Designer, author and television personality, Mark Montano, is launching the next book in his effusive Big Ass Book series, The Big Ass Book of Home Décor on April 1st. Specializing in turning the “mundane into the insane” on any budget, Montano’s creativity and exuberant personality have made him a household name in the interior design and fashion worlds. The Big Ass Book of Crafts was published in 2008 and is currently the number one selling craft book in the US. Continue reading “The Big Ass Book of Home Decór” »

French-born and Tokyo-based designer Emmanuelle Moureaux has created the ‘Shibafu Table’. 56 slender colored acrylic sticks are randomly arranged into a piece of transparent acrylic, creating an aesthetic, reminiscent of a colorful Shibafu or lawn. The sticks support the transparent acrylic panel, while refracting and reflecting light as if they were soaking under water. The colored sticks appear and disappear, and even seem to bend at times depending on the angle at which you view them. Continue reading “Emmanuelle Moureaux: Acrylic Furniture” »

To many of us our homes and work spaces must be kept and designed in a certain order for us to be comfortable so we can do what we do best. For over a year now, The Selby has been showing us the offices and homes of some of today’s most interesting creative talents. Todd Selby has created his own unique, intimate style, and now his photos are taking the form of a book.

One day, Todd decided to slip into the homes of designers and artists to discover intimate details, objects and places in their lives. Each month, he captivates the masses of his website with interior shots of these dwellings. This May, Todd will release his first book The Selby Is In Your Place, a 256 page tome featuring 30 professionals ranging from musicians to designers and writers. It will make a great feature on your coffee table, I assure you. Continue reading “The Selby Is In Your Place” »

Google has managed to come into our lives, take it over, reshape it, make it more convenient to run from it’s amazing email service to the dozens of applications it offers. Many of us in the creative industry are familiar or heard rumors of how grand their offices are and the treatment their employees receive. From giving their engineers freedom over their projects, empowering employees to work on whatever they deem important. Why wouldn’t they? For being a driving source into lifestyle and the Internet, those who are lucky to work there should have a creative sanctuary to grind in.

The interior is a vibrant as their ever-changing logo. Massage lounges, arcade machines, sliding boards, & hut meeting rooms are a few examples of the decor. Employees can dine on gourmet food & even relax in dark rooms all while at work. Human Resources Reps… best of luck now! Continue reading “A Look Inside Google Offices” »

INSA and ROUSSEAU introduce their lounge chair to the follow-up on their bubble chair of last year. Rousseau created a set of loungers inspired by automotive engineering and science fiction, shown in three different finishes. One chrome painted, one in two tone custom leather upholstery. The chair’s design and aesthetics are vintage INSA with the colorful and striking pink color that has marked so many different platforms in the past. For more information on the chair, head over to ROUSSEAU.co.uk.

Suppose Design Office has just presented their latest work for the Diesel Denim Gallery in Aoyama, Japan. Suppose’s Tanijiri and Masaaki Takahashi, an independent writer and editor specializing in various fields of design and this exhibit’s curator, have created a gallery space for the Diesel clothing line. For this year’s store installation, Tanijiri has created an “innovative art space” entitled Nature Factory. For the Nature Factory installation, a series of pipes branch across the stores in all directions.  The placement of the artificial plumbing echoes a tree’s branches growing over a period of extended time.  Tanijiri notes, “Denim as recognized work clothes formerly had, at times, shown different expressions as fashion items to the people.  Equally, a group of plumbing, usually unnoticed, shows completely different expressions in the installation.”  As the pipes run across the ceiling and down the walls, the fashion items are arranged among the network of pipes to show that “such primarily functional things actually are more diverse and also have higher value.”

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Zurich-based Schindlersalmeron created the minimal hocker stool using three sheets of aluminum folded together. The three pieces of aluminum are identical in shape and use spatial folding to stabilize each other. Using aluminum allows the stools to stay light, only 1.6 kg, while the splayed design makes them stackable. While definitely contemporary in style, the stool’s pointed arch is reminiscent of classic gothic architecture. This design feature is highlight when all three colours, white, silver and black, are stacked on top of each other. Schindlersalmeron is composed of German designer Christoph Schindler and Margarita Salmeron Espinosa of Spain. Continue reading “Schindlersalmeron Aluminum Hocker Stool” »

It’s black / It’s white…

It’s BONGO!

German bathroom ceramics manufacturer Duravit has launched two sleek new finishes – black lacquer and white lacquer – for its iconic bongo vanity.

Designer extraordinaire Philippe Starck first conceptualized the Starck 1 collection for Duravit over 15 years ago, citing primitive forms (bucket, hand pump, nail) as his inspiration. Today, the entire range is regarded as a modern design classic, with a particularly outstanding focal point – “the barrel.” This conical vanity unit has become Duravit’s most successful individual furniture item, and this was reason enough to introduce two new versions of this bestseller in new eye-catching black and white high-gloss finishes. (Not to mention the fact that we hear black and white are making a big comeback in the home!)

The 23 inch-wide vanity is the ultimate fusion of timeless beauty and function. The practical interiors of the bongo, which are lined with glass shelves and chrome rails, provide plenty of storage space. And, the new high-gloss paint finishes round off the classic Starck quintet, which is also available in American Walnut, Pearwood Tone and Macassar real wood veneers.

So how big of a hole is this beauty going to burn in your pocket? Well…not too big. Just a mere… umm…$5,250! But I say it’s worth every penny. A tasteful space can only be created using tasteful – and timeless – design. I guess we can add this one to the list of “must-haves for my dream bathroom which will be part of my dream house that I’ll live in with my dream husband…” Hey, a girl can dream…right?!

Mike To, of Hong Kong-based Objects Design Group, recently released The Moon Chair. While “moon chair” has come to describe many spherical seating designs, To’s design sets itself apart. It exudes an air of solidity, and appears to be carved from a solid block of stone. Finishes options include high gloss gray or bronze. Continue reading “Moon Chair by Mike To” »

This amazing modern bar design in Lima, Peru features a number of unique and totally unconventional elements that really make it stand out. Chilean architect Felipe Assadi’s design, El Tubo occupies one of Lima’s historical sites – an abandoned building, circa 1820. Here, old meets new in what is now an elegant, ultra modern space. The tube-shaped structure for which the bar is named features modern rounded corners, and has been drilled with holes to allow a gentle violet light to permeate the space. Inside, this long funky volume houses everything abstract – a simple, clean-lined, white bar complemented by minimal bar stools and chairs. Overhead, a collection of contemporary lighting fixtures is a sculptural, artistic addition, creating a stunning focal point. Underfoot, loose gravel makes an ultra-chic and unexpected natural statement.

View more images after the jump Continue reading “El Turbo by Felipe Assadi” »