9.28.2006

skyway

this handy little side table may just become your best friend especially if you're a couch potato! designer William Earle handmade this piece for blankblank. with Skyway, you can eat your dinner in front of tv (who said tv dinner tray table has to be ugly?), you can use your laptop while comfortably sitting on your couch, and you can easily reach your coffee mug while reading your favorite book. couch potatoes can have good tast, too! $400US.

invitro

designer Cecile Grimaldi created this interesting piece for Kollection. i like how this idea expresses the concept of 'the potential that exists before being.' the design caught my attention and the concept made me think. i think all designers can relate themselves to this little vase/planter.

polar ice

a reader from the UK asked me where he could buy a transparent chair like the one we used for Lara's wedding show booth. that chair is actually Lara's mom's. you can find it here. i want to show you another option in the UK and a great table to go with it - John Lewis' Polar Round Table & Ice Chair. they're great for small dining space. if you think this whole set would be too cold and industrial looking for you, you can mix and match with pieces that made of other materials or add natural accessories like plants or colourful cushions. also check out their Ice Bar Chair & Lolly Folding Chair.

add the feel of light and space to a kitchen or dining room with this modern chrome plated pedestal Polar Round Table. its top is made from 10mm thick clear tempered glass. 195GBP.

continuous chrome frame ensures flexibility and great ergonomic comfort in this versatile Ice Chair with acrylic resin seat. 89GBP. also available in frosted green and frosted blue.

cloud

here's another suspended lamp from Rotaliana. designer Toyo Ito created Cloud by overlaying 5 thin layers of acrylic. the stratification of these layers, the breaks in continuity in the material building up the concentric spaces, the transparency of plastic material, and the reference to the changing shape and immateriality of clouds, all contribute towards the search for a new model of fluid substance. if your work involves any level of creativity, get one; i'm pretty sure these clouds can inspire you. if you claim that you only do routine work, these clouds can at least put a smile on your face or help you daydream.

flow













designers Dante Donegani & Giovanni Lauda created 'Flow' for Rotaliana. to me, this looks like the new age Asian lanterns - with more depth and dimension! this hanging lamp characterized by spheroidal diffuser made of transparent polycarbonate. the volume of the diffuser is visually decomposed into a serie of overlapped concentric rings, which intercept and propagate the light. this airy and modern lamp can bring warmth to your dining table or any corners.

drop











designers Heinerich Fiedeler & Michael Raasch created this suspended lamp for Anta. just like their other designs, 'drop' has the whimsical style in the most modern form. a series of them will be great for hanging over the bars and reception desks. their material will give the serious or professional feel while the cute drop shapes will bring the playfulness into the space.

capiz

i know i just recently mentioned to you about 3form's product. i'm just really in love with many of their 2006 collection that i have to show you more (of course the cute puppies caught my eyes, too). although capiz shells are known as popular organic materials, they have been used quite often in modern design to soften the overall look. 3form's reinvented these shells in playful colours and patterns to make your space more interesting and updated. they are available in (L to R, T to B) honey sienna, natural cream, natural silver, silver pink, turquoise blue, full straight, and random.

panelite














these translucent and lightwieght Panelite materials provide both light transmission and visual privacy. they are durable and surprisingly environmentally friendly. they maximize the use of post-consumer recycled material to manufacuture panelite and most of the structure and be recycled when reclaming is not an option. 'the company's trademark Honeycomb Construction gives an organic dimension to this space-age material.' they are capable of a full range of custom applications such as walls, ceilings, furniture, and exterior facades. shown here is the furniture example - IIT Study Carrel desk.

9.22.2006

hotel fox

saw this on the great blog 'Apartment Therapy.' i wanna go i wanna go!! if i ever get to go to Denmark, i'll be staying in Hotel Fox room 412 (shown above). if you're sick of ordinary hotel rooms (even boutique hotel rooms for some of you), try this one. you'll be looking forward to going back to your hotel room. 'for the launch of the new Volkswagen Fox 21 international artists from the fields of graphic design, urban art and illustration turned Hotel Fox in central Copenhagen, into the world’s most exciting and creative lifestyle hotel.' there are 61 rooms, 21 artist, 1000 ideas. 'each room is an individual piece of art. from whacky comical styles to strict graphic design. from fantastic street art and Japanese Manga to simply spaced out fantasies. you will find flowers, fairytales, friendly monsters, dreaming creatures, secrets vaults and...' rooms are available in 4 sizes: small, medium, large, and x-large; they will cost you approximately 125EUR to 215EUR.

breeze

i saw Breeze on this wonderful blog "better living through design." fell in love with it. designer Kazuhiro Ymanaka created this humble, subtle piece for Pallucco. with my Asian and buddhism background, i might know a bit more about zen than a lot of people. and i see zen in this piece.
'a little wave moved by a light breeze. a little wave that implies the handle of a fold down door. the shape is pure - not a technical component in sight." the white cabinet has a blue inside panel behind the handle; all other versions have a white one. available @ the magazine.info for $3857.30US (78.75") & $5132.30US (94.5").

