Here is a fun thing you can do, if you have a few minutes to spare – design your own bedding. This new service, introduced by Inmod, allows you to choose and change patterns, play with different colors, and simply let your artistic flag fly. Watch the tutorial below to see how it works.
If you have an Eames fetish, there is one more way to feed your obsession aside from buying the iconic chair itself. Consider these decorative pillows from Inhabit, featuring oh-so-familiar silhouettes. Made of 100% sustainable recycled polyester from pop bottles and hand printed in the USA with environmentally-friendly inks, the pillows are as eco-conscious as can be. This Eames-featuring collection includes five different designs in various color combinations.
Most carpets are passive objects, they rarely possess any functions other than lying there and looking pretty. Not this one. Designed by the Alexander Munk Design Byreau, the unusual piece, called Sasan Magic Carpet, can perform many roles. It has four sections, which will allow you fold it in many different ways. While perfectly functional just as a carpet, it can double as sitting, lounging, and even as an extra sleeping place should you need one. Smart stuff!
We, urban folks, are trained not to notice the noise. It is a part of our everyday (and often nightly) experience, we cannot avoid it, so we just press on with our lives. But what if we could reduce the noise in our homes and have at least one quiet place to ourselves? These noise-blocking curtains from EMPA do just that. They absorbe sound while staying light and translucent. Thanks to its innovative textile, the curtains capture five times more noise than the conventional ones. And because of their opaque color and light texture, they do not block the sunlight or obscure your view. What more can we want from a curtain?
Source: Dornob
Writing nerds – rejoice. There is a new way to celebrate your obsession with typewriters, typefaces and lined paper. These pillows from Pi’lo will state your passion in print! Made from cotton in a neutral color scheme, the pillows are as soothing for the senses as the objects that inspired them. They make great gifts too (if you manage to part with them). Sold at Etsy.
(HT Designers’ Block UK)
These handmade attention getters from Craftsquatch will surely add character to any room. The new collection of internet-inspired pillows is available on Etsy. Designs include such well-recognized logos as Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Android and others. So, whatever you are addicted to on the web, you can celebrate your brand of madness with a fun and colorful pillow. Made from fleece and polyester, these pillows are soft and springy at the same time, which makes them perfect for a nap after you finally tweeted, tumblred, and googled yourself to sleep.
There are some serious and pompous rugs out there. And there are people who like them. The ones we see here, however, are the opposite of serious. The rugs called Mangas (engl. Sleeves), created by the Italian designer Patricia Urquoia for Gandia Blanco, were inspired by knit things – scarfs, mittens, sweaters… The casual warmth of these pieces is irresistible. No wonder when Mangas collection was introduced to public two years ago, it became an instant hit. So much so – the company extended the rug family, and even added series of poufs to the same line. Warm, understated and simply adorable…
If you want to make a cute Valentine’s Day gesture that will not turn into a pile of dry petals in two days – consider these. Couple pillow cases from Boldloft can carry the right message and, unlike chocolates, they will stay in your home to remind about the moment you shared with your loved one. With the choice of many humorous themes available, these pillow cases make a fun and useful gift. They are also a good reminder not to take all this Valentine’s Day business too seriously…
This modern take on an ancient tradition was made by two French designers Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec for the Spanish brand Nani Marquina. The Losanges collection was created by combining 13 colors through the geometrical rhombus shape. All rugs are handmade by the craftsmen of Northern Pakistan. The material itself, the Afghan wool, was also spun by hand, which allowed for some unique tones to be highlighted. And we can see that these rugs are all about color… This is what the Bouroullec brothers say about their creation: ‘We have always been captivated by the traditional Persian rug, especially by the very old kilim savoir-faire which we see as a delicate mix of rusticity and fineness… This subtly random technique makes each lozenge slightly different and each rug, a unique piece.’
Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec with Nani Marquina during the Maison & Objet 2011 in Paris.
It is the exhibition season, and no design dialogue would be complete without mentioning of Heimtextil 2011, which came to a close on January 15th in Frankfurt. Among the highlights of the fair was Karim Rashid‘s blinds collection for Velux, called Blackout. The product name seems a bit absurd to a design nerd like me. Rashid, the word’s biggest evangelist of light, is commissioned to create a blackout? ‘Daylight is essential for our well-being and ability to think positively, – the designer says, – However, to create an intimate and recreational space, light control is an absolute must – for sleeping, working or privacy… I was excited to get to work with light versus darkness. Blackout blinds are the key to maintaining a satisfying sleep cycle and ideal for bedrooms and other spaces where complete light control is a must.’ The collection consists of four patterns, each in three pallets. We can choose from Karim’s signature pink, acid green and conservative black-and-white. Inspired by digital technology, the designs have metallic accents creating an interesting texture.
