Poised to Move

2010-05-12T10:54:00.000-07:00

July Newsletter

With apologies for missing the June blog I'm just able to squeeze in a post before the end of July. Here's hoping you're enjoying the good summer weather and this month I'm looking at a couple of decorating ideas for kids rooms, super stylish taps, lighting and prototype designs for eco and space saving kitchen gadgets,

Kids' Storage

Firstly a cute idea for storage for kids' rooms. These personalised shelving units are available to order through Sez it All. The letters come in various colours so you can match them to the colour of your child's room and spell any name using up to 10 letters.

Find them at http://www.sezitall.co.uk

Paper Boy Wallpaper

Still thinking about decorating kids' room there's a company called Paper Boy Wallpaper that specliases in, yes you guessed it, wallpaper for boys. Playing on the typical interests of young boys the designs feature dinasours and animals together with a paper showing you how to create shadow shapes. http://www.paperboywallpaper.co.uk

Here's the witty 'Dya-think-e-saurus' design showing how to make friends and have fun with a dinasour.

And for those budding vets, the Animal Magic design shows pets' skeletons.

And 'Hand-Made' is bound to keep them entertained for hours.

Bathroom Taps

A few months ago I looked at bathroom fittings and included coloured taps showing that taps don't have to be boring or of an expected design so don't you just love this range of aviation inspired taps from the Bel Air range by Lefroy Brooks. http://www.lefroybrooks.com

Holloways of Ludlow

I've recently been working on the refurbishment of a house built in 1911 and have been on the look out for modern day replacements for things like light switches, door handles and finger plates and have found that Holloways of Ludlow has usually come up trumps. They have a range of jelly mould bakelite light switches ready for wiring up for today's electrics

And old-style bell pushes

With shops in south London, Surrey and of course Ludlow you can order everything from the Holloways website if you can't make it to one of the stores.

There's a great selection of contemporary and classic lighting and here are just a few fittings that caught my eye on a recent visit to http://www.hollowaysofludlow.com

This lovely sculptural pendant light has hand crafted porcelain overlapping 'leaves' available in four sizes with the Extra Large measuring in at an impressive 2.4 metres.

This modern chandelier by uber-fashionable designer Ross Lovegrove is called Mercury and is a ceiling fixture that places a floating group of his signature pebbles below a simple aluminium disc. The pebbles in turn reflect light off each other and bounce light between their surfaces and reflect the environment around them.

It's not all contemporary fittings at Holloways and if you're looking for more traditional designs you're likely to find them at this really useful site as well. I like this hand thrown rise and fall light from France.

Here's a classic art deco wall light ideal for use in bathrooms styled in black and white translucent glass, it's IP44 rated meaning it's suitable for zones 2 & 3 in the bathroom.

Kitchen Equipment Designs

Most dishwasher are the size of a washing machine and take up as much space. If there are just two of you or you're single then a regular sized dishwasher is just too big for 2 plates, a couple of glasses and dishes. The answer could be this table-top dishwasher that integrates into your kitchen work top. A sliding top reveals a pull-up basket and is sited next to the sink for easy plumbing and waste. It's a design by Robert Lange and is developed with the help of Bosch.

Electrolux Design Lab

Last month I reported on the upcoming launch of Electrolux's Renew steamer to refresh clothes. The Renew was a finalist in the annual Electrolux Design Lab competition and to see 2010's finalists have a look at this video on YouTube for a glimpse of what gadgets we might be using in our kitchens in the next few years

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXX0tgYKOG0

Here are my three favourites of this years finalists:

The Eco Cleaner by Ahi Andy Mohsen from Iran.

This is a portable and compact dishwasher. You can even take it out on a picnic with you.

The Dismount Washer by Lichen Guo from China,

A wall mounted washing machine with a container that you remove to insert and remove your clothes. The washing mechanism and pipes are installed into the wall meaning this is a truly space saving appliance.

The Snail, Peter Alwin, India – Micro Induction Heating

I really like this product. It's an induction heating device that you simply attach to the outside of a cup or cooking pot and the device generates heat within the vessel meaning you can use it anywhere and are not limited to standing over the stove.

The winners will be judged at this years 100% Design exhibition.

100% Design is a favourite exhibition of mine and if you're interested in design I urge you to make a trip to Earls Court in September. It's a trade exhibition where you can see the latest and best in product design but the public are welcome to attend on the final day.

