Since the beginning of the 21st century, environmental friendly design in material and shape has been getting increasingly important. So I made lightning that gives us a feeling just like nature is getting into the house literally by using tree-shape.
My blog, the Design Angle, is updated with a story every Tuesday and Friday. Visitors can read about design projects, advice, and new surfaces and lines.
The Design Angle is going live on KXL in January as a segment on "Around the House" from 12:00pm to 2:00pm each Saturday. I will be onair to answer design questions, discuss trends and talk about local vendors.
The white version sells for 19,950 yen (about $227).
“Taste is an evolution and refinement of one’s personal likes and dislikes. This evolution takes place with a constant curiosity and interest in everything. The editing consequently refines the choices and defines taste.”Are you an interior designer with a blog? We'd like to know.
p:ear builds positive relationships with homeless and transitional youth, ages 15 to 23, through education, art and recreation to affirm personal worth and create more meaningful and healthier lives.
Lorts in 1990 began producing a stylized collection of furniture distributed through the finest higher-end furniture stores and designers across the country. Beginning with rustic, country styles, Lorts soon experimented with different finishes. Several other manufacturers answered to an increased demand for finish options, but their prices were astronomical.Lorts makes customization a reality...
Lorts responded to customers wishing for designer style and flexibility at reasonable prices. Soon word spread about the company producing hardwood furniture in several premium finishes at prices far below similarly styled product. Gradually, the product line developed and now includes dining furniture, stools and game sets, occasional pieces, bedroom furniture, armoires, and home office and wall units.
Lorts prides itself on finding a niche in the market. Homeowners desire the ability to create furniture themselves by customizing finishes and sizes, and Lorts strives to make this a reality. From size changes on items currently in the Lorts line to new ideas sketched out on a napkin, Lorts allows customers to make each piece unique.
In a world where each furniture piece tends to look like every other, Lorts' customers can create furniture personalized to each individual need and style at a value unsurpassed within the industry.
Sourced from around the world, we are confident our fabrics and trim will suit all your design ideas and needs. Our collections are conveniently separated into themes, colors, applications and/or style. With over 80 years of continued service to the interior design community, we pride ourselves on customer service and quality goods.Visit their site and see What's New.
Every room in the house -- even the small bath that Jorja had called "her pet peeve" -- celebrates not only the collaboration between Jorja and Jackson, but also what can happen when talented craftspeople get to show off their skill.Carole Jackson can be reached at (503) 291-9290
There can be disagreement about global warming and its causes, but there is no denying the Green Movement. Our bookkeeper, Helen Pilgrim, sends us a note about Slatescape, EcoCem and Paper Stone (for) Counter tops. She says she first heard about it in the Oregonian Home & Gardens section. "I don't know how this compares to granite, but it looks great."We fell in love with PaperStone and used the chocolate color as the reception and work counter top in the showroom front area. It's warm and satiny smooth to the touch. When we first saw the material, it was only available in slabs of several thicknesses.
The material is waterproof so it does very well outside. Over time, it acquires a natural patina, but the integrity of the material is never compromised. Variations of this material have actually been used for decades in the marine industry and in the manufacturing of skate ramps -- that's how durable it is.
Based on an elaborate concept and a carefully planned study this unique artistic creation is a perfect combination of functionality, and the art of painting, sculpturing and design.Erzetic writes the piece is 3.8m in length, 2.15m in height, 1m max in depth.
New, revolutionary design of unique pieces of furniture does not only pervade the space, filling it up with a soul of its own, but also creates a charismatic essence of the object of art itself. This piece is the fruit of work of two promising young artists; Klemen Benedik, painter and designer, and Tomaž Erzetič, sculptor and designer.
Elaborately planed furniture design and a tender, refined painting are the artistic soul and an added value of this unique piece of furniture, which moves one's heart by its very existence, suggesting and narrating its story.
With the help of my favorite area rug distributor, Tufenkians, of Portland, Oregon, I recently filmed a segment for BETTER, with Brooke Carlson, in the home of News Anchor Natalie Marmion. We discussed the do's and don'ts and where to begin when trying to find the best area rug.In the piece she offers these tips for selecting area rugs:
- Rugs change color based on which direction you lay them. If it looks too light, try turning it the other direction and watch how the colors in the rug completely change!
- When selecting size for the living room, a good rule of thumb is to have all of the furniture on the rug or off the rug. Obviously the coffee table can stay on the rug, but it's best not to have any of your chairs or sofas halfway on and halfway off the rug.
- When selecting size for the dining room make sure you have a minimum of 2' behind each dining chair on all sides. No teetering chairs at the dinner table allowed!
- Always try out the rug in your home prior to committing to the piece. Tufenkians will deliver your rugs, help you place them and then bring back the pieces you dont want.
