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Exquisite Patchwork Furniture with a Modern Twist

If you’re a fan of vintage and one-of-a-kind pieces, charmed by hand-crafted furniture with original exuberant designs, then the fabulous collection of patchwork furniture envisioned by talented British designer Lisa Whatmough will surely be on the top of your next wishes’ list for your home. Although we’re not so keen on things related to vintage style or patchwork furniture, we truly fell in love instantly with these extraordinary, hippy-chic pieces which could brighten up any dark corner. A fusion of fashion and the decorative Arts, this world of premium quality, bespoke, hand-crafted furniture and home accessories full of bold, vivid colors originates in designer passion for textiles and her British design sensibility.

Using scraps of modern and vintage upholstery fabrics, she creates unique, magnificent pieces with quality construction in classic styles with a modern twist, making each one individual. Amazing textures and cheerful fabrics are collaged together in her own personal style forming gorgeous focal items such as patchwork sofas, chairs, chaises, stools, dining chairs, beds, which can truly be called pieces of contemporary art work. No wonder the quality of these furniture pieces since it’s invested almost 12 weeks for a single product. Lisa Whatmough has created a clear visual signature, most of the collection can be ordered in palettes of your choice with upholstery available in bespoke sizes, specific widths, depths and with or without seat cushions. Fabrics used include woven silks, velvets and printed and woven cottons. Need some more patchwork items? Visit her company’s website, Squint Limited.

Photos © Squint Limited

January 5, 2013
Modern Bathroom Designs

Among some many design styles, modern bathroom designs are very popular nowadays and many of us choose to shape their dream bathroom space using this style. For some of us it’s a matter of taste but certainly for others it’s the fact that is fashionable. No matter which side you are, it is important to like what you create and feel good in that environment after a busy working day. No wonder it’s said that the design is an extension of our taste. It’ really makes sense.

Renovating or upgrading a bathroom isn’t as hard as many people may think, but undoubtedly not a very easy thing especially when you want to obtain a real transformation throughout the design. The idea is that if you know from the begining what you want to achieve, what the end result should look like, then the process of designing it is much easier. Bathrooms have become very important spaces in our homes over time and they receive a quite special attention after all. These days, a wide range of innovative products help us to create our dream bathroom that can be both functional and fashionable, sometimes even a veritable spa, a sanctuary in your own home where one can completely relax. Modern design style is all about simplicity, strong lines, striking geometric shapes and artistic flair.

Space, style and comfort defines modern bathrooms nowadays, where less is more and all furnishings and decorative accessories should have a practical purpose. What you must know is that the modern design style isn’t just for spacious bathrooms, you can create a modern environment even in a small space; it’s all about how creative you are in using it. There are certain elements to consider when designing a modern bathroom such as colors, finishes, architecture (shapes) and artwork. This style celebrates minimalism, uncluttered bathrooms with smooth, clean lines, natural or neutral color schemes for walls, fabrics and furnishings- colors that promote calm and serenity. Choosing the right materials is also crucial: unpainted wood, metals, leather and natural fibers.

Sleek, polished and reflective surfaces describe better this design style and you can choose for flooring linoleum, granite or concrete, whilst stainless steel, chrome, glass or laquered finish are common accents on furniture. Heavy or ornate objects are elements that have nothing in common with this style and must not be found in such a bathroom. Geometric and angular shapes, art and accessories that creates artistic statements are very important and calls attention for the interior architecture. Some special pieces or interesting corners can be highlighted for a greater visual impact using spotlights. Large, unadorned windows are perfectly to let plenty of natural light to invade the space. The new bathroom must give you an airy feel and luxurious somehow. Take a look to see some ideas.

Photos source @badelkitchens.com.au

January 3, 2013
New Mariinsky Theatre Opens in 2013 in St.Petersburg, Russia

The opening of a new Mariinsky Theatre scheduled on 2-4 May, this year, is among the current projects of Canadian architecture firm Diamond Schmitt Architects, known for its innovative design excellence in a wide range of building types and recognized as one of the Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies, in collaboration with the Russian firm KB ViPS and acousticians Müller-BBM. Designed to complement St. Petersburg’s 19th-century outstanding architectural heritage, but in the same time to add a unique element to the region, the new opera house comes to join and transform a much larger cultural complex, which includes also other two venues like the legendary Mariinsky Theatre ( which dates from 1860) and the Mariinsky Concert Hall ( which was inaugurated in 2006) into one of the world’s premier centres for opera, ballet and classical music.

