Interior Design, Design News and Architecture Trends

Author: designer

Smartphone Apps-Inspired Furniture by Richard Hutten

Designers’ inspiration comes many times from unexpected sources to which you have never thought. It’s also the case of this fabulous smartphone apps-inspired furniture line designed by one of the Netherlands’ most successful designers internationally Richard Hutten for Artifort. The original looking “Apps” explores new forms in living room design, resulting in a fresh indoor furniture piece suitable for modern interiors.

The minimalist style reveals a simple yet creative cube-liked shape with rounded corners, that has a strong resemblance of the small icons displayed on a smartphone and we’re more than sure that whether or not you are passionate about technology, you’ll love these collection with unique design. The “Apps” consists of one-person (1.0) chairs and two-persons (2.0) sofas available in different appealing combination of colors. To ensure both their smooth and timeless design, but also a comfortable experience, they are made of a wooden internal structure, with webbing in the back and an ingenious seat that boosts the natural comfort of the thick layer of foam. Take a look and share your opinions with us.

Photos @artifort.com

March 31, 2013
Impressive Holiday Home with Futuristic Architecture

Villa F is an impressive single-family holiday home with a futuristic architecture and a privileged location in Rhodes, Greece. Responsible for this amazing project is the Hamburg-based Architecture and Research Studio Hornung and Jacobi Architecture, whose purpose is to get excellent detailing, highest possible quality and the creation of an integrated strategy involving the individual needs of the user, regardless of the budget. Stunning in its sculptural qualities, from far away the 220qm residence looks rather like a spaceship ready to take off than a holiday retreat, featuring unexpected angles of sight and volumes.

Villa F appears as a strong architectural form with a bent and faceted rectangular prism design developed directly from the outstanding characteristics and qualities of the site. Following the site contours, it’s located three meters above a curving coastal road limited on one side by a natural stone wall and on the other side by the Mediterranean Sea. To ensure from the beginning a high level of privacy, the architects preserved the pre-existing part of the stone wall and equally continued it. Both the exterior and the interior is original and eye-catching, one can enjoy spectacular views of the deep blue-colored Mediterranean Sea while taking advantage of the best modern living conditions.

A partially covered swimming pool and a separate area for quests embedded in the given topography draw attention when you come closer. A good indoor-outdoor connection was achieved by opening up the living and dining area towards the terrace, the garden and the infinity pool. Immense glass windows step aside and create a great entertaining and relaxing space. Its ultimate sleek, modern design with minimalist and elegant details turns this home into a tasteful and inspiring oasis of relaxation.

Photos © Hornung and Jacobi Architecture

Project details:

Project: Villa F
Collaborators: Peter Thomas Hornung, Elsa Katharina Jacobi, Jan Escher
Location: Rhodes, Greece
Year: 2011-undisclosed
Type: residential
Size: 220qm

March 30, 2013
Cheer Up Your Homes with Spring Fresh-Cut Flowers

Have you ever thought that fresh-cut flowers can be your secret décor element which enliven your room instantly? Without the slightest effort and the lowest cost, any style, size ad shape of a room can be cheered up with a bit of sunshine in the form of spring fresh-cut flowers. Few elements exudes abundance and a warm welcome in the way that these wonders of nature do, knowing also the fact that more studies have shown they increase the sense of happiness while decrease anxiety. Whether they are bright colored, fragrant, graceful, lively or on the contrary, dramatic, fresh flowers seems to be also interior designers’ best friend for striking interiors.

Photo © Dreamy Whites

The transition from the never-ending winter cool season to warmer and flourishing spring is the perfect opportunity to renew our interior décor, so that it mirrors the emerging colors and patterns outside. Fresh spring decorating calls for radiant ingredients that revive our home atmosphere: delicate colors, soft and lighter fabrics, floral patterns and bold accessories. The beauty of the blooms is just the icing on the cake which of course it cannot go unnoticed, furthermore being a splendid accessory with a transforming effect that celebrate the arrival of spring adding originality to your interior design. Nothing says spring more than tulips, daffodils, crocus, freesia, iris, lilac, alliums, forsythia branches, hyacinth, roses, peonies. All have delicious fragrances and vivid colors that will enhance and refresh any corner of your homes. They can be used simple or in different unexpected combinations to match with your room’s look. Try to be consistent and creative in making arrangements.

