Interior Design Blog
ACID goes to Number 10
March 31, 2010
By Jenny Brewer, idfx
Copying in design is a real issue experienced far too often by many smaller businesses and independent designers, one that ACID (Anti-Copying in Design) deals with on a regular basis. It can be hugely detrimental to revenue and credibility, not to mention the emotional ordeal of fighting to protect the hard work that has been invested in an idea. Dids Macdonald, founder of ACID, has been instrumental in the ongoing battle for designers' rights, and her petitions to the government show yet more dedication to the cause.
Jean Nouvel designs Serpentine Gallery's 10th pavilion
March 29, 2010
After a particularly arduous winter, I'm looking forward to summer even more than usual, and particularly to a stroll through Kensington Gardens to visit the Serpentine Gallery's summer pavilion, which this year is designed by star architect Jean Nouvel.
Fashion-forward hotel design
Hotel Missoni in Edinburgh, a concept designed by Rosita Missoni, one of the fashion label's founders.
Claridge's announced a series of rooms to be designed by Diane von Furstenberg, opening in June. This will be her first interior design project and will include original pieces of furniture.
Top of the glass
By Kate Burnett, idfx
There¹s nothing like trying something for yourself to make you appreciate the art and skill of a particular craft. I tried glassblowing for the first time recently and now am the proud owner of a beautiful (well, I think it is!) glass vase which sits, full of daffodils, on my desk as I write. Slightly uneven at the top (I declined an offer to straighten it out) and more yellow than the green I was hoping for, it is still quite surprising to think I had a hand in creating it.
Lampe Gras revival
The return of La Lampe Gras makes its Australian debut at designEx this April
The Lampe Gras, created by French engineer Bernard-Albin Gras in 1921, has become an icon in the history of lighting. The series was originally developed for use in offices and industrial environments and became equally popular in residential applications.
CityCenter: Vdara's spots to wine and dine
March 24, 2010
This week WIDN will take a look the people, places and design behind CityCenter.
The interiors of Vdara Hotel & Spa are based on a flurry of local desert references and exotic influences from further afield, such as lights mimicking dewdrops on cacti or the Karim Rashid-designed restaurant, Silk Road.
CityCenter: Flashing the Green
March 23, 2010
This week WIDN will take a look the people, places and design behind CityCenter.
From design and construction to operations and guest amenities, sustainability has been a key priority for the CityCenter developments. The U.S. Green Building Council has awarded LEED Gold certification, marking the highest LEED achievement of any hotel, retail district or residential development in Las Vegas.
Here are a few of the sustainable highlights, from green fleets of stretch limos to slot machines that ventilate, and everything in between.
CityCenter: Lighting Crystals
March 22, 2010
This week WIDN will take a look the people, places and design behind CityCenter.
Making its home on the infamous Vegas Strip, CityCenter is a far cry from both the sinful and the kitschy reputations of Las Vegas. This mixed-use urban development focuses on sustainability with top design.
Very Sanderson exhibition
March 19, 2010
Sanderson celebrates its 150th anniversary this year with an exhibition of its finest fabrics and wallpaper and an accompanying book, 'Sanderson: The Essence of English Decoration'. The show, which opened today, leads visitors through its archive, from antique leather-paper prints to 1970s Chintz collections, showing how the company have been at the forefront of decorative British design across eras.
Lb3 by Laufen
March 18, 2010
When Ludovica+Roberto Palomba collaborated with Swiss bathroom specialists Laufen, the Lb3 collection was the result. Complementing the creative concept found in the other two themes of the collection, "classic" and "modern," the "design" collection can conveniently be selected for smaller spaces, allowing flexibility in design freedom, and each unique piece effortlessly comes together to create a stylishly proportional and functional bathroom suite.
April Focus: Stone and Ceramics
By Carrie Milford, idfx
April is fast approaching, and with it idfx's Stone and Ceramics Focus. We've been in contact with interior designers over the past month and are really excited about the projects we have encountered! Ceramics and stones are being revived in innovative and beautiful ways for modern design. Check out the April issue for the final pick of our absolute favourites, but here are a few of the projects that have recently caught our attention.
