Photo: pfeiferstudio.com Concrete walls may not be your idea of elegant decor, but embracing them comes with definite advantages. They are durable, fireproof, resistant to moisture, and make for excellent heat and sound insulators. But how about their aesthetic appeal? If you are stuck with concrete block walls or are considering concrete wall finishes, here […]
Photo: ylighting.com When it comes to light fixtures, 2018 starts as a far-from-monotonous year. Whether working on contemporary, industrial, mid-century or organic-inspired interiors, designers seem to prefer pieces with unique shapes, that work as artistic as well as functional design elements. Here are a few light fixtures that are representative for what we should expect in […]
While in the last two years, the Pantone chosen colors were all about serenity and relaxation, this year, Ultra Violet is given the coveted title of Color of the Year. This time, the Pantone chromatic choice seems to suggest that modern tastes are happy to embrace the daring nature of unconventional spirits, a trait captured […]
Designer: Mindful Design Consulting, LLC Architect: Karnak Development, Inc. From a design point of view, car washes are rarely inspiring places. Yet this is the exact reason why excellent design can make them stand out. It is the case of the new My Express Car Wash concept in the Los Angeles area (800 W. Alondra […]
Interior Designer: Mindful Design Consulting, LLC La Jolla Shores in San Diego is a sought-after community and a favorite beach for kayakers, swimmers and snorkelers. With the ocean on one side and a neighborhood with ocean-view villas, charming cottages and a shopping district with a small town vibe on the other, La Jolla offered us […]
Interior Designer: Mindful Design Consulting, LLC When designing a new space for Olala Crepes in San Diego, we had the chance to develop even further the concept of a crafty hipster-style dessert store infused with Parisian flair. Mindful Design Consulting has already worked on the Olala Crepes kiosk located in the heart of the Liberty […]
Via contemporist.com Designer: Studio Hekla Photos: Julien Fernandez via contemporist.com When one element of design is repeated throughout an entire interior space, it brings a relaxing feel of unity and cohesiveness. This is exactly what the design of the Indonesian restaurant djawa in Paris achieves by using CNC cut panels to line up its walls […]
Via contemporist.com Designer: Sameep Padora & Associates (sP+a) All photos: Kunal Bhatia via contemporist.com Asking to be seated in a booth when patronizing a typical restaurant does not usually lead to an artistic experience. This is not the case when it comes to the Craft restaurant located in the Phoenix Market City shopping center in Mumbai, […]
Via contemporist.com Designer: Francesc Rifé Studio All photos: David Zarzoso via contemporist.com One original idea, even when applied only at the level of a singular element of design, can make an interior unique and unforgettable. Barcelona-based Francesc Rifé Studio came up with such a winning idea when designing the Canalla Bistro restaurant in Mexico City. Wood shingles […]
Via retaildesignblog.net Designer: Golucci International Design All photos: retaildesignblog.net Next to having a picnic in the woods, dining at the Si-Pu Nabe restaurant in Shanghai is the best way to enjoy an intimate meal in a nature-inspired background. This hotpot restaurant was created by Golucci International Design as a space for small family and friends gatherings, where […]
Photo above: MoonStoneFox on Etsy.com There are few things as fascinating in interior decorating as watching rough materials such as wood, metal and concrete being used in creating graceful design elements. The transition from coarse to beautiful is the best metaphor for the imaginative power that can transform the most unlikely materials into gorgeous functional or […]
Photo above: miliashop.com Elegance and grace in design is not synonym with an abundance of detail. In fact, modern minimalist design finds beauty in simplicity, as it is the case with the graceful light fixtures below. With a singular light source encircled by a ring of brass or copper, the Aura Pendant Light designed by […]
Photo: Urban Industrial Craft on Etsy.com There is no better way to prove that function is only limited by imagination than perusing the field of objects made of recycled materials. When it comes to light fixtures, the visual appeal of such objects is doubled by the warming presence of light. Here are just a few […]
Photo above: The Parties that Pop on Etsy With Halloween just a few weeks away, this is a good time to start planning your decor. Whether you intend to give your home a few spooky touches or you are planning an office party and need a few fast decor ideas, here are some options. If you […]
Via treehugger.com Photo above: © Emerging Objects Beyond its “cool” factor, 3-D printing is not only a convenient way to create objects like simple toys or beautiful furniture on the spot, but also one with great environmental implications. By using 3-D printers to circumvent mass production and manufacture products on demand, the technology greatly reduces material […]
