Stone floor trends for 2012

I wrote recently about the popular pale cream marble, Crema Marfil, which has been a popular choice amongst architects and interior designers for some time.

Recently clients and designers have been steering away from warm yellow tones, and opting more for classic creams and beiges. However, for 2012, leading stone companies advise that blue and grey hues are expected to be most in demand.

Vix Blue Honed Limestone by Mandarin Stone

New Montpellier, by Lapicida Stone Group

The new stone by Lapicida above offers a classic look, but antique finished stones will also always have a prominent place in the market, for private clients wishing to create a traditional, distressed stone floor look.

Silver Green Slate, BAT reception area by Kirkstone

Tudra Honed Limestone, Mandarin Stone

The trends for finishes vary – glamorous polished stone has certainly become more popular over recent times, giving a chic, modern surface feel in residential settings.

Brathay Blue Black slate, by Kirkstone

The striking project shown above is the St Regis Hotel in Osaka, Japan, by GA Design and photographed by Nacasa-san. Honed Brathay Blue Black slate provides a darker shade and is used in the flooring in the spa area in addition to skirtings and cladding for the bar.

Reclaimed stone is also coming to the fore. These products also give a more rustic feel, which may tie in with a feeling of austerity and a move away from glam in the current climate. Antique tiles are recovered and from delapidated properties, and this is also expected to strike an environmental chord, as recycling and upcycling become commonplace amongst consumers.

See also: Stone wall trends: split face and bookmatch

Intimate high back chairs

High-back armchairs provide a private, intimate space in which to relax, enjoy a quiet moment, and block out the distractions and hustle and bustle of modern life.

They are often designed and specified for public areas, receptions, atria or break-out spaces, such as the Norah by JDD, while others, like the Remind chair by Nube Italia are suited to cosy residential interiors.

Click on the images to go through to manufacturer websites.
Which is your favourite?

Alcove High Back Love Seat
The Alcove High Back Love Seat is designed by Bouroullec Brothers for Vitra. It is the high-back version of the Alcove, which is also available as a two-seater and a three-seater.
Vitra are holding a Christmas market until 22 December at their Clerkenwell Road showroom where you can check out the Alcove and shop for christmas items.

Available direct from Vitra or from suppliers such as Connections Interiors.
Photographer: Marc Eggimann | © Vitra (www.vitra.com)

Remind armchair
I came across the high-back version of the Remind armchair by Nube Italia on Stylepark. It is designed by Carlo Colombo.

Norah armchair
The Norah armchair from JDD designed by Joseph Duffell and James Mercy, is a contemporary break-out chair for modern offices and public spaces. It is designed to provide a secluded space for a silent moment.

Bespoke chair- MediaCityUK on Salford Quays
A bespoke chair was created specifically for MediaCityUK by student designers Samir Skalli and Miriam Trent, competition winners for the BBC North workplace at MediaCityUK in Salford. The interior was designed by ID:SR. The chair was pictured by Gareth Gardner and featured in FX October 2011 (80-81). The chair has been designed for private phone calls, intimacy, and somewhere to focus within the work environment. Click through to see more on this project.

Kaigan privacy chair
Seen on Core77 blog, the Privacy Chair was designed by Marijn van der Poll for Ahrend. The design has taken inspiration from traditional Dutch wickerwork beach chairs and is intended the contemporary office environment.

Cocoon armchair
Seen on interiorholic, the Cocoon armchair by Russian designer Tompson Tompson described as: Designed to suit public interiors like offices and airports, Cocoon Armchair gives a person who sits in it some personal space as well as comfort. It looks like it would also suit leisure environments such as spas and hotels.

Dedon Orbit loveseat
A seat specifically designed for leisure environments, the Orbit Loveseat by Dedon has a large retractable cloth canopy that offers privacy as well as protection from the wind and sun. The Orbit loveseat is large enough for couples to relax and enjoy together.

