STYLE NV CHATTING WITH - Jason McDonald

What could be more suitable on Halloween than chatting with Jason McDonald from Koff, the designer of the skull candle? His skull candles are a fantastic design celebrating life, death and the beauty of the human skull. We caught up with him to talk about his work.http://www.stylenv.co.uk/blogs/blogEntry.cfm?b=36

STYLE NV Wishes Happy Birthday to David Weeks

Happy Birthday to American desginer, David Weeks! David is known for his lighting and furniture products.




He was born today, October 30th 1968, in Athens, Georgia. He studied painting and sculpture at the Rhode Island School of Design, where he earned a BFA. Weeks went on to work in the Manhattan studio of Ted Muehling before founding the David Weeks Studio in 1996. The Studio produces lighting and furniture for commercial and residential uses. The Studio’s recent product lines include Sculpt, an upholstered collection, and Sarus, a lighting collection for Ralph Pucci; updated Semana chairs for Habitat UK; and new consumer products for Areaware and Kikkerland.The Studio also creates custom lighting, furniture, sculpture, and interiors. Commissioned projects include Barneys New York, Kate Spade, Saks Fifth Avenue, MGM Grand Las Vegas, Hard Rock Hotel Las Vegas, and Bliss Spa. Weeks has also been an adjunct professor at Parsons School of Design, and was a visiting critic in 2002 at Yale.



David won Editor Awards at the 1999 and 2001 International Contemporary Furniture Fair. Butter's debut collection earned accolades including an award from Blueprint at 100% Design Show, and featured his best-selling Lunette lampshade. David lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Georgianna Stout, partner of design studio 2x4, and their children.




http://www.stylenv.co.uk/blogs/blogEntry.cfm?b=35

STYLE NV - TRENDS: Spinning Tinned Peaches

There are only so many colours. So when one comes back into fashion, they need to be given a bit of a spin. While we have been happy dressing in flesh, putty and nude tones, for quite a few seasons now, when it comes to an interior trend, are you ready to bare all?

On the surface it seems that 80s pastel peach is back, but don’t despair this isn’t sickly tinned peaches in syrup, this is soft, just been picked peaches (I sound like a M&S advert). Imagine a hot sunny day in the meditaranean, sunbathing naked on a beach and gorging on a crate of lovely juicy peaches (mmm)! http://www.stylenv.co.uk/blogs/blogEntry.cfm?b=34

STYLE NV Rant - Moaning about Musac

This is going out to any event producers, shop owners, TV producers, anyone who anything to do with choosing background music or Musac, as it is more commonly known, to recreate interior, lifestyle environments. I’m speaking on behalf of many people when I say

STOP USING SUCH TOSH, WE HATE IT !!!!
The term for elevator music shouldn’t be Musac, it should be Musak a merging of the two words Music and Kak, because is that is way more apt.
This inane, dull, annoying, music, that’s supposed to chill me out, calm me down does nothing of the kind. IT DRIVES ME UP THE BLOODY WALL. It drives me up the wall and usually out of the room or shop, or show, which I’m guessing is not the general idea. It certainly doesn’t make me want to part with any of my hard earned cash.
http://www.stylenv.co.uk/blogs/blogEntry.cfm?b=33

STYLE NV Rave - Gypsy Chic A+Z Design

Hungarian based studio, A+Z Designers launched their new collection at Tent last month, inspired by gypsy culture with a modern twist and using traditional materials and methods. .

There is bright red low table with built in burner and pendant lights that look like upturned enamelled buckets . Possibly my favourite piece is the Boden wine cooler with interchangeable tapestry seats, so that the wine cooler can also be used as a stool.
The table and stools are perfect for those who fancy glamping next year in the festival season, or if you have a little summer house at the bottom of the garden. The lights would be great as informal kitchen dining table lights.

http://www.stylenv.co.uk/blogs/blogEntry.cfm?b=32

STYLE NV CHATTING WITH - Michaela Fitzgerald

Flamingoes on the ceiling and distorted bathroom mirrors? Sounds like right up our street, STYLE NV caught up with bar and restaurant interior designer, Michaela Reysenn from Kai Desgin to talk about her work. http://www.stylenv.co.uk/blogs/blogEntry.cfm?b=31

STYLE NV Quelquechose - Lace Blinds

Lovely friend Emma asked STYLE NV to design a practical and pretty blind to be used in the bathroom. Her bathroom is on the vintage theme with white Victorian brick tiles and a roll top bath, but there is funky edge to it with a laser cut resin mirror by the side of the bath. My solution was to take a standard white roller blind and embellish it with pretty, ghostly lace pattern. Here’s how to do it yourself.
http://www.stylenv.co.uk/designDetails.cfm?d=5

