Trendoffice

Another Great Shop Design - Camper, Paris by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec

2009-07-14T12:05:00.011+03:00

I find that the Bouroullec brothers have a passion for textile. After the Quilt 2009 and the Clouds 2008 projects now they have found a way to use a very domestic textile product in a shoe shop design - "backstitched blankets that partially cover the walls and certain furniture and décor
elements". At the same time they are used as a background where to hang, like in an exhibit, the famous brand Camper shoes. As the designers explain, "...we tried to create a space that was both evident and surprising,a space able to produce special sensations: the red adds warmth, the cloths muffle sounds and give depth and the household furniture confers an air of simplicity."
This comfortable store, located in the impressive Centre Pompidou in Paris, joins the other two spaces that Camper already has in this city.
Great color scheme, simplicity together with coziness and elegance - that is what an interior design should be about, even in a shoe store. I like it!

This shop could be looked at as an example of male-designer's approach to shoe shop design. We have seen what a female-designer's approach is with Urquiola's Shoe Shop Like Cosy, Comfortable Bedrooms.
With this project Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec again prove to be not only part of the group of the most influential contemporary product designers, but also great interior designers, too. I am a fan of their office design, too - they have a considerable contribution to make the office environment cosy and comfortable.

sources: Dezeen

Camper Together

Новият магазин на известната марка за обувки Camper в Париж, трети подред, е дело на братята Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec. Интересен похват - за фон за показване на обувките дизайнерите широко използват текстил в красиво съчетание на различни оттенъци на топлата гама на цветното колело от цикламено до жълто с баланс от малко зелено. Друг необичаен елемент - мебелите, които са използвани, са проектирани за домашен интериор - още един начин магазинът да има приятна и уютна атмосфера.

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Award Bad Product Design

2009-07-12T19:10:00.003+03:00

Do you care about design? Are you interested in where product design is heading to? Now you can be part of those who vote - at the OOPS DESIGN AWARD site which, as its creators state "became the first "not honourable " award
in the world for bad product design / furniture design,lighting design,home accessories design,
kitchenware design,tableware design,houseware design,WC appliances design,garden products
design etc. /.
Award were created by the international group of product design specialists, including product
designer and expert Andrej Statskij / Lithuania - Latvia /,design journalist Magda Braun-Sommer
/ Germany / and product design historian Adam Hoops / USA-Switzerland /.
Award includes such official categories as:
1. Ugliest product design of the year
2. Silliest product design of the year
3. Most useless product design concept of the year
Award nomination and selection are performed by OOPS DESIGN AWARD FOUNDATION/ODAF/,
an group of anonymous product design fans and experts. Award are voted upon by the
membership of the ODAF and this membership is openly available to the public.
First award nominees is already selected and published on an official award web-site."

Among the 2009 nominees NOMINEE No 5 is one much talked about at the Milan Furniture Far this year: the Skin collection,designed by Nacho Carbonell

I would say that I have came accross many more products suitable for nominating and acclaim the idea.

A Lamp That Can Be Folded

2009-07-09T15:20:00.005+03:00

This ingenious lighting by Tomoko Kita (daughter of famed Japanese designer Toshiyuki Kita, an accomplished product designer in her own right) is properly named The Book Light. It folds tightly when closed and fans out to an ambient glow when opened and turned on - ideal for the bedside table. And easy to clean.

image from PoinClickHome

What is the easiest way to transform your room

2009-07-07T14:36:00.009+03:00

without any messy activities? With textile, of course. And all forms of handcrafting connected with that, like knitting, for example. Have a look at some inspiration photos - poofs by Paola Navone, room decor from Designers Guild and Livingetc.
A simple new curtain in a bright color palette instantly changes a room's mood.
Pillows and poofs are also a great furnishing accent.
If you are keen to follow trends, have in mind that, as one can expect,
"Flowers burst into full bloom on the season’s prettiest designs, from delicately painted tableware to boldly patterned textiles" according to ELLE DECOR July/August 2009

Wildflower Fields cotton bedding by DKNY (top)

New Luxury Hotel with Interior Design by Patricia Urquiola

2009-07-05T12:24:00.017+03:00

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group will open its first luxury hotel in Southern Europe this summer in Barcelona.