More products-ESI.info
Compare designer sofas and soft seating products

Stone wall trends: split face and bookmatch

Split Face stone, for wall applications are on trend at the moment, especially for the commercial market. These types of textured stone panels are being frequently used for projects such as bars.

Oyster Split Face Mosaics, by Mandarin Stone

Antique English Reverse Face tiles, Lapicida Stone Group

Cream Quartzite Mini Split Face, Mandarin Stone

Iconic bookcase: Penguin Isokon Donkey

The Penguin ‘Donkey’ has been a piece I have been fascinated with ever since I saw it on show at the V&A many years ago.

I’ve been looking at Modernist furniture quite a bit lately, and this piece is another good example.

Jack Pritchard’s Isokon company was one of the few British examples of a firm truly devoted to Modernism. In addition to building London’s Lawn Road Flats, in Hampstead, Pritchard employed a succession of continental Modernists to work for his furniture company. These included the Germans Walter Gropius and Arthur Korn, and the Hungarian Marcel Breuer, as well as the Viennese emigré Egon Riss.

image used with permission from ‘halfbeak’ on Flickr. click on the image for more furniture and architecture pictures

Above the original Isokon Penguin Donkey, is seen in an authentic setting, Jack Pritchard’s Isokon house in Blythburgh on the Suffolk Coast. Commissioned by Jack Pritchard and ISOKON, designed by Egon Riss. The Donkey was produced in 1939 in a very short run, so it is a rare item.

Top four design classic chairs

Setting out to compile the most popular classic chair designs is not as easy as you might think. Search for furniture design classics, and you’ll find a large number of armchairs, lounge chairs, dining chairs and chaise longues competing for iconic or legendary status.

There is no shortage of interior designers, manufacturers or devotees of good design out there banging the drum for their favourite piece, but there were four chairs that stood out for me in particular. Granted, there are a great many design classics from the 20th Century but the amount of discussion (and imitations) of these four pieces suggests that they stand above the others.

I’d love to hear about which pieces are your own favourites, perhaps I have missed a key piece? Or, alternatively, do we focus too much on the design classics of the past?

Le Corbusier: LC4 Chaise Longue – Cassina

The LC4 is often seen as a Le Corbusier piece, but it was also designed by Pierre Jeanneret (his cousin) and the architect Charlotte Perriand. The design is functional, as it was intended to work in harmony with the body, but its subtlety and proportions make it beautiful at the same time.
It is manufactured under license by Cassina. In 1964, while Le Corbusier was still alive, the company acquired exclusive worldwide rights to make his furniture. Many copies are available today, but Cassina is still the only manufacturer authorised by the Le Corbusier Foundation.

Charles & Ray Eames: Lounge Chair & Ottoman- Herman Miller

Designed by Charles & Ray Eames in 1956 and manufactured by Herman Miller in the USA, and Vitra in Europe.
This piece of furniture is recognised around the world and is part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The words ‘iconic’ and ‘legendary’ are often used with reference to this piece but it is hard to argue when it has made its way onto so many film and TV sets over the years.
The design, in its classic form with black leather and rich rosewood (now no longer available) appears warm and comfortable, unlike the more minimal forms typically found in high design. Although the padding is generous, the use of clips on the inside give the plywood backing a clean, pure look unsullied by screws or bolts.

Designing out aggression in A&E

On 18 November, The Design Council are running a series of free webinars that explore more about how designers and design research can help reduce violence and aggression in Accident & Emergency departments.

According to the National Audit Office, violence and aggression towards frontline hospital staff is estimated to cost the NHS at least £69 million a year in staff absence, loss of productivity and additional security. We know designers have what it takes to develop new systems that help reduce violence and aggression in A&E.

Reducing violence and aggression in A&E by design from Design Council on Vimeo.

Read the full article and see the seminar programme on the Design Council website.

