July 31st, 2009
Sonia Play
Gold leaf, faux exotic wood, leather and glossy lacquers. When it comes to fun finishes for the bathroom vanity it seems we’ve seen it all. However, that was until Touch made its debut. Unlike any other finish on the market, Touch is a specialized rubber-like varnish that is tactile to the touch and 100% smudge-free. It is also easy-to-clean, making it a spectacular choice for kids’ bathroom. Touch is one of the many unique finishes offered in the Play Collection by the Spanish bath brand Sonia. It is available in the following colors: milk, blackberry, pearl, beige, camel, chocolate, wine and sky. Mix and match colors and create your own vanity design for the bath.
Find out more about the Touch Finish on the sonia website: http://www.soniaus.com/
July 29th, 2009
In today’s design world, your average Interior Designer or Homeowner has heard a thing or two about sustainability, whether it be through news coverage of global warming or whether it is through personal research of sustainable products and practices that will also save them money. The fact of the mater is that the United States is moving towards universal sustainability practices rapidly, including the use of sustainable materials, water conservation and through reducing energy loss. This is why now is the perfect time to begin educating yourself on what you can do to create a sustainable home. Our favorite place to start this discussion is of course with the Interior Design!
The first step to creating a sustainable interior is to research and learn about sustainability by reading and studying authorities such as the U.S. Green Building Council which is the non-profit organization responsible for creating the LEED rating system. On the USBG.org website you will find an overwhelming amount of information about sustainable building, including everything from Commercial Interiors (LEED-CI) to total Neighborhood Development.
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July 28th, 2009
The new Wabi Oil Lamps by Stone Forest are very stylish outdoor lamps, and they won’t break the bank! At $59 each, these solid granite lamps feature a removable top and hollow interior for oil. These oil lamps are perfect for around the pool, patio, pond or waterfall, or even strategically placed around your home. Click the image to see a larger version.
Stone Forest has been creating contemporary elements for the kitchen, bath and landscape using natural materials since 1989. Based in Santa Fe, New Mexico the boutique company has a unique understanding of the tolerances of different stones and precious materials. All of their architectural designs are sculpted from an organic source such as limestone, marble, bamboo, copper and onyx. Stone Forest’s collections include an extensive selection of vessel and pedestal sinks, bathtubs, furniture, fountains and outdoor sculptures. Raw stones are obtained from quarries located around the world, in countries such as Italy, Spain, Norway and Brazil. Stone Forest’s products express the beauty of nature because they are made from materials from the earth and are not manipulated by machine. The absence of machines and minimal use of chemicals in the crafting process ensures that no harmful emissions are released into the atmosphere. Stone Forest has won numerous awards including the Good Design Award and Interior Design magazine’s Best of Year Award.
July 25th, 2009
The 25 Year Long Battle Rages On
Chelsea Barracks Plans
Twenty-five years ago Prince Charles stood before the Royal Institute of British Architects and denounced modernism in architecture. His first book “A Vision of Britain, a Personal View of Architecture” which was published in 1989, criticized and showed his distaste for anything modern. Throughout the 1990’s Prince Charles continued to campaign against modern architecture and was even dubbed “Architecture’s Royal Pain”. In February, 2005 he told architects and public health specialists that modern buildings are giving rise to ’sick building syndrome’. In February of 2008 he branded a modern university building where he was addressing a gathering of paratroopers as a “dustbin”. Over the past two and a half decades that this battle has been raging, Prince Charles has been and unrelenting and has clashed with the architects and the architectural community hundreds of times.
In the past year or so this battle has really been heating up, with real life consequences and retaliations taking place. In April, Charles went on the offensive against plans for a new development called the Chelsea Barracks, which would have been made up of mostly low rise buildings designed by Richard Rogers, a Pritzker Prize-winning architect for buildings such as the Pompidou Center in Paris and the Millennium Dome in London. Rogers’ designs are typically ultra-modern, and his new plans for the redevelopment of these former army barracks in West London would have represented this architectural style.
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July 23rd, 2009
We see more and more green designs these days, despite the fact that sustainability is not necessarily a new trend in Architecture and Interior Design. This has produced even more amazing designs that are completely sustainable and LEED Certified, much like the Founding Farmers restaurant we wrote about last week. Here are just a few of our favorites that we’ve seen this year.
Recycled Cardboard Office: Photography by Joachim Baan.
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July 22nd, 2009
The Guggenheim Museum has teamed up with Google to provide designers with a very unique opportunity to submit a design to the Design It Shelter Competition. The competition is being sponsored by both the museum, as well as Google’s design software SketchUp. The rules are easy to follow; you must use Google’s SketchUp software to create a virtual shelter anywhere in the world. You cannot remove any existing buildings, but you can add on to existing structures. The shelter must be no bigger than 100 square feet and no taller than 12 feet. The shelter must provide protection from the elements, and provide space for one person to study and sleep. Also, no utilities are allowed in the design (water, electric etc).
