What Recession? Christie's $28 Million Chair

"'There are still a lot of extremely wealthy people out there." - obviously, since someone would pay $28 million for a leather armchair. The sale was about $25 million higher than the Christie's estimate and set a record for a work of 20th-century design at auction. These words are of Edward Dolman, Christie's managing director.
It was bought by Cheska Vallois, owner of the Paris gallery Vallois, which had originally sold the chair to Saint Laurent. Created in 1917, or slightly later, by Eileen Gray, an Irish architect and furniture designer, for her first commission as an interior decorator. With lacquered wooden armrests shaped like braided serpents, it shows her in transition from art nouveau to art deco.

I like her designs, but still this is unbelievable! "She's always been a darling of design curators and collectors because she was a woman competing in a men's world, and because as a one-of-a kind object it would be perceived as art," explains William L. Hamilton, who previewed the auction for Art in America.
Eileen Gray continues to get her belated appreciation! And crisis appears to be quite relative!

via Fast Company

Milan Furniture Fair 2009 - a Glimpse

Salone 2009 is coming in a few weeks. I am going to publish regularly all the new products intended to be presented there that I come accross. Here is a new cupboard by JC Passion that will be shown at I Saloni Milano 2009 -

Damasco chest of drawers, with handles in laser-perforated nickel-plated steel, is now offered in the new lacquered version.

All posts Milan 2009

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Children Rooms Design with Imagination

Children's rooms should be more imaginative. There are endless possibilities to turn their rooms into a fairy tale scene or the most attractive play ground. Have a look at some of the ideas that I came accross:

log cabin bunk bed from bedzine.com

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Log Cabin Bunk Bed
This unique and fun design can be adjusted to make the perfect fire station trappers cabin school house or old west fort. Access to the upper bunk is accomplished by climbing up the side foot holes of the cabin. Accommodates 2 twin size mattresses. Constructed of MDF and furniture-grade hardware.


Детските стаи изискват - и позволяват - по-голяма свобода на фантазията при обзавеждане. Ето още две идеи в допълнение на Къщата на дърво в детската стая, която предизвика голям интерес. Леглата по-горе имитират дървени къщи и могат да бъдат направени по поръчка в размери, подходящи за съответната стая. А декорациите на стената по-долу са направени от устойчиво на удар огледало и винилови стикери за стена. А тук можете да видите още няколко примера за добре обзаведени детски стаи.





Children's Factory Kids Springtime See Me Mirror Scene
Two mirror butterflies and Wall Design stick-on vinyl butterflies circling a See Me Flower. Shatter-resistant PET mirrors reflect childs every emotion and movement.



Children's Factory Kids Mini Sea Me Aquarium Wall Mirrors
Children's Factory Kids Mini Sea Me Aquarium Wall Mirrors animated ocean creatures will turn your wall into a mini aquarium. PET mirrors are shatter resistant.



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Even Tables Tighten Their Belts...

In times of crisies even tables tighten their belts... although Anna Kraitz explains that she has tightened her 'a capella' table for Kallemo because 'it is good to hold back the table surface, otherwise it might outgrow its limits'. The table is was presented at the stockholm design week 09.

(via designboom)









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Radiators as Sculptures

About 3 years ago I discovered a new fashion - radiators becoming a filed for sculptural exercises for designers . Then they began to get multifunctional and more and more new inspirational designs appeared. And from mundane heating appliance suddenly radiators are transformed into visually intriguing sculptures and elements of interior architecture that can stand on their own. That is the theme explored by exhibition curated by designer Karim Rashid titled "Totally Rad: Karim Rashid Does Radiators" which will open on March 4 at the New York's Museum of Arts and Design. Great idea!

And what is even more interesting - the show also inaugurates the museum's Design and Innovation Gallery, a second-floor space that will house short-term, guest curated exhibitions examining emerging trends in design.

on the pictures: Caleido's Rain, 2007; Caleido's Honey, 2006

(via Interior Design)

In Grand Style - Bang & Olufsen Launches Golden Colour

Bang & Olufsen have created a new line of its products available in a luxurious gold dye finish. The new release is inspired to complement luxury interiors.
In fact, the golden colour was specifically requested by the exclusive boutique hotel Villa Rothschild in Königstein, Germany. Built from 1888 to 1894 for the financier Wilhelm Carl von Rothschild, Villa Rothschild was recently awarded the coveted five-star superior status due in no small part to points earned for the bespoke golden coloured Bang & Olufsen products installed in the guest rooms as well as in the common and recreational areas.