Tally Weijl by Dan Pearlman
A taste of the future
By Rebecca Hoh, idfx
German appliance manufacturers Miele were kind enough to ask me along to visit its two plants in Gutersloh and Bielefeld near Munster. Along with the amazing hospitality, food and insight in the impressive production line we were treated to a journey into a virtual world in the shape of the company's 'CAVE' room. This stands for 'Computer Aided Virtual Environment' and is used to show how their appliances can work in a scheme, in a completely CGI setting you can actually step into.
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Whole Foods: A.R.E. Sustainability Award winner
The Lincoln Park, Chicago Whole Foods has won the Project of the Year Award at the A.R.E. Sustainability Awards, for its integration of comprehensive sustainable strategies with great design.
And the winner is...
March 17, 2010
Beating over 90 international nominees including an electric aeroplane and Zaha Hadid's MAXXI museum of 21st-century art in Rome, British student Min-Kyu Choi from London has won the Brit Insurance Design of the Year 2010 award for his elegant reinterpretation of the humble plug.
Dress for Success renovation with less
Dress for Success, a worldwide non-profit organization that provides interview suits and career development to low-income women in more than 75 cities, decided to expand its Charlotte, North Carolina operation to a 5,000sqf warehouse. Though as you can imagine, an ambiance of rundown warehouse doesn't exactly inspire or motivate putting one's best foot forward--even with a new pair of heels.
Stepping Back into 1896: Leighton House Museum Re-Opens
By: Carrie Milford, idfx
What did the home of English artist Frederic, Lord Leighton look like when its owner died in 1896? With the £1.6 million refurbishment of his Holland Park Avenue home you can now see for yourself.
The Post-Culinary Kitchen Comes of Age
March 16, 2010
A kitchen near Limerick in Ireland by Johnny Grey's design team.
"If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen." This old idiom may have run its course, speaking literally. Kitchens today aren't just for cooking and that's not to be overlooked in their design.
During KBB 2010, kitchen designer Johnny Grey will give a seminar on Tuesday focusing on the changing function of a kitchen, and how this will radically alter the kitchen and home design industry.
Very Sanderson: 150 Years Of English Decoration
Back in 1860, Arthur Sanderson probably had no idea his new business importing French wallpapers would grow into the fabric and furnishing company Sanderson is today. Or maybe he did.
Craft Matters
March 12, 2010
On Tuesday the House of Lords played host to some of the most influential names in craft at an event held by the Crafts Council. The evening celebrated the success of its new initiative Craft Matters, which encourages people to sign up and show their support for contemporary craft across the UK.
One Marylebone's Crypt gets new lighting system
I totally love the lighting system that Point Source Productions, working in conjunction with Fine Art Lighting, has come up with for the Crypt of London events venue, One Marylebone.
The Quiet Riot/ThemThere talk
ThemThere and thequietriot.com will be running quiet riot presentations on the 25th of March 2010. Four of the seven key themes of thequietriot.com will be covered: industries, people, spaces and communities. For each topic there will be a 15 minute presentation followed by a Q&A session.
Paris Baguette, Seoul by JHP Design
March 11, 2010
JHP Design managed to transport the essence of the best Parisienne patisserie to the hippest district in Seoul, South Korea, with their vision for Paris Baguette. The chain, which has 1600 outlets across the nation, presented a distinct challenge for the consultancy when they told them to 'create everything' as South Korea has no bread culture.
A Family Affair
By Carrie Milford, idfx
Few items of furniture are more iconic than Thonet's 214, the coffeehouse chair. The chair, originally number 14, is at home not only in coffeehouses, but in workspaces, homes and outdoors as well, always recognizable and endlessly chic. To celebrate the chair's 150th birthday, Thonet organised the 214x214: A Chair the World Over photo competition.
Unilever joins HafenCity
March 10, 2010
Interpane/Adam Mørk
For its new headquarters in Hamburg, Germany, Unilever chose to locate in the up-and-coming HafenCity development. This mixed-use project is based on the Elbe River, and architect Behnisch Architekten designed the building to resemble a cruise ship, like those that anchor nearby.