For more information and to register for a ticket go to http://www.100percentdesign.co.uk

And finally a couple of brilliant yet odd designs to look out for

Do you live in a crowded house and suffer from lack of privacy while working? Sophie Kirkpatrick has the perfect solution for your plight; The Duplex Workspace Desk is a desk with a hood. Pull it up when you want to shut out the world and concentrate on the task in hand; pull it down when you are ready to mingle. At the moment it's still a prototype but Sophie is looking into developing the concept and is currently on the lookout for the funding and facilities to do so.

Egg Shower

The proteins in an egg can do wonders for your skin, but how about taking a shower in one? Here's the egg-shaped shaped Cocoon Shower Stall that literally cocoons you once you shut all the glass slides. The usual spa features such as a shower, bathtub, hydro massage (Jacuzzi) & mood lighting are here. It's designed by Arina Komarova

I'll be back in August with more design updates, I wish you a good few weeks in the meantime.

Best wishes and thanks for reading,

Jane

2010-04-19T06:03:00.001-07:00

May Newsletter

Hello again and welcome to Poised to Move's May newsletter/blog. This month we look at glam travel on the cheap; soon to be launched home help electronic gadgets; re-cycling, up-cycling, renovation and vintage; designer radiators and the upcoming Clerkenwell Design Festival.

Glam Travel
I hope this finds you well and that you didn't get caught in the recent volcanic ash, and if you did I hope were stuck somewhere fabulous! Perhaps you were lucky enough to be holed up in a stylish designer hotel somewhere glamorous, maybe somewhere like the properties on offer from Voyage Prive.

I meant to write about Voyage Prive a couple of months ago when they offered a fantastic saving of 60% on the weekend rate at the super stylish Metropolitan Hotel in London. A mention in the Sunday Times Travel section this weekend prompted me to let you into the secret too. The site describes itself as an 'Invitation Only' site but if you sign up for the newsletters you'll automatically get notice of forthcoming flash sales. This week's offers include the new Moods design hotel in Prague where the room rate is down from £250 to £69.

Other offers this week include a saving of 58% on a stay in a beach hotel in Mauritius, 66% at the Catedral Hotel in Barcelona, 56% savings at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Berlin....... and so it goes on. Flights are not included and the offers are for a minimum of two nights or more but I've noticed some great bargains at really stylish properties. Register at: http://www.voyage-prive.co.uk/

Firstly a couple of launches in the world of electronics to look out for in the near future.

Electrolux Renew

Hate doing laundry? Worn something once and just want it refreshed? Then look out for the launch of the Electrolux Renew clothes steamer. You simply slide your garment through the machine (like you'd swipe a credit card) and an infrared scanner and radio frequency identification gather information on the garment from specifically designed clothing tags and using it's two steam blades the Renew 'blasts' your clothing clean.

Light Sleeper Bedding from Philips

The Light Sleeper is a personalised alarm that's integrated into bedding that gently wakes you up in the most natural way - by light. It works by our body clock responding to an imitation sunrise as the Light Sleeper bedding gradually begins to glow in a natural breathing rhythm over a 15 - 20 minute period. Light Sleeper bedding uses electroluminescent technology which allows traditional textile surfaces to become a reactive light source and the pillow and duvet simulate a natural dawn that gently eases you into your day.

Select Radiators

Like me you'll be keeping your fingers crossed that we won't have to turn the heating on for a good few months to come but these summer months are the time to check and review the heating in your home. If you can't fit underfloor heating then radiators become an integral part of the overall look and design of a room so it's important they reflect your own style as well as doing their job of belting out the heat. I want to tell you about a great service from Select Radiators who bring their mobile showroom direct to your home.

Select Radiators is run by Martin Hicks who imports all his stock directly from the manufacturers and so offers great reductions on exactly the same products you'll find in catalogues of the more well known radiator companies. See the Select Radiators site at: www.selectradiators.co.uk and give Martin a call to arrange a visit.

And more to enhance your home ........

I came across BiOrb Aquariums recently and quite like their step away from the general look of the typical aquarium. They're also well designed for today's home in that their footprint is quite small and when the LED in the top cover is lit the Bio-Orb gives the impression of a column of water suspended in the air.

Re-cycling, Up-cycling, Renovation and Vintage

With no apologies I'm jumping on the very topical bandwagon of Re-cycling and Vintage, here's just a sampler of the busy world of Re-cycling, Up-cycling, Renovation and Vintage.

