The past few months of COVID bizarreness should have taught us a good number of things. Among these can be counted the importance of health, the simultaneous liberty and potential loneliness of isolation, the significance of maintaining a routine and the resilience and beauty of nature in the face of human drama and tragedy. In addition to all of these, the notion that our immediate environment has a huge impact on our mental wellbeing has been absorbed indelibly into our consciousness.
Creating our own personalised space has never before seemed so crucial. There are so many ways in which this can be achieved, for example, adorning windowsills with potted plants, making the most of natural light by using appropriate shades of wall paint and furniture and hanging prints or paintings on the wall. Your living space also becomes your sanctuary with specific elements of décor, including carefully selected objects to enhance your mood and imbue you with a sense of wonder. Innovative designer Elly Wirth, known as Decor Elly, certainly knows a thing or two about this. Her painstakingly crafted pieces wield together the quirky and lovable, setting any room ablaze with a blast of vivid colours and emanating a sense of joy.
Doing the rounds at Elly’s studio, I soon discover that her work consists of a playful combination of the whimsical and the domestic, depicting the natural silhouettes of a host of animals in a very distinctive way. This is achieved by applying her unique method of moulding figures using polylactic acid, a biodegradable material that has been likened to the more common, mass-produced polystyrene, but which is, instead, based on corn starch. Her figurines have seen an evolution from upcycled (découpaged, to use the proper term) shapes composed of papier-mâché to attractive 3D forms. Elly’s passion for the world of design fuses with the desire to make use of environmentally responsible materials. Her imagination is brought to life by manipulating a commonly used bioplastic, producing wonderfully fanciful figurines that delight the eye and please the child in all of us, from the iconic cow clad in a horizontally-striped outfit of rainbow hues to the bulldog proudly displaying his gorgeous aquamarine, poppy red and royal blue print, set off by his mustard belly.
Not to be outdone, a slender feline member of the pet parade flaunts her equally arresting Asian-inspired floral print coat, while a bright tangerine puppy lazily indulges in a leisurely yoga stretch. Decor Elly’s world is a fantastical, delicate celebration of form and colour animated with the use of ethically sound materials. We could all use this kind of colour to brighten up our lives. Visit Decor Elly’s Facebook page for more information, and take a look at her Etsy shop:-
Fran's World 
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