KAL MANSUR

Love Adorned welcomes Kal Mansur to the boutique.

Toronto visual artist, Kal Mansur, deconstructs the functionality of light and space, encapsulating them in familiar, yet unrecognizable, geometric figures in the medium of acrylic and plexiglas sculpture. His work is a study of light and form and its ability to transform space. Although made with entirely synthetic materials, the translucent surface evokes an organic quality. They heighten one’s sense of color and space; they gather, bend, and diffuse light, appearing to be grown, not made, and to glow without a source of power. Mansur helps us realize that light is palpable. It’s about perception and utilizing light as a material to influence perception.

Abstract art uses a visual language to create a conversation independent from the world. While viewing Mansur, I felt free from solving puzzles or investigating meaning. Instead, I allowed the beauty of his work to wash over me. Meaning arrived through feelings and distant associations aroused from the sculpture—not through defined notions, but from reacting to the emotional experience of light.

The abstraction and elusiveness characteristic of his work allow the viewer to participate in the creation of meaning, inviting individual interpretation and opening of the imagination.  

In your home, a Mansur abstract work can cut the heavy ornamentation of traditional design and establish a palette. By either taking color cues from the art and repeating those colors in fabric or lighting, or even rejecting the palette all together to create a surprising effect, the result will be an unexpected transformation of space. A canyon home I once visited has embedded itself deep in my memory—a very white room bright with natural light and a cherry Eames womb chair placed in the corner. The modern design and color of the chair paired with the surrounding whiteness created an unbalanced balance to the room, an oxymoronic pleasure to the senses.

Mansur pieces act as prisms, absorbing the light generated from the owner’s very soul and reflecting it upon the room. A Mansur sculpture is an ethereal presence and one that seems miraculous to capture and contain in art. As for your home, these contribute a luminosity that will revamp any space. I highly recommend viewing the current Kal Mansur collection at Love Adorned to feel this warm heightening of the senses, a beautiful trance-like induction.

L:A BRUKET

Ladies and gentlemen, the Swedes have done it again. From a nation of sophisticated, minimalist designers, L:A Bruket is born—a premiere skincare line specializing in all-natural, handcrafted products. The herbs, vegetable, and essential oils are meticulously blended to preserve their unique characteristics and intrinsic healing powers. L:A Bruket products are ecological microcosms of Sweden captured to bestow upon your vanity. They locally source as much as possible—particularly seaweed and salt. The west coast of Sweden is the inspiration behind the line, with its harsh winds, lush flora, thick kelp forests, and briny cobalt sea. Plus, they’re gorgeous little things. The package design is reminiscent of the amber glass bottles lining the shelves of an old-world apothecary with blends of dried herbs and aromatic spices.

At Love Adorned, we’re smitten to house a curated assortment of L:A Bruket products. After personally testing each product, these two stood out:

SAGE/ROSEMARY/LAVENDER SALT SCRUB

Open the bottle and deeply inhale. The sage, rosemary, and lavender essential oils will immediately place you in a wildflower field. Aromatherapy is real folks. With a velvety smoothness, lavender at once enlivens and calms the mind. Sage is antiseptic and relaxes the respiratory tract by allowing a greater expansion of the lungs. Rosemary acts as a nerve and brain tonic with the ability to help depression, mental fatigue, and forgetfulness. Almond and olive oil protect, moisturize, and soothe the skin. And of course, we can’t forget about that Swedish sea salt, a powerful exfoliator that instantly pulverizes dead skin cells. My skin thanks me daily for this L:A Bruket scrub by glowing in ways the Los Angeles smog had long ago extinguished.

ALMOND/COCONUT LIP BALM

A miniature tube of pure lip bliss, a concoction of heavenly oils, a purse companion I will never divorce, the Almond/Coconut Lip Balm is simply…perfect. A blend of only four ingredients: almond and coconut oil, beeswax, and vitamin E, this salve is designed to protect your kiss against harsh temperatures from scorching to freezing. My lips felt like fleshy pillows of silk—truly never better!

Some wisdom from the Swedes: simplicity in no way equals ordinary; simplicity is the true essence of a thing.