98 luxury rooms and suites will offer creative interiors by my favorite designer, Patricia Urquiola. The guest rooms and suites will provide guests with highly sophisticated in-room entertainment systems and elegantly designed meeting and banqueting facilities.
Mandarin Oriental Barcelona has a rooftop dipping pool, an expansive garden - a glamorous space for relaxation or al fresco dining, 1000 sq m Spa with wide range of holistic rejuvenation and relaxation as well as luxurious water and heat therapies.

A great way to combine Urquiola's most elegant and interesting furniture designs at one place. As we know, lately she has been producing excellent outdoor furniture and accessories. But she is a talented interior designer, too.

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If Money Were No Object

2009-07-02T16:47:00.005+03:00

It may be a tough time, but luxury goods still exist and if you are of those lucky home owners for whom money is no object and need stylish renovation, here are a few interesting suggestions:
UK’s top traditionalist tastemakers have banded together to sell off some of their overstock at Christie's South Kensington on Wednesday, July 8. The image is from ELLE DECOR blog

A 1920s console table with willowy legs (Lot 3, estimated at $4,600-$7,500).

A 1920s console table with willowy legs (Lot 3, estimated at $4,600-$7,500).

For a more modern look you might consider Armani Casa's elegant Riesling cocktail cabinet - limited to an edition of just 100 it is clad with alternation resin strips and polished walnut

Designers and sustainable cities -

2009-07-01T15:51:00.002+03:00

Listen to what some of the most influential designers have to say about it at MiniBoost

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Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec - New Collection

2009-06-30T17:14:00.003+03:00

Following their mission of developing Japan's craftsmanship and industry, Japan Brand invited the Bouroullec brothers to conceive a contemporary object using traditional know-hows, trying to open the way for new uses and applications. After visiting several workshops from one of Japan's great lacquer ware producing areas: Wajima they came with a new collection:

- a lamp like a luminous box that highlights the magnificence of lacquer;
- a desk lamp assemblage of three elements that remind distinctly of very traditional lacquer ware shapes;
- a double lunch tray set and
- a pocket mirror.

Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec Design: "collection Wajima"

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home furnishings

Fashion and Interior Design: Milan’s new Max Mara store

2009-06-27T12:14:00.010+03:00

The fashion and interior design interconnection is one of my favourite themes, as my regular readers have already noticed - they share common trends, color schemes, patterns and ideas. But there is one more important connection - the role of interior design as a setting for display of fashion products.

"A designer who is able to harness light in a creative way is a precious partner in any type of retail project."

- this is a quote from an article in DOMUS about Milan’s new Max Mara store interior design. It not only conveys the well-known feeling of luxury, but also of discrete elegance. Natural, sophisticated materials and indirect lighting provide a relaxed atmosphere and, as the author Maria Cristina Tommasini writes, the role of lighting in a fashion store is of greatest importance.
"It must faithfully reproduce the colours of the clothing without offending the skin tone of customers."
One of the most creative areas, as far as I can see from the photos, are the dressing rooms (below), but what cannot be seen is the way the lighting is concieved: "The dressing rooms are shrouded in religious semi-darkness when they are empty. They slowly light up when someone goes inside, providing the appropriate light for trying on clothes."

Great work- of Duccio Grassi Architects for the interior design and of Mario Nanni for the lighting!

Interesting Kitchen Ideas

2009-06-23T17:15:00.005+03:00

It is the materials and how they complement each other that create an elegant interior. That is true for kitchens, too. There are certain most common materials for kitchens that we are used to, but when a client is searching for something special, something luxurious and elegant the best direction to look at is new materials. These are two examples that impressed me:
Macassar ebony cabinets and an island clad in zebra limestone give the kitchen a dressed-up formality; its subtle color scheme is a good background for the bright Ligne Roset’s Tazia Fireside chairs and Tazia table .
The kitchen is from Metropolitan Home

Quite unusual materials for a kitchen: copper for the countertops and limestone basin, but they complement well the knotty cherry cabinetry. I only wonder how sterdy the basin is.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/

Две оригинални идеи за луксозни кухни: едната е с шкафове от абанос и остров, облицован с варовик - красив фон за елегантната трапезария;
втората - необичайни материали, които са коррдинирани перфектно за създаване на една сдържана елегантност и лукс, заедно, разбира се, с удобство и функционалност.