Home Building and Renovating Show

Home Building and Renovating Shows are held around the country throughout the year and the next one is in Scotland this weekend with Sandown Park in Surrey following on the 26 and 27 June and Harrogate and Somerset later in the year. If you're thinking of a new build, renovating or improving it's certainly worth visiting one of these events. There's always a good Seminar Programme and exhibitors are of good quality. Tickets are £8 on the door but if you go to the Select Radiators site at www.selectradiators.co.uk and click on the About Us tab and then Exhibitions it will take you to a page with a link to the Home Building and Renovating Show site where you can register for free tickets for any of the events.

Giles Miller

Featured in the Green Heroes section at Grand Designs the corrugated cardboard wardrobe from Giles Miller caused quite a stir.

There are other cardboard products available from Giles Miller and my favourites are this lovely lamp and screen.

And don't you love this rather swish handbag?

Camira Fabrics

Camira leads the way in woven natural fibres and you know what? The fabrics are woven from the fibres of nettles. Lest you think the fabric's scratchy and uncomfortable, think again! It's lovely and soft and is super hard wearing and for some time now Camira have been supplying upholstery for the travel and leisure market which demands the most highly resilient and hard wearing fabric.

The fabrics come in all sorts of fabulous colours and textures.

A Camira fabric was used for the seating in this theatre belonging Cable & Wireless.

I love it and applaud the boldness of whoever specified the fabric.

Vintage at Goodwood - 13 - 15th August

Celebrating everything vintage is the Vintage at Goodwood event running from 13 -15th August curated by Margaret and Wayne Hemmingway. This three day event will feature Music, Fashion, Film, Art and Design from the 1940's through to the present day. Along with live music and film events there will be over 200 stalls selling vintage fashion, homewares, toys and everything else you can think of that can be called 'Vintage'. If you're a regular at your local car boot sale make sure you go to Goodwood. Find out more at: www.vintageatgoodwood.com

Clerkenwell Design Week

At the end of this month Clerkenwell deservedly celebrates it's contribution to all things design with the very first Clerkenwell Design Week. There'll be exhibitions, seminars, food and drink events and the many design showrooms in the area will be putting on special shows and displays. Big name design companies you can expect to see include Tom Dixon, SCP, Hitch/Mylius, Flos, Knoll, Moroso and Poltrona Frau to name just a tiny few. Go to the website at www.clerkenwelldesignweek.com to register for a free wrist band that will get you into all the events.

And to end, another weird yet brilliant design ...........

The Chairless

I forgot to mention The Chairless in last month's newsletter/blog when I highlighted some of the cutting edge designs launched in Milan. You've may have seen this as it's been featured in most of the Design media but it's still worth applauding the simple yet brilliant design of the Chairless designed by Alejandro Aravena for Vitra. Based on a device used by South American Indians it's a webbing strap that's wrapped around the body to relieve tensions when in a seated position. It takes pressure of the back and thighs and leaves the arms and hands free which we usually need for support when sitting on the floor.

Not only useful but compact and portable!

Well that's it for another month and I'll be back in June for more on what's new in interiors and design. Have a great May and thanks for reading.

Jane

2010-03-18T13:38:00.000-07:00

April Newsletter

Welcome to the April Poised to Move newsletter/blog and I hope as you read this you're enjoying some good spring weather. To start on a celebratory note, I was pleased to hear from Amy Cook who writes a really informative blog for Graphic Designers who has put together a list of the Top 100 Interior Design Blogs and I'm thrilled to say she's included Poised to Move's newsletter/blog at Number 30. Check out all the other great Interior Design blogs that she lists at:

http://graphicdesigndegrees.org/top-100-interior-design-blogs/

Salone Internazionale del Mobile, Milan

April is a bumper month in the design world with the jewel in the crown being the Salone Internazionale del Mobile where the city is quite literally taken over by design: it's where the very best of the world designers launch new design pieces along with some wacky prototypes. Check out these pictures of a few of the amazing exhibits

Sony Bravia showed a prototype of their Monolithic TV and media centre.

I love this magnificent Baboom light from lighting genius Ingo Maurer

Can you believe this side table called Balancing Boxes?

Swarovski Crystal Palace 2010

As you may have seen from my past blogs I love lighting and a highlight is always the annual Swarovski Crystal Palace. Launched at the Salone here are the magical beauties on offer this year.

