Design & Lifestyle Blog

1 Oct ’10

Product design by Zaha Hadid

Filed under: Compliments & Accessories,Famous Designers — Sahar @ 11:59 pm

 

 Zaha Hadid has been one of the most well known names to people in our field, i.e. design and architecture. However the way her work has been spreading in the past 20 years has allowed her to be household name rather than just a name circulated among designers. Not only is she a successful architect, but one with such a unique style that indicates her touch once you see a building or product designed by her and her team. Her architectural iconic buildings have swept over every design magazine and website. What I liked to highlight in this post , however, were the products she designed.

The products below are among my favorites , and incredibly synonymous with the style she has created for herself. When you look through them you will notice her signature in every product. The latest product she designed was the beautiful Seoul Tea service.

 The Seoul Tea Service

Inspired by the ancient traditions of Korean culture and lifestyle, the tea service designed by Zaha Hadid Architects has re-interpreted the ceremonial aspects inherent to Korea’s way of life throughout history into a fluid, seamless vision of the future both through material and form utilizing digital design and fabrication processes to realize their transformation.

The Seoul Tea Service is the latest product design by Zaha Hadid Architects, which was commissioned by NY Projects in 2009. The service is made out of ceramic while the textured case that resembles a spaceship is carbon fiber. The fluid and dynamic form of the set is based on the exploration of movement through space.

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28 Sep ’10

Vivienne Westwood Eco-friendly Bottles

Filed under: Compliments & Accessories,Environment — Sahar @ 9:19 pm

SIGG have partnered with Vivienne Westwood to provide an eco-friendly alternative to plastic water bottles at fashion shows. Available only in a limited qty. in selected stores, the SIGG Webshop as well as in Vivienne Westwood stores. She designed the limited-edition reusable bottles with SIGG for her Fashion Week guests.

Unveiled at the Spring/Summer 2011 presentation of Vivienne Westwood Red Label at London Fashion Week, the bottle is the third and final design in the Westwood’s SIGG series

Emblazoned on the bottle is a call to stop climate change, one of Westwood’s pet causes.

Source

17 Sep ’10

Lighting Statements: Impressive Chandeliers

Filed under: Compliments & Accessories — Sahar @ 8:46 pm

 

How are designers inspired?  No one knows what exactly, anything could inspire us, but what really helps is the client’s attitude and extent of flexibility. In “flexibility” I mean how much he is willing to allow the designer to create in addition to the budget limit he/she sets for the project.

This Chandelier called “Bacterioptica “ is made of  petri dishes (dishes biologists use to culture cells) and 15000 feet of Fiber optic cables. The interesting thing about this chandelier is the story behind it, its why I mentioned how clients shape our designs in many ways.

According to the designers, MADLAB, it is “designed to be adaptive, not only in its form and mechanics, but more importantly, in the way it evolves.  Bacterioptica is not your typical chandelier, just as no family is a typical unit of interactions. Its on/off switch does not control it. Bacterioptica is alive. It grows. It is itself a household organism. It is living and breathing the same air and bacteria we are. It is designed to synchronize with the life of a very unique New Jersey household, comprised of two parents, three children, a dog, and one hell of an extended family: grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, not to mention house plants, insects, allergens, fungi, and billions of bacteria that live with, on and among all humans."

 

MADLAB is an award-winning and internationally published architecture firm noted for its research and innovative design services. We approach every project with a creative collaborative mindset and expanded understanding of the diverse and complex factors that influence wonderful design- from interior fixtures to urban environments.

MADLAB was Founded in 2003 by Petia Morozov and Jose Alcala, the firm is comprised of design professionals who reflect MADLAB’s commitment to environmental sensitivity, intelligent creativity and client service. Each of our projects is the result of a unique vision, with a masterful expression of space, materials and systems.

 

 Swarovsky Crystal Palace

Another design house not just promoting luxury materials in their lighting fixtures but working with talented designers to create breathtaking chandeliers is  Swarovsky Crystal Palace.

The Topograph by Karim Rashid for Swarovsky Crystal Palace is a depiction of the Tyrolian Mountains, home to Swarovski Headquarters.

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12 Sep ’10

Alexander McQueen for The Rug Company

The Rug Company is internationally acclaimed for the high quality of its handmade rugs, wallhangings and cushions, and its unique collaborations with international design luminaries. The strongest names in fashion, art and design contribute to The Rug Company’s Designer Collection, including Paul Smith, Vivienne Westwood, Marni, Diane von Furstenberg, Tom Dixon, BarberOsgerby, Eva Zeisel and Neisha Crosland. Their latest addition is the collection by Alexander McQueen finalized shortly before he passed away. After three years of design and production, McQueen’s hand-knotted series—four large rugs and two coordinating throw pillows—is considered the Rug Company’s most ambitious project to date reports W Magazine. For one rug, in a military brocade design, McQueen was inspired by a gold bullion–embroidered coat from his fall 2001 runway show; for another, he mined his iconic skull pattern in striking white and silver. The rug above is priced at $18,900.

Mont Blanc releases John Lennon special edition

Today Montblanc unveiled their latest fountain pen—a  guitar neck clipped designed pen to honor John Lennon’s would-have-been 70th birthday.

This Donation Pen pays tribute to the legends of music and provides real help to young musicians by donating part of the pen’s proceeds to projects that support contemporary arts and music.

