Posted under Travel, Trends by admin on Saturday 29 May 2010 at 4:02 pm

The line between beautiful furniture and functional sculpture is blurring and it is a trend that is leading to loads of fascinating furniture.

This Bloom Chair is a perfect place to start. Created by Philippine designer Kenneth Cobonpue, this gorgeous chair in yellow micro fiber, is really a functional piece of art.

This Ruché Sofa is by Inga Sempé for Ligne Roset. Ruché, which means gathered or pleated, brings together the unusual and the traditional. In Sempé’s own words, “The unusual thing … is its solid wood structure, and the great traditional element is the quilting, the very heart of its savoir-faire. (These) combine to produce a harmonious union of rigorous straight lines and soft, welcoming curves.” Got it Inga, Love it!

This white and black Arthur table was created by Dirk Wynants, springing from his idea to bring together interesting people, good ideas and great food, just like King Arthur did with his energetic Knights of the Round. This sculpted table,  made of high pressure laminate, is perfect for everything from family dinners to executive meetings. There is a  central circle that swivels like a lazy susan, and for outdoor use, you can install a parasol right into the middle of the table.

Spanish designer Jaime Hayon has introduced his newest design the Lounger for his Showtime Collection with BD Barcelona. This sculptural chair contrasts between classicism and modernity, and is available in fabric or leather.

I love this next chair – Jaehyo Lee’s fantastically sculptural Pine Chair.

Says Lee, a prolific Korean sculptor and artist, “My art is about the material. …. I simply want to show the nature of my common raw materials like wood and nails.”  This is an amazing piece!

This Squiddy table (made of alder wood) is all sculpture and all fun!  Designed by the very creative Canadian Judson Beaumont this collection is in keeping with Beaumont’s history of great sculpture=great furniture.  Some people think it is creepy but I only see fun and creativity.

This Loft Wing Fan is fanning made personal! Designed and made-in-the-USA by Sandy Ignon, all that is missing is someone to feed you the grapes.

Made of high strength carbon fiber and available in custom colors, this innovative fan is as eco-friendly as it is beautiful, using only 15 watts of electricity.  Ahhhhhh….

Posted under Trends by admin on Wednesday 28 April 2010 at 12:34 pm

Based on a huge survey of Interior Designers and Design Firms by Interior Design Magazine, a respected design trade magazine, a lot of designers should be shouting:

LOOK AT ME!

Interior Designers spec 83% of materials specifications for jobs vs 16% by architectural firms.

$2.05 million is the average dollar value of products an interior design firm specifies a year.  These products include building products, paint, ceilings, doors, windows, appliances, cabinetry, flooring, lighting, textiles, surfacing, furniture, kitchen bath products, etc

How Do You Want to Pay for That?

66%  of firms charge hourly rates

43%  of firms charge using mixed fees, meaning an hourly rate and mark-up combination

What are an Interior Designer’s Top 3 Favorite things to do?

34% Meet with Clients! 

19% Drawing and/or Designing

15% Specing product

Can You Multi Task?

86 is the average number of projects that an Interior Design firm works on in a year

23 is the average number of projects that Residential-only firms works on in a year

Largest Category of work for Interior Design Firms:

#1 Office

#2 Residential 

#3 Hospitals

The Top 3 Business Issues Faced by Interior Design firms are:

#1 Economic downturn

#2  Fee appropriateness

#3  Increased client demands

“We are a service business, and like anyone else, reducing fees or selling product at cost would put us out of business. We won’t be there for our clients in the future.” Troy Beasley, Design Principal, Beasley & Henley Interior Design

The Top 4 Client Issues Faced by Interior Design Firms are: 

 #1 Acquiring Clients

#2 Getting clients to understand the value of design

#3  Getting clients to pay for what the work is worth

#4  Getting clients to take design risks

We’re on a Mission!

80% of designers feel that they have a mission to further design “We always strive to redesign, reinvent and rethink what we do”

“Our job is to create something that our clients couldn’t have imagined themselves.  Our mission is to elevate their knowledge and expectations of what good design is all about.” Troy Beasley, Design Principal, Beasley & Henley Interior Design

 Link to the full survey:   http://www.interiordesign.net/article/CA6724247.html

Posted under Trends by admin on Tuesday 13 April 2010 at 11:40 am

I am always on the lookout for great designs and when they are paired with great marketing, forget it! I melt. That is precisely what happened with Mansour Modern’s push for their exclusive HYDE collection. I saw it and couldn’t resist!

The incredible creations of Mansour Modern are a delight to the senses. This high-end rug manufacturer offers not just quality, but trendsetting rugs that are textural and visceral, sophisticated and chic. (more…)

Posted under Trends by admin on Tuesday 6 April 2010 at 11:59 am

I admit it, I get bored easily. Especially with the same old surface treatments we see used over and over again. 

Luckily the world of tile and coverings is getting to be crazy-diverse and I love it!  One of my favorites is the look of the wave-wall idea.  Typically, it has been done in large panel form, but lately more is available in traditional tile formatting… here are a just few examples!

My favorite is the latest by Porcelonosa, called Qatar, evoking the easy soothing flow of the desert sand dunes.

The surface has a mother-of-pearl feel and beautiful luster. They come in rectangles of 8″x12″or 12″x35″. Gorgeous!! (more…)

Posted under Trends by admin on Tuesday 30 March 2010 at 12:21 pm

I stumbled across this fun post by one of my favorite blogs, BODIE and FOU.

Pink is for Grown ups!

I think even Feras Irikat, color guru extraordinaire,  will like this a lot!

One of my pet hates (ce qui veut dire en francais ‘un truc que je deteste vraiment…”) is pink in little girl bedrooms and I’m really sorry if that’s how your little girl bedroom is but the whole Barbie/Princess look is really not my cup of tea. Now tastes are totally personal and subjective so far from saying that my boring love for whites and greys are better than those who love pink, I understand that you may get as much inspiration and joy from looking at a child bedroom painted in pink that I have admiring this beautiful bedroom from Petits Bonheurs.”

READ MORE

Posted under Trend Setters, Trends by admin on Thursday 25 March 2010 at 12:34 pm

Designers love to keep their trade secrets to themselves, but we don’t mind sharing some of ours with YOU!  Just don’t tell anyone else! 

This plain little extra bedroom was turned into an interesting study with just a few jazzy details that totally changed its look! Check it out!

 

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