Enchanted Palace, Kensington Palace, London

A couple of London-based exhibitions have caught my eye this month. The first is the Enchanted Palace exhibition at Kensington Palace, formally the home of no less than seven Princesses.

At the heart of the Enchanted Palace journey the lives of the seven princesses who once lived at the Palace have been re-imagined and visitors are guided by an enchanted map to find clues that reveal the identity of the elusive royal residents. Contemporary fashion sits alongside the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection with installations created by Vivienne Westwood, William Tempest, Stephen Jones, Boudicca, Aminaka Wilmont and Echo Morgan.

Grace Kelly, Victoria and Albert Museum

The other must-see exhibition for me is the Grace Kelly exhibition at the V & A.

It runs from this month until September and if you're a fan of the glorious Grace (as I am) you'll be excited to see over 50 of her outfits together with hats, jewellery and the original Hermes Kelly bag.

Grand Designs Live

An exhibition coming up next month is Grand Designs Live. I have to admit that I'm sometimes disappointed by the calibre of exhibitors at some of the interiors and home shows but Grand Designs does seem to go from strength to strength year on year.

As well as top exhibitors there are live demonstrations, high quality seminars and chances to consult experts of all types. If you visit the Grand Designs Live website and click to subscribe to their newsletters you'll receive a newsletter that gives a promotional code that gives a discount on the ticket price. Here's the url: http://www.granddesignslive.com/

R.I.M Tiles

http://www.rimdesign.co.uk

On a recent visit to the Design Centre Chelsea I went into R.I.M., a supplier of exclusive tiles. Their tiles are far more Haut Couture than High Street and I thought you'd enjoy a few images of some of their gorgeous tiles. For starters just look at the showroom!

Chocolate and Leather-look tiles!

And how about this Fornasetti portrait or a mixed mosaic?

I predict we'll be seeing more of these individual styles in our bathrooms but due to some of their price tags maybe just as decorative panels!

Hot Tip for Bargain Tiles

If you love Bisazza's brilliantly coloured glass mosaics but are put off by their high price per metre here's an insider tip. Search out tiles from an Italian company called Trend. Apparently Trend has been set up by a Bisazza brother and are made in the same way, same factory conditions but are about two thirds of the price of Bisazza. In the UK you can find both marques at http://www.giant.co.uk where you'll find a square metre of black glass Bisazza tiles

for £170 yet the identical tile from Trend is only £120 per square metre. Worth noting and passing onto anyone you know who's contemplating a new look for their bathroom.

Carpet Furniture

To end this month's blog here's this month different design. Madly brilliant it's Carpet Furniture.

Created by Shin Yamashita a student at the Kyoto Institute of Technology, Land Peel is a foam floor covering which also has panels that flip up and fold, to become any sort of furniture you might need: From a table, to a backrest, to a drink tray, to a footrest, to a pillow:In addition, there's a plug for a custom-fitted lamp, which also serves as a table leg, when extended.

I hope you've enjoyed this month brief resume of what's new and hot in the design world. I'll be back next month with much much more.

Thanks for reading.

Jane

March newsletter

2010-02-24T05:36:00.001-08:00

March Newsletter

Well it looks like Spring is upon us and the brighter mornings and longer days certainly lift the spirit. Here in Brighton painters and decorators are everywhere as the City spruces itself up for the start of the tourist season. When I'm out for my power walk at 7 in the morning the painters are already tending to and refreshing the miles of ornate Victorian iron work of the railings, lamp-posts and seats on the sea front so we should be ready for the busy weeks ahead.

With fresh ideas in mind this month's newsletter highlights some great ideas for bringing new life and interest into your home.

Child's Chair from Kristian Vedel

Firstly there's the child's chair by Kristian Vedel. Not a new design and perplexing why it's not more popular. It's a really versatile piece of furniture with pieces of laminated plywood held in place by tension without the need for screws, nails or bolts. It can be used for sitting or playing and converts from a chair to a desk or to a high chair.

Bike Chair by Andy Gregg

More intriguing seating. This time the Bike Chair by Andy Gregg who's based in Michigan. The collection includes bar stools and tables with train and car windows being used as the table tops and seat belt webbing for seating upholstery.

Garden Office Pod

More people are working from home these days and if you haven't got a spare bedroom then the garden is the place for your office set up. I came across these great Office Pods from Archipod. Each garden office comes with an ergonomic semi-circular computer desk, concealed lighting, an electric heater, data points and electrical sockets as well as a smoke alarm

Go to www.archipod.co.uk for more info.