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Colourful Artistic Textile from Bulgaria at DMY Berlin

2009-06-14T20:25:00.005+03:00

The FreeWool Project by Velika Petrova Studio- a result of eight years of researches and experiments with local textile technologies was presented at
DMY International Design Festival in Berlin. The artist Velichka Petrova is a member of the European Textile Network – Germany.
velikapetrova.com

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Outdoor is absolutely a booming trend

2009-06-10T16:22:00.009+03:00

Outdoor is absolutely a booming trend and there are some definitely good reasons for that, listed at Shane’s Studio :

1. Outdoor is absolutely a booming trend. Some reasons for this are technologic advancements and the growth of green.
2. In a down economy, outdoor products can be a good solution for interior design as well since their durability allows you to take shortcuts (such as skipping the liner on drapery when the fabric is sun resistant).
3. Being knowledgeable about outdoor can be a unique marketing tool for designers. The outdoor space can be a place to push design ideas and to demonstrate expertise.

I agree and would like to add: the design of outdoor furniture has marked not only growth in quantity, but also a considerable growth of diversity and quality. And I want to mention just one name - Patricia Urquiola. For the last couple of years she has created several collections with inspired outdoor furniture suitable for every occasion outdoors and indoors! But one of those I like especially is the new Rafaelo collection (bottom).

The exhibition of almost all outdoor furniture designs by Patricia Urquiola is part of the events during the Sofia Design Week that runs these day here and I have been pleased to visit.

If you need more information and inspiration on outdoor furnishings here is probably one of the best the sourcees.

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Sofia Design Week Starts Today

2009-06-05T20:17:00.005+03:00

Something new happens in Sofia - the so long awaited design week starts today. Numerous exhibitions are scattered allover the city, but one of the most interesting events is the NEXT IDENTITY FORUM: an international event, part of the festival that gathers some of the most significant names in avant-garde design nowadays: 3 days, 17 speakers. And the first one was Ji Lee - Google Creative Lab Creative Director. It is hard to expect how influential one hour can be! One of the projects he is very famous with is The Bubble Project, but that just shows how a simple design idea can start the change .

Art In Your Home or Office

2009-06-04T13:31:00.009+03:00

Interior design is not only about space planning or arranging and coordination of furniture and furnishings. It is also about creating an atmosphere, coziness, mood. How do we achieve that?

Through professional implementation of of all the rules of interior design for balance and coordination, but also through inspired conceptual design and use of emotionally connected to us pieces of art or anything that makes us feel good. I have showed you an excellent example of Art Furniture in Office Design that is something not many of us can allow, but the small table or any other inspiring piece of design-art is worth the investment.

There are many forms of art that we can incorporate directly into our interior design - like tiles! That can be in the form of murals or mosaics.
3rings have wonderful examples of how tiles are “the ideal way to bring art into any environment…".

"Manufactured in bulk or crafted individually by hand; $10 a square foot or triple digits; the variety of Ann Sacks products extends beyond pure aesthetics (or emotions for that matter). The three-dimensional, burnt red Dahlia tiles by Blake Studio were introduced at K/BIS and on view recently at the National Kitchen and Bath Association’s convention in Atlanta. Potentially the most iconic of Ann Sacks’ new designs, these bold tiles have not surprisingly received the majority of press attention. Designed to be composed into dramatic, show-stopping murals, they epitomize the concept of tile as art. Each is made by hand using the age-old Italian technique of Sgraffato, “to scratch,” so it is not surprising that their price-point is more in line with one-of-a-kind art than standard tile. "

Mosaics are another form of art that we can incorporate into our interior and create special mood. I like very much the Artiste mosaics of the same supplier. Taking its aesthetic cue from designs popular during the 1930's they can be successfully embedded into our contemporary interiors creating the individuality that we always look for.