 

“To celebrate this edition, Montblanc will be hosting five simultaneous events in major cities around the world.The spectacular New York City launch event hosted by Susan Sarandon and Lutz Bethge, CEO Montblanc International will take place in a location overlooking Central Park, only a few blocks away from where the legend lived in his final years.
Throughout Sunday, September 12th Tokyo, Hong Kong, Berlin and Mexico City will be doing their part to bring to life John’s vision of bringing the world together. Of special note is the launch event to be held in Berlin – for it will be honored with the presence of Yoko Ono, who will be sending a special message of peace to the world in honor of the launch.”

Price for BP pen: $700 and FP pen: $920 prices go higher as gold and diamonds are added to the designs.

Update: Today , September 13,2010, Mont Blanc released the official stories behind their marvelous John Lennon pen collection with more photos of the various designs.

John-Lennon-Montblanc-pen-490

The story of John Lennon for Mont Blanc is found in these 2 links: link 1  link 2

11 Sep ’10

Latest Color Trends

Every season Pantone introduces the top 10 colors. All designers and consumers alike await this event as it will be prevalent around us for at least 6 months.Once a year however, there will be an announcement for the color of the year. The color of the year 2010 is Turquoise which explains why it is found in all seasonal palettes for 2010 in slightly varied hues.

As most fashion enthusiasts know, New York Fashion week started September 9,2010 and staying till September 16,2010. During this event Pantone released their Spring 2011 Fashion color report.

The Spring 2011 Pantone Fashion Color Report shows that Africa, India, Peru and Turkey are acting as inspirations for spring 2011.
“The colors designers have chosen for the spring season present an interesting marriage of unexpected warm and cool tones,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute.

spring 2011

Spring 2011 Trends

The designers who worked on the selection took into consideration the economic situation and aimed at using colors that can be extended from season to season. So you will notice that you can add to your closet instead of create an entire new wardrobe.

Below are the colors for fall 2010, full reports and pamphlets are found on the original site.

fall10

Fall 2010 Trends

TheMustHaveColorTrendsForFall2010

Fall 2010 Must have color trends

Chanel Limited editions- Khakis with a twist

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29 Aug ’10

The Siesta and its essentials

Filed under: Compliments & Accessories,Uncategorized — Tags: , , , — Sahar @ 2:19 pm

“Until you value yourself, you won’t value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything about it.”           M. Scott Peck

What do Leonardo Da Vinci, Albert Einsten, Thomas Edison, Margaret Thatcher, & Bill Clinton have in common aside from being well known, powerful, and smart people? They are famous nappers. The nap in itself is a habit many people master  naturally, some thrive to have the priviledge, and others just believe its a waste of time.

The famous nappers I mentioned earlier all had little time to sleep at night but believed in several short naps during the day to rejuvenate their brain and creativity. This has been proven over and over in numerous recent researches. The recent addiction to technology and social media is a faster way to reveal our lifestyle flaws yet we never do anything about it. I speak from personal experience, as I am getting more and more attached to the current popular devices my shut eye time is diminishing, I am sure I will soon start seeing the consequences if I don’t start taking “me” time.

A short afternoon catnap of 20 minutes  enhances alertness and concentration, elevates mood, and sharpens motor skills. To boost alertness on waking, you can drink a cup of coffee before you nap. Caffeine requires 20 or 30 minutes to take effect, so it will kick in just as you’re waking. Limit your nap time to 45 minutes maximum.

The art of napping takes practice. You have to learn to switch off from concerns, demands, and stresses of daily life for a short period.

There are many aids for napping such as herbs, mainly Lavender , chamomile, geranium, jasmine, & ylang ylang which have calming effects among others. You can apply their use  through aromatherapy oils. You can find oil burners at shops such as The Body Shop and get these soothing oils. Using these oils is part of my daily ritual, I realized when I was living in Lebanon, that friends who came over kept complimenting me for the relaxing atmosphere in my house. In addition to my hospitality *blushing* I knew the oils were a big part of that reputation.

The colors used in the room where you nap are very important. You can’t have a red bedroom and expect to wake up in a relaxed condition. Over time you will realize something is wrong. Chromotherapy is an ancient science as well. The colors to use while napping are: Rose for tranquility, Blue for relaxation, Green for renewal, Lilac for equilibrium.

Sleep Box

Researchers are realizing the importance of the “siesta”, hence the new concept most of received in our emails. The sleep box is an office workstation and resting pod designed for public places like train stations, airports and bus terminals. These small pods are rental units that provide travelers peace and quite as well as a place to work.Currently, there is construction of these units in the Dubai airport with hopefully more places to follow.

Buenos Aires 20 min Siesta Company - Preparations for a Nap

In Buenos Aires, city residents are fighting work-related stress with a 20-minute nap at the center. Employees at Siestario tailor to each client the music, aroma and colors that would be most conducive to sleep. (Photo taken from Reuters)

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27 Aug ’10

Table Manners and Settings | Etiquette

Filed under: Compliments & Accessories — Tags: , , , , — Sahar @ 1:30 am

 

 

We have all seen Julia Roberts in "Pretty Woman" and most of us remember the scene where she was in a fancy restaurant and didn’t know the first thing about using the utensils, or any table manners for that matter. Table etiquette has always been associated with  snobbish people who just "know-it-all". However, people now are going out more often, hospitality has become a large part of our daily lives, no one cooks for anyone anymore.

However it is always interesting to know Table rules and try to apply them, it kind of gives a sense of power infront of those who are etiquette-challenged.

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