Most people, given the choice, would love to be able to afford to furnish their homes with designer furniture. Unfortunately, however, the price of such highly coveted items can be somewhat prohibitive for many of us. This is why a group of designers have decided to make a stand by stripping out the middlemen and
Trend
Pop Art in interior design
In my latest article for Designer magazine I take a look back at the origins of the Pop Art movement and the effect that it has had on modern interior home design. I speak to a number of interior designers to get their views on the influence that the current resurgence of Pop Art is having on
Continue Reading
Wallcoverings
Funky frame wallpaper
When I get my own property and it comes to decorating you can be sure that this wallpaper will feature somewhere in my house. Designed by Taylor and Wood for Graham & Brown, Frames is an exciting and interactive paper that gives you complete control over the end result. Use it simply as it comes
Continue Reading
Wallcoverings
Vintage wallpaper
There is a wonderful selection of vintage wallpapers to be found at Rosie’s Vintage Wallpaper. The site has hundreds of different styles from floral, botanical and flocked-mylar to retro, geometric and scenic. Suitable for kitchens, bathrooms of living spaces in general, there will be something here to suit the needs of any vintage wallpaper lover.
Continue Reading
Uncategorized
Designer Magazine April issue
The April 2010 issue of Designer magazine is now on sale. I’m very pleased to see that an item from my regular Notebook column made the front cover. The Mons Lavabo is a child-friendly wash basin conceived by Spanish designer Romualdo Faura to promote safe and hygienic behaviour. The wash basin focuses not only on
Continue Reading
Furniture
Furniture made from recycled road signs
Working with scrap aluminium traffic signs Boris Bally repurposes an otherwise discarded material and transforms it into unusual, edgy and urban furniture. Bally has a background in jewellery making and grew up in an environment where recycling was somewhat of a family tradition. His so-called ‘aha moment’ came in 1991 whilst making the shell form
Continue Reading
Interior Accessories
Decorative wall stickers
HU2 Design is a young London-based design company specialising in wall stickers. From the kitchen to the bathroom and the living room to kids bedrooms, these high-quality vinyl stickers come in all number of exclusive designs that can spruce up the dullest of spaces. Birdcages, flying pigs, duke boxes, hamster treadmills and the skyline of
Continue Reading
Heating
Heating gone soft
Designed by Takahide Sano for Italian company Ad Hoc and distributed in the UK by MHS Radiators, Makura offers a completely new take on the traditional radiator. Combining the durability of hard steel with the soft furnishing of comfy cushions, this new heating concept not only looks good, but also allows for a more personal
Continue Reading
Lighting
A light on the tiles
Billie Jean is an innovative wall covering concept that incorporates a collection of translucent glass tiles designed to illuminate the bathroom. The design, by Finnish designer Henrik Amberla, was a submission for a competition run by home design company DNA+. Amberla took his inspiration from a Michael Jackson music video in which the mere touch
Continue Reading
Trend
Trend Forecasting
In my latest article for Designer magazine I talk to the ‘professional trend forecasters’ to find out how designers can look ahead to future developments in order to maximise the success and profitability of their products. You can read the article here or check out the selection of other articles I have written for Designer
Continue Reading
Trend
Off the Wall
Launched by a Gothenburg based design duo in early January, Off the Wall is a 3-Dimensional wallpaper designed by Kicki Edgren Nyborg as part of her Master’s thesis. Now, working in collaboration with her husband Peter Nyborg under the name of Kredema design, the duo have developed a collection of six different 3D shapes that
Continue Reading
Bathroom
Cupcake bathtub for kids
Dutch designer Beerd van Stokkum has given the classic cupcake case a new lease of life with his design, which he has aptly named Sweet Cake. Enlarged to extraordinary proportions the cupcake case has become a multi-purpose object. It can be used as a baby’s bath, flower box or garden pot, or a charming basket
Continue Reading
Interior Accessories
Parrot speakers by Philippe Starck
One of the latest designs by iconic French designer Philippe Starck is the Parrot Speaker set. This completely digital speaker set is linked wirelessly creating a perfect surround sound effect. The collaboration between Parrot and Starck aimed to achieve the combination of the latest in wireless technology with an aesthetic that can represent our time.