More forms of applied art for your home and office will follow soon.

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From ICFF09: Peli Design - Vindication of Plastic Furniture

2009-06-03T12:00:00.003+03:00

Do you like plastic furniture? For me - I would say 'not really'. But have a look at these Plastic Stools from PeliDesign presented at ICFF09.
They are created with the aim to explain and show how and why plastic furniture can co-exist with wooden furniture, how plastics and wood can be fused and may be even plastics can be used to repair wooden furniture!

"The Plastic Nature is a furniture concept which exemplifies the connection of the "plastic-world" and the world of wooden furniture....When wood is machined, material is always taken away - contrary to plastic. In plastic manufacturing there is hardly any waste because plastic is cast in shapes and leftovers molten again for further casting. With the PlasticNature I wanted to fuse handmade furniture and injection-moulded plastic furniture."

picture from Core77

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Rugs are Getting Unexpected Forms - Furoshiki rug

2009-05-31T13:06:00.008+03:00

Rugs are Getting Unexpected Forms lately - remember the interesting Gandia Blasco’s carpet MANGAS designed by Patricia Urquiola and presented at the Salone in Milan? Now the
Furoshiki rug by TemaHome - its unusual symmetric shape adds an impression of motion, along with an eye-pleasing, three-colour pattern which initially seems random, but is actually a well-constructed puzzle worthy of oriental logic. Its name remounts to the popular Japanese technique of gift-wrapping, which transforms most everyday items into smart-looking presents right from the outside. In reference to the Japanese wrapping technique, that protects objects for transport, the Furoshiki seams like a folded cloth. The rug’s pattern combines 6 different colours and is produced by hand in 100% wool from New Zealand. Created by the Portuguese designer Miguel Vieira Baptista.

Килимите придобиват все по-разнообразни форми. Може би Patricia Urquiola беше една от първите, които започнаха тази тенденция. На панаира в Милано тази година бяха показани много интересни килими MANGAS по неин дизайн за Gandia Blasco. А този килим по-горе с името Furoshiki е заимствал формата си от интересната японска технология за опаковане на подаръци. Предлага се от TemaHome.

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Quite Unusual Bathroom Accessories

2009-05-31T10:07:00.006+03:00

I just discovered a series of very interesting bathroom accessories by the Italian company NITOARREDAMENTI srl

Bestiario (left) are stylish hooks in different “ice glass” colours. Design: Altakuota Progettazione

Flutto (below) is a collection of hand made ceramic washbasin and bathroom accessories.

Collection Eva's Family is the most unusual one: inspired by the shape of female's hand and produced in soft synthetic material it includes a table lamp, a standard lamp, a portable emergency light, a hand-held shower.

Style is the word that connects Fashion and Interior Design

2009-05-30T19:17:00.019+03:00

A feast of colors elegantly coordinated in perfect balance and harmony - this, in short, is the description of the interiors
in the new Hotel Missoni Edinburgh that is to be opened in a few days. Matteo Thun & Partners draws on signature Missoni prints and iconic modern furnishings. As Interior Design
magazine notes:

"Style-conscious travelers can now sleep in their favorite labels... as fashion houses branch out into the hotel business."
The boutique hotel is located in central Edinburgh and will feature 136 rooms and suites.

As you can see once again - fashion invades luxury interior design with great success.

DENIM EVERYWHERE Trend

2009-05-26T17:07:00.001+03:00

Denim is always fashionable - it is comfortable, elegant and sturdy. You can find it on the spring runway trends previews

and at furniture shows. The latest trend for upholstered pieces is quilting done up like a Chanel handbag.

You can have both in denim textile - this Kvilt sofa from the Swedish firm Garsnas was presented at this year's Milan Furniture Fair (highlights here).

As always fashion and interior design go hand-in-hand.

