Have you heard about stone fruit floors?

Have you heard about stone fruit floors?

I thought I'd let you know about this hot new concept called Stone Fruit Floors from South Africa. It will blast any floor or wall into a new dimension. Or a kitchen counter. They can do natural finishes or colours, gloss or matt, cobbled or flat. (The website has to be updated with the colour samples, but it will give you an idea.) Orders are custom made and the tiles are 30 x 30cm. Still developing other sizes and shapes, but it's attracting a lot of attention from designers, architects and high end clients with a taste for the classy but unusual finish. These babies are sexy, durable and unique. Price - $97 per square metre. All tiles are handmade and the main ingredient is recycled peach pips!

You can check this unusual fruit floor at http://www.stonefruitfloors.com/.

How to Find the Right Interior Design School For You?

By Steven Ross

So you're looking for that perfect interior design school to give you the proper education and career advancement that you need? In this article, I will discuss some parameters you need to consider before choosing any interior design school. If you do it right, you can increase your chances tenfold for picking the right school.

Most people do it backwards. They get a list of different schools to consider, and then they start trying to figure out which ones will work for them. A better approach is to first figure out what you want to get from your education before looking at any school. It's better to have a goal in mind instead of looking at random interior design schools and trying to figure out your goal afterwards.

Take the time to do a little bit of soul-searching and get some clarity. Ask yourself questions like this -- what do you want to get out of your interior design education? What is your ultimate desire, related to your career as an interior designer?

You should have a very exact and detailed orientated picture of where you'd like to see yourself as an interior designer. Then, you will know what needs to be fulfilled by the school you attend, to make the picture a reality.

After you figure out what you want out of your education, then it is time to look for the right interior design school. Start evaluating different schools to determine what they have the offer you, compared to what you want to get out of your education. Soon, you will find a handful that will come close to meeting your educational needs.

To improve your chances of picking the right interior design school, take time to visit the schools in advance, to get an idea of what they look like and how they feel. If visiting them is out of the question, then a least call and talk to some of the faculty members there. Also, it's good to talk to students who have gone there or are currently attending the design school, so you can get a student perspective as well as they faculty member perspective.

This isn't the easiest and quickest way to decide on the school, but it is the safest way to help you find the perfect interior design school for you and your needs.

Orange box UK

Orange box are a UK market leader in the research,development, manufacture and service of seating for the commercial environment. I used this company for my college project (office project). They have Cad library as well, so you can download it as well. This furniture is smart and simple. Check for more at http://www.orangeboxuk.com/

Famous Interior Designers - Who Are They

Famous Interior Designers - Who Are They
Author: Bowe Packer

READ MY ANOTHER ARTICLE ABOUT FAMOUS WOMEN DESIGNERS

Despite what you may think famous interior designers are not thin on the ground, and there are a great many of them gracing the halls of celebrity today. Another words, there are plenty of them who are making an excellent living at designing. We just haven't heard of them and may never hear of them. They might not be as well known or as prolific as some artists and fashion designers are, but they do exist nevertheless. The reason for this almost unheard of fame can be solely attributed to the fact that interior design didn't truly take off until the latter half of the 20th century.

In fact until the 20th century there weren't necessarily any famous interior designers per se. Yes, there were famous interior designers for dissimilar era's but fame as we infer it didn't come until very newly when there was a flock of interest in all things DIY. And for those of us to don't know what DIY is - it is short for Do It Yourself. And specifically refers to the TV Network. Hence, since interior decorating and some of its off shoots, can be reasoned to DIY that's when the world really became aware of interior decorating. And it wasn't until a few years after that that dissimilar interior designers started to make a name for themselves amongst the ecumenical public. Just like many things in our society it takes a while before it hits main stream. Things of this nature usually start with the rich and wealthy and then move on from there.

For the most part these famous interior designers gained their fame through the usual means of achieving fame, through the TV. They appeared in numerous Television home improvement programs, and they held numerous, televised DIY (Do It Yourself) programs and fundamentally got their face well recognized to the public. And that's how famous interior designers of the last decade of the twentieth c achieved more than a meek fame.

There are of course more famous interior designers than the ones you see on TV. Others who might be television camera timid. And could very often be just as good as or even better at what they do than the more media savvy interior decorators. As I said earlier, there are sure to be a bundle in this category and we will never know about them. Ones who decorate the famous, such as George Clooney, Jerry Rice and the like.

Then there are the famous interior designers who have been about for what seems like forever and a day and who have made a family name for themselves through their relentless efforts. Yes, it isn't all play, many times it is long hours to get to that place of fame.These interior decorators are much lauded in their world and are the pundits from whom the new generation of interior decorators learn their craft. Many of these "Old School" decorators if you will are now teaching their trade.

So as you look for the names of famous interior designers you need to understand and accept that you won't be able to find all of them just because you look through interior magazines. Sometimes these famous interior designers like to keep their celebrity under raps. Working behind the scenes, so to speak, and enjoying life without all the paparazzi.

Famous interior designers aren't host, but there are a sizable number of them, and they all have gifts of talent and one thing in common. They have a good eye for design and decorating and they can put together a room to make the very best out of all its features. Ok, so that was two things they all have in common! Just remember, you could one day walk right past a famous interior designer and not even know it.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/famous-interior-designers-who-are-they-98848.html

READ MY ANOTHER ARTICLE ABOUT FAMOUS WOMEN DESIGNERS

Juicy Salif lemon squeezer for Alessi

The pick of the day is this sexy Juicy Salif lemon squeezer for Alessi.