Our client wishes to recruit a number of experienced talented INTERIOR DESIGNERS. They need degree qualified interior professionals who have over 5 years experience.Some places are humming!
"We are drawn to old-culture decor -- a Tuscan farmhouse kitchen -- but we want state-of-the-art appliances in that kitchen."Celeste LeDuke of Portland's Designing Women, says pairing a rough or reclaimed wood floor with sleek appliances will work, but "you don't want it to look like a tool shed."
All (the) designers warned against just bringing some sort of extreme look into a room.Maybe, all three saying the juxtaposition of different styles is okay, it's fun to be edgy, but find a balance and moderation.
(Owner Kerry) DeBuse says he spent tens of thousands of dollars upgrading the old-fashioned dining room in June. Business had been slow since early summer, he says, "but it all changed 180 degrees within a week of the recent (Wall Street) crash."When the problems went global, the bottom fell out.
...armoires were originally designed as gun cabinets. That is where they get their name. Later, when the French changed the tax code and began taxing the number of rooms, the aristocracy knocked down closet walls and replaced them with armoires or wardrobes.Recently, meaning a five years ago, people bought armoires to hide the TV. Now, 42 to 50 inch flat screen TVs are considered status symbols, so there is a desire to show it off. Now we have media units or entertainment centers.
The latest solution is the low- to medium-height console, which is not necessarily dedicated to the flat-screen television.
"A console or buffet is a great way to anchor the flat screen, as well as a place for storage.
As we saw in the spring, there were a lot of eco-friendly and natural materials, and on the other side of the fashion spectrum, a lot of glitz and glamour. Metallic colors and textures were featured in fabrics, rugs and even ceramics, and rich linens and velvets were employed in upholstery and drapery
an evolution in surface textures — a couple of years ago shiny black lacquer was popular, then it was replaced with shiny white lacquer, and this time there were some antique French reproductions finished in flat white. It gave them a contemporary look.As for colors Greeson still saw blush pinks and earth tones, blacks and whites.
I should say “charcoal and white,” because charcoal seems to be the new black.The Rocky Mountain News reports that Small is the new black.
Furniture manufacturers are responding to downsizing baby boomers and the growing appeal of urban living by reducing the scale of dressers, coffee tables, nightstands and the like. They're compressing home offices into a single fold-out cabinet. And they're cutting back the length of sofas and entertainment centers that sprawled across the length of wall in McMansions.
1. Knock off hidden extras online - booking your trip online allows you to strip out things like your "world care fund" contribution, which is essentially the optional carbon-offset charge. This "carbon footprint offsetting" is one to watch on many flight and holiday websites as it may be included automatically, but you can usually remove it if you wish.
2.Plan your parking - we already do this. We stay the night before we leave at The Hampton Inn near the airport. There's an easy shuttle ride to the airport and we leave our car in their protected lot for free.
3. Chop the cost of flights - The best way to ensure you are not paying over the odds is to use a website such as Skyscanner, Flightchecker or Kayak. These send your trip details to scores of airlines and flight-broker websites for a range of quotes, listing the cheapest first.
4. Use the right card - In the UK there is The Abbey Zero credit card.It does not charge a fee, will not charge you for foreign usage, and will enable you to withdraw up to £300 a day.Make sure if from the US that your card offers the same service.
5. Cut car hire costs - by booking online you get the cheaper cars which may not be available on arrival.
The University of Oregon's 15,000-sq.-ft. Athletic Medicine Center (AMC) is in a league of its own. Designed to reflect a holistic approach to athlete care, the sports therapy and training facility incorporates tools that heal (massage tables, hydro-therapy tubs, exam rooms, a pharmacy, an x-ray facility) alongside tools that help make athletes stronger (bikes and treadmills), better nourished (nutrition bar), and healthier and more motivated (optometry, dental, and acupuncture offices).Go ZGF! Go Ducks!
Student athletes are welcomed into the center via a seating area anchored by a reception desk and nutrition bar, that is further divided into smaller sections by a zig-zagging, internally illuminated white Corian bench that references an unraveling roll of tape. Throughout the space, four pictorial screens showcase the university's athletic history and a white oak wall features a horizontal stream of the names of the university's most important coaches physically branded into its surface. Other references to the university's history is the school's “O” logo springing from 3,000 aluminum rods in a glass wall separated the nutrition bar from custom-designed taping tables; bar stools with leather covers that were laser cut to reflect numerical statistics of various sports; and acrylic finds in the exam rooms that progress from yellow to green, the university's colors.
Private Cloud looks like a giant rocking bed - which it is. It takes up more space than a normal bed, but certainly would be worth it. If you aren’t in the mood to rock the night away, the bed has a mechanism to lock the bed in one position. Why be normal?