Liven up your dinner parties

Look at these fun dining tables that do double duty as musical instruments. So now you don't have to leave your seat for those raucous after-dinner sing-a-alongs!

This one by George Bohle incorporates an electric piano. Find out more at

www.reluct.com/network/story.php?title=pianotable-by-georg-bohle

And this one's built like a marimba, with copper bars inserted into wooden bars of various sizes which have holes in them. The table sings by amplifying the sound of the wooden bars like a loudspeaker. Every time you place your wine glass back on the table it elicits different tones depending on how much pressure is applied to various areas of the surface.

For more on this table see: www.cotogotodesign.com

Design Museum - Brit Insurance Design Award 2010

You've no doubt seen the announcement in the media this week of the 2010 Brit Insurance Design Award competition held at the Design Museum. The winner was Min-Kyo Choi for his folding plug.

The folding plug already has a great pedigree as it was runner up in the James Dyson Award last year. These still images don't do justice to it's brilliance and simplicity of design so have a look at this video on You Tube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1c8g6dz8PU&feature=related

Based Upon

Moving away from the newcomers let's take a look at some stunningly beautiful pieces from a company that's well respected and established in the interiors world. Based Upon produce exquisite large scale artworks that are used across walls and doors and as well as horizontal surfaces such as ceilings and table tops. Using a palette of liquid metals, lacquers and resins their work often features in high end property developments and the picture below shows a stunning 6m x 3m piece commissioned by Candy and Candy for one of their London properties. Look closely and you'll see this metal wall panel shows London from the air.

Here's a closer look at the superb detail, this sections shows

Buckingham Palace and St James Park....

Here are a couple of their gorgeous tables.

Most pieces are one-off commissions but they produce a few limited pieces to buy from their website at www.basedupon.co.uk.

The Postcarden

Turning away from the wildly expensive and bespoke pieces from Based Upon here's a unique piece of real estate that can be yours for a mere £7.50. The Postcarden combines a gift and a greeting card that transforms into a mini living garden. There are three different designs to choose from The Allotment, The Botanical and The City and I'd be delighted to receive any of them. You can buy them online at www.postcarden.com

This one's The Allotment

And this one's The Botanical

And here's The City

IKEA Solar Powered Lights

Going from the indoor to the outdoor garden. Just launched by Ikea and ready for the summer are solar powered and re-chargeable outdoor lights. Forget those horrible blue and grey-tinged solar powered garden lights that we've seen too often in far too many gardens these are sweet little lights that look just as good in daylight as they do after dark.

These little table lamps run off re-chargeable batteries

and these little light sticks and domes are solar powered and look great hidden in garden foliage

There are garlands and strings of lights too.

The solar powered outdoor lights join the Sunnan solar powered desk lamp already available and coming from Ikea means prices are down to earth so there's no excuse for badly lit gardens this summer.

And a Final Funny ..........

This month's design oddities that raise a smile (and a glass) are inventive ice cube trays.

Cheers everyone!

Well that's it for this month. Enjoy the good weather and I'll be back in April with more of new and emerging designs for home and garden.

Jane

February Newsletter

2010-01-14T04:44:00.001-08:00

February Newsletter

I'm rather late in posting this month's design blog but nevertheless it's still packed with interesting design gems that I've come across in the past month or so.

I mentioned that I would be going to the Interiors show in Birmingham last month and sadly it was a much reduced exhibition and I have to say that there was nothing new to report. However there's still lots of cool things to tell you about.

Wallpaper-on-the-ceiling Trend

We've seen a number of trends when it comes to wallpaper in terms of style and what we paper and although the feature wall is still going strong there's been a move to doing something completely different. So where's the only place we've not yet seen it? Yes, you're right - the ceiling. I've seen a few images in the past couple of months of rooms with paper on the ceiling and it's not as odd as it sounds. I'm not sure I'll be able to persuade a client to take the plunge but I think it would be fun to try in the loo or a cloakroom.

Wallpapered Furniture

Perhaps a tamer and more easily acceptable wallpaper trend is wallpapered furniture. Byronie Porter creates really eye catching pieces and here's a favourite clad in the famous noughties version of toile de jouy from Timorous Beasties. Find out more at http://www.bryonieporter.com

And a few more little beauties.