Perhaps the most famous example of this is the Juicy Salif, designed by Philippe Starck in 1990. It is considered an icon of industrial design that has been displayed in museums such as New York's Museum of Modern Art.

Originally, it was inspired by squeezing a lemon over a squid in a sea food restaurant, but many observers think it looks like a spider. It is manufactured by Italian kitchenware company Alessi. Its diameter is 14 cm, height 29 cm, and it is made from cast and polished aluminum.

Available from http://www.hivemodern.com/

HOW International Design Awards

HOW International Design Awards

HOW Magazine announced the 2008 International Design Awards - enter your work and join the ranks of award-winning designers from around the world. One Best of Show winner will score a free trip to the 2009 HOW Design Conference and an award to be presented at the conference. Work must have been created between Jan. 1, 2007 and Sept.1, 2008. Deadline is September 15, 2008.

To enter competition PRESS HERE.

How to enter

Send 2 well-protected samples. No slides or digital images please. Type or print the Entry Form completely. This information will be reproduced in the magazine exactly as submitted if you are selected as a winner. Credit all persons involved in the creation of the piece. HOW isn’t responsible for incorrect, illegible or incomplete credit information. Describe the objective and the results of your entry in 100 words or less and include the description with the Entry Form (optional but strongly suggested). Securely attach a copy of the Entry Form to the back of each sample of your entry. Include 2 copies of the Payment Form with your payment.

The Categories Designs may be entered in more than one category.

Submit a separate entry and payment for each category.
annual reports
brochures/catalogs/flyers
covers/jackets (magazines, books, etc.)
editorial (magazines and book spreads or total format)
environmental graphics
illustration/photography
invitations/announcements/greeting cards
letterhead/identity
logos
miscellaneous (style guides, menus, complex promos, etc.)
packaging (consumer goods, CDs, etc.)
posters
print advertising
student work
3D objects (gifts, wearables, calendars, 3D promos, etc.)

Good luck to everyone!

X tray herb pots by Vitamin Living

I was just passing by furniture store and I noticed postcard with this herb pot... it's summer...so only healthy lifestyle is on my mind... I love this herb pots. I could grow my wheatgrass or sprouts maybe....
You can buy those pots at http://www.vitaminliving.com.
It's a set of 5 ceramic pots. The pots can be configured in several ways, including an "X" shape or in a straight line or in an "L" shape. The pots are good for growing a range of herbs, plants or wheatgrass.

Marshmellow sofa by George Nelson

George Nelson, 1956

Here is one more design of the 2oth century.
Nelson's design transformed the traditional sofa into a three-dimensional pattern consisting of 18 brightly-coloured sections of upholstery, supported by a simple steel structure. This unusual shape and construction make Marshmallow Sofa one of design history's more unusual sofas. An extension element consisting of six individual cushions can be mounted between two sofas, allowing sofa to be extended as required. Available from Vitra.

Loft Cube by Werner Aisslinger

This Loft Cube mobile home can be placed on the rooftop of any building or anywhere you want. The Loft cube designed by German industrial designer Werner Aisslinger.

The Loft Cube can be customized to your taste. It's small mobile living space which can be brought by helicopter or by crane... This Loft Cube can have 39 or 55 sq.meters of living space can be installed in 2 to 4 days. Price 89 000 to 144 000 euro. You should see this website www.loftcube.net for more information.

Eero Aarnio ball chair

Design by Eero Aarnio, 1963.
Fiberglass shell, upholstery.
Made in Finland by Adelta.

The Ball Chair was designed by using one of the most simple geometric forms: the ball. By lopping off one end and fixing it at one point Eero Aarnio comes to a remarkable result - a supremely unconventional chair. A Ball Chair is a 'room within a room' with a cozy and calm atmosphere, protected from outside noises it provides a private space for relaxing or a phone call.
The ball chair is something between a piece of furniture and a piece of architecture and at the same time embodies both the mobile and the established. I always wanted one of them. You can find them for sale at www.hivemodern.com

Jurgen Bey and his "dutch pieces"

Today I bought a book for my friend. It's called Designers on Design by Terence Conran and Max Fraser. Very nice book - suggested to everyone who loves design. Very illustrated book with questions for designers about design.

So flicking through the book I really liked those chairs by Jurgen Bey (Netherlands designer). Dutch pieces designed for Interpolis in 2002.

They are a bit exaggerated but that's what makes them so special and unusual. Amazing concept. For more go to http://www.jurgenbey.nl/

World's Most Expensive Home.The World's First Billion-Dollar Home

The World's First Billion-Dollar Home is to be owned by Albani family.They hired architecture firms Perkins + Will and Hirsch Bedner Associates, the designers behind the Mandarin Oriental, based in Dallas and Los Angeles.

Plans were then drawn up for what will be the world's largest and most expensive home: a 27-story skyscraper in downtown Mumbai with a cost nearing $2 billion with 700000 sq. foot of floor area.

The architects and designers are creating as they go, altering floor plans, design elements and concepts as the building is constructed. To read more go to Forbes.com