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  • Playful Design of Walking Cabinet by Markus Johansson

    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.

    Black-contemporary-cabinet

    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 9th-14th April 2013.

    Contemporary-cabinets

    Red-and-black-modular-cabinets

    Photos © Markus Johansson

  • Smart and Innovative Lighting Solution -Lumio by Max Gunawan

    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.

    Book-inspired-lamp

    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.

    Lumio-detail

    Multi-purpose-light

    Unique-light-sculpture

    Versatile-modern-lamp

     Photos © Max Gunawan

     

     

    Discover Max Gunawan’s smart and innovative lighting solution

  • Unique Handmade Glass Apple Sculptures to Decorate Your Homes

    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.

    Amber-colored-apple

    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.

    Amethyst-sculpture-by-Lisa-Pappon

    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.

    Aquamarin-group-of-sculptures
    Emerald-colored-sculpture
    Group-of-sculptures
    Hand-blown-sculpture

     Photos © BULL & STEIN

  • New Vondom Furniture for Outdoor- Versatile Faz Daybed by Ramon Esteve

    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.

    Elegant-relaxation-platform

    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.

    Elegant-relaxation-platform-01
    Relaxation-lounge

    White-outdoor-furniture

    Outdoor-furniture-with-LED
    Beautiful-daybed-shape

    Photos © Vondom

     Vondom Outdoor Furniture: Faz Daybed

     

     

  • Fashionable Cubed Bed by Francesca Paduano for Bolzan Letti

    Fashionable Cubed Bed by Francesca Paduano for Bolzan Letti

    Designer Francesca Paduano envisioned for Bolzan Letti one of the most interesting and attractive bed we’ve ever seen. Cubed Bed, as it’s named, is among the most recent products of Italian manufacturer and draws attention immediately thanks to its innovative and dynamic design featuring a game of highs and lows as they were the keys of a piano or the volume leveling. Born by extruding along a cubic curve, polyurethane foam modules with different sizes were assembled to give shape to this appealing and youthful bed design.

    Striking simplicity, clear lines, a catchy blend of colors, Cubed Bed looks original and is a great addition for modern minimalist bedrooms. The feeling of the game is amplified when one bed has modules in distinct colors like in the first photo below, obtaining a pleasing, creative optical effect for the viewer. Each module of this furniture piece is made of polyurethane foam and the coating is provided in alcantara or leather.

    Inspiring-bed-design

    Trendy-bed-design

    Bed-design-detail

    Yellow-bed

    Yellow-bed-design-detail

    Grey-bed-design

    Photos © Bolzan Letti

     

  • Wonderful California Cottage Renovation Revealing Inspiring Details

    Wonderful California Cottage Renovation Revealing Inspiring Details

    Whether she work on small or large design projects, Santa Monica-based designer Tess Bethune love to create gorgeous, happy and dynamic spaces that are comfortable, inspired, pragmatic and reflect the clients’ lifestyle, vision as well as economic goals, and this beautiful cottage renovation is a living example of how she approach projects. Her mission was to give a new look to a 50-year-old house and make it a warm liveable temporary home for a British family of 4, until they manage to build their dream house found at the back of the same property. The property is located in Venice, California and this small family cottage which is 1,200 sq ft (a living room, a kitchen, 2 bedrooms and one bathroom) is planned to be a guesthouse in the future for their relatives from the U.K.

    Eclectic-living-room

    Looking at these lovely pictures, she manage to bring smart updates with a budget around $60,000 and the result is a cheerful and sunny cottage enhanced by creativity and color. The clients didn’t want anything to feel fussy or overly traditional, so it was chosen a predominantly grey and white color palette spiced with various colorful touches, especially bright orange, and wooden elements, which led to a simple and functional design that could grow with their family. To add visual space, the house was reorganized by knocking down stifling walls, removing some unnecessary doors and adding in a few extra windows that helped expand the kitchen with a dining corner. Working with warm but inexpensive materials that would look good, the designer kept the home’s original wood flooring and most of the original windows and molding.

    Open-space-kitchen

    The light fixtures were replaced with timeless, classic pieces, while vintage furniture all over the house give a warm feel. By redesigning the space, the living room, the dining nook and the kitchen received more sunlight than before and create an airy atmosphere throughout. Both bedrooms feature a simple and lovely design, with closets that provide plenty of storage as needed and comfortable beds.  The cottage features one single bathroom, just behind the kitchen’s chalkboard wall. Dark hexagonal floor combined with white tile  make for a classic but fresh look.  Discover other appealing design details in the photos below and share with us your favourite one.

