The motif for the coco guitar is inspired by Japanese shoji screens. These are used traditionally as room dividers and they are made by stretching rice paper over a skeleton of supports. Some of the supports are just a simple grid, while others have an art deco type feel which I really love. This design fit well with my "Minimalist Deco" trend I have been employing lately, so I drew it up and here it is!
Untitled by
sam guidry, on Flickr
For the "rosette" or maybe more appropriately, the sound hole decoration, I am echoing the shoji idea. Conventional wisdom dictates the sound hole must be accompanied by a circular decoration. I view the sound hole decoration as a place to explore an idea and thanks to modern luthiers like Michi Matsuda and Ray Kraut, they show us that a soundhole decoration doesn't need to be circular and in fact it can be anything you can dream up. One thing I really like about this design is that it is kind of an "anti" rosette. It keeps things harmonious with the overall design while making a visual statement and it forces you to think about what a guitar really needs to be. In reality, it can be anything you can imagine.
Untitled by
sam guidry, on Flickr