W O W ! ! is this RECYCLED ? ? ?

SAVE THOSE PLASTIC BOTTLES!!!



Look what was launched at the Milan Furniture Fair a few weeks ago!



This is a very classy chair! Shown here in a one ton block of ice (Milan always does things over the top!), the chair is designed by Philippe Starck, and produced by Emeco, in conjunction with Coca-Cola. It's official name is the Navy Chair, and the original design was produced with 80% recycled materials. This new version is called the 111, because it uses 111 recycled soda bottles per chair.



Coca-Cola approached Emeco with the challenge of making a Navy Chair with a new, unproven formulation of rPET (recycled plastic bottles). Spawned by Coca-Cola’s new Spartanburg South Carolina recycling plant, the concept intended to raise awareness about recycling. “The goal of the 111 Navy project was to alter consumer behavior by illustrating the value of rPET with beautifully designed and everyday products - ultimately encouraging more recycling.” They expect to use 3 million plastic bottles per year in the manufacture of this chair.



Looks to me like they will succeed. It sure appeals to my "Green Mindset!"

The chair has a distinctive, “velvet” finish that is scratch resistant and comes in six colors: Red, Snow, Flint Gray, Grass Green, Persimmon and Charcoal. Three of them (Snow, Flint and Red) can be used outdoors.

Drink Coke, and then sit in it!

=)

TIPS FROM A PROFESSIONAL LIGHTING DESIGNER

Here are some great tips for planning your next lighting project!

PLiNTH & CHiNTZ :: The Online Interior Design Magazine - 2010/06: Oops! 9 Lighting Mistakes To Avoid In Your Next Kitchen Or Bath Project

Be sure to follow the links in the article, if you would like more information. This designer is great in sharing her resources....The link on choosing the correct color in CFLs is especially helpful....

Exciting News!!

I am very honored to have been selected again by Ava Living, an international interior design website, to have my work featured in their special Sunroom Showcase this week!! The showcase runs through this Sunday......To read my free tips for sunroom design, see my website: Publications page, Living in Style magazine.

The first time Ava featured my design, it was for my Gallery Dining Room. You can view that page on my website under Publications too....

Ava has many interesting things to offer the design enthusiast. Check it out!

www.avaliving.com

SAN FRANCISCO HIGH RISE APARTMENT

What would you do, if you lived on the top floor of a high rise in Pacific Heights (San Francisco), and this was your daytime view of the city.....


And this was your night time view.....

And this was your bathroom....?

Not a hard decision!! My client decided to renovate. We are having the best time selecting all the materials for a really classy bathroom. This is the new vanity.....

This is the new light fixture......

And this is the elevation that I have done with my new software program, which I absolutely LOVE working with!! With this software, we can change out the different elements with the click of the mouse, and experiment with different colors and materials. I have enlarged the mirror to over twice the size of the existing one, and we have selected wonderful recycled glass tile (eco-friendly), slate flooring, and a really unusual wall paneling....The installation should be complete in a few months, so be sure to check back to see the photos of the finished project!

I love light sculpture – and this one is fantastic!!!!!

Design Drift’s Fly Light is Alive with Illumination

Copied from Alicita Rodriguez on Tuesday, April 6th, 2010


Fly Light. Designed by Design Drift.

Taking its cues not from a bird’s outward appearance but rather from the tantalizing mysteries of flock locomotion, Fly Light is a collection of 160 light-infused glass tubes hung at varying heights in a swirled configuration. The arrangement is scenic enough when dark, but when someone approaches, the individual bulbs flicker and dash in a pattern that resembles the waxing and waning of birds in flight.

If you’ve never seen the phenomenon I allude to, take a look at Design Drift’s Fly Light Video. This tremendous flock of black birds appears to have a propulsive life all its own—as the birds deftly negotiate the hazards of leading and/or flying too close to a flock-mate, the great mass pulsates from within, resembling an oversized, skyward jellyfish. Design Drift modeled Fly Light (beginning back in 2007, which gives you some sense of its complexity) after this apparently indiscernible pattern, which is actually anything but: “this behaviour is not so accidental as it looks… every bird has to keep a safe distance from their neighbor bird in front, below, above, and next to it. They all want to fly in the middle of the group and no one wants to be the leader flying in front. What will happen if an intruder interrupts?”





