Lifestyle

Stylish items with a spacey vibe

Posted December 29, 2012 5:00 am

By Kim Cook Associated Press

Galaxy pillow covers feature images from the Hubble telescope. Courtesy of Pillars of Creation

Stars, moons and planets have long been inspiration for designers. For aficionados and anyone who appreciates the artistry to be found in astronomy, there is a galaxy of beautiful items for the home.

Oscar Tusquets Blanca designed his Luna rug in 2010, and it's an amazingly realistic recreation of the moon in its waxing phase. (www.yliving.com, $2,580)

Megan Lee in Tampa, Fla., makes ethereal prints of the planets that have a haunting, lovely quality. “In the past couple of years, I became extremely interested in astronomy, and wanted to pay tribute to our own solar system,” she says.

She hopes people will display the prints remembering “what we've discovered, and how much more we have to explore.” A grouping would be a wonderful feature wall, but even one of them would make a statement. Lee also offers a print of all the planets together. (www.meganleestudio.etsy.com )

Artisan and designer Asher Israelow makes walnut tables inlaid with brass dots that map out the constellations. You supply a specific date and he researches what the sky looked like on that night, then makes a custom table depicting the star map. He's done them as wedding and birthday gifts. (www.asherisraelow.com)

Another Brooklyn-based designer, Palo Samko, crafts tables out of claro walnut and blackened steel evoking the Northern Hemisphere sky map with Southern Cross detail. (www.palosamko.com)

Urban Outfitters has a neat lamp stamped with a constellation that looks lovely when lit. The retailer also sells a cool glow-in-the-dark moon clock that stays lit for half an hour after you turn off the switch — a great night light for a kids' room, it would also work well as an unexpected light for an entryway foyer. Urban Outfitters also has Los Angeles-based artist Claire Oring's Star Catcher wall art, a conceptual print of a young woman reaching up to grasp a handful of nebulae. (www.urbanoutfitters.com, constellation lamp, $49; moon clock, $49; Star Catcher, $39)

Another neat clock features a mashup of 65 of astronomy photographer Norbert Rosing's moon photographs. It's also luminescent, for up to two hours. (www.coolstuffexpress.com, $32.97)

Pillars of Creation in Portland, Ore., offers a striking digital print featuring the phrase “We Are All Made of Stars.” The words are composed of space images. The studio also offers an interesting pillow cover printed with Hubble telescope images of stars and galaxies. (www.esty.com/shop/pillarsofcreation, print, $18; pillow cover, $38)

Bring the night sky indoors in a big way with an 8- or 12-foot glow-in-the-dark stencil kit, great for a media room. (www.coolstuffexpress.com, kit, $27.95)

Artifactory has produced a conversation starter: When the Voyager 1 and 2 missions were launched, they carried golden records similar to LPs. Engraved into these were sounds and images from Earth, chosen by a NASA team led by cosmologist and astronomer Carl Sagan. Included on each disc was a detailed diagram giving the finder instructions on how to play it. Artifactory's 12-inch gold metal alloy replica comes mounted and ready to hang. (www.thespacestore.com, Night Sky stencil kit, $27.95; Voyager wall plaque, $149.)

This We Are All Made Of Stars framed print has letters composed of space images. Courtesy of Pillars of Creation

A Star Map walnut table is in the Serenade series, a group of tables built for the New York City Ballet that map the history of dance through the stars. Brooklyn furniture designer Asher Israelow creates custom Star Map tables by researching what the night sky looked like for your specific date. Courtesy of Asher Israelow Studio

A Star Map walnut table is in the Serenade series, a group of tables built for the New York City Ballet that map the history of dance through the stars. Courtesy of Asher Israelow Studio

This print by artist Megan Lee shows the dwarf planets, Pluto, Eris and Ceres. Courtesy of Megan Lee Studio

A print of Saturn by artist Megan Lee. Courtesy of Megan Lee Studio

Israelow used brass inlays to create a star map in the walnut slab of this bench. Courtesy of Asher Israelow Studio

Brooklyn furniture designer Asher Israelow will create a custom Star Map table by researching what the night sky looked like for your specific date, and reproducing it with brass inlays on walnut. Courtesy of Asher Israelow Studio

Artist Megan Lees prints are inspired by our solar system. Courtesy of Megan Lee Studio

Galaxy pillow covers feature images from the Hubble telescope. Courtesy of Pillars of Creation

Article Comments

Article Categories
Business Decor Home & Garden Home and Garden Lifestyle Real Estate

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.