Animal World in Lighting Design

Lighting influences our mood - by

the light it emits or through its sculptural form and unusual materials. Even through movement, as you can see below.

Marie Christophe's Bee Darling sconce. This wire sculpture is adorned with colorless, black, and gold crystals.
lisafontanarosa.com


Rebecca Asquith's Nautilus chandelier is constructed from strips of hoop-pine plywood, in a natural or red stain for essenze.co.nz.

Jellyfish Mood Lamp You don't have to be a stressed-out Japanese businessman to appreciate the peace and serenity of the Jellyfish Mood Lamp. It's the perfect "iyashi" amenity for people of any age or background. In Japanese, iyashi means "therapeutic and healing effect," but no translation is needed once you experience this nifty item in action and feel the waves of calmness wash over you. The set includes 3 jellyfish (2 small, 1 large), 12-inch tank, backdrop, LED light display with 5-color changing effect, and a quiet motor with an automatic shutoff function after 4 hours. The appearance and movement of the fish are so natural that you'll wonder if they're real. But please don't try to feed them! This lamp is quick to set up, easy to care for, and provides hours of stress-free therapy. It makes a thoughtful gift, too! No batteries required.

Interesting Fall Forecast for Home Decoration

Very interesting fall forcasts from washingtonpost.com:

In addition to purple as an accent colour now "gray as the new neutral" is the choice for the coming seasons.
"Gray has taken a starring role in interior design lately, becoming the go-to shade for paint, upholstery, wall treatments and flooring. Now it's appearing on wood finishes". Right - grey stained oak by Gervasony

Houndstooth, tweed and tartan may be the prints typically favored in the fall, but look for a new pattern to emerge this year: text. Sentences, jumbled words, letters, numbers and symbols in classic fonts are being used to create edgy graphics and patterns for furnishings and accessories. Typography is becoming a new form of personalization, the modern way to monogram... retailers are using typography to decorate rugs, wallpaper, lighting, wall art, shower curtains, pillows and mirrors.








Viewpoint Kids Letter Lines Marker Modern Kids Rug - Inspired by children's drawings, the designs for these kids rugs are at once delightfully familiar to a child, yet sophisticated enough to appeal to adults.

Children will learn the alphabet and numbers 1-24 with the Count On Me Alphabet Rectangular Rug

Alphabet Throw PillowMaximo has brought designer Alexander Girard's designs back with this Alphabet pillow. This design first appeared in 1952 and was considered contemporary yet innovative, and still is so today. Comes in both Green and Black colored alphabets on white.

Florence Damask Silk Throw Pillow - add a luxurious feel to any living space with these throw pillows. They feature a classic and regal pattern in white against vibrant backgrounds that create an incredible contrast. Designed by Plush Living

Kitchens - Back-painted glass is a big trend








This is one of my favourates -glass backsplash painted in a colour of choice is a great way to create a modern look kitchen - even in combination with wood, as you can see on the picture.

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Lighting with Impressing Design

Lighting is one of the favourate playgrounds of designers - and that has a reason. Lighting is a special part of interior design - each product has at least a double function: as a source of light and as piece of decoration. But as such each light source can influence mood and style both - through its appearance and through the type of light it emmits.
A single piece of lamp can make a difference in a room:
Don't try looking for vermilion accents on the gold, black, or mirrorcan ed surface of Bruno Rainaldi's A Touch of Red for terzani.com (Hint: Check out the cord.)

(source: Interior Design Magazine)








Toobe Floor LampThe Kartell Toobe Table Lamp, designed by Ferruccio Laviani, was concieved from the idea that the use of an acrylic extruded tube could, according to length, become either a floor or table lamp. Thanks to innovative coloring technology, Toobe is the first Kartell product to be faded to permit a special light to be diffused within the cylinder. Toobe is simple and modern and the handle in the lamp body makes the pole shape functional and easy to move. Kartell, a design leader in originality, durablility and new technology, is the first design company to mass produce what has traditionally been hand made. The Kartell Toobe Table Lamp is available with the following: Polycarbonate diffuser. Transparent or Colored Acrylic frame.UL Listed.
Designed by Ferruccio Laviani.Options: Color: Blue, Crystal, Green, Orange, or Red.