Continue Reading
Kitchen
Portable mini kitchen
Moving Kitchen is a nifty little concept by South Korean designer Joongho Choi. The sleek looking portable mini-appliance can be moved anywhere around the house or even out to the garden – basically anywhere it is needed – by simply wheeling it around. The product is full of hidden surprises all neatly compacted into the
Continue Reading
Kitchen
Mini kitchen in a drawer
Submitted by South Korean design student Nojae Park as part of the Electrolux Design Lab 2009 competition, this concept design is ideal for those who have hectic work days and often take lunch at their desks in front of their computers. Drawer Kitchen combines an eating surface, fridge, hot plate and dish drawer in a
Continue Reading
Wallcoverings
Fashion-Inspired Wallpaper
This fashion inspired black and white wallpaper is perfect for any avid fashionistas who want to express their love of all things fashion. Available from Wallpaper from the 70s, this wallpaper is part of the surreal collection. There are a whole host of unique papers available from the floral, baroque, glamorous, romantic and abstract collections,
Continue Reading
Wallcoverings
London inspired wallpaper
Lizzie Allen has her own printing studio in which she produces hand-printed wallpapers. Her unique style incorporates novelty and humour and she finds her inspiration from travelling and the different places she has lived in. She also draw her experiences of other cultures and traditions. This wallpaper is ideal for feature walls or individual panels.
Continue Reading
Bathroom
Shiny new bathtub
The Tub-T is an elegant bathtub made from diamond polished stainless steel and complimented with glass steps. There is a blasted swirl pattern on each step. Each step contains an LED light which illuminates the tread. The hand rail which is also made from diamond polished stainless steel is in the form of an
Continue Reading
Appliances
Concept cook
Conceived and designed by Jean-Luc Roux for Hardy Inside, the Concept Cook is a stand-alone kitchen module that brings all the functions together in a single island unit: washing, preparation and cooking. Combined with a cupboard unit on the same level containing a refrigerator, it has room for storage of crockery and utensils. The
Continue Reading
Colour
Colour of the Month – Nov 09
Justine Fox, colour expert at Global Color Research, presents the colour of the month, helping us to understand how colour psychology affects trends. This month she looks at the undeniable sophistication and elegance of Grey. The following is taken from the mix colour update newsletter which you can subscribe to here. If ever a
Continue Reading
Events
International Design Events Calender
Don’t forget to check out the events page of my blog by clicking the link on the right. Here I am compiling a list of all the international design events and exhibitions that I come across. I am constantly updating it and hopefully I won’t miss anything crucial.
Continue Reading
Uncategorized
Luxury camping
And here it is! A tent I wouldn’t mind going camping in! Although according to the designers, Enthoven Associates from Antwerp in Belgium, the Opera mobile holiday home is neither a tent, a caravan, nor a motor home. The Opera allows you the freedom and mobility of camping , but with the luxury of
Continue Reading
Uncategorized
The practical sleeping bag
I’m definitely not the camping kind of girl. Its not that I don’t enjoy the great outdoors, but when it comes to sleeping in a tent in an incredibly restrictive and uncomfortable sleeping bag I have to draw the line. However, I could be persuaded to change my mind if I had the Musuc bag,
Continue Reading
Furniture
Thinking outside the Boxetti
Designed and created by Latvian designer Rolands Landsbergs, the Boxetti Collection is comprised of five separate modules, each driven by three basic design principles – functionality, advanced technologies and the contemporary aesthetics of minimalism. Each of the modules is designed to achieve maximum efficiency by meeting the demands of functionality and suitability. All modules have