For example, you can choose to create a fresh-cut flowers bouquet in the same color as your accents in the room using a glass container with an beautiful satin ribbon in the same color wrapped around it. A small posy with forsythia branches, daffodils or tulip on the breakfast table is all you need to start a good day. For a modern look in your kitchen, choose alliums and put them in a glass cylinder. Their dramatic height and giant puffballlike purple blooms is a great decor element and you will be amazed at the difference it makes. Tulips create a casual and inviting environment. On the other side, a bunch of pink, white, orange or red roses will always bring a romantic touch to your interiors and when you’ll match their colors with your room’s hues the effect doubles. Also your daily morning routine can be more pleasant with a small vase with spring flowers onto the windowsill or sink.

Check out the following inspiring ideas for displaying fresh-cut flowers and make your own floral arrangements this spring according to the mood you want to create. See also other amazing 5 design ideas to decorate your home for springtime.

Photo © Structures Building Company

Photo © Croma Design Inc

Photo © Jodie Rosen Design

Photo © Tamar Schechner

Photo © Tiffany Eastman Interiors, LLC

Photo © CapeRace Cultural Adventures

March 29, 2013
New Stylish Furniture Collection for Your Pet Comfort

The era when pets were just pets with beds and bowls and nothing special about these things ended up long time ago, when they become family members. Since then, animal lovers have tried to give them a special place in their homes and offer them the best conditions possible. Thus, interior designers found themselves placed in a position to come up with pet-friendly design solutions to complement their owners’ décor, solutions that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing. This need of integrating pet amenities into their home design makes furniture manufacturers to create amazing furniture collections dedicated only to these distinguished family members.

To show you how much things evolved in this direction, we want to share with you in this post a new exclusive collection for dogs and cats that we recently discovered and fell in love with it. Belonging to FORMA Italia®, a line of innovative products for pets, “Suite” isn’t an ordinary collection, we can place it among bespoke luxury furniture the Italian company Chiavari produces for over 40 years and we think that pictures say everything. Its simple, elegant and beautiful minimalist design conceived for small sized pets reveals good taste, great attention to detail and high quality of manufacture, so “Suite” is definitely for those who love style and want to offer their pets the highest comfort possible.

Featuring a rectangular shape with rounded corners, the furniture pieces are available in 2 colors finished in gloss laquers (white for its internal frame and black/red for the exterior) with metal feet or cables in steel (optional), which allows you to place them either on the floor or suspended. The attractive design is completed by a soft upholstered cushion which comes in 4 nice patterns and thanks to some magnets it’s kept in place. Moreover, the materials used are always environmentally friendly as well as pet-friendly, protecting both you and your pets’ health. Each piece can be customized in dimensions and materials following the client’s requirements which is another plus for this collection. Have a look!

Photos © FORMA Italia®

March 28, 2013
Playful Design of Walking Cabinet by Markus Johansson

Among Swedish product designer Markus Johansson‘s new products stands out this Walking Cabinet thanks to its simple yet unconventional design. Although the cupboard isn’t actually walking as its name suggests, it does have a dynamic form that implies movement and balance which we don’t usually see in furniture products. Playing with its shape that follows the twisted legs, the designer managed to create a great piece of furniture that seems to be a living presence giving the impression that it has been captured in mid-stride, en route to some other place.

Due to this distinctive, twisted design, the beautiful Walking Cabinet could be used as a single piece acting as a centerpiece or alongside two or more cabinets fitted together like puzzle pieces allowing for multiple configurations in case you need more storage space. You can even left them slightly separated creating an eye-catching visual effect. Black or red, no matter what the color is, it would definitely be an original addition to any contemporary interior design. The Walking Cabinet could also be seen, along with other two new products, at the Salone Satellite in stand C-2 during the the world’s largest home design exhibition -the furniture fair in Milan- which will be held between 9^th-14^th April 2013.

Photos © Markus Johansson

March 27, 2013
Smart and Innovative Lighting Solution -Lumio by Max Gunawan

Looking for an alternative to your traditional lamp? Meet Lumio, a book-shaped awesome lamp that grab your attention from the moment you see it. Simplicity and ingenuity are the words that describes this great project envisioned by architect Max Gunawan, whose goal is to give people the freedom to experience beautiful lighting wherever they are. With a minimalist yet poetic design aesthetic, Lumio is a modern lamp that combines the ease of using portable lighting with the performance of a high-end permanent light fixture.