Ninety Task Light

Design by Shawn Littrell. The world's most energy-efficient LED task light. Four high-powered LED's illuminate the task area as the asymmetrical light distribution ensures optimal ergonomic lighting. A spring-balanced arm, rotating base and sleek head give the Ninety excellent range of motion. Ninety supplies a great deal of light even though it consumes very little energy, 7.8 watts. The secret is an advanced system of lenses which guide the light effectively towards your workspace. This reduces the risk of glare. The LED's that are used produce a comfortable color of light that renders colors well. It is easy to adjust Ninety to make the light fall where you need it. A spring-balanced hinge in the base allows the arm to be moved back and forth. The shade is easy to turn and the specially developed base contains two separate bearings for easy adjustment. Electronic transformer located on plug.

2008 Winner of Contract magazine s Best of NeoCon Gold award and Buildings magazine s Innovations Grand Prize award for energy efficiency.

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Maison&Objet Autumn 2008: the Trend is SIMPLICITY

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2009… WITH SIMPLICITY - a brief about the trends that are expected to influence our lives - home furnishings, decoration, design in general and way of thinking - in the coming seasons, according to MAISON&OBJET Observatoire :

Faced with a complex and uncertain world, untidy and cluttered, future

scenarios focus on the essential. Land and local produce are becoming valued again. Urbanites, missing having roots, appreciate a new balance between the city and the countryside. Nature and technology are finally replacing people at the heart of the ecosystem. Making room for the elegance of humble and modest objects. Touch wood. That is a nice way to live in your home.

Elizabeth Leriche considers that "The simple pleasures of rural life are reviving a belief in local produce and setting down roots. In a period of galloping urbanization, a rustic style is becoming deeply rooted. People are discovering the animal and organic beauty of the agricultural world. Objects with roots cultivate the appealing authenticity of raw materials and craftsmanship."

"The NellyRodi style agency reveals the Metropuritans’ new acts of
resistance. Camouflaged in an apparently elegant starkness, these ecological
urbanites proclaim a desire for asceticism and an almost military rigor."

- that is a little far-fetched in my opinion, but who knows? We shall see:)

Less speed for better living. François Bernard suggests taking a break in a dematerialized world. Soft, fluid technologies revisit naturalness and a simplified life philosophy.

- a natural phenomenon, I think, but I doubt that "Style is also inspired by the industrial aesthetics of last century’s designer-engineers." This style has had its influence, has played its role and now the world is ready to go on.I think also that the 'Handmade' trend is most probably going to be a steady one. After the machine-produced and highly technological era now we are reassessing the value of 'natural' and 'unique'. That is also connected with expressing a personal point of view

Chaise en bambou Design : Konstantin Grcic in collaboration with the National Taïwan Craft Research Institute and the Taïwan Design Center

Cloud armchair - Design House Stockholm

More trends:

"the main statement of this season's Maison & Objet is abundantly clear: An ocean of gray awaits. Enough to drown in it. Too much of it", writes Hermine Mariaux in Home Textiles Today,

but also

Purples galore. A steady 3-seasons' trickle turning into a flood. All nuances
included from palest lavender through hyacinth and violet to deepest saturation.
True blues pairing with or replacing geen-cast aqua and teal. Bright sky through
cobalt into deep indigo and ultramarine. Navy yielding to brighter hues. Classic
blue-and-white revival. Blue-greens emerging -- not replacing yellow-greens but
pairing with them or even blues in an overall trend toward analogous
combinations.

LG showcase Eco-Chic Living at Maison&Objet -
LG Electronics (LG), a global

technology leader and pioneer in home appliance convergence, participates in Maison&Objet with exhibition booth, designed through collaboration with style and trend forecasting agency NellyRodi Trendlab, where it features a variety of themed mini-rooms all under the umbrella banner of “Eco-Chic Lifestyle” .

“LG, once just an electronics manufacturer, is evolving into a lifestyle brand based on a harmony of style and technological excellence. By offering creative solutions for consumers’ everyday lives, LG’s home appliances play a critical role in promoting the core values of our corporate brand,” says Dermot Boden, Chief Marketing Officer of LG Electronics. “To achieve the ultimate goal of enhancing our brand power by emotionally engaging consumers, LG is taking fresh – and even daring – approaches to marketing. LG’s participation in Maison&Objet signifies our new direction as well as LG’s ongoing status as an iconic lifestyle brand.” via Huliq News and TRENDER

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