soft system



















countless sofa formations and 10 colour selections. Tom Dixon, Habitat's creative director, can definitely catch your attention with this Soft System. made of multi-density foam over wood and high quality textile, this seating design is one of a kind that provides both comfort and style. you can customize your very own Soft System according to your colour scheme, budget and room size.

balloon lamp












why didn't i think of this first? i play with lights and i design home decor with lighting in mind... right, i don't like balloons, especially when they pop. well, i have to admit though, this is an ingenious design. i mean, party decoration and lighting in 1; how great is that? the l.e.d. light in the balloon doesn't generate much heat so it doesn't harm the balloon. because of the long-lasting l.e.d., you can re-use them and tie balloons in different forms for different occassions. available for 2940YEN @ Kyouei Design.

lace embossed concrete tiles

designer Jethro Macey's lace concrete tiles has the unusual high-tech sophiscation. you can find unisex designs out there but you can hardly find a design that has both masculinity and femininity in one. the lace rose pattern is translated into a 3-d form using CNC milling. the slabs reveal the rose pattern when laid in multiples. both interior and exterior tiles are available. they are slightly heavier than normal wall tiles so they suggest a strong adhesive. available in grey & white for 38GBP per tile @blend design store. minimum order of 3 tiles.

intricate

'the gracefully woven roettes of Intricate mimic the appearance of delicate lace in an exaggerated scale.' the lace trend in decor is not going to be over anytime soon. Intricate from Maharam Design Studio can definitely bring the femininity and sophistication into your space. this high-quality textile gives you lace in a much more durable form. use it to re-upholster armchairs with more curves. you'll find the result way more modern than you imagined. available in charcoal, crimson, coffee, teal, royal.

fromage

isn't this just so cute and delicious looking? for a cheese lover like me, i'm not sure if this is a good idea to own a side table like this.. i'll have craving for gourmet cheese all the time! this is from a Vancouver design shop small | medium | large. i haven't had a chance to see it in person; i'm not sure if you'll be able to put your drinks on the table without a glass top. hmm.. i guess i'll have to visit the store and find out for you.

teejay's own - greysquare photographics' show booth

our talented photographer Lara from Greysquare Photographics was an exhibitor of the Grand Wedding Show at Canada Place last weekend. jw and i had been working on the design of her booth all week long. please excuse the horrible photos... afterall, we're designers, not photographers.

we wanted to create a cozy environment that could make visitors feel like home. we knew right away that we'd provide comfortable seatings for people to talk to Lara and view albums and slideshows. we wanted to generate enough storage to hide supplies and backpacks and effective ways to showcase her photos without cluttering the space.this was a 10' x 10' corner booth. this rendering reflected the original information we recieved from the organiser - a 8' backdrop divider and a 3' side divider. later we found out that both of the dividers would be full length @ 8', we decided to hang the saree onto the black side divider to brighten up the space.

once Lara okayed the general direction of the booth design, we started working on the design details and building. here's jw working hard on building the backdrop panels.

here's Lara at her booth - all set up and ready to go! since Lara's thinking about doing several shows this year, we wanted to give her something versatile, easy to assemble, and easty to store. the 3 light weight shelves covered in burgundy satin provided table top space for the monitor screen, prize draw box, contest entry forms, prizes and the post cards for visitors to take home. they also provided enough storage space underneath. with her portfolio albums and giveaway post cards on the coffee table, a comfortable 3-seater couch, and home-gallery-style backdrop to show off her photos, the booth generated a cozy, relaxed environment for visitors to enjoy Lara's photos and conversation with her.

we had Lara mounted these beautiful 11" x 14" photos on foam cores. we then placed them off-centered on these 21" x 21" frames that we customized for her. we used black paint for the frames and white silk on the mat. they made the photos seem popping out of the grey walls so they effectively caught visitors attention. this is a good way to show off her works without needing to print very large photos. also, thanks to Studio 306's great and fast job on making the large sign for the logo across the top of the backdrop. the illuminated sign made a huge difference.

the Grand Wedding Show started as Cultural Wedding Show; the record shows that the majority of attandence has Asian cultural backgrounds. we added Asian-influenced accessories such as pillows, a vase, orchids, and a colourful saree to spice up the booth. when Lara's going to exhibit at different types of shows later on, she can simply change the accessories to create a different theme.

together we picked 4 of her photos and printed them into post cards as giveaways. each of them may appeal to a different crowd. this was a thoughtful, generous and effective idea for visitors to remember Lara when they go home. there's all her contact info on the back. also, visitors can send them to friends and Lara can get even more exposure. although the accessories represent different cultures, we used the colours to tide them toghether. the autumn-colour orchids brightened up the black corner. for a small booth, one flower arrangement is often enough to make a statement (of course, unless you're a flower vendor).

we decided to make 9 "grey squares" and bolt them together to form the backdrop panels to showcase 3 of her photos. these squares echo her company name. also, she wouldn't have to worry about where to store a 7' x 7' panel because all the squares come apart easily. this set up will fit into her smaller booth (8' x 8') at later shows.