Edie Marks - the #24 realtor in the country. That's number 24 out of 1.3 million! She is going to reveal the secrets of her success, including how she networks and creates relationships with affluent homeowners.to
This email from Nika this morning illustrates how positive she is and why we teamed up with her:
Kathy Peterson - host of Lifetime TV's The Balancing Act? She is going to share the best ways to get publicity as a designer, both local and national.
Can you personally affect this economy in a positive way? Absolutely! Don't think for a moment that one person can't make a big difference. And it doesn't take a lot of hard work or time.
I have been studying what makes some designers successful - wildly successful, despite what the outside world / media / friends are saying about the economy. Many of them have doubled or tripled profits this year. They are enjoying the dream businesses that they've worked for, and feeling fulfilled and happy.
And the best part about being successful is that you actually make more people successful - just by being successful!
What do I mean?
Think about it. Designers and decorators who are complaining about the economy, talking about how they don't have enough business, and reacting to their worries and concerns are affecting the economy in a negative way. Negative talk leads to more people worrying and reacting - and spending less! Which, of course, leads to more worry, more complaining, and LESS spending. A vicious cycle.
The opposite is also true. Designers who have made the decision to think positively and focus on what is good about their businesses (okay, I know I'm sounding a bit Pollyanna here, but just go with me), are noticing that they are NOT being affected by the so-called slow economy. They are investing more time and energy into improving their businesses in creative ways, which leads to more publicity and more clients, leading to more positive energy, more profits, more improving, etc.
I have designer clients who have worked with me over the past year on improving heir businesses - starting with their mindsets - who say to me, "I don't get what everyone is saying. My business is doing better than ever."
Imagine if we could recruit more designers to start thinking more positiveley? At some point we would reach what is called "The Tipping Point."
Then:
- more people would feel positive and optimistic,
- people would relax and release their worries,
- more money would be spent,
- the economy would improve!
Can you imagine? I know I want to be a part of that! Join me, won't you? If you want to have more success, model the designers who are having wild success right now. The most important thing to do first is focus on the positive. What are you most grateful for?
Now, I am NOT saying to bury your head in the sand. No, you should not ignore what is going on in the world. You NEED to keep current with business and design trends. Which leads me to the second thing you must do... The second thing you must do is learn how to run your business in the most effective way to create prosperity in current times. Creating success in business is a learned skill. Learn a few techniques, put them into action, and you WILL see improvement.
If you know anyone who needs a boost - in their mindset or in their pocketbook, please let them know about the upcoming Interior Design Summit. This Summit is designed to help designers in both areas - attitude and profits! The more designers who attend, the quicker we will see an upswing in the economy.
You can make a difference. Let's do it together!
Join me next week, and invite everyone you know:InteriorDesignSummit
To your easy success,
Nika
And getting a ceiling fan right now doesn’t mean that you have to put it away in the garage until next June - you can start using it right away and save on your heating bill! Simply adjust the fan motor to go counterclockwise and the fan will push rising heat from your thermostat down to where you are.
Walsh’s Recycled Aesthetic project stood out for its alternative design approach, affordable cost, and uncommon use of recycled materials. Rather than pre-determining the aesthetic, Walsh first figured out what repurposed materials he wanted to use, and let the process inform the appearance. “The reward of this design challenge was reaching the utilitarian goals” Walsh said, “while honoring the inherent beauty of the materials.”You can reach Ryan Walsh of DRW Design Build in Portland, Oregon at info@drwdesignbuild.com - 503-577-2824
Black Honey.MGX, designed by Arik Levy, made by Stereolithography, is inspired by the honeycomb.
Heatherwick Studio was commissioned to design a café building to replace a seafront kiosk in Littlehampton, a traditional seaside town on England's south coast. Exposed to weather and vandalism, the narrow site sits between the sea and a parade of houses.
The era of "left brain" dominance, and the Information Age that it engendered, are giving way to a new world in which "right brain" qualities-inventiveness, empathy, meaning-predominate.For 2010 colors, for that's what Color Pulse 2010 is all about, take a look at Lisa Radon's description of colors in her blog, The Design District, titled Finger on the Color Pulse: Trends 2010
"To address continued customer interest in vibrantly-hued pieces, several of Artisan House's new metal sculptures will be alive with color," Artisan House President John Shilling said. "These splashy color additions will attract the eye - and encourage our customers and their clients to be a shade less color conservative when decorating their homes and offices."
They're pre-boomers, usually 75 or older. They've lived in their current home for a couple of decades or longer. But an adverse health event — perhaps a broken hip or a cancer diagnosis — means they must sell their home and move. To whom do they turn for support during this difficult transition? Nearly always, it's their grown children.Michael Dean, a real estate broker who specializes in the senior market, notes that things can change quickly with our parents and he recommends tackling the problem as soon as you know they must move.
PowerBlog Review: Landfair Furniture