But you can make an elegant seating from denim pieces yourself! Like this multifunctional Denim chair by Scrap Lab below.

Inspiration from ICFF 09

2009-05-25T14:22:00.003+03:00

In my postThe Feeling of Luxury in Interior Design I wrote that tufting pattern is a preferred approach when a designer intends deliberately to create that subtle feeling of opulence. But here is another way to make this - by using
the Korean designer Chae Young Kim filigree work in print presented at ICFF 09 named Urban Camouflage prints. It is based on a fractal structure. She blends hand drawing and computer graphics that are digitally printed on silk. Can you imagine your walls with such panels? Or parts of them?
image © designboom

Footwear by Zaha Hadid for Lacoste

2009-05-21T13:12:00.002+03:00

LACOSTE AND ZAHA HADID LAUNCH LIMITED-EDITION FOOTWEAR

LACOSTE will launch the footwear capsule collection designed in collaboration with Zaha Hadid Architects in September 2009. The project was initially previewed in October 2008 during the Frieze Art Fair in London, and the exciting ‘work in progress’ exhibited there has now become a final design prototype poised for production.

source: Dezeen - Footwear by Zaha Hadid for Lacoste
Has recession some connection with this new destination to Zaha Hadid's creative power? I wonder who is going to wear these shoes?
I have posted many times about the fact that trends in interior design often come from fashion, but here we can see the opposite - fluidity in architecture and interior design applied to fashion.

The most unusual wall treatment - tobacco leaves!

2009-05-18T16:33:00.007+03:00

Although I am an interior designer and have seen many and interesting wall treatments, today I have found the most unusual one - hand-applied tobacco leaves! Rita Norona Schrager's Southhampton Home featured in June's issue of ELLE Decor has many other interesting details but for the study she wanted to incorporate a Cuban theme, so the designer Arriaga suggested finding real tobacco leaves and lacqueringthem to the wall. After months of perseverance by a craftsman who experimented with various shellacs and finishes the project ultimately proved successful.
I wonder - what the smell in this cabinet is? And how would one feel in the company of this snake on the coffee table? But the wall treatment is unique!

Да - това, което виждате на стените са наистина листа тютюн - залепени и лакирани! Това е кабинет в къщата на Rita Norona Schrager, показана в последния брой на ELLE Decor. Собственичката е искала да има непременно кубинска тема в обзавеждането - и е успяла! Действително уникално решение. Интересно - колко трайно ще бъде това покритие?

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Furniture Guaranteed for 300 Years!

2009-05-15T18:32:00.006+03:00

That is what the debuted last month at the International Furniture Fair in Milan brand-new Swedish company Brikolör aims: to manufacture furniture "with a guaranteed emotional and technical durability of 300 years."

It appears that recession and ecological problems may have brought a considerable change in thinking: we again start to value longevity, good quality practical and well designed products that we like to have and keep as long as possible.
source: Springwise

A very positive trend. For more highlights and other interesting trends from Milan Furniture Fair 2009 read my earlier posts.

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LED - Emotionalize your light

2009-05-14T11:31:00.002+03:00

LED - Emotionalize your light is an Idea Contest energized by OSRAM. Everyone is invited to submit ideas and win a prize!
What are "emotional LED solutions" - a special form of LED illumination designs which create an atmosphere that not only positively affects our wellbeing but also gives rise to moods and emotions. Rooms with an individualized and emotional LED light concept spread a feeling of harmony and relaxation. The resident can escape from everyday life and strengthen him or herself for daily challenges. In turn, this energizing promotes health and wellness.
Details are available at: LED - Emotionalize your light

NY Design Week 09 Preview: Playful: New Finnish Design

2009-05-12T22:27:00.005+03:00

Core77 have published some pictures of Playful: New Finnish Design that is going to be part of the NY Design Week 09. Playful focuses on play as an important element of well-being, education, and environmental responsibility. I would like to have this ingenious Jazz Chair at home!

Design by Terhi Tuominen's for Powerkiss.

Ilkka Suppanen for Marimekko: Kivikko Seating

There is anotherICFF 2009 sneak peek below.