STYLE NV - Pondering - Les Faux Fleurs

On BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s’ Hour the other day, Abigail Ahern and Sam Youd (Head Gardener at Tatton Park) were discussing the pros and cons to artificial flowers. Fake flowers looked incredibly realistic these days; people’s preconceptions of tacky, dust gathering, pathetic bunches shoved in a small vase on a restaurant table are changing. Could they ever completely substitute the real thing?

http://www.stylenv.co.uk/blogs/blogEntry.cfm?b=29

STYLE NV Rant - Getting the Hotel Look

Not everyone will agree with me on this one, and that’s cool, but today my rant is about “Getting the Hotel Look”

Many people love this luxurious, pared down look, of built in wardrobes, tall headboards, neutral tones and matching cushions and curtains, but I am perplexed why anyone would want to aspire to living in home like this.
http://www.stylenv.co.uk/blogs/blogEntry.cfm?b=28

STYLE NV - Styling Tip - O.T.T.B.C (Over The Top Bed Cushioning)

I confess, I am completely guilty of O.T.T.B.C (Over The Top Bed Cushioning), but the thing is, when you are styling to camera, beds can look a trifle flat if not embellished and I'm looking to create a beautiful photograph rather than being practical. In reality, having ten scatter cushions and six pillows is ridiculous; it's another chore to take the cushions off the bed, then make the bed then put them back on (I know that as a stylist I should be encouraging OTTBC, but I’m also quite lazy)! http://www.stylenv.co.uk/blogs/blogEntry.cfm?b=27

STYLE NV Rave - Send in the Clowns!

Clowns or Lladro? For some, it’s a toss up between which is scarier! Not for me however and at Decorex a few weeks ago, Lladro showed their conceptual line “Fantasy”, created by Artistic Director, Jaime Hayon.

Hang on a sec, did you just say Lladro??? Yes I did, loud and clear; Lladro, normally responsible for some crimes against ceramics have manufactured this cool, quirky and a touch ironic, range of ceramics, my favourite being the Clown Lamp.

http://www.stylenv.co.uk/blogs/blogEntry.cfm?b=26

STYLE NV - TRENDS: David Beckham eating billtong

Ahh - the beautiful game! I never thought for a moment that I’d be mentioning football in my musings, but according to a talk given by Mix Publications at Decorex a few weeks ago, the euphoria, following the last World Cup held in South Africa has led to a colour story for 2011/12.

Truth be told, I only get excited when England play (I think I know everything there is to know about it), but if this fabulous colour trend developed from this year’s World Cup, then I’m all for it.
http://www.stylenv.co.uk/blogs/blogEntry.cfm?b=25

STYLE NV Review - SUPER DUPER SUPER DESIGN

Just when you thought you'd hung your 'trade show' boots up, along comes another one and in this case, they've saved the best till last. The fourth Super Design exhibition launched today in the basement of the grand Victoria House, Bloomsbury, London and runs for the next three days until the 17th October. Super Design is curated by Patrick Brillet from the furniture store and gallery The Apartment. The exhibition boasts unique and limited edition pieces from international galleries such as D&A -Lab, Tom Dixon, Quadrige, Mitterand-Cramer, Herve Can der Straeten and Vessel Gallery and of course The Apartment.




Highlights for STYLE NV were the stunning (if no doubt a little uncomfortable) Brodie Neill's curvaceous chair, the fun and colourful 'Low Tables' by Johnathan Monk at D&A Lab and Studio Job's 'Industry Table' at Mitterand & Cramer - a quirky black wooden table with white maple inlay. It was also great to see Tom Dixon's new pieces as I missed his showroom at London Design Week. Tom's rusty 'Swing' and reclining chair were a fabulous contrast to all the polished surfaces. Infact, well polished woudl be good words to describe the exhibition, shame Patrick Brillet's people skills were not as polished as the furniture on display!
http://www.stylenv.co.uk/blogs/blogEntry.cfm?b=24

STYLE NV CHATTING WITH - Stephen Johnson

Stephen Johnsons' designs exube positivity. Their primary function is to make you smile, which is precisely what they do! He developped the "Now Isn't That Lovely" series on his MA at the Royal College of Art. The china ornaments, precariously balanced on top of one another have been an immediate hit and he has continued to sell them all over the world. His latest work " HAPPY HAPPY" which comprimises of giant chrome silver present bows immediatley caught my attention at 100% Design last month and STYLE NV caught up with him this week to talk about his work. http://www.stylenv.co.uk/blogs/blogEntry.cfm?b=23

STYLE NV - Styling Tip - Art House

Art - What an enormous Pandora’s Box that is to open! Before I start, please notes that for the sake of this blog, I am just going to be talking about art which could be hung on a wall, i.e. frames pictures, unframed canvases or wall hangings.

