The Secret of Kells grabbed me and didn’t let me go. I might have blinked once, maybe twice, during the whole movie. That’s how much I loved it. Colors, patterns, watercolor washes left, right, front and center. The illustration taking cues from the Insular Style it wished to honor.

With a running time of one hour and 15 minutes, this movie is quick and sweet; it keeps you glued to the screen from beginning to end. I think I also had a star-struck look on my face from the rapid succession of excellent animation set on beautifully illustrated backdrops, worthy of adorning the pages of a contemporary manuscript of their own.

For me the best bit was when our hero Brendan defeats the dark, serpent-like deity Crom Cruach, using nothing but a piece of chalk. It was defeat by design, I tell you!

Brendan and Aisling play in the forest

Brendan shows Aisling his first attempts at illustration

Brendan illustrates under Aidan's tutelage

Brendan as Aidan's apprentice

As part of the London Design Festival, The Finnish Institute in London has produced an installation titled Reddress. A sumptuous dress will serve as a costume for songstress Emma Salokoski, and its 20-meter-wide skirt will accommodate the spectators, who can sit or lie on it, even use it as a blanket. Talk about a sensual experience: the intimacy of the concert, to be close and connected to the performer and the rest of the audience in such a tangible way, the visual saturation… a great way to bring the music alive!

The best bit is: no worries if you checked in your jacket and the hall is a bit cold, just relax and tuck yourself in.

Via Dezeen. Photographs by Kate Elliott.

Enjoy the Northern Lights in a swell glass igloo at Hotel Kakslauttanen, in Lapland, inside the Arctic Circle. The hotel offers accommodations in log cabins, “turf chambers” and traditional snow igloos, but the glass domed ones, with their high-tech look and ample view of the skies take the cake here.

The best bit: these guys may be cold on the outside, but warm and toasty on the inside. Cool!

Via Fubiz.

Warm, inviting lights amidst the frozen landscape

Jungle-inspired prints: a way to trick your bran into thinking "warm"?

Heavenly entertainment: forget fireworks!