"what inspires you?" - andrée

mission muse: "what inspires you?"

by guest muse andrée

Simple Design and Good Packaging

I can’t draw to save my life, but I’ve always had a love for packaging and design.  I admire how designers create everyday objects, turning them into works of art and pleasing to the eye (such as the Philippe Starck juicer).

You don’t need to look too far to find great design and simple packaging, just turn your eyes towards things found in nature, where you will also stumble across numerous examples of the Golden Ratio.

A designer I believe finds inspiration in nature.  If this is true, then I must have something in common with them?  I am never blasé about finding beauty in the everyday, in fact I’m delighted and fascinated when I discover an interesting object in nature.  Looking closely to see how something is made so that it will survive and grow, often its’ design and “packaging” becomes logical.  It makes sense and works for its intended purpose.

Take for example this chestnut pod I found in the woods the other day, see how cleverly the nuts all fit together smoothly and snugly, the spiky pod keeps clever birds and rodents at bay while the nuts grow.  During autumn when they fall from the tree and are freed from the pod, the nuts are indeed vulnerable to the aforementioned predators (you can add humans to that group too), but they also become the key elements for new trees to grow.

Or take the egg as another eggsample example: its pleasing shape has been copied many times over for all sorts of uses in our daily lives.  But in nature the oval shape makes it easier for female birds to lay and sit on them.  An eggs’ spheric shape also makes it roll around on itself, instead of away.

Do you find inspiration in nature? If not, please give it a chance and take a closer look.  See it from a different perspective: look up, down and behind you.  Get lower and try to imagine thru the eyes of an animal; if courageous enough, climb onto a branch!  What other examples of natures’ simple design and packaging can you discover?

Andrée of On Linden Way

"what inspires you?" is the the second mission of mission: MUSE series.
After you submit a "where i live" post, you may submit an entry to mortalmuses {at} yahoo.com.

where i live - périgord noir, france

mission MUSE: "where i live"

by guest muse andrée

Bienvenu en France! Welcome to France and in particular the Périgord Noir region. For those of you who do not know me, my name is Andrée and I was born in the US, but have lived all around Europe since 1992. My husband and I sold our last house in 2005 and have been renting short-term in many countries, but we are often drawn back to "La Belle France" (beautiful France). Currently, we are renting in the Dordogne region (about 300 miles/480km south of Paris). The Dordogne has four Périgord regions: Noir (Black), Blanc (White), Pourpre (Purple) and Vert (Green). The countryside is varied, stunning and untouched.

To share with you just some of my impressions of the Périgord Noir, I chose to describe it through the five senses and through texture.  I'm sure that if you visit, you will not be disappointed!
　
Hear...

...the breeze caressing branches of century old oaks, sparrows chirping to wake the world, a dog barks far away on another hill. It is early morning...hold your breath and you can listen to the details of tranquility...it is the resonant peace and quiet of nature.

From morning until evening, the Périgord Noir offers thousands of hectares of wooded countryside to explore; leave behind city noise and exchange it for the infinite sounds of nature.

See...

...if your eyes are not already saturated with the natural beauty of the Périgord Noir region: it's undulating hills, mixing dark forests and bright green fields, or the rich valleys sweeping down towards the Dordogne and Vézère rivers, then they will be by the architecture.

Impressive, elegant, graphic, useful and timeless are all adjectives my eyes register as I scan the roof tops of the Périgord Noir.

"Lauze", the heavy flagstone used for roofs, like giant thick scallop shells with its' rough surface and edges, assembled together take on a dignified appearance.

Smell...

...the Earth or "terroire" as the French say, with a simple fungi more commonly know of as truffles.
The odour of truffles is very subtle, not overpowering or pungent, but almost rather fragile. Inhale the scent and you breathe in the rich earth from whence it came.

Truffles are used in cuisine for paté, foie gras, to infuse oil or just fresh. The locals like to place them overnight in an airtight container with a couple of eggs, so that the truffles' aroma permeates the egg-shell. 

The next day: a savory omelette is enjoyed with shavings of the truffle itself. Et voilà!

Taste...

...not just the infamous "foie gras" (goose or duck liver) but the region's walnuts. Périgord Noirs' four varieties of walnuts have their own AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) or "designation of origin."
Bite into a slightly bitter fresh "green" nut off the tree, or savour the more classical dried variety. Drizzle golden nut oil over fresh steamed green beans, or toast to your friends' health with a "Vin de Noix" appéritif drink.

Touch...

　
...the relatively smooth stone: it feels soft under your finger tips, its warm golden color (a hallmark of the Périgord Noir), betrays its' strength.

The Périgord Noir stone, beautiful as it is, when used in construction protected man, his animals and harvested crops from the elements. Cut from local quarries or amassed from fields destined for cultivation, homes and structures meld harmoniously together with the natural environment.

Thank you for visiting where I live. Please feel free to visit my blog to learn more about my life in France.

A bientôt!

Andrée of On Linden Way

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