Mixing old with new: I'm floored
For the renovation of the assembly hall at Lucas-Cranach-Gymnasium grammar school in Wittenberg, Germany last year, the design was kept modern with a twist of tradition.
Third "Copper and the Home" Design Competition
March 9, 2010
Lookout copper wiring and copper-bottomed pots and pans, there's a new trend in town. Over the past few years, copper has broken with its purely functional conventions and become an innovative material for home décor. Designer Tom Dixon created his eye-catching Void lights (shown below) using copper, brass and stainless steel, while Alfredo Haberli designed his breathtaking Mesa kitchen out of copper (shown above). To further encourage the use of copper in design, Copper Development Association has launched the "Copper and the Home" design competition.
Taking Liberties
There are few things that look quite as romantically English as Liberty fabric but perhaps it takes a French woman to reinvent the classic floral in sofa form. Marie France Cohen, founder of Paris store Merci, has seized the chance to create a sofa that is both feminine and very British, and has shoppers on both sides of the channel lining up for the limited edition pieces.
Green Circle Shopping Centre by Hufft Projects
The Green Circle Shopping Center is the first LEED Platinum Shopping Center in the U.S. It was assigned this status by the US Green Business Council (USGBC). It was designed by Hufft Projects. Who'd have thought shopping could be good for the environment?
Best in Show
March 6, 2010
At the Design Museum, the Brit Insurance Designs of the Year prize exhibition continues to draw in the crowds. The winners of each category were announced on Thursday night, who will now compete to become the overall winner. Among the inspiring selection of this year's best ideas is a great selection of newly iconic furniture, and I've chosen a few of my favourites.
Brit Insurance Design Awards announces category winners
March 5, 2010
Formally announced today, the seven category winners of the prestigious Brit Insurance Designs of the Year Awards was revealed last night on BBC Two's The Culture Show. The programme gave us a taste of the lively and often heated discussion that went into choosing the winners when the seven formidable judges, including designer Tom Dixon, journalist and broadcaster Janet Street-Porter, and Sculptor Anthony Gormley, met. But did they do a good job?
YO! Sushi retro
March 3, 2010
Though it's not like I've ever needed an extra excuse to go out for sushi, I'm excited to check out the new retro interiors for YO! Sushi, designed by Philip Watts Design.
The new '70s-inspired look for the sushi's restaurant's County Hall location in London just debuted Monday when the restaurant re-opened its doors following a refurbishment.
Restaurant & Bar Design Awards nominees
Circus, London
Here are some more nominees for this year's Restaurant & Bar Design Awards. Today I am taking a look at the Independent Bar and Restaurant category. You can see the finalists from the Independent Restaurant category here.
Country Roads: DC Design House 2010
March 2, 2010
Last weekend was the bare bones tour of the third annual DC Design House. Historic Chevy Chase Estate will undergo a complete renovation with interiors by some 20 top designers in the area. In April, the finished transformation will be open for public tours with ticket proceeds going to the Children's Hospital Foundation of the Children's National Medical Center.
What's Knoll's new task chair like to sit in?
The market for office 'task chairs' is tough, and manufacturers are always keen to let us know just how 'revolutionary' their latest model is. But how much of what they say is hyperbole? Well, in the week before its official UK launch yesterday, I've been trying out Knoll's new chair, Generation by Knoll, to see if really is as good as they say.
Restaurant & Bar Design Awards nominees
March 1, 2010
Galvin La Chapelle
Nominees for this year's Restaurant & Bar Design Awards have been announced. The awards are independent and now in its second year, and winners are chosen by panel of top international journalists from the design, hospitality and lifestyle sectors. Their job is to recognise and reward both 'restaurants and bars' and their 'designers' for design excellence. Here are shots of the finalists in the Independent Restaurant category.
Matsuki residence by HEAD Architecture
HEAD Architecture combined two apartments in Hong Kong to make a new home for a new family. They designed it so that the rituals of family life - bathing, playing, eating, sleeping - can be thoroughly re-evaluated, with an open-plan sequence of simple flexible spaces facilitating the informal flow and changing requirements of an expanding family.
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