Fly Light intends to answer this query by positioning the spectator in the role of the latter. The 160 lights are programmed with a bird’s “digital DNA” and equipped with ultrasonic sensors, which means they illuminate in random sequences depending on the “intruder’s” proximity. The result is a spontaneous display of phosphorescent evasion and approach as, like birds, the individual lights must stray from the threat without falling off the back. The most alluring aspect of the installation is its unpredictability. The lights alight in a non-repetitive way, taking their cues from the density of the approaching mass (meaning a more dramatic response for more visitors, or an especially frantic reaction when flanked on multiple sides). As Design Drift observes, “the interesting part is the free will of the flock: does the group attack the viewers one by one, or will it split up and flee?”

To see the video, which is even more fantastic than the photos, go to:
http://youtube.com/user/ralphnauta


Be sure to turn on your sound!!!

TRANSFORM LIVES

ITALIAN SHEETS or WORLD PROBLEMS?

I have seen a lot of blog material from designers, and while I do think Italian Sheets are beyond compare, I have to say that this Designer really has captured my attention: Emily Pilloton. Emily is an architect, and I have read several of her blogposts about environmental issues, but this latest Project is by far the most meaningful thing I have seen recently.

In 2008 Emily created Project H Design, a non-profit group focused on design solutions for humanity's problems. Project H has designed and created school playgrounds from North Carolina to Uganda that teach children math, built computer labs in impoverished school districts, and helped women transport water in Africa.

IN 2009, Emily published a book, "Design Revolution: 100 Products that Empower People." She was featured with her book and several of the inventions on the Colbert Report. To read all about Project H, visit the website: http://projecthdesign.org

in 2010, Emily put together a roadshow that is visiting about 25 high schools and universities, showing the products and educating young people in the potential that Design has to transform their worlds. To follow the progress of the Roadshow, see their blog :http://designrevolutionroadshow.com/
They were here at NC State this past Monday, and had a huge impact on their audience. Be sure to check older posts to read about NC State, and also SCAD in Savannah.

But as cool as all this is, the most touching thing to me is that Emily and her partner have recently committed to moving from San Francisco to Bertie County, NC, to teach a year-long, part design, part shop class to students in the county's agricultural vocational school. They will teach high-level math and science by engaging the students in design projects, and then coaching them through the "build" process. The result will be that young people from one of the poorest school districts in the state of NC will have the skills and inspiration to tranform life in their environments. HOW COOL IS THAT?????????????????

The above picture is not Emily! Please visit the roadshow url to see a YouTube clip of Emily describing her humanitarian goals; also you can click on the Colbert Report link on her site to see that video. It's quite humorous!

The Project H site has detailed info about the project in Bertie County. There is a link to Paypal if you would like to make a donation.

So what about the Italian Sheets? For those of you who thought this post would be about luxury linens, Yes, I do have several sources for exquisite bedding that feels wonderful against your skin. As a matter of fact, I have several price points available in Italian bedding. Why not go middle of the road, and donate the difference to Project H!

TRANSFORM A LIFE....

TRANSFORM A KID'S ROOM

A couple of years ago, one of my favorite clients called me and said "It's time to do my son's room. This young man was beginning to express his individuality, and like many of his peers, he did a fair amount of "gaming" in his free time. He entertained his friends in his room, and his room was devoid of personality. Here it was:






The bed was to the right of the door,
and a large media bookcase
was right in front of the door.


The first thing I suggested was a
change in floor plan. Let's put the bed
in the window alcove, and let's increase
the bed size from the existing twin to a
double. Done!


The young man loved the items in the
current Pottery Barn for Teens
catalog, so I interviewed him and his
mother to find out what functions we
needed to provide for.




Here's what we came up with. Where the bed used to be, we installed a media wall, with colorful storage bins, and a new flat screen TV.











The new bed went into the alcove,
with a Pottery Barn bedspread
and decorative pillows.

A reclining gaming chair went into the
corner, with a mini-frig to keep soft drinks
for his friends.

A colorful contemporary rug
brightened up the space,
coordinating all the Pottery Barn items.





But the "Piece de Resistance" was this:

His mom provided me with some photos taken on a family ski trip, and asked me to design his room around one of them. I chose this one, and she had it blown up to wallpaper. When you walked into the room, this photo filled the wall to the left. His bed is to the right in this photo: