Design & Lifestyle Blog

30 May ’11

Andreu World Reveals 2011 Chair Collection | Furniture

Filed under: blog,Furniture — Tags: , , , — Sahar @ 4:42 pm

Andreu World released a series of chairs and barstools during the last Milan fair that took place last April. The highlight of their collection was the new line designed by world renowned designer Patricia Urquiola named “NUB”. In this collection, you will notice the common trends all designers whether in fashion or architecture are leaning towards. The trend is “the back to basics”, where designs were simple and part of a “natural” and somewhat rugged interior. Check these chairs, and see how differently they look once applied to the proper setting.

 

 

 

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28 Sep ’10

Feria Habitat Valencia: September 28- October 2,2010

Today the Feria Habitat Valencia starts, it takes place in Valencia, Spain. This is an annual exhibition mainly for interiors comprising of most trades that fall under this category. Among the exhibitors :

Andreu World: They will present their latest chairs and on On September 28th the prize awards of the 10th International Design Contest will be celebrated at the Andreu World stand at 13:30pm.

Artemide will showcase their latest in lighting , Saint Honore ,and Andrew Martin will present their latest Fabrics & textiles. For the full list of exhibitors you can press this link.

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19 Sep ’10

Latest Trends in Casual & Modern lounges

“Funky” is the new “trendy” when it comes to modern casual seating these days. With fashion houses, well known designers, and brands entering the furniture world, statements and designs that stand out are only natural. Roche Bobois introduced their “ Mah Jong” modular seating in the 1970s by Hans Hopfer . After working with Kenzo maison and Missoni home on several fabirc finishes, this year Roche Bobois decided to work with Jean Paul Gaultier . Roche Bobois presents its vintage Mah Jong sofa, in a new “bleu blanc rouge” look as opposed to the very colorful fabrics of Missoni and Kenzo. Personally I loved this years edition of this sectional. In addition to the Mah Jong, Jean Paul Gaultier worked on numerous items as part of his collaboration with Roche Bobois. The Mah Jong sectional, like modernism itself, has never gone out of fashion.

Another very attractive, modern, and hip sofa is the Confluences designed by Philippe Nigro for Ligne Roset. “Confluences may be considered to be a trailblazer in terms of the new trend for ‘counterforms’ as characterized by the interwoven yin-yang or puzzle-type effect. It will be just as pleasing to lovers of radical design, pioneers searching for a sofa which is totally different from any other, as it will to all those who are seduced first and foremost by the freedom of posture and unheard-of conviviality offered by its colorful, unbridled compositions.” You can get in monochromatic colors as shown or play with the colors and composition.Confluences was introduced by Ligne Roset during the 2009 Imm Cologne Fair.

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16 Sep ’10

Lounge from Heaven : Chester Moon

Filed under: Furniture — Tags: , , , , — Sahar @ 1:19 am

Quilting is back, and now its not exclusive to the classic furniture brands and designs. The detailing that was once a signature of the English Cigar lounge look has now been recreated, thanks to one of the top brands in the furniture industry that is known for its luxurious leather lounges and out of the ordinary designs. Baxter is a “unique brand devoted to a sophisticated clientele which appreciates contemporary luxury and moods that are consistently new and amazing”.

Last year Baxter released one of their icon pieces, the Chester Moon by the very famous architect and Designer Paola Navone. It was released as part of an African inspired project presented at the 2009 Maison et Objet.  In this collection, leather is presented as a new and versatile material, which is the utmost expression of quality and naturalness. Paola Navone reveals a decorative, new and unexpected side of leather in this line.

The Chester Moon sofa is a fully handmade sofa that takes up 45 days of manual labor.

Baxter’s Chester moon comes in 4 dimensions and reaches up to 395cm. Whatever the finish or dimension it should be treated in the space its in as a “statement” piece, against it should be a contrasting mellow yet elegant item that would allow it to accentuate. In an amazing AD by Nespresso and featuring George Clooney, the Chester Moon sofa was used to portray a cloud in heaven, which is exactly how it feels.

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28 Aug ’10

The “Wanders” of Design | Famous Designers

Filed under: Famous Designers — Tags: , , , — Sahar @ 1:30 am

"Luxury starts where functionality ends and where the true value is personal and so has no price or reason."

Marcel Wanders, Designer

Marcel Wanders tops the list of  my favorite designers of all time. From the Netherlands and born in 1963, he started his career in 1988 and became popular because of an iconic chair he designed for Droog Design in 1996. Now his name is linked to designs for such big companies such as B&B Italia, Bisazza, Poliform, Moroso, Flos, Boffi, Cappellini, Droog Design, and Mooi of which he is also art director and co-owner.


"I think Humor is a beautiful way to get connected to people and to get their attention for the things I really like"


You can recognize alot of his work through "the nose" impression he displays in most of his accessories which is his humorous approach in communicating his designs and thoughts.  He is also known for his very intricate and unique design style manifested through use of lace patterns and variety in scales and proportions.

 

 

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25 Aug ’10

Fashion takes over Interiors | Armani & Missoni

Filed under: Designer Interiors — Tags: , , , — Sahar @ 12:33 am

In the past decade the rise of interest in designer fashion brands has had its dramatic impact on the furniture and interior design world.  Fashion houses are no longer exclusive to "certain" clients, but have stretched out through numerous marketing strategies and social media methods to a large niche of people ranging from those who can just afford to "stare" to  those who consider designer brands as their daily bread.

 

 

Giorgio Armani has been one of the pioneers, entering the furniture world almost 10 years ago with his Armani Casa line.  His minimalist style in fashion is reflected in the clean lines of his furniture and simple fabric patterns. He relies on the use of high quality and luxurious materials such as Ebony wood, mother of pearl, silk fabrics and the likes. His Armani Hotel in Burj Khalifa of Dubai has caused an international stir. The hotel has 160 guestrooms and suites, 8 restaurants, retail and Spa areas spread out on 6 floors. This step is the paving way for a number of future hotels and resorts scheduled to open in Marrakesh and  Egypt, with future plans for New York, London, & Paris. Armani designed private homes as well in Saint Tropez, Moscow, Singapore, and London. The next Armani hotel will open in Milan in 2011. The price per night for a classic studio is 2000 AED and for signature suite 8000 AED.

 

 

To compliment his furniture line, Giorgio Armani created a kitchen line produced by Molteni’s Dada SpA under license and a home fabric line by Rubelli SpA which already does the fabric for his furniture.

Personally I can not mention Armani Casa and just overlook the Armani Dolci collection, well known and very well appreciated in Kuwait for their amazing chocolate, jams, and tea, a perfect gift for any occasion (wink , wink). Moreover their Armani Fiori collection is nothing but great taste in a simple presentation of floral arrangements and vases.

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22 Aug ’10

Carrie’s Apartment in Sex & the City

Filed under: Furniture — Tags: , , , — Sahar @ 3:04 pm

 

Most people don’t take the time or effort to know what really is behind every great movie scene and what makes it authentic. The details that go into decorating such spaces is tremendous, one of the movies that was having most of the hype at the beginning of this summer was Sex and the City 2, and ofcourse many of us were waiting to see Carrie’s walk-in closet after marrying Big which is when she got her toy.

The designer behind that particular scene is Lydia Marks who made sure to include all details even to what magazines Carrie would read. The furniture of the apartment from the first movie weren’t saved, so she had to start from scratch.

The two vintage armchairs are from Bergdorf Goodman, The light fixture is of handblown glass globes laced with 14 carat gold available at Lindsey Adelman Studio for $15360, and the Dining table at Alan Moss Studios.

Most of the other pieces were rented or custom made.

Personally I just love her walk in closet ….

Source: Stylist.com

20 Aug ’10

Panton Chair turns 50 | Iconic Pieces

Filed under: Furniture — Tags: , , , , — Sahar @ 11:16 pm

It is not surprising that this chair gets the attention it has been getting for the past 50 years. Vernor Panton’s (1926-1998) initial idea for this 20th century iconic chair dates back to 1958-1959. In 1967 Vitra released it to the public, since then it was manufactured in four different kinds of finishes and versions. The idea of having stackable molded plastic chairs back then was a craze in itself.

 

 

In 2005 the kids version was released and was an instant hit due to the polycarbonate finish in addition to the various colors it has been manufactured in.

 

Due to its history and specifications, the Panton chair is desired by most designers. Its seat height makes it supportive thus being a great chair for use behind desks yet stylish enough to be used in other places as well.

One of the world’s most renowned architects, Zaha Hadid, has used it in the Chamber music Hall at the Manchester Art Gallery for the Manchester International Festival. It has been used in churches as well.

 

United Nude created the Lo-res chair after being inspired by the Panton Chair.

Chris Bosse  sliced up Panton Chair as part of the Re-loved: designer stories exhibition at the Sydney Powerhouse Museum that runs from 31 July – 30 September 2010.

 

The manufacturer for the Panton Chair  is Vitra (www.vitra.com). Agents for Vitra furniture are found throughout the world. In Kuwait there is no current agent for the home collection, in Lebanon the agent is Vivre , Jal el Dib Hwy Phone: + 961 4 72 41 11.

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