MEGAN AUMAN

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stacking trays and jewelry displays

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colorful metal jewelry trays

It’s been a busy couple of weeks in the studio as I prep for my first in-person wholesale event in three years. But the beauty of making this kind of push is that it’s generating so many ideas in the studio!

I’ve been working on pieces for the Chroma Collection which led me to revisit my colorful decorative metalwork. Suddenly, I realized I wanted to make larger (and larger) oval stacking trays! And to justify the fact that I got really excited about metalwork but I’m technically doing a show for my jewelry, I decided to use these trays as displays!

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coming soon: the modular collection

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silver modern minimal statement necklace // modular collection by megan auman

Back in February, I gave my self a little design challenge: create a series of necklaces that would look stunning when worn alone, but that could be played with and layered in lots of different configurations. The result? The new Modular Collection, featuring three necklace designs (plus a bracelet and chain extenders) available in steel, silver, and bronze.

After getting a great response to the new designs at my February trade show (and road testing the necklace pictured above for two weeks in India) I can’t wait to release this new collection. I’ve started shipping the necklaces (and a few new earring styles) to my some of my retailers, and the entire collection will be available in my online store in the next few weeks.

Update: The Modular Collection is now available in my online store! Click here to shop!

In the meantime, scroll down to get a few more sneak peaks of the new designs and see some of my favorite configurations!

steel modern minimal statement necklace // modular collection by megan auman

bronze and steel modern minimal statement necklace // modular collection by megan auman

bronze modern chain link statement necklace // modular collection by megan auman

steel and silver modern minimal statement necklaces // modular collection by megan auman

Update: The Modular Collection is now available in my online store! Click here to shop!

outfit//room – Reflections scarf//pillow

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My pins tend to jump back and forth pretty consistently between fashion and interiors and I’m amazed at how often I end up with a room and an outfit that seem to share the same aesthetic.

So it shouldn’t be a surprise that as I was playing around on Polyvore, I suddenly realized I was building an outfit and a room built around the same concept.

outfit/

I love a good shirt dress because it’s so versatile. Paired with riding boots (I’m obsessed with these by Frye), a cozy scarf, and some basic jewelry, it’s the perfect piece for wandering the city by day. But you could also dress it up with a great pair of heels and a statement necklace to transition into an evening out.

Reflections infinity scarf//droplet hoops//shift bracelet//Frye boots//shirt dress

/room

I know a cream colored sofa can be scary for a lot of people, but with neutral color like this, it’s easy to change the room around as your tastes change. A sofa like this is an investment that works for years. And I just love it mixed with this more rustic bookcase – I’d love to have a few of these to push around my library to divide and change the space.

Reflections pillow//sofa//bookcase//lamp

Vienna in black and white

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I couldn’t have loved Vienna more! The buildings were beautiful, the city was clean and easy to navigate, and the museums were incredible (and abundant)! But my favorite part was that, no matter where I went, I was greeted by incredible black and white decoration.

Oh, Vienna, you sure do know the way to a girl’s heart…

This incredible black and white building was across the street from the famous Secession building.

The lobby of the Upper Belvedere was so incredible, I had to sneak a few pictures.

The floor in the cafe at the Kunsthistorisches Museum.

The walls and ceiling of the cafe in the Lower Belvedere.

Part of the “Design Engaging the City” exhibition at the MAK.

bend seating

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I’ve had a soft spot for wire furniture ever since my graduate thesis, so I was excited to discover Bend at the New York Gift Fair.  I contemplated getting a set of Lucy chairs for my dining room, but decided to hold off.  I think it might be more fun to make my own chairs using some of my patterns.

problem solving design vs. aesthetically pleasing design

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Lately I’ve been feeling a disconnect between the type of design that I’ve been researching and reading about and the type of designs I’m creating in my jewelry line. So much of my design research has centered around problem solving design – design that starts by identifying a problem and then creating a solution.  Because this isn’t the kind of design that I’m doing with my jewelry, I’ve often felt like I wasn’t really a designer when it came to my own work.

But I’m starting to understand that my jewelry falls into a different kind of design – design that’s meant to be aesthetically or emotionally pleasing.  This kind of design isn’t better or worse than the problem solving approach to design, but it is different.  It’s actually routed in a different part of the brain, the part that isn’t tied to language.  Which is why this type of design is so much harder to articulate.

But my goal is to articulate it more – to explore the value of aesthetically and emotionally pleasing design.

I’d love to hear your thoughts.  Do you see a distinction between these two types of design?  And do you privilege one more than the other?