Design for a better living!
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| Karl Lagerfeld for House of ChanelPhotograher: David Sims |
MUSIC and VIDEOSPresented as an immersive multimedia, multisensory experience, the clothes are animated with period music videos andsoundscaping audio techniques; original punk pieces and videos showing punk icons wearing their infamous looks. The designers includeVersace, Balenciaga, Dolce & Gabbana and Karl Lagerfeld. It is interesting to note the couture and punk had value handcrafted, individual pieces. Bolton said, “Just as couture has made-to-measure one of a kind garments, punk would take a leather jacket and customize it so that you are the only person in the world who wears it.”
Written by Rebecca Jones
Charles Eames was an American designer who helped change the face of 20th century, modern furniture design with his extensive portfolio of work. His enduring pieces are a stunning marriage of comfort and functionality. Charles Eames furniture has remained at the forefront of modern furniture design, influencing numerous subsequent and contemporary designers.
Ergonomic Paradise
With the ever-increasing hours we seem to work in the Western world, it is essential that we look after our weary skeletons to ensure that all our hard work is not futile and we can live long, happy lives. Enough of the corny stuff, in all seriousness though, investing in a well-made, ergonomic chair is the best measure to protect your back and promote optimum spinal health.
Charles Eames was a pioneering force in the furniture design world. His innovative vision and exciting designs lead him to create a number of pieces for an office environment including the Office Aluminium Group Chair EA119 Mesh. This is a task chair which is designed with the intention of being used at a desk. This chair is exceptionally comfortable due to the mesh panels and is also adjustable which further enhances the comfort factor and has a swivel functionality enabling the user to move 360 degrees.
Child’s Play
Inject a new lease of life into your home with the Eames RSR Rocking Chair. This Chair will ensure you release your inner child. This piece is made from plastic which means its durable and can withstand daily wear and tear. Available in a number of vibrant colours, this piece is true to Eames form blending comfort with functionality. It is the re-edition of the now legendary Eames Chair is based on the original 1948 design which the first industrially-manufactured plastic chair. It is also available in fibreglass, another lightweight, robust and unyielding material.
A rocking chair is also an exciting addition to any interior and will look fantastic in a modern or more traditional decor scheme.
Bachelor Chic
This Charles Eames Lounge Chair from SwivelUK is the ultimate addition to any bachelor pad. Not only does this piece ooze luxury and sophistication, it is now considered a timeless classic in the history of modern furniture. This stunning feat of exquisite design and engineering features a bent rosewood frame and aluminium base, with chunky cushions made from the finest Italian leather. Originally designed in 1956, this piece has become a staple for the funkiest bachelor pads around and is not only stylish but exceedingly comfortable. For the perfect finishing touch to your abode the matching Ottoman is a welcomed addition featuring the same design and materials to ensure a slick, polished and ultra refined look.
Author Bio: Rebecca is an avid writer and interior design aficionado. She frequently writes about her interests. Rebecca resides in the United Kingdom
After a long day of leisure, it was time for an adult beverage, so we headed to the Terrace Bar at the Chesterfield Mayfair for cocktails. As we were on our way out, Chris, the velvet-voiced concierge fussed over us, insisted that we sample old-fashioned English candy (And really, who doesn’t love a man who insists that you eat candy?), ushered us out and then gave us a gallant bow. It was as if we’d found our very own Mr. Carson.
The lesson we learned is that somebody has to be pampered, it might as well be us, and hopefully, you too.
Elaine G. Flores blogs for Sterling Silver Tours, which offers, “Downton Abbey” themed tours to London.
Swarovski crystals really shine when used in lighting fixtures such as chandeliers or pendants. This pendant light from David Malik is a simple form that highlights the strands of sparkling crystals.
And in case you were thinking you can find Swavorski crystals on everything but the kitchen sink… here is a simple white bathroom sink embellished with crystals. Bathroom light bounces off of these crystals nicely! There is also a matching bidet and toilet.
Designed by Francesco Lucchese for Fabian, these contemporary lights featuring Swarovski crystals look more like sculptures than lighting fixtures. These are available in a pendant light, wall sconce and floor lamp in either black or matte glass.
This Italian design firm has a line of furnishings decorated with Swarovski crystals. The floor lamp, side table and leather ottoman are all embellished with crystals. Look at how they dazzle!
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As an avid Anglophile, I’ve kept a keen eye on the tour of North America by royal newlyweds William and Kate. On their first official international tour June 30 through July 10, HRH the Duke of Cambridge and HRH the Duchess of Cambridge (aka William and Kate) stylishly traversed North America at a whirlwind pace. Touching down in Ottawa, they toured Montreal, Prince Edward Island, Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories and Calgary before heading south to California. To view their Canadian itinerary go to the 2011 Royal Tour of Canada by the Duke and Duchess Cambridge.
On July 9 William was victorious in a charity polo match in Santa Barbara, before the couple turned heads that evening at their first red carpet Hollywood event, a gala at the Belasco Theater celebrating rising UK film actors in support of the British Academy for Film and Television Arts. With Kate again wearing a gown by the house of Alexander McQueen, the royal couple mixed with Hollywood stars including Tom Hanks, Barbra Streisand and Nicole Kidman.
In addition to tracking the charities, organizations and sites visited by William and Kate, part of the fun for royal-watchers was answering the proverbial question, What is Kate wearing? From favorite designers like Erdem and McQueen to DVF, Smythe and Ted Baker, with Nike and J Brand thrown in, Kate has taken on the role of a new royal with her own sense of style, often mixing and matching from her existing wardrobe (a three-year-old trenchcoat was brought back out of the closet.) You can follow Kate’s sartorial splendor at two engaging blogs: What Kate Wore, and Kate Middleton Style.
Following the exuberance of William and Kate’s royal wedding April 29, the latest royal tour got us thinking, what about souvenirs and commemorative memorabilia to mark the occasions? British monarchy collectibles are nothing new. Potters and artisans have produced wares for the public to hail royal events such as coronations and weddings since the restoration of Charles II in 1660. Three years later, when the king married Catherine of Braganza, collectibles in glass, majolica and pewter were produced to celebrate the match. By the age of Queen Victoria and the manufacture of affordable, transportable china, Brits began collecting decorative plates, mugs, pillboxes and figurines on a widespread scale.
The Victoria & Albert Museum has collected royal wares from over the centuries, displaying everything from a silver-gilt cup honoring the coronation of James II in 1685 to a Fenton plate marking Queen Victoria’s Jubilee in 1887 and even a Staffordshire mug marking the marriage of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
To mark William and Kate’s tour after the pomp and circumstance of their spring wedding, which an estimated 22.7 million Americans rose early to watch live on television or web-streaming, UK retailer of prestige collectibles Compton and Woodhouse decided to bring its collection of royal commemorative wares to this continent for the first time. Launched in June, www.comptonandwoodhouse-us.com has issued commemorative china plates marking both the wedding and the Canadian tour, with photo images of the royal couple surrounded by gold filigree. (Curiously, the Canadian tour plate apparently features a depiction of the couple the morning after their wedding; production deadlines prevented waiting for a portrait from the actual tour, we assume.)