Related links
Curtain tracks for hospitals
Security glass partitions
Doors
Reception desks
Hospital flooring

Guest post: Contemporary lighting

Today we have a guest post from Arcadian Lighting, a manufacture of fittings from the US, with a selection of contemporary lighting ideas.
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Hi all! My name is Jenn and I write for Arcadian Lighting, a fantastic source for information and ideas on lighting fixtures for your home. I love writing about interior design and particularly lighting, as a great light fixture can really make or break the entire look of a space. I also spend a good portion of my day perusing inspiring websites like the expert advice provided on ESI Interiors’ blog. Thanks for having me!

Traditional lighting has reigned supreme for decades but it’s only been more recently that designers have looked outside the lightbox and reinvented a myriad of lighting fixtures – today there’s no shortage of contemporary lighting to choose from. Created like works of art and used as task as well as accent lighting, here are eight modish fixtures that demonstrate the wide range of stylish possibilities.

Spidey-Sense

This one-of-a-kind contemporary lighting fixture resembles an eerie spider with long-reaching “arms” and “legs” outfitted with spotlights.

Branding and exclusivity in stone tiles: When is Crema Marfil not Crema Marfil?

Crema Marfil stone, which means ‘Ivory Cream’ in Spanish, is extracted from the El Coto quarry located in Pinoso (Alicante). It is the largest marble quarry in the world, owned by Levantina.

Levantina describes the stone as “internationally recognized as the best cream marble. Its chromatic wealth, excellent finish, unbeatable physical qualities and its resistance to impact, combined with a low coefficient of water absorption make it the preferred option among all architects and creators when choosing Ivory Cream.”

While you’d expect this sort of marketing information from the manufacturer, the quarry is certainly enormous (as the picture below shows), and amongst architects and interior designers, it’s fair to say that it’s a popular, well-known material.

I have noticed a great many Crema Marfil products available for sale – is this simply because it is a very popular product?

Upcycling – not just for the amateurs

Everybody has heard of recycling in this day and age and most people have heard of upcycling but I have to (shamefully) admit that before I visited Ecobuild this year I hadn’t realised just how big the concept was, despite it being around for over a decade.

Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of a better quality or higher environmental value. The first recorded use of the term was in 1994 when Thornton Kay of Salvo interviewed Reiner Pilz of Pilz GmbH.

“Recycling? I call it downcycling. They smash bricks, they smash everything. What we need is upcycling, where old products are given more value, not less.”

When you think about it, you’ll probably realise you’ve been upcycling for years without realising it, the box you’re using as a CD rack, the old CD’s that you’re using as coasters, or even the fairy liquid bottle that the kids turned into a work of art (with a little help from Neil Buchanan, Art Attack and copious quantities of PVA glue).

Away from the domestic side of things, many companies specialise in ‘upcycled’ pieces or produce one off upcycled products.

Bel & Bel, expert Spanish upcyclers with a contemporary/vintage style recreated vintage Vespas as seats.

Vespa Seats are made from upcycled 'dead' Vespa scooters. Picture from belybel.com. ©bel&bel.

Bike tours at the London Design Festival

This is a nice event for anyone into cycling and design, and this should appeal to many among the fixie set in London.

LONDON DESIGN GUIDE have teamed up with Japanese brand Tokyobike for a second year, offering exciting localised design tours to some of the best exhibitions and events during this year’s London Design Festival. Each morning from 22nd – 25th September a small group of design enthusiasts will be taken on a cycle ride through the city hosted by their chosen design personality; Aidan Walker, Duncan Riches, Johanna Agerman Ross or Max Fraser. There are only 10 places available per day, and the Duncan Riches ride is already sold out.

Each host will offer a different take on the festival, stopping off at the design events and exhibitions they consider to be the most interesting. Tour-goers will not be informed of the itinerary in advance, adding an element of surprise to the route. Tours are running on Thursday 22nd-Sunday 25th September.

Click here for start times, details and price.