Bathroom Trend 01 - Coloured Taps

Taking the lead from Byronie Porter and re-thinking a standard piece of furniture Vola, a manufacturer of bathroom products from Denmark, has produced a colourful range of taps. They're powder coated and available in a dozen colours and I'm sure we'll see other manufacturers following suit soon. Cute aren't they?

Bathroom Trend 02 - The Bath Filler

A fitting I've been using for a few years now when refurbishing client's bathrooms is the bath filler. Easily mistaken as the over flow it combines both functions and avoids having to sit taps on the side of the bath or on the wall and most manufacturers now include them in their range. It makes for a much sleeker look to the bathroom and is easier to clean around the bath.

Bathroom Trend 03 - Patricia Urquiola at Hansgrohe

Still in the bathroom Hansgrohe have just added a major international design name to their stylish Axor range. Patricia Urquiola has designed a free-standing bath and a basin that recall the shape of traditional washing troughs. The basin has a looped handle at either side and the bath has one which you can use as a towel holder.

Urquiola has designed a complementary range of taps and basin mixers that cleverly incorporate a soap dish or toothbrush/mug holder.

Bathroom Trend 04 - Planetarium in your Bathroom

Sega Toys has been selling a plug-in planetarium projection system for some time for about £160 but it's about to launch the Homestar Acqua battery powered version that you can use in the bathroom. The system projects around 10,000 stars onto a circular area of almost 2 metres onto the ceiling of your bathroom and there is even a shooting star function so you can wish upon a star as you dream happily in the bath.

Bathroom Trend no 5 - The Light Switch

Up until now all light switches have had to be placed outside the bathroom unless they're the pull-cord type. Altma Lighting Ltd have now launched a set of water-proof light switches and dimmers that meet all the safety and building regulations that can actually be placed inside the bathroom. The range includes these wafer thin single and double switches and dimmers. In fact

I had a client only a couple of months ago who was keen to have light switches inside her en-suite but the electrician and I insisted that she couldn't have that - if only we'd known about about Altma's switches then!

Homewares Bargains Online

The people from the fashion on-line store ASOS have launched a new website dedicated to Homewares. Like the fashion site there are high quality items at knock down prices and sales from different manufacturers are regularly launched. Recently they had 400-thread bed linen from Delorme and Delbanco Meyer at a third of the price and lovely glassware from Bar Originals. Go to www.achica.com for more info and to see what's coming up next.

Lighting - Balance by Windfall

It wouldn't be the a Poised to Move newsletter if I didn't include something about lighting. I went to the Arc Show which is a trade show for lighting professionals and the star attraction for me was the lovely and unique Balance by Windfall. Unlike a traditional chandelier that has a number of arms joined at a central point with lights on the end of each arm the Balance is a series of individual Swarovski candle pieces that are individually suspended and lit from above by LEDs. Because the pieces are not joined they give a magical floating effect - think of that scene in Harry Potter with candles magically floating in the air in the dining hall. The pieces can be hung in any formation or suspended individually over a kitchen island to provide good task lighting.

Upcoming Shows and Places to Visit in March

March is almost upon us and there are a couple of events I would recommend to you in you're in the London area.

Firstly the Affordable Art Fair held in Battersea Park, London. Over 120 galleries will be representing their artists and pieces can be bought from £50 to a maximum of £3,000. This is the place to discover who or what you like and maybe you'll even pick up an investment for the future too. Tickets cost £12 each but if you go to this site you can print off a 2-for-1 voucher to present at the door.

http://www.thegoodwebguide.co.uk/?PAGEID=011161

London Design Week - 22 - 26 March, Chelsea Design Centre, London

This is a trade show held at the Chelsea Design Centre where the major fabric, lighting, flooring, tile and furniture companies showcase their collections but Friday 26 March is open to the public and there is a seminar programme sponsored by the magazine Livingetc. The day costs only £20 and is excellent value for money as you'll hear big names in interior design talking about their work and inspiration and of course have the opportunity to visit all the showrooms as well. If you've not been to the Chelsea Design Centre and I would highly recommend this as a great day out. You can find out more information at:

http://www.designcentrechelseaharbour.co.uk

This site has a lot of flash on it and is cumbersome to get through but persevere and go to the Events section to find out more and book tickets.

A Final Funny ......

Like last month here's another design oddity that caught my eye. This time it's weird coffin designs. Not at all macabre but to be viewed as a last chance to make your stamp on the world I feel!

