Stick-on Surreality
The idea for Blik — the genius wall decal company — was conceptualized by architect Scott Flora and food writer Jerinne Neils, after they found themselves staring at a huge blank wall in their Venice Beach loft.
The hulking blankness felt like a giant canvas begging for accoutrement, but wallpaper felt "too static," said Neils. So the couple tried stenciling dots and shapes, but try as they might, they couldn't get the lines clean enough.
BONE TREE: "El Arbol de Amor" by Hannah Stouffer decal.
Eventually, they turned a poem Neils had written into a printed wall graphic made of paper. Very cool — but still not exactly what they were looking for.
So the couple began to working on ways to replicate words and design patterns in ways that were just as easy to re-create as they were to remove — without sacrificing high design. Why not use the idea of a removeable decal, they thought, only wall-sized?
They began testing ultra thin, self-adhesive films and eventually developed a method that made it possible to transfer large graphic patterns onto walls.
DARK WAVE: "Ascend" by urban artist Craww.
In 2002, Blik — inspired by artists including Andy Warhol, Sol LeWitt, Keith Haring, Larry Weiner and Damien Hirst — was born after a year of rigorous research and experimentation.
The company's mission? "Really good design for everyone," said Neils. "We work with the world’s most talented artists and original brands to create wall graphic designs that can change the energy of any room." Decals range from $35 to $70 a pop — and because of the special adhesive, can move with you to various houses and rooms, like pieces of art.
The collection of art is a combination of original designs as well as licensed graphics from up-and-comers (Saelee Oh, Jeremy Fish, Hannah Stouffer), established artists (Keith Haring, Charles & Ray Eames) and big brands (Nintendo, Atari, Upper Playground, Threadless).
ALL APOLOGIES: "Sad psycho" decal.
The company, which has lots of imitators at this point, has nabbed the Product Design Distinction Award for Furniture from the I.D. Design Annual, and, along with Apple, Pixar, Google and Nike, was a participant in the 2006 National Design Triennial at the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum.
Blik's up-and-coming artists are also making waves. Artist Saelee Oh recently exhibited at the Jonathan LeVine Gallery in New York. Her "Spiderweb" design sold for thousands of dollars, but the same graphic is available from Blik for $70. Total score.
The company also recently launched a boutique in Japan. Not too shabby for a beachside start-up.
GOOD HEADBOARD: A gothic-style stick-on headboard from Blik.