Halloween is upon us! In the spirit of the spooky holiday, we’ve compiled our own office storybook of Halloween memories and inspiration. Read on for shrieks and laughs… Esther’s Bridal Entrance Halloween irony: Every year of childhood I insisted on dressing as a bride — never once switched it up. Admittedly, my decision was driven by the fact that I loved to make an entrance down our home’s staircase while my mother played the wedding march on the piano. To this date, never been married. Hmmm… Lisa Loves Boxes. A lot. The box business is a family trade that goes…

This week we're shining the spotlight on Art Deco.This eclectic style, symbolic of the Machine age, can still be widely seen today. Here are some of our favorite finds: Lisa's Arch-Deco Favorites: I  lived somewhere besides New York for a few years, and it didn't go well. It was a beautiful old city, but it lacked (among other things) that architectural thing Manhattan has- the decorative and structural elements that take your breath away as you round the corner. Many of these favorite (and most sorely-missed) moments of mine feature Art Deco flourishes-  some well known, and others mysteries waiting...

Lisa’s No Wallflower. No Fifty Shades jokes here, my friends.  There’s only one gray for me, and that’s charcoal: a versatile, warm, tough-but-chic choice that figures prominently in all of my favorite fall decorating schemes. (Since we live on an editorial calendar here at VP+C, we’re well into the autumn months, mentally). I’ve just moved and, rental-rules-be-damned, am very tempted to give in to my well-documented wallpaper obsession in our new place. This design, from Brooklyn-based Flavor Paper, is a frontrunner that would provide a pretty foil for pretty much any accent color. A few other things that caught our…

Have you heard of Public Relations Tailgating? Probably not, because we invented it today. Let us explain… We pulled in to our final destination, Meredith Publications, in Des Moines, IA, around 9:30 am. Rolled out our RV awning and Mohawk SmartStrand rug, inflated some Blofield furniture, and laid down our tablecloths made from Calico fabrics. Then we whipped up some delicious sandwiches, sliders, and fresh cookies to put on QSquared serving pieces, and arranged the jcpenney MarthaCelebrations paper goods. By 11 am sharp we were ready for company- we have grown quite accustomed to inviting people into our RV (motor…

As you may have heard, today was awesome from the time we woke up. We’re not normally an agency that toots its own horn- we’ve always chosen to keep the spotlight focused firmly on our clients. But it was incredibly special to be featured in Stuart Elliott’s column in the New York Times for doing what we do- making sure the world knows what wonderful people and products we work with. And, though we’ve been wildly tweeting and posting and blogging the trip, the recognition and comments we’ve received are a validation of a core VP+C belief: Facebook can’t make…

Not everyone knows that one of our fearless leaders, Mark Veeder, is an avid gardener and budding horticulturalist. In fact, he discovered a new strain of echinacea in 2004. His ‘Green Envy’™ is a green flower in the Echinacea family, a healthful herbaceous plant genus that helps ward off winter cold symptoms. According to testing conducted by Stephen Moring, a research scientist at the University of Kansas and the country’s leading Echinacea expert, ‘Green Envy’ has even more active healing properties than the traditional purple variety. According to our tour guide at Fallingwater, humans are missing vitamin N: Nature. We agree! So…

The PR RV’s first day was unlike any other, honestly. Driving an RV halfway across the country with your colleagues would be unique under any circumstances, but we’re cruising down I-80 under very plush circumstances, without a single spat or speeding ticket between us. Despite being caught behind a tractor on a winding country road, we managed to squeeze in some amazing activities. First stop was Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, outside Pittsburgh. The setting is enough to take your breath away. But the house. Oh, the house. It is truly a marvel. If you haven’t been and you love architecture…

We love a good plus sign around here at VP+C, so the +POOL is right up our alley! One of the largest kickstarted civic projects in the world, the floating swimming hole is designed to filter East River water through the walls of the pool. The layered filtration system removes bacteria and contaminants to ensure clean, swimmable water for New Yorkers to enjoy. AMAZING! The +POOL team will create a floating test lab this year and we can’t wait to see more. Stay tuned for another chance to purchase a pool tile and tack your name or message onto this mind-blowing project.

Hats off to our principal Mark Veeder for not only developing and patenting a new variety of Echinacea Purpurea he named ‘Green Envy’– but for also scoring a spotlight of his discovery in the new lushly illustrated book, Natural Companions, by acclaimed green thumb Ken Druse. Even if you’re not a gardening guru, chances are you’ve heard of Echinacea in the form of vitamin supplements with a number of outstanding health benefits.  Green Envy is tested to be an especially robust strain of the typically purple perennial that features a glorious jade green shade from mid-July through autumn.   With...

A design post about facets would not be complete without mention of Buckminster Fuller, the godfather of the Geodesic Dome. He first erected his famous structure in the late 1940s, paving the way for Epcot Centers and Biospheres everywhere. However, our post-modern take on crystalline structure is not so perfect or symmetrical. Here are some of the key factors that make these chiseled forms interesting to architects and product designers today: 1. Soul: There is something strangely raw and beautiful about these forms that reminds us of ancient sculptural craft or revealed natural beauty. 2. Futurism: Creating an exterior, interior, campervan, chair, or necklace with faceted…