"I chose Bang & Olufsen for the AV-installation at the completely renovated Villa Rothschild as the company is world renowned for the exquisite quality and beauty of its products," said Bernhard L. Lacroix of the hotel's management team. "However, to match the luxurious historical buildings and interiors, I specifically requested a golden coloured product line, which perfectly complements the grand style of the Villa Rothschild."

Bang & Olufsen uses a wider range of materials than most other companies in the industry. Only real materials such as aluminium, glass, rubber and wood are used, however, and all materials are carefully selected for their quality and ability to fit naturally into any home environment.
Their skills within aluminium finishing made it possible for Bang & Olufsen designers to develop the very exclusive golden hue which will now be added to the existing colour range.

However, to preserve the exclusivity of the golden colour, only selected products - including some of Bang & Olufsen's most iconic video and audio products as well as a range of complementary loudspeakers - can be ordered as golden variants, and there will be a premium price for the golden colour which will be made to order only.

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Doors as Artistic Expression

The door grows from secondary furniture object to main subject: Agatha Ruiz de la Prada and Gardesa have created products with energy and colours mixed with the pragmatic technology of constructions. Right - this strangely vivid and focusing attention object is not a picture, nor wall panel. It is Mimetic - a door created by A.Ruiz de la Prada for Gardesa. The collection includes 8 panels for outdoor and 5 versions for indoor.

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(via Design Italia)

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A Glimpse at Salone del Mobile 2009

Now, after we have seen the two major furniture fairs at the beginning of the year in Paris and Cologne, everyone is expecting the new designs that are going to be presented at Milan this April. Here are the first news: according to Design Week Studio Archirivolto will present at Milan this latest range of chairs named Nord- Sud-Ovest-Est

Call for entries: Designs for the next 90 years

The Electrolux Design Lab 2009 global design competition invites undergraduate and graduate industrial design students around the world to create thoughtfully-designed home appliances that will shape how people prepare and store food, wash clothes, and do dishes over the next nine decades.

A limited number of finalists will be invited to participate in the final event in London September 24, 2009, to present their entries to a jury of high-level designers and experts. The jury will review the entries based on intuitive design, innovation and consumer insight and then select a winner.

Submit your innovative home appliance ideas for the next 90 years, deadline May 31.

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100% Wool - on Your Lamp Shade!

One more addition to my Felt Trend findings, where I showed you an example how felt is used today - not only in clothes and home textile, but also in lamp shades and juelry! I just found this beautiful OAK LEAF PENDANT AND FLOOR LAMP from DESIGNLUSH:

Cosy and elegant accent for your home! And no doubt it is eco-friendly - 100% wool!

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IMM Cologne 2009 - conclusions

Wallpaper* : IMM Cologne, the first fair of the year, was notable principally for the number of reissues and the strength of the new talent on show.

"If we had to choose something that stood out above and beyond everything else at
Cologne it would be ClassiCon's presentation of one of our favourite designers
Sergio Rodrigues' work." (above)

Using leather, bamboo and Jacaranda wood Rodrigues is credited with forming the mid-century Brazilian aesthetic and continues to shape it today.
‘It’s time to return to reality’, he said and, after a glut of extreme, sometimes overindulgent design in the past two years, the reality looks refreshingly good.










Limited edition designs - right

Origins by Satyendra Pakhale





is part of his show 'Origins'. Pakhale insists his work was about returning to a more primordial, instinctive response to texture and shape.

Trash design -Els Woldheks BASTARD chair, created with the leftover trash leather from the factory. Also shown are Reinhard Dienes Diaz foldable stool series JUAN, PEDRO AND PABLO (made from pliable plastic (PP))
participant in the d3 contest (picture from Core77 )


Arik Levy won the "best of the best system" category for his ARIE shelf system produced by E15.

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