Modern Furniture Trends: Decorating with Diamonds

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

It is true that diamonds are a girl’s best friend, at least since 1953 when Marilyn Monroe made this phrase iconic.  But what is also true, is that diamonds are no longer only used to decorate the body but as we found, diamonds are dazzling elements increasingly used in modern furniture décor.  Recognized as such by legendary International designers and leading Italian furniture manufacturers, diamond accents in modern furniture by means of Strass Swarovski crystals is a design trend that is gaining momentum for its ability to transform an ordinary piece of furniture that is high on functionality into a furniture piece that is glamorous, striking and simply unforgettable.  Beating all common association of glitzy with garish, these contemporary furniture pieces are full of elegance, distinctiveness and panache..

Diamond collection by Edra is comprised of Damier Chaise Lounge, On the rocks and Flap Sofas by Francesco Binfare, Getsuen Armchair by Masanori Umeda, Sushi Armchair by Fernando and Humberto Campana, and Tatlin Sofa by Mario Cananzi and Roberto Semprini.

Diamond collection by Edra

Diamond collection by Edra

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IMM Cologne 2010 Furniture Design Trends – What Else Stays?

Monday, March 1st, 2010

In addition to the clearly evident contemporary furniture design trends that were spotted in Cologne last month, IMM 2010 was also the launching pad for various trends that may or may not catch up with time, yet they were certainly tremendous enough to catch our attention and the increasing attention of thousands of US customers who have caught up with these evolving new inclinations.

European wardrobes have been around in Europe for decades and have evolved in terms of design and functionality.  Their increasing utilization and popularity among the Europeans have created quite a stir among our fellow Americans despite the (almost) standardized presence of walk-in-closets in our bedrooms. Part of the Luxor designer bedroom collection, Tokyo modern bedroom collection and the popular Selex bedroom collection by Milmueble, these wardrobes will match the bedrooms while providing plenty of functionality and space saving solutions.

wardrobes

Similar can be said about modern wall units, which have been used by the Europeans to maximize their “verizons” (vertical horizons) in a stylish, compact, and utterly distinctive way.  Their versatility and high levels of customization make that much more appealing and practical, especially when used in media rooms, family rooms, and even bedrooms.  See Gallery, Boss and Joly modern wall unit collections by Milmueble or the Lula contemporary wall unit collection by ST Muebles.

Gallery 02 wall unit by Milmueble

Gallery 02 wall unit by Milmueble

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Modern Furniture that Trots the Globe

Saturday, January 23rd, 2010

Not only named after, but rather bear close resemblance to geographic locations, these contemporary furniture creations are, needless to mention, inspired and inspiring sharing interesting backgrounds, fun utilization and most importantly latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates.

Haussmann Table by Franco Poli in collaboration with Palmalisa Zantedeschi for Matteo Grassi is named after Baron Haussman, a civic planner who actualized Napoleon’s efforts to rebuilt and renovate Paris.  Haussman designer dining table accurately depicts the panoramic view of Baron Haussman’s grid of Paris realized entirely in marble ‘Lasa’ matte finish with a clear glass top.  The table is available in round or elliptical version.

Haussmann Dining Table

Haussmann Dining Table

Baghdad Table Collection designed by Ezri Tarazi for Edra includes both dining and coffee table versions.  Inspired by the significance of this city from religious, political and historical perspectives, the table top represents the map of the Iraqi capital – Baghdad – realized by combining individual silhouettes created from industrial aluminum into a collective totality.  The table surface is perfectly leveled and has no prop structure.

Baghdad Table Collection

Baghdad Table Collection

Oh, the Farmer and the Cowman Should be Friends Bookcase by Ron Arad is artistic, unusual and can be tied to variety of socio-geo-political issues.  The name of the bookcase is sourced from the accompanying song to the Oklahoma musical, while the obvious silhouette is a depiction of the United States map.  Master of hidden meanings and visual parallelisms, the legendary Ron Arad has created a bookcase that is considered a wall art with functionality, one that serves to unite books into a wholesome one.  The bookcase was a part of an exhibition held in London at the Timothy Taylor Gallery.

Oh, the Farmer and the Cowman Should be Friends Bookcase

Oh, the Farmer and the Cowman Should be Friends Bookcase

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Modern Furniture Standards Challenged by Unique Standard Collection from Folkform

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

One of my favorite modern furniture collections from “boutique” industrial designers is Unique Standards from the Stockholm-based Folkform http://www.folkform.se Truly remarkable in terms of design, materials, implementation and integration into daily use, Unique Standards, although fairly small (only four elements), is thought-provoking, visually stimulating and powerful in a sensory-kind of way.

The Marble Cabinet is boxy but brilliantly designed.  Using white carrera marble and marble laminate, the front façade of the cabinet is multidimensional in lieu of the two different types of finishes used and because of their puzzle-like integration into a whole.  While esoteric on the exterior, Marble Cabinet is just as clever on the inside.  Instead of having one compartment that parallel’s its smaller dimensions, this cabinet offers 8 small compartments unevenly scattered but yielding to the preset rectangular geometry of its outer silhouette.

Marble Cabinet by Folkform

Marble Cabinet by Folkform

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Designer European Furniture Speaks its Mind

Saturday, December 19th, 2009

Crepax Collection which includes a designer bed, dresser, sideboard and chest of drawers is designed by Giuseppe Canevese and captures catchy and noteworthy graphics of Guido Crepax (1933-2003), who played a significant role in the European comic art movement of the second half of the 20th century. In particularly, Crepax encapsulates the artist’s most famous storyline from the 60’s with the powerful and sexy “Valentina” as the protagonist.

Crepax Collection by Giuseppe Canevese

Crepax Collection by Giuseppe Canevese

Crepax Collection by Giuseppe Canevese

Crepax Collection by Giuseppe Canevese

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