Styleture

We recently saw an article in Hotel Design Magazine with some of the top Hotel Designers in the US, and we felt that we just had to profile these designers as well. Below you will find each of the 7 designers and a few of their works, or their firms works.

Frederic Marq – Frederic Marq Design Inc. - Based out of Miami, Florida, Frederic is a leading authority on high end hotel designs, and has recently been quoted on sourcing creatively:

“One of the things that you can do is be a little more creative on finding your sources. … For a 455-room hotel in Miami that we’re finishing up, let’s look at the casegoods. I got quotations from China. It was about $1.5 million. Then, I got a quotation here in America, it was about $2.5 million. The owner of this property— it’s not a bank—I asked him, ‘Can we be more creative?’ And he said yes. We actually opened a mill shop on the fourth floor of the garage, we got a lot of little artisans from Miami, small contractors, small casegoods makers and the quote was $872,000. “So even if those guys didn’t really know how to make their budget perfect, and we had to pay $200,000 more, I’m still at $1 million or $1.1 million, and I can see the progression onsite. It was phenomenal, and at the end of the day, we did this with every single aspect of the construction … we squeezed every dollar, and then we went back and squeezed them again.”

Fredric Marq Grant Room

Fredric Marq Grant Room

All images courtesy of Frederic Marq Design Inc. www.fredericmarq.com

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Swiss Watch

In a world where consumer goods are produced with such haste that they lose their quality, the label “Made in Switzerland” becomes more convincing. Throughout the world the Swiss are known for their high level of accuracy, practicality, simplicity and functionality. Their products are thought to serve a purpose and live up to the most stringent quality control standards ever introduced. Swissness is a term that embodies this nation’s pride in what they create and their historical reputation for quality, reliability and excellence. These principles are alive in several Swiss trades including watch making. Since the middle of the 16th century, the Swiss have produced meticulously tourbillion timepieces of unsurpassed technical complication, precision, accuracy and mystery. And when it comes to home decor, Switzerland is a trailblazer as well; always challenging themselves to create what other national competitors simply cannot.

Laufen Vienna

Laufen was the first manufacturer of ceramic bath furnishings in Switzerland and their history dates back over 110 years. Because of their pursuit for flawless production yields, only 60 out of the 100 ceramic products they create actually makes it to its final stages. Promising the strictest quality management and control, almost all of their collections are created within the Laufen family of companies. Swissness is one of the main tenants of Laufen’s business philosophy and shapes their brand, procedures and overall culture. Laufen practices Swissness in the following ways: 1) Commitment to Swiss engineering excellence 2) Functional – yet high style design and fashion in all products created 3) Highest standards of precision, reliability, thoroughness and quality 4) Stringent quality control standards 5) At any time during production, products with even the smallest flaw are rejected.

Laufen manufactures over four million ceramic pieces annually. Many of their collections are designed by award-winning design firms. These are just a few of their offerings, to see more of their collections visit www.laufen.com

IL BAGNO ALESSI dOt

We asked our 4,400+ twitter followers (http://twitter.com/styleture) who their favorite designer is and here were the answers we received:

“Susan Hoffman ASID, DESIGNS in Wayzata, Minnesota”

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“Zaha Hadid”

Blog post about Zaha Hadid: Zaha Hadid Article

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“Can I nominate myself as my favourite designer Andrew Dunning – apd interiors, London www.apdinteriors.com – thank you!”

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“Walsh Design Group http://walshdesigngroup.com/“

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“My favorite designer is ME! I may be a student, but the learning part is a lot of fun. ”

Janice – D+B Interior Consulting – http://www.designingbeauty.biz/

Jasper Conran is the son of the famous designer Sir Terence Conran, and has made his own name for himself as one of the most successful present day designers in England. Jasper went to the Parsons School of Art & Design in New York, has designed everything from costumes to interiors and presently he creates thousands of products a year ranging from  housewares and tableware to clothing, luggage and fabrics. Jasper has products and designs in a variety of stores and residences that are designed in numerous styles.

Initially it was hard for Jasper to branch out on his own because people would assume that his father was bankrolling his business. Jasper has now had his own fashion business for 30 years and unlike some designers he becomes very attached to the entire process of how his clothes and products are made. He will often visit the factories where his clothing and products are being produced, to see and learn how the manufacturing process takes place.

Jasper’s father was a lover of modernism, but the homes that Jasper has owned have been primarily traditional 11th-century manors and Georgian homes. He has always been obsessed with grand country homes and doesn’t relate his own tastes with his fathers’ (who now also lives in a Georgian house). 

Hasper’s elegant tableware can be found in Wedgwood stores and his housewares, fabrics, luggage, eye wear and clothing can be found in the department store Debenhams. Jasper’s own flagship store, 36 Sackville Street in London is a magnificient 8,000 sq ft store in one of London’s finest postcodes in the heart of Mayfair. Here you will find his bridal collections, made-to-measure men’s & womenswear and living and dining room collections (such as tableware, furniture etc.).

Visit Jasper’s website at www.jasperconran.com

S/S 10 Fashion Line

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Studio Italia Design, a trailblazing provocateur in Venetian lighting, has put their own modern and technologically-sophisticated spin on the bedside table lamp. Following a no frills design approach with simple shapes and contemporary lines, Minimania and Buonanotte are ideal for curling up before bed with a good book in style.

“Our modern lighting fixtures are intended to be fun, playful and different,” said David Weisinger, President of Studio Italia Design USA. “With Buonanotte you have an incredibly stylish lamp that is also a point of conversation, and Minimania is flexible for reading in bed, and available in numerous bright and vibrant colors.”

Minimania: The Minimania is available as a sconce or a table lamp. It consists of a small cylindrical shade, available in metal or blown glass, that rotates 360 degrees over its nickel or chrome metal frame. Perfect for bedside applications or versatile indirect lighting, the fixture uses one 75-watt GU10 twist-and-lock lamp, and comes with a wall plate that mounts to a standard 4-inch junction box.

Minimania Bedside Table Lamp

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As the principal of the New York-based design firm Parallel Design, Ali Tayar is one of three finalists for the 2009 National Design Award for Interior Design. Ali studied architecture at the University of Stuttgart as well as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Tayar’s work ranges from objects, furniture to commercial interiors such as PoP Burger and Pizza Bar in NYC, the Omnia Hotel in Zermatt as well as international architectural projects. As one of today’s hottest designers, Ali is definitely one to keep an eye on. Here are just a few of Ali’s stylish design:

http://alitayar.com/

Omnia Hotel Zermatt Switzerland

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Over the past few years Man Caves have been becoming more and more popular. If you don’t know already, Man Caves are places designed for the married man or family man as a place to have their space, decor and design. A Man Cave can be found in an addition, basement or even in a garage and have a number of styles whether it be the simple garage with a mini bar and T.V. or an elaborate basement redesign with all the amenities such as a pool table, dart board and full size bar. Here are a few things you can use to take your Man Cave to the next level this winter.

Clock / Aquarium:

Fishtank Clock

This Vertical Fish Tank II available on Opulent Items is a cool take on a modern design of a clock plus a place to keep your fish in your man cave.

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