500 lumens of light, that interestingly hide inside the cover of a 2.5cm thick book, are waiting to reveal you in a multitude of eye-catching shapes for many different functions: as table lamp, wall sconce, ceiling pendant, task lighting, outdoor lighting, accent light, emergency light, etc. Practically, you have everything you want into one single product. Isn’t just amazing? Its sculptural and versatile form makes even a great center piece, while creating a nice ambient glow. It’s stylishly compact design featuring built-in super strong magnets and the possibility to easily charge it via USB charger or micro USB from your computer, make from Lumio a great companion when you’re on the go, which meets almost any lighting needs you may have throughout the day.

It’s intuitive and very easy to use: just find metal surfaces and open its wood covers and its “pages” emit a high quality LED lighting that increase and decrease in intensity by adjusting the angle of its flexible and durable spine. The lights turns off automatically when you close it. You can use Lumio continuously for 8 hours on a full-charge thanks to its rechargeable lithium ion battery. Committed to quality and sustainability, the lamp is made of a combination of eco-friendly materials: marine-grade FSC certified wood for the covers in 3 finish options – dark walnut, warm cherry and blonde maple, 100% recyclable, water resistant Tyvek for its body and economical high output LED which is slightly brighter than 40w bulb. See how Lumio works and how many outstanding configurations you can create with it from the video at the end of this post.

Photos © Max Gunawan

Discover Max Gunawan’s smart and innovative lighting solution

March 26, 2013
Unique Handmade Glass Apple Sculptures to Decorate Your Homes

Amazing decoration ideas are something that everyone is looking for to create an original-looking interior design that express our personality and lifestyle, that’s why we try everyday to get you inspiring design pieces from designers and artists all over the world. For example, we couldn’t help sharing with you these splendid handmade apple sculptures developed by Brazilian artist and designer Lisa Pappon exclusively for São Paulo-based company BULL & STEIN , which is focused on providing outstanding concepts with the world‘s most famous international decorators, architects and artists.

The love and passion for art and sculpture of the Brazilian-born founder Marcus Bull matched perfectly with Lisa Pappon‘s eternal quest for new forms, techniques and ﬁnishes, resulting exotic and remarkable creations manufactured in Europe and Asia. This new extravagant collection embodies Lisa Pappon’s cultural vision by using apple, a universal symbol of the Earth, of life itself, that transcends cultural boundaries and gather all the people whatever their origin. This fruit has adorned human art throughout the ages, being a source of inspiration and emotion since the dawn of time.

Reflecting desire and voluptousness, the collection called “Transparency” is inspired by an icy, imaginary alien and magical universe, and consists of inimitable handcrafted apple sculptures mouth-blown in coloured glass. Combining a special technique and beautiful colors, result apple sculptures with frozen, crystalline cases with twinkling reflections to remember the ice. Devised for eternity, apples seem to have been shaped by the blizzard that has delightfully cracked them. They look so pure, delicate and fragile, their surface reflecting all the light around. Like a rare gem of cool elegance, these oversized handmade sculptures add an element of the surreal to any interior or outdoor environment. Every item has its own nature and may vary in shape and tone. A rainbow of aquamarin, amber, zirconium, emerald and amethyst comes in glassy finishes.

Photos © BULL & STEIN

March 25, 2013
New Vondom Furniture for Outdoor- Versatile Faz Daybed by Ramon Esteve

This new Vondom furniture item for outdoor we show you today makes us want to come summer as soon as possible. We do miss those hot summer days when all you want is to relax and bathe in a swimming pool all day long. Well known for their passion for design and great collaboration with major worlwide designers, Vondom is a Spanish premium brand dedicate to make new forms of understanding the world of indoor and outdoor decoration, and their gorgeous furniture collections cannot be overlooked since their innovative designs featuring pure Mediterranean style come to create a unique and exclusive ambient to your homes. Elegant and modern Faz Daybed belongs to FAZ Collection and is designed by Spanish architect Ramon Esteve.

Equipped with built-in speakers and LED lighting, Faz Daybed is a versatile relaxation platform with a remarkable design inspired by the polygonal shape of minerals found in nature, that promises a unique outdoor experience. Unlike other outdoor lounge chairs, this one allows you to enjoy beautiful weather, while protects you from harmful sun rays thanks to it’s shell-like form featuring a light top translucent fabric that acts as a large protective umbrella. It has an open-close mechanism and wheels which enable a 360° rotation to change its position to different places in order to get an optimum amount of sunlight. What we love most about this ultra-contemporary furniture piece is that it incorporates a sound system especially designed for outdoor which allows you to listen to your favourite music by simply connecting smartphone, tablet and bluetooth technology to the built-in surround speakers. See more from the video at the end of the post.

Photos © Vondom

Vondom Outdoor Furniture: Faz Daybed

March 24, 2013