Interiors & Furniture
Graduating student designs space saving sofa system
Graduating design student Charles Bramwell has designed the perfect party sofa system designed to save space in modern homes. Charles, who graduates BA(Hons) Furniture with Product Design from De Montfort University in Leicester next week (14 July), has developed an adaptable seating system to address the ever-shrinking average room size in houses.
Allot Frères takes luxury furniture to Maison & Objet
Ateliers Allot Frères of France, a specialist in top-of-the-range reproduction furniture, will, for the first time, take part in the Maison & Objet trade show, which will be held in Paris from 5 to 9 September 2008. The company specialises in reproductions of works from French master cabinet makers of the 17th and 18th centuries. Allot Frères manufactures a range of over 600 designs, featuring a wide range of lacquers, finishes, fabrics and hand-sculpted models in Regency, Louis XV or Empire styles.
Ikea – Low price, but not at any price
An increased cost of living, at present, means that many of us may be spending more time at home this summer. With the belief that home is the most important place in the world, IKEA have some great products that will brighten up your home without breaking the bank.
Auction record for renowned artist Beryl Cook at Bonhams
In Bonhams sale of 20th Century British Art yesterday – Wednesday 2 July, a wonderful and humorous oil on board, Granny with her Pet Mouse by Beryl Cook fetched more than double its estimate to realise a world record price of £69,600 for a work by the artist. A second work in the sale, The Dolphin also soared in price to realise £66,000, also smashing the previous record price of £28,800.
A holy experience for the Fair Trade Furniture Company
The fairly traded and sustainably sourced Jogya lounge chair from The Fair Trade Furniture Company recently got the holy seal of approval when Archbishop Desmond Tutu visited The Salisbury International Arts Festival in June. Archbishop Tutu was welcomed to Salisbury for the Peace Weekend where he was invited to talk with ITV News anchorman, Mark Austin, to discuss his ministry of peace and commitment to humanitarian causes.
Konnie Huq says ‘get creative with your photos’
Konnie Huq - the queen of crafts - may have left her Blue Peter days behind her, but she’s still putting her skill and creativity to good use with her latest project – the Kodak Creative Lab. Konnie is urging the British public to dig out photographs from the shoebox under the bed, pull out jpegs hidden away in folders on computers and turn them into something creative that friends and family will want to keep and share.
Boilers demystified
Worcester, part of the Bosch Group has developed a new generation of central heating boilers that not only reduce CO2 emissions, but can also reduce fuel bills. Three quarters of the energy used in the home is for heating and hot water which accounts for about 73% of a home’s CO2 emissions.
Get the designer look for your home at TK Maxx
From the 26th June, look out for a special delivery of homeware to give your abode a new lease of life. With a host of different styles there’s furniture for all tastes. Interior trendsetters should look out for the large range of Oriental furniture including chests and cabinets from £49.99.
Eco-style your home from the ground up
Make a green style statement in your home with this trendy floor hide designed by Scottish eco-designer Susiemaroon and available from Pure Design. All the hides have a natural dark brown finish and are finished with rich gold, green and orange embroidery.
Home & Garden Show celebrates record visitor numbers
More than 10,000 people visited the Home & Garden Show 2008, held over the weekend at Chester Racecourse. Visitors explored cooking, gardening and interior design zones, each with famous names presenting demonstrations. The show featured sets from interior designer Laurence Llwelyn-Bowen, celebrity chef Simon Rimmer, interior designer Laura McCree and TV Chef Tiffany. Actress and model Gemma Atkinson, who also starred in I’m a Celebrity Get me Out of Here, met three teenage cancer patients in a room she designed in conjunction with the Teenage Cancer Trust and Arighi Bianchi.
Carpet revival for 2008
Craft Queen, DIY fanatic, interior designer and busy Mum - Danielle Proud, is on a mission to revive the nation’s love of carpet with ‘Fun on the Floor’, a new campaign, that redefines the art of carpeting, through showing the latest and greatest new ideas in fluffy flooring in a completely new light . Using traditional carpet, as well as the latest new designs and technologies, Danielle is pioneering the ‘Fun on the Floor’ movement by curating and designing a stunning, five storey house to showcase modern, super-stylish and luxurious applications for carpeting.
Mydeco launches Design Boutique
Mydeco has announced the arrival of the hottest design source in the world of interiors, with the launch of Design Boutique on June 5 2008. The new area on mydeco.com/design-boutique showcases exclusive and limited edition products from an eclectic collection of renowned British designers many of which are not available elsewhere online.
Stripes strike back in interiors
Sales of striped carpets have increased by 200%* this year as influences from the fashion world continue to infiltrate interior design, providing exciting, hip flooring options for the home. Leading fashion designers such as Paul Smith play a key role in inspiring the bold colour palettes now available in striped carpet collections. These new styles are grabbing headlines in the world of interiors and cladding the coolest floors across the country. Bright coloured stripes can add a hip edge to neutrally decorated rooms, or make a subtle impact, complementing different scale striped soft furnishings.
Interbuild ‘08 to showcase new kitchen and bathroom ideas
A new Kitchens & Bathrooms Showcase will bring together suppliers and buyers in an inspirational and informative setting at Interbuild 2008. With Gordon Brown pledging to provide three million new homes by the year 2020 - and a target of over one million homes to be built in the next five years – near 20,000 visitors attended Interbuild 2007 to specifically source innovative, attractive, cost-effective and sustainable solutions for the home environment.
Expert plasterers dip into history
It’s easy to see why Victoria Baths, situated in the Manchester district of Chorlton-cum-Medlock, won the 2003 BBC Restoration challenge and just as easy to understand why the complex internal works require the touch of skilled craftsmen including Leeds-based traditional and fibrous plastering specialists Ornate Interiors.