Lara had a very successful show; the response was great. she had minimal downtime. many visitors love her photos, her work and her personality; i'd say they enjoyed the booth as well. i'm so very happy for you, Lara. it was a great first show. i hope you get great businesses out of this!

9.14.2006

anna torfs

here's another one of my favorite glass artists - Anna Torfs. i love all her works. i don't know how she does it, but all of her designs can just quitely make bold statements. she uses the centuries old Bohemian techniques to create a timeless collection. here are 3 examples of her work. (top left) 'Double Bubble' is blown free without mold in 4 layers and then cut, grinded, polished and sanded. (top right) 'Mo' is blown in transparent or coloured glass without mold and then cut, grinded and polished. (below) 'Caja-caja' is free-blown. it has a coloured centre in translucent glass or a a coloured centre with an opal layer in translucent glass. Anna Torfs collection is sold in 27 countries by carefully selected shops and galleries.

andy warhol tacoma tumbler

Andy Warhol is best known for his extremely simple, larger-than-life, high-contrast color silk-screen prints of packaged consumer products, everyday objects (Campbell's Soup and the banana appearing on the cover of the rock music album The Velvet Underground and Nico) and for his stylized portraits of 20th-century celebrity icons (Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Judy Garland, and Elizabeth Taylor). read about Andy Warhol here.

here's your chance to bring his bold pop art into your home. these scallop-edged tumblers feature a different day-glo print of his Tacoma flowers. every sip of your beverage becomes a pop art viewing event. available @ Urban Outfitters for $20US (set of 4).

t table

designed by Patricia Urquiola for Kartell, this table is highly functional and decorative. at a glance, you'd know why T Table was huge in Milan this year. the surface of the table is reminiscent of embroidery. one's enough to make a great conversation piece; imagine what effect the tables can bring when used in groupings. made in durable PMMA. available in 3 heights (11", 14", and 17") and 6 colors. you can find it @ Unica for $227US.

graphic

oh! this is so much fun! awesome graphics on transparent surfaces - 2 of my favorite things. Graphic is one of 3form's new collections; it's 'bold in size, fresh in perspective and clean in presentation.' 8 patterns are available: (from top left) mega dentelle, bulbe, spot, dentelle, jacquard, mega bulbe, fern and dentelle pinke. these glass panels make great room dividers. the best part of choosing 3form's product is that you get to customize the colour to match your space. the colour example shown here is gulfstream. go to the 'You Create' page to experience the full range of colours.

cowley manor

when i saw the photos of Cowley Manor's lobby about 2 years ago, i wished i could fly to England right away just to see this crytal lighting installation. the crystals splatter in the air, creating the illusion of crystal explosion. l.e.d. lights that were installed in the floor shoot straight up to make the crystal shiny and glittery. it seems like Cowley Manor has captured a piece of starry skies.

of course i noticed the classic architectural features that surround the modern lighting fixture. i immediately wanted to find out more about this hotel. as i suspected, the rest of the hotel is just as stunning. architect firm De Matos Storey Ryan did such a splendid job. they restored the original features and introduced new materials in modern forms to create perfect balance of and connection between the old and new. you have to check out the rest of the hotel on their web sites.

trace

this collection from Naughtone has table tops that trace the frame perimeter perfectly and are invisibly suspended flush with the surface. all that and the immaculate steelwork create this clean, complete, powerful, and vivid image. the collection includes low tables and dining tables that seat 4 and 6 people. various standard frame colours are available. besides choices in glass, the surface is also available in marble, slate and wood veneers. you can also request RAL colour frames and other special surfaces.

ice kabobs



i need to show you this before summer's over. not only they keep your drinks nice and cold, they also make great stirrers! that's not all; you can use them to make ice pops with any flavours. i like grape juice and cranberry juice the most. the colours are beautiful and they're so very tasty. available @ Teatro Verde for $11.95CDN. i'm pretty sure you can find similar products in many other stores as well. make some ice kabobs and say a proper goodbye to summer.

134













i would say yes to jw if he proposed to me with these diamond chairs. (don't get me wrong; i have the best ring in the world!) Aceray's 134 has an interesting mix of straight and curved lines. the seat is made of acrylic with a diamond detail and the frame is made of chromed steel. the chair comes with legs or a sled base; you can stack up to 4 chairs together with the sled version. available in solid white or black, and translucent blue, red or clear.