Photo above: Natures Craft from Philadelphia Commercial Living a green life can mean different things to different people. When it comes to your carpet, “going green” may mean choosing natural materials that do not release toxins into the air, opting for carpets made of recycled or recyclable materials, or going for products that are the results […]
Photo above: © Peg Woodworking via treehugger.com Today’s opportunities to create an interior using sustainable, renewable or recycled materials are abundant. From choosing furniture made of reclaimed wood or logs already discarded by nature to taking a completely different path and opting for man-made materials in order to save a few trees, the alternatives are embraced […]
Photo above: Bretagne Blue Vetrazzo slab via vetrazzo.com Aside from adopting certain lifestyle changes in order to help the environment, there is another field in which you can exercise your environmentally-minded attitude on an equally large scale: in the interior design of your home or business. Today, the options in eco-friendly materials are multiplying fast, […]
Photo above: TreeVive by EcoChoice palm leaf salad tray, via webstaurantstore.com Keeping your business green has more benefits than those related to the health of the planet. As a business, it can give you an advantage and attract a whole new class of clients – the environmentally-minded crowd. While better managing your use of water and electricity […]
Photo above via gizmodo.com The best things in interior (or exterior) design happen when creative minds turn the ordinary into extraordinary by reinventing an everyday object or element of design. Other times, a certain material is used in unexpected ways or a piece of furniture takes surprising (and sometimes amusing) shapes. Here are just a […]
Photo above: materials-inc.com Floors have a big impact on the overall look of an interior space, yet they are often restricted to typical neutral materials with little character and no special visual appeal. While neutral materials are the tried-and-true solution for creating versatile spaces, more daring solutions can take an interior from shy to spectacular. […]
Photo above: Mantzalin via contemporist.com Far from being only a background for other elements of decor, sometimes walls become the story. Reinventing the concept by using unexpected materials, shapes or details, designers can turn walls into more than just functional architectural components. Here are, for instance, the walls designed by Presledek, a Ljubljana-based Slovenian architecture and […]
Photo above: Stéphane Brugger via contemporist.com If good design is functional and visually appealing, great design is also ingenious and unexpected. Especially when it comes to ceilings – often overlooked and impersonal – choosing unique solutions has a powerful impact. In fact, when treated with the attention they deserve, ceilings can turn into the focal […]
Via dezeen.com and businessinsider.com Designer: Landini Associates All photos: Ross Honeysett via dezeen.com McDonald’s Restaurant Interior. In the last decade and a half, McDonald’s faced a lot of scrutiny about the effect of its products on its customers’ health. However, the American icon fast food chain has proved that it can reinvent itself and survive harsh times through […]
Via Business Insider and insightrixcommunities.com Photo above by Mike Mozart A good, well-designed rebranding strategy can change a way a company is perceived and save it from disaster or mediocrity. There are companies that have reinvented themselves and received a new breath of life due to a smart marketing campaign. Here are only three examples that used, […]
Via Business Insider Photo above: JCPenney – Valley View Mall, by Mike Kalasnic Working on a branding or rebranding strategy for a major retailer is a fine game of science and flair. Never is this more obvious than when a rebranding strategy fails, despite good intentions, ample experience and novel ideas. Case in point – JCPenney’s […]
Via Financial Post Photo above: Sears – West Town Center, by Mike Kalasnik Trying to reinvent itself as a business with a stronger online presence and a smaller physical footprint, Sears Canada redesigned its logo last year. Replacing the stocky blue-and-white logo with a simpler, yet more elegant black one, Sears hopes to adapt to the fluid […]
Via yahoo.com Photo above: Target Trying to attract new, young customers, Target announced in March that it will redesign 600 of its stores by 2019. The chain will dip its toes into the water with a prototype store that will open in October in metro Houston, followed by a wave of 40 others to be […]
Photo above: the bwd.com Just because store windows are your face to the world doesn’t mean that designing one has to break the bank. In fact, there is a certain charm, much appreciated by onlookers, in the ingenuity that goes into creating something spectacular out of something cheap. Below, there are a few examples of […]
Photo above: Jonathan Leijonhufvud via retaildesignblog.net Shoes and good design is a combination difficult to resist. Putting the two together is a feast for the eyes, as in the case of the shoe displays below. From “floating” shoes to shoe forests, these displays show the artistic potential of these prosaic functional items and the visual impact […]
