Is This the New ‘Cool Girl’ Version of the ‘For Like Ever’ Print?

I’m constantly trying to predict what’s going to be the new “For Like Ever” poster. I’ve written about a potential typographic contender before, which I loved for its simplicity and reference to a Talking Heads song. And now I think I’ve figured out another heir apparent: Block Shop and their woodblock paper prints. This L.A.- and Jaipur-based studio’s stuff is everywhere, from house tours on AT to Instagram and Pinterest. With their black-and-white meets dusty neutral palette, Block Shop’s pieces have a sort of ’70s minimalist vibe going on, not unlike Commune’s aesthetic.

People are hanging Block Shop prints, framing their textiles and generally loving their simple geometric motifs almost to the point of saturation now. But this ubiquity may even be more well-deserved than the “For Like Ever” phenomenon simply because there’s more to love here in terms of colorways, patterns, and media.

Here’s a trio of Block Shop originals in a San Francisco studio. A triptych of “For Like Ever” posters would never work. That’d be overkill. But these pieces are just visually different enough to add interest above this homeowner’s sofa without the overall look feeling too busy.

Block Shop prints are designer Sarah Sherman Samuel– (and Mandy Moore!) approved, which goes a long way in my book. But really, they’re perfect for filling that blank space above your headboard because they’re graphic and nondescript but in a good way. Like black-and-white photography, you get the feeling they’d match any bedding and won’t be too stimulating before bedtime.

Apparently, Sarah Sherman Samuel felt the Sidewinder was so nice she used it twice in Mandy Moore’s home, as it’s also hanging in a bathroom. Repetition can be a powerful decorative device. That’s for sure.

The gals behind 100 Layer Cake and now Festoon Los Angeles put these two prints up behind the main dining table at their new outpost and event space. Any kind of decor you bring in won’t distract from or be distracted by these prints because they act as neutral.

Designer Emily Henderson got in on the Block Shop fun too. In a friend’s living room makeover, she and her team used two large scale prints over a minimalist fireplace to emphasize the soaring ceiling. And now we know these prints can be arranged in a column and not just a row.

Of course, they can also hang in a more traditional mantel set up. Though technically I think this one is actually leaning against the wall.

The prints also look great on a dresser in a vignette with a plant and a stack of books, if this photo is any indicator.

And just when you thought this art only worked with light woods and white furnishings, this image comes along and shows that a Block Shop print also plays well with colored walls and a patterned sofa.

So what do you think? Have Block Shop’s woodblock paper prints reached critical mass? I haven’t seen them in any gallery walls, but they’d definitely work in that context too. Where would you use a one of these prints? Is it the Sidewinder in particular the new “it” print, or are you not sold on any of these pieces?