The competition has been created as a way to commemorate the exhibits Frank Lloyd Wright: From Within Outward and Learning By Doing at the Sackler Center for Arts Education. There are two groups of judges, one of which is made up of a Jury of Experts including 7 experts from varying fields related to Architecture. The other group of judges are the students of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, who will choose the 10 finalists for the People’s Prize, which will then be voted on publicly from September 7 through October 10.
People’s Prize
- Trip for two to New York City (includes airfare and hotel accommodations for two nights)
- Behind-the-scenes tour of the Guggenheim Museum and the Google Offices
- Free admission to other NYC museums
- Google SketchUp Pro license (USD$495 value)
Juried Prize
- $1000 cash prize
- Trip for two to New York City (includes airfare and hotel accommodations for two nights)
- Behind-the-scenes tour of the Guggenheim Museum and the Google Offices
- Free admission to other NYC museums
- Google SketchUp Pro license (USD$495 value)
For more detailed information about how to enter download the submission guide here.
Good luck! We can’t wait to see your designs!
July 20th, 2009
Stylish waterfall showers are becoming more and more popular in the luxury home, and the new JACLO AQUA DUETTO Shower head is one of the nicest we’ve seen this year. This bath fixture is enough to design a whole bathroom around as it brings you multiple options for bathing. The AQUA DUETTO can produce either a waterfall shower which is a steady, stream of water, or a rain shower setting. Each of these settings is controlled by flipping the position of the shower head. While the horizontal flat spout produces the rain shower, when you flip the spout down a steady stream simulates the soothing waterfall.
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July 16th, 2009
Green Furnishings Abound at the Washington D.C.- based Founding Farmers Restaurant
Founding Farmers is the first LEED Gold-designed and Certified Green Restaurant to open in the United States Capital, located just two blocks from the White House. This restaurant gives new meaning to eco-friendly eating with sustainable agriculture at the heart of its menu to its environmentally-conscious building design and operational standards. Founding Farmers was developed by VSAG (Vucurevich Simons Advisory Group) and a collective of American Family Farmers. The restaurant serves fresh, farm-to-table American food and features 8,500 square feet of soaring space with seating for 250.
Washington, DC firm CORE architecture + design created an innovative design with LEED requirements. The restaurant’s booths are covered in a chemical-free Maharam cotton print and are made from recycled steel, the bathroom countertops are made of PaperStone, and reclaimed barn woods are used for the post and beams. Other LEED criteria include increased ventilation, energy-efficient power and low-VOC paints. Even the lighting is green. Puffy cloud pendants called the Nuvola by Studio Italia Design are equipped with compact fluorescent bulbs, while plenty of day lighting also lowers the energy bill.
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July 14th, 2009
Floating Hotel
If you are planning on traveling to Sweden in the near future, and you enjoy floating in the open sea while indulging in luxury, then this hotel would be quite the adventure for you to include in your travels. The owners Susanna and Patrick Hermansson of Salt & Co Tjörn AB hatched the idea in 2004 when they dreamt about starting a business that offered the complete experience. Because of the limited available space on the island of Klädesholmen, Susanna and Patrick decided to build their hotel on the open water. In March of 2005, with the help of Tjörn’s local council, local businesses, the community association, and the residents of Klädesholmen, they realized their dream and began to build the new attraction.
Floating Hotel
The hotel first opened in October 2008, alongside the restaurant Salt & Sill. The building serves as a hotel as well as a meeting and conference venue with 46 beds and a staff of 10. The hotel is open year round, and the guests stay in beautiful, modern Scandinavian rooms, all built on floating pontoons which are moored. The hotel has six hotel modules that serve as the guests’ mini-structures, complete with 23 guest rooms including one suite that overlooks the Böhuslan Archipelago (the body of water that borders the island). The focus of the hotel is not only based on the view and attractions of the sea, but also amazing food & drinks from the internationally acclaimed restaurant, Salt & Sill.
The design of the hotel features weathered wood with a minimalist Scandinavian design based on nautical fashion, while the attached outdoor patios provide a perfect place to sunbath or take a swim. The design of the hotel was also done with the environment in mind as the hotel is actually heated by the seawater. The owners used local raw materials, environmentally friendly paints and have even used the left over natural materials to build a new lobster reef outside of the hotel. The bottoms of the pontoons were also designed to help increase sea life by creating a perfect habitat for shells and mussels.
Click on any pictures to see a bigger version.
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July 14th, 2009
Thanks to loft living design and the “don’t box me in” aesthetic of the 60s’ and 70s’, kitchens and baths now make for wide, open spaces. With upscale kitchen and bath renovations ranking as the most expensive home improvements, it’s a shame not to showcase them. This is where the loft living or open floor plan concept is introduced. The open kitchen has become a fashion accessory, boasting of high-gloss lacquers, burnished woods and high-tech elegance in the way of built-in flat screens and illuminated display cabinets. Echoing the sophisticated modern, loft lifestyle, more kitchens are actually being transformed into kitchen great rooms. This can be witnessed in the proliferation of different cabinet heights. For instance, some manufacturers say that shorter, wider cabinets that run the length of the wall have taken precedence over upper cabinets, which can take away from the long and architectural look. Kitchen cabinetry has also received a furniture aesthetic, which enables it to blend seamlessly with decor in adjacent living areas.
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