Art is tricky one, several dilemmas to conquer. First of all, what the hell are you going to buy?!

http://www.stylenv.co.uk/blogs/blogEntry.cfm?b=22

STYLE NV Rant - Wicked Wicker World

Wicker was way down my list of ‘To Rant about’ List but I was on Twitter the other day and @Ideal Home magazine tweeted ‘Like or Loathe to these horrendous wicker sofas. I just couldn’t contain myself and replied back that I thought they were utterly vile. Now I have to be a bit careful here as Ideal Home is one of our clients, which is kind of why I’m rant blogging (should that be ragging?) and raving all at the same time –Is that then Ravagging?! http://www.stylenv.co.uk/blogs/blogEntry.cfm?b=21

STYLE NV - TRENDS: Head on a Onyx Chopping Block

Now if I didn't make any trend predictions, then I wouldn't really be much of an interior stylist now would I? And when I start to predict trends, I feel sympathy for weathermen, British in particular who often get it wrong, and have to put their head on the chopping block. Today my chopping block is going to be made of green onyx. http://www.stylenv.co.uk/blogs/blogEntry.cfm?b=20

STYLE NV Rave - Suzani Textiles

Well it’s official Moroccan is OUT and Uzbekistan is IN!
Everyone from John Lewis to Graham and Green has enough pouffes and cushions and throws to bolster, cushion and warm herds of camels (or people I suppose but camels do sound funnier - can you imagine a herd of camels walking into John Lewis and buying up all their cushions)?!! http://www.stylenv.co.uk/blogs/blogEntry.cfm?b=19

STYLE NV Review - The Betsy Smith Bar, London NW6

The Betsy Smith opened it's doors recently and STYLE NV went to check it out the interior design. The Design team behind it, Kai Design, have created a fictional Dickensian character, 'Betsy Smith' whom roamed the sreets of Kilburn, north west London, where the bar is located. The design concept is inspired by a fantastical, theatrical, Victorian, fairground. Inside you are greeted with so many topsey turvey wonderland installations, that it is hard to know what to look at first. http://tinyurl.com/2vlef3r

STYLE NV CHATTING WITH - Ayme Fitzgerald

Ayme Fitzgeralds’ wallpapers speak for themselves; strong and vibrant they jump right off the roll. Her work caught attention three years ago at New Designers exhibition in London and since then she has selling her designs to leading designers and exhibting in London, New York and Tokyo. I caught up with the young designer to talk to her about her work.http://www.stylenv.co.uk/blogs/blogEntry.cfm?b=17

STYLE NV Rant - Stating the Obvious

RANT This is just something that really bugs me - Decorative words I mean WHY?! . .http://tinyurl.com/3xjcmru

STYLE NV Wishes Happy Birthday to Sir Terrence Conran!

STYLE NV Would like to wish a Happy Birthday to Sir Terrence Conran!

It would be almost impossible to work in design and not know who Sir Terrance Conran is. His influence over the design and catering industries in Britian for the past 50 years has been extensive.
http://www.stylenv.co.uk/blogs/blogEntry.cfm?b=15

STYLE NV Rave - The Ghost of a Chair

VANQUISHED! - I was totally surrounded. Thirteen giant ethereal shapes outnumbered me, I was quite frankly speechless. Possibly because I was slightly out of breath from climbing five flights of stairs at the Designer’s Block 2010 at the London Design Festival. But also because I was staring at Valentina Gonzalez Wohlers’ The Ghost of a Chair. http://www.stylenv.co.uk/blogs/blogEntry.cfm?b=14

STYLE NV - Styling Tip - Colour Coded Shelves

Ok, lets talk about books and display. Put your hand up the last time you actually USED your book shelf? I mean actually pulled a few and re read them? No? Chances are most of the time, you only re use your books when you lend them to other people or need to weight something down? Either that or they are just something extra to dust!

http://www.stylenv.co.uk/blogs/blogEntry.cfm?b=13