Category: review

Primarily known for its fun and artistic everyday objects, Areaware also has puzzles. And not just one or two, but a comprehensive line with different sizes and styles sure to delight everyone, from hardcore puzzle people to those who like to pick one up occasionally.

I have done several of their puzzles but wanted to focus on 3 of my favorites.

Puzzle In Puzzle – Pool

First up is Pool, which has a puzzle within a puzzle. Pool features photography by KangHee Kim. Photography puzzles tend not to be popular because people think of them as “old” and “boring”. But Areaware takes a photograph and makes it so much more interesting by working with Kim’s art in these.

With these 500-piece puzzles, you get 2 puzzles in one. I am a big fan of innovation in the puzzle world and when it comes to cardboard puzzles, Areaware is the first one that I’ve seen that has 2 puzzles in one.

I worked this puzzle from the top down – starting with the tile on the pool. I like to be methodical when I puzzle, just to make the experience last a little longer.

From there, I continued to work my way down but chose to do the center puzzle separately.

I thought the cut pattern of the puzzle within the puzzle was so creative and fun. There are fluid lines that reflect the motion of the water.

I also want to take a moment to really look at the pieces.

I took a couple of pictures to show how the Areaware pieces look when compared with a couple of the most popular brands (Buffalo is very popular in the US, although that may not be the same worldwide). You can see the pieces are beautifully cut and an incredibly nice 2.1 mm thick.

Pattern Puzzle – Arc

Next, I want to talk about Arc. Arc is another 500-piece puzzle with a fairly limited color palette. I was convinced because of both the puzzle size and limited colors, that this would be a breeze to finish. Spoiler – it was HARD!

This pattern puzzle features the art of Dusen Dusen whose art is inspired by fine art, commercial, and naïve design as well as the brain’s reaction to color, movement, and contrast.

One thing I haven’t mentioned yet is how nicely the pieces fit together. My normally methodical approach to puzzling became haphazard with this one. I tried to work one color at a time, but nearly every piece had multiple colors. Add in the overlapping colors and I was all over the place with assembly. Luckily, the pieces in Arc held together beautifully. I was able to move sections around with ease.

I honestly expected to finish Arc in one sitting; that’s my norm for 500-piece puzzles. But I had to do this beauty over a few days.

Let’s also just take a moment to appreciate how perfectly the box looks on the completed puzzle.

Pink/Orange/Yellow Gradient

Last, I want to talk about the Pink/Orange/Yellow 1000-piece gradient. I’m not new to gradients. They are one of my favorite styles of puzzles. Working on a puzzle solely by color is very meditative for me. Yellow is also my happy color – I cannot help but feel joy when I see it. So, I started with the yellow section.

The middle section with the yellow transitioning to orange came together very easily.

Then everything changed. The pink section was very challenging for me! I’m not afraid of a challenging puzzle. In fact, I quite enjoy a challenge.

I ended up soring my pieces by shape. But do you ever keep trying the same piece in the same place despite knowing that it simply does not fit? Let me share with you a tip from my amazing friend Michael’s Puzzles: after trying a piece, flip it over. It’s so simple and so brilliant.

Slowly and steadily, the pieces were placed into their correct locations. When I finished the Pink/Orange/Yellow 1000-piece gradient I had such a feeling of accomplishment. There’s a big rush when I put that last piece into a difficult puzzle.

Oh, I nearly forgot to mention! This gradient was created by graphic designer Bryce Wilner.

I can confidently say that the Pink/Orange/Yellow 1000-piece gradient is the hardest gradient I have finished. But, it was so worth it. Just look at those colors!

Areaware has a few other puzzles that I have not tried yet, although they all look really fun as well! Now that I am back to traveling for work, I am definitely going to need to get a little puzzle thing.

And I have a special deal for my readers: 15% off select puzzles at Areaware! Use code: PUZZLE15 (Not valid with other offers).

Happy Puzzling!

Diane

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