Well that's all from me for this month. I'll be back in a few weeks with more news and updates. All the best and thanks for reading.

Jane

2010-01-01T07:25:00.000-08:00

January Newsletter

Welcome to a brand new year that's rife with exciting design possibilities. January sees the first of this year's trade shows in the interiors world. I'll be off to Birmingham to Interiors 2010, a vast trade show with more than 570 exhibitors. Also in January I'll be off to the London Art Fair, it's open to everyone and runs from 13-17 January at the Business Design Fair in Islington. Over 60 galleries will be showing so if you're interested in art and photography it should certainly have a place on your calendar. I'll report on those visits in the next newsletter but let's start with what's caught my eye in the past month.

The Decorative Fair

If you read my November newsletter and were interested in Drummonds Architectural Salvage you should make a note to visit The Decorative Fair held in Battersea Park from 19 - 24 January. It will be choc full of gorgeous antiques and textiles and I believe if you buy a copy of January's issue of The World of Interiors you'll find a free ticket that admits two to the fair. If you like antiques and curiosities it's a lovely way to spend a few hours. The url for the Fair is www.decorativefair.com.

Coffee Makers

As I write this newsletter/blog it's the 1st January 2010 and after welcoming in the New Year last night I've needed a few coffees to get me going. Thinking about the not-so-humble coffee maker there have been some exciting developments in it's design recently. Nespresso leads the way and since 2005 has hosted a design competition for it's coffee makers. 2009's winner by Brice Genre and Hanika Perez from France can truly be described as a work of art, it's thermostatic and changes appearance as the water heats up.

And here's the runner up called “Pearl” by Andreas Diefenbach from Germany

Here's the link to view videos of these stylish innovations and to see the runners up.

http://www1.nespresso.com/events/#/en/design-contest/the-event/the-contest

I also like this coffee brewer and kettle from Behzad Hormoz that's inspired by the structure of a shellfish. The bionic shape encases a kettle made of Pyrex as well as the power cord and rechargeable batteries meaning it's totally portable.

Lighting

Lighting is a favourite subject of mine and I love the Cache Cache lamp by Victor Baeda which ingeniously uses a zipper to control the amount and direction of light rather than a standard dimmer switch. How cool are these?

Light Emitting Wallpaper

The next few years will see the launch of the first lighting emitting wallpaper. Just imagine, a wallpaper that glows with an even light to give a sunlight-like colour rendition and consumes a fraction of the energy of an overhead lamp. The UK government has awarded grants to research and develop OLED (organic light emitting diode) lighting technology so expect to see this revolution in home lighting soon. Here's what it will look like.

Swarovski Crystal Palace

For exquisite, and much more extravagant lighting, check out the latest commission from Swarovski Crystals. Every year Swarovski commission the world's best and hottest designers to create light pieces that are shown in Milan in April and Design Miami in December. Last month's show saw the inaugural display of three giant sail-like structures from Gregg Lynn.

To find out more visit the Swarovski Crystal Palace site at: www.swarovskicrystalpalace.com and to whet your appetite here are images of just some of the beautiful and stunning commissions from past years.

Colour Trends for 2010

Global Colour Research is a world-renowned company that creates important colour trend predictions two years ahead of each season that are relevant to all industries. Colour is influential at every level of the marketplace and affects everything from brand logos, signage, packaging and of course the product itself. Here is the colour palate predicted by Global Colour Research for Winter 2009/Spring 2010 with Verdigris and Opal slated as the dominant colours.

And below are palettes from other professional colour predictors. As you can see no one set of colours dominates but all are earthy and muted, perhaps a reflection of global consciousness of the fragility of planet Earth?

Home Decorating

Here's an idea for home decorating that ignores all those colour predictions and uses them all - and more! Take inspiration from this bedroom and use paint colour swatch strips from your local DIY store to create a great feature wall.

The Belly Love Sofa by Florence Jaffrain

This is a prototype of a gorgeous sofa being shown in a Paris gallery at the moment. The furniture is made of foam covered in photo luminescent fabric, which also contains capsules that release fragrance into the air. It looks really inviting and I really hope it goes into production.

And finally

Apropos of nothing I was really amused by this bus design advertising the Copenhagen zoo.

Well, that's a quick round up for now. Have a great January and I'll be back next month with further updates on what's new in the world of interiors.

Don't forget you can follow Poised to Move on Twitter, I'm listed as PoisedtoMove or Jane Ringe.