Marrinsky II Theatre is funded by the Russian Government and its contemporary design will be of course consistent with the international stature of the Marrinsky Theatre, Ballet and Orchestra as a centre of innovation and artistic excellence, creating one of the world’s largest, most dynamic and most acclaimed performing arts institutions. Situated on Dekabristov Street and connected to the legendary Theatre by a pedestrian bridge over the Kryukov Canal, the 851,580 sq ft new opera house aims to channel the tremendous creative spirit through state-of-the-art facilities that will allow the Mariinsky to show the most ambitious, technically-demanding art productions, beyond the current remarkable schedule of performances, recordings, tours and events on the historic stage.

It will have a 2000-seat opera and ballet house with six rehearsal rooms and six stages, dressing rooms as well as other support facilities. The auditorium is designed taking into account the acoustics, audience comfort and sight lines. Its exterior architecture will reveal a contemporary identity that fits perfectly with St. Petersburg’s historic settings. Form, material and color contrasts in an original manner highlighting a gently curved metal roof enlivened by a glass canopy and a fenestrated masonry base. The opening days will include a ballet and opera performances as well as a gala concert followed from 24 May by Mariinsky’s XXI ‘Stars of the White Nights’ Festival which will end on 14 July.

Photos © Diamond Schmitt Architects

Project details:

Architecture company: Diamond Schmitt Architects
Project Team: A.J.Diamond, Gary McCluskie, Michael Treacy, Michael Lukasik, Mattew Lella
Location: St. Petersburg, Russia
Client: Ministry of Culture

January 2, 2013
White and Blue Kitchen Interior Design Tips

White and blue kitchen design is one of the many interesting ideas for interior design that you can choose for your kitchen. It’s says that kitchen is the heart of any home and because of that, the interior design has to be on your style, so cooking can be a blissful task. (more…)

January 2, 2013
Angular Design Squish Studio by Saunders Architecture

The amazing and revolutionary architectural design, the Squish Studio by Saunders Architecture, is one of the most interesting angular design in the Fogo Island. (more…)

January 2, 2013
The New York Public Library: Between Tradition and Innovation

Renowned architecture firm Foster + Partners revealed this month new images and details with the The New York Public Library’s plans, an amazing project which aims to preserve the 101-year-old landmark’s original façade and interiors and restore it, whilst create with 66% more public library space than it’s currently available in all three locations on 42nd Street. The construction is planned to begin in 2013 and is expected to be completed in 2018. Although it will take five years, all the locations will remain open and you can access its services.

Overlooking Bryant Park, the 160,000-square-foot iconic building will have a new dynamic circulating library, which will replace the huge existing area filled with outdated book stacks that has never been opened to the public because they didn’t meet the needs in terms of capacity, fire safety or preservation. The new modern storage beneath Bryant Park will house most research volumes from that area, thanks to a generous gift from Library Trustee Abby S. Milstein and her husband, Howard P. Milstein. The original shelving are also reused in new spaces. In this way, more New Yorkers will enjoy the Beaux-Arts treasure from the awe-inspiring historic rooms of this masterpiece reopened due to Pritzker Prize–winning architect Norman Foster’s Central Library Plan.

Some of the spectacular rooms like the centerpiece grand Rose Main Reading Room and majestic Astor Hall will be retained as they are today. Visitors will be able to see a more inviting and more permeable building, which will incorporate the services, programs and books now found at heavily used but seriously deteriorating Mid-Manhattan Library across Fifth Avenue and at the innovative Science, Industry and Business Library (SIBL) on 34th Street. New Yorkers will enjoy free access to quiet study zones, programs and events in different meeting spaces, books to browse and check out, new centers for children and teens, classrooms for ESOL, literacy, and many other services. It will be the most exciting library in the world, a centre of knowledge, scholarship and information in the heart of New York City. Check out more information about this remarkable project on designer’s website.

Photos © Foster + Partners and @nypl.org

Here is an animated video about the project to watch, which takes you into The New York Public Library’s Central Library Plan:

Central Library Plan

December 30, 2012
Curve Architecture on House Holman by Durbach Block Jaggers

House Holman is a curve architecture designed by Durbach Block Jaggers, which represents a masterpiece futuristic conception architectural design not only for its awards received, but also for the great idea to design and build a cliff residence, a dream house, situated on the edge of a 70-metre high cliff. Imagine what a wonderful landscape view! (more…)

December 30, 2012
Sophistical Design for Stockholm Apartment

This sophistical apartment design reveals a modern conception style, where the original elements of design combined in a unique way created a spectacular decoration to the highest level of beauty. (more…)

December 30, 2012