRISTOFLE'S DAZZLING SPHERE, A FLASHY ROUND HARD DRIVE

Photo courtesy of La Cie

Much of the country is going through a deep freeze this week, from an unusual weather occurrence called a Polar Vortex. Unusually cold temperatures like we are experiencing are likely to produce hail and snow, and the results of which can sometimes be as big as the silver ball shown above. The Sphere,  a gorgeous new silver-enrobed round hard drive designed in partnership with French luxury silver maker Christofle and hard drive manufacturer LaCie, is a beauty.  Pushing the boundaries of form and function, the silvered circular orb has sculptural qualities that would enhance any desk, by introducing a sleek, more streamlined tech element.  So, what does it do differently? Well, a few things.  It eliminates the need to have another unsightly black power cord, and since it works off a high speed USB 3.0 instead of the slower 2.0. it uploads files, images and videos three times faster, and looks good doing it.  And while we are on that topic, if someone gets fingerprints all over it's highly reflective surface, you can clean it with silver polish.
The new hard drive is a flashy drive,  cast in one seamless piece of silver-plated steel. At almost $500, it might just be the best way to start collecting art, as you work your way towards another reflective masterpiece from artist Anish Kapoor.