    Kitchen-refrigerator

    Inviting-kitchen-space

    Dining-table

    Children-room-with-toys

    Kids-open-closet

    Bedroom-with-wardrobe
    White-bathroom

    Photos ©  Tess Bethune Interiors

     Souce: @houzz.com

  • Original Design for Starbucks Coffee Shop in Dazaifu, Japan

    Original Design for Starbucks Coffee Shop in Dazaifu, Japan

    The Starbucks Coffee Shop in Fukuoka, Japan, showcases an incredible use of wood, an interesting design approach that is present in many architectural projects of renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma and his staff from Kengo Kuma and Associates. This time, they imagined an intriguing yet highly original interior design for the franchise “Starbucks”‘s shop the city of Dazaifu, where you can relax and enjoy a great cup a coffee.

    Inspired by another project of them, Prostho Museum Research Center, whose architecture originates from the system of Cidori, an old Japanese toy, Starbucks Coffee’s structure features a never seen before system of weaving thin woods diagonally. The main purpose of building such a structure was to harmonize it with the traditional Japanese buildings in one or two stories found along the main path on one of the most major shrines in Japan.

    Starbucks-design-Japan

    2,000 stick-like parts in the sizes of 1.3m – 4m length and 6cm section were necessary to make this assembly throughout the coffee shop, four steps come to one point because of the diagonal, resulting in a more complicated joint than in Prostho Museum Research Center. Four wooden sticks were divided in two groups to avoid concentration on a single point, creating in this way a unique shape that is diagonally multiplicated  along the walls and ceiling from the entrance to the other end of the shop in order to bring in a sense of direction and fluidity.  The method used in designing this structure was taken from the traditional architecture of Japan and China and improved with state-of-the art technology. The result is a cave-like space with simple, minimalist furniture and of course with a predominantly natural wood color palette. Take a look on the pictures below and tell us how do you find it using our comment section.

    Starbucks-coffee-entrance

    Starbucks-coffee-entrance-01

    Unique-system-of-wood-sticks

    Unique-system-of-wood-sticks-01

    Wood-sticks

    Photos © Masao Nishikawa

    Project details:

    Architects: Kengo Kuma & Associates
    Location: Dazaifu, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan
    Client: Manten Corporation
    Structure: Jun Sato Structural Engineering
    Facility Design: Tosai Corporation, Kyu-den Ko Corporation
    Construction: Matsumoto-gumi Corporation
    Purpose: Coffee shop
    Total floor area: 210.03 m2
    Completion: 2011

  • Chandelier Lighting That Won’t Break the Bank

    Chandelier Lighting That Won’t Break the Bank

    When choosing the perfect chandelier fixture, it can be easy for consumers to spend large amounts of money. Chandeliers are typically designed with crystals and precious metals, which, while beautiful, make them so expensive. Luckily, for the budget conscious consumer, there are many alternatives to these pricey options. Many designers have developed a way to produce a beautiful, inexpensive chandelier without making them seem tacky. Many of these affordable options are equally beautiful in design, and work just as well as those pricier options.

    chandelier-lighting-ideas

    Affordable Alternatives

    One of the best ways for consumers to obtain an elegant chandelier, without breaking the bank, is to opt for a miniature chandelier as opposed to a full size chandelier. Options such as the Minka-Lavery Mini Crystal Chandelier provide consumers with a beautiful fixture made with Westport Silver, and adorned with crystal. Though suggested for a bathroom, miniature chandeliers could be a perfect solution for smaller dining rooms or medium size kitchens. These alternatives are typically priced between $100 to $300, depending on the popularity of the designer, and materials used to make the chandelier. This option may not be appropriate for consumers whose space requires a larger, full sized chandelier.

    For those who require a full sized chandelier, another approach to finding inexpensive chandeliers is to opt for a more modern look. Instead of purchasing an expensive, crystal-adorned fixture, why not choose a more modern, sleeker design? Chandeliers that feature larger light bulbs and are made with polished antique nickel can give any room a more polished look. Chandeliers, like those in the Hinkley lighting collection, can be the perfect alternative when a full size chandelier is needed. The more modern selections can be priced anywhere from $200 to $800. The price will really depend upon the demand for the designer, and the metal used to create the fixture.

    One way for a consumer to save money when purchasing a more modern look, is to purchase a chandelier with fewer lights. Not only with the consumer save money on the chandelier, but he or she will save money on their electricity bill. Consumers can choose from chandeliers that have three to nine light bulbs. Generally, a person’s ability to purchase a chandelier with fewer lights will be based upon the design of the space that will house the fixture. If the chandelier will be housed in a darker space with fewer windows, the consumer may want to opt for fixtures that have more lights. However, if the space is open and contains more windows, purchasing a fixture with fewer lights may be a perfect solution.

    When selecting the right chandelier, it is important that consumers choose something that will complement their living space. Not doing so could result in the consumer being unhappy with the space. If a consumer is unhappy with a particular space in their home, they won’t be comfortable in their home. Above all, consumers should be happy and confident in their purchasing decision.

    chandelier-lighting-parts Landscape-Deck-Lighting Landscape-Deck-Lighting-mobile Outdoor-Wall-Sconce-Lighting