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Look! Plastic Cup Display at Anthropologie

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Anyone who pays attention to visual merchandising knows that Anthropologie hires some of the most creative people around. They're particularly resourceful at repurposing everyday objects into works of art. This plastic cup display at the Chestnut Hill Anthropologie recently caught our attention; in the store it felt lovely and ethereal...

 
 

In the photo, we're not sure the spirit is captured. But every time we spot one of their displays we're inspired to think about how we could employ or recycle ordinary objects (typically displayed in bulk at Anthropologie) to create decorative installations in our space.

How do you feel about this plastic cup display? Love it or hate it? Have you tried like-minded creations in your own home?

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Look!, Anthropologie, reuse

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Comments (25)

Cool, as long as I don't have to be the one to dust it.

posted by Lisa Hunter (Montreal) on September 19th 2008 at 8:54am
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i love this. i wonder how it could be incorporated into real life though.

posted by dosergirl on September 19th 2008 at 8:57am
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so cool...I would love to try something similar on a HUGE wall that i have in my home

posted by hanako66 on September 19th 2008 at 8:57am
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channeling the shop window version of artist Tara Donovan:http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f20/daniel_toh/Art/tara_donovan_2.jpg

posted by reb on September 19th 2008 at 9:00am
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Ditto on the dusting comment. It's a very fun installation, though.

posted by zuzupetals on September 19th 2008 at 9:01am
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creative for sure, and i agree with lisa about the dust factor, like if you did this in your own home, but besides that, this is a super waste of cups. clearly they aren't recycling those cups from somewhere, they went and purchased them. they'll be getting trashed afterward for sure.

posted by blkbrrry on September 19th 2008 at 9:03am
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i like the way they look like bubbles, or even barnacles. also reminds me of when i had an aquarium and one of the slugs layed a bubbly batch of eggs on the top lid. for something so manmade, like plastic, it's leading me to very ocean oriented ideas. i think it could also be interesting to texturize the edges. maybe strips like tentacles. or scalloped like flower petals. it reminds me of elementary school projects, but one of the cool ones.

posted by dM on September 19th 2008 at 9:21am
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Here's a tip for the future: if you see something cheap, buy a lot of them and display them in excess. You don't need Anthropologie to tell you what materials to use to make this sort of statement.

posted by K T G on September 19th 2008 at 9:28am
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They should have a little ball on the counter. When you buy something, you get to toss the ball at the cups, if it lands inside, you get 10% off.

posted by lightspeed on September 19th 2008 at 9:35am
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when they take the display down in a month those cups are going to look great in the landfill, too... like, forever.

posted by redhook1 on September 19th 2008 at 9:56am
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Knowing Anthropologie, they probably sell cheap plastic cups for $20 each so you can re-create the look in your own home!

posted by EmilyR on September 19th 2008 at 9:59am
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how did they fasten them to the wall?
i imagine some kind of poster hanging sticky stuff?

posted by dosergirl on September 19th 2008 at 10:25am
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YUCK~

posted by OliviaV on September 19th 2008 at 10:34am
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I think it's creative, especially the use of the small filler cups.

posted by That70sHeidi on September 19th 2008 at 11:18am
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I'm digging the use of milk crates in this pic. This could work in my kitchen as cheap shelf alternatives if they were painted and held pretty things.

posted by pudgy-girl on September 19th 2008 at 12:14pm
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They copied the amazingly talented artist Tara Donovan. Her work is sublime. Her styrofoam cup installations are incredible but it's the plastic straws that really blow my mind.

Enjoy!

http://www.acegallery.net/artistmenu.php?Artist=8

posted by threadbare on September 19th 2008 at 12:19pm
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a seattle artist recently tried to sue anthropologie for copying an installation EXACTLY in the store, unfortunately, because it was an installation and wasn't for sale, they had no recourse. i hate anthropologie's "amazingly talented" thieving visual merchandisers.

posted by saltyc on September 19th 2008 at 1:53pm
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what will they do with the cups when they are done with them? just throw them out?

posted by Kat1 on September 19th 2008 at 2:33pm
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I've never seen such a similar reaction to their usual excessive waste in design. What gives? It is drama and theater. Most stuff you watch in a play is torn apart and discarded in a couple weeks. As much as I think they are playing the same song with different instruments each season, people continue to ooh and aah over it like they couldn't see it coming. Waste a couple thousand plastic cups and all of a sudden we are having an eye-opening crisis to the environment here. What do you think they do with all their little tricks after the season ends and they scurry to make something else out of the dollar store?

posted by K T G on September 19th 2008 at 2:44pm
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I imagine a can of pressurized air would do wonders on the dust issue.

posted by girlonthem00n on September 20th 2008 at 12:37pm
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It would be better if the cups we used or reusable. It's nice to use cheap materials and all, but there is still the issue of waste.

posted by charlenemcbride on September 20th 2008 at 4:09pm
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haha lightspeed..that would be great!..and..i hate them?? i really do..looks like plastic cups stuck on the wall..and i swear i do have vision..really!

posted by keeks on September 21st 2008 at 5:31am
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threadbare--
that link is amazing!

posted by gordon on September 22nd 2008 at 10:56am
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I'm sure they will be recycling the cups, won't you barista??? Artists get their inspiration from one another--it's a compliment, not thievery! And store shoppers can use the displays for their own home ideas. Love the bubbles!

posted by hag on September 22nd 2008 at 12:34pm
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i think that its funny how some of you go on about what a waste it is for them to use plastic cups, but then also note that she's copying tara, who amazingly you DON'T think is also wasting... why allow one form of art but not another?

i also know that sometimes they speak with local businesses and employees and are donated old products for their displays. so don't just assume that they went and bought brand new stuff for them.

and furthermore, not every store does the same window displays. each store has their own art team who is given a direction of where to go but not a concrete plan. so just because you saw plastic cups on one store's wall, doesn't mean it's in 1000 others.

i think their displays are amazing. i would gladly see them reuse newspaper, cardboard boxes, water bottles and every other discarded item in their incredible displays to make art that i can enjoy rather than see it in the trash.

posted by piratemptress on October 28th 2008 at 10:38am
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