“The mind which plunges into Surrealism, relives with burning excitement the best part of childhood.” –Andre Breton, Surrealist Manifesto, 1924

French poet and founder of the Surrealism movement Andre Breton had a point. To live within the realm of the absurd, the unconscious, the surreal, is to live in a state of wonder. This is a place where creativity can run rampant. Things don’t have to make perfect sense. There are limitless possibilities.

We’ve had the pleasure of experiencing plenty of surreal spaces during the course of our lives, from mind-bending contemporary art installations, to the Bioluminescent Bay in Puerto Rico. Spending time in environments like these makes us feel alive. They get our wheels turning… get us thinking about incorporating some of these nonsensical concepts into our own living spaces.

So why not sleep in a gold bed in the shape of a duck? And why not illuminate your living room with a floor lamp fit for a giant? And why not decorate with sculptures of human body parts like eyes, lips and hands throughout your home? It’s fun. It keeps your guests guessing. And it keeps you inspired.

We’ve collected some photos of surreal environments and home objects, among them hotels, retail spaces, art installations, and essentric residential homes. Playful and experimental, each of these spaces is full of imagination. Like Breton said, they make us relive “with burning excitement the best part of childhood.”

HighStreet.Cincinnati

NAME: Micah Paldino

BIRTHDAY: March 1 (Pisces)

HOME: Over The Rhine. Cincinnati. Ohio.

WORK: CEO, Peanut Butter + Jelly www.makepbj.com

MOTIVATION: “Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” –Goethe

OBJECTS OF AFFECTION: The power of multiples. The power of creativity. Having dinner parties at my house. Eating fresh pasta. Being secure in my mind, spirit and body. Being in love. Farms, it doesn’t matter where they are, or what is grown on the land. Karl Lagerfeld for making me comfortable with being ‘working class’. Wide plank floors painted black. Gingham, chevron, or any print that can be equally feminine and masculine. Light fixtures that tell a story, that are dynamic pieces of art. Zaha Hadid, Norman Foster, enough said. Bottega Veneta and Burberry for their smart-garments that genuinely let the personality come out in the people who wear the work. The power of color: pink, black, blue and green. And finally, Xavier Dolan, the screen writer, director, artist, and ultra creative mind that gives me hope that our society is moving in the right direction, that even the most simple act of living is a work of art.

OTHERWISE OBSCURED FACT: “I become obsessed with food and objects, for example I ate BLT’s for sixty days straight last winter, and I’m 4 credits away from my minor in Geology. Rocks are hot.”

MICAH’S HIGHSTREET: “There are of course, endless paths of beautiful objects: furniture, books to die for, rat lamps and luxurious jewelry. But objects only tell half of the story — it’s the greeting when you walk in the door, it’s the hot tea that is offered for your therapeutic retail journey, and the laughs you share with the owner’s Matt and Leah, that make HighStreet a place of pure joy. ”

When we are grooving to Chaz Bundick of Toro Y Moi’s music, we like to picture ourselves looking as easy and laid-back cool as he does in this video. “Say That” is one of the new singles off of his new record Anything In Return, due out on January 22.

We’ve been streaming the album as of recent and are finding it perfect to listen to while at your desk at work or while tidying up the house. It’s chill enough not to bother your coworkers, but upbeat and dancey enough to break it down when nobody’s watching. Bundick throws a bit of disco on top of melodic indie rock to keep your head bobbing and toes tapping. Toro Y Moi’s music makes us happy.

This video is right in line with our Emerald City trend. Emerald green is all over this video, set in rich, lucious forests, grassy fields and misty mountain tops. Get fresh.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGmfOsdla2Y

Tamara De Lempicka — Self Portrait via wiki.cultured.com

2013. A new year. New beginnings. Renewal. 2012 was pretty intense, with an impassioned presidential race, record breaking natural disasters, and an economy still struggling to get back on its feet. With the turning of the new year, we feel optimism is in the air, people are ready to start over and feel good again. In that same spirit of renewal, Pantone has selected its color of the year, Emerald #17–5641. We have been lusting after this shade for a while now and it’s refreshing to see it popping up everywhere. Green symbolizes health, nature, hope, and youth. It’s the color that represents harmony, life and eternity. Emerald #17–5641 fits these ideals perfectly for the new year. This rich jewel tone will quickly add drama to a room in easy textile applications like brocade pillows, velvet drapes or an oriental rug. Or go bolder with surface treatments like emerald lacquer kitchen cabinets, or covering the walls in your bathroom in emerald glass tile. We’re also loving Lee Jofa’s Palm Jungle wallpaper for those with a more adventurous spirit.

Emerald Pantone mug via pantone.com

Emerald is also the color associated with Venus, the Goddess of beauty and love. When we think of emerald green we think sleek, elegant and sexy. It’s turning up on all of the runways, which is great since it’s flattering on most skin tones. From track suits to cocktail dresses and everything in between, you will surely find something fly to fit your mood. Get fresh for 2013.

Lucious emerald living via annporter.wordpress.com

Jason Wu Pre Fall 2013 via style.com

HighStreet.Cincinnati