Saturday, March 19, 2011

Label Art

I've always enjoyed and appreciated good design in packaging.  From soup cans to seed collections, a well designed label can serve as art in your home, office, or in your potting shed. 

Last year, while visiting the Beekman 1802 store in Sharon Springs, New York, I purchased several of the heirloom seed collections.  I was taken with the labels that Josh Kilmer-Purcell had created.  They have a vintage look and feel while still being modern and fresh. 

I knew that the seeds would be put to good use in the garden, but I also wanted to do something with the labels.  They were too beautiful to just set aside or cut out and save in my garden planner.  I decided to turn them into art. 

I found a frame that would hold a mat cut with three 4x6 openings.  The labels themselves were slightly smaller, so I added an additional mat backing, centering the labels in each of the cutouts. 

Presto!  Instant art! 

There was a small space just outside of our project room and next to the shelves that hold my massive magazine collection. The piece fit perfectly. 

Look around.  Where might you find works of art?

To order your own set of heirloom seeds (and labels!) visit the Beekman1802 online store. 

5 comments:

Elaine said...

I have always loved using vintage labels for art work. You did a beautiful job mounting and framing those labels.

mike509 said...

A great idea - I did the same in my kitchen (with a grapefruit label). You can't beat the "look" - and everyone will comment! Glad you found the right mat & frame, that's the challenge!

Andrew said...

Kenn, I love it! Sleek and stylish!

Brent and Josh said...

Great job, Kenn!

Malibu Boy said...

What a great idea! Didn't know those were Josh-designed either!