Designtology

In embroidery Madeline Weinrib suzani trends

Oh sweet Suzani

Posted on Saturday, January 17, 2009

Suzani's were the hottest trend in early 2008 andI don't think they will be leaving anytime soon. With their elaborate designs and craftsmanship they have the ability to enhance a space with minimal effort.

A Suzani, which means "needlework", was traditionally made by the women of Uzbekistan from when they are young women to adults. The beautifully crafted embroidery is highly desired because of its craftmanship and is now available worldwide. Suzanis are a very versatile textile being used for bedding, wall hangings and even tablecloths.

Madeline Weinrib is a designer based out of New York who incorporates suzanis into her design lines. From pillows, to upholstery, to even her fashion line she uses the suzani designs and mixes them with bright and attractive colors. Below are a few ranges of pieces from her website. To see more go here.

K Marsh

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In architecture Flintstones green LEED Robert Mechielsen

Flintstones LEED to the future

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Maybe Fred Flinstone had it right all along with his stony abode. How much more green can one get by having a rock house with concrete and wood furniture, and to tying it together with a Mammoth rug that was recycled from the days hunt??

To bring the Flintstones to the future there is the Pasadena EcoHouse designed by architect Robert Mechielsen. The eco-friendly house ,which is currently under construction, is hoping to become the first LEED Platinum home. The building is primarily made of concrete and recycled materials such as the windows, countertops, wood and even rainwater systems. Robert Mechielsen is the founder of Studio-RMA which is a firm based on eco-friendly architecture and design. To see more of his designs click here.

K Marsh

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In design show HGTV

It's a Showdown on HGTV

Posted on Friday, January 16, 2009

So if you don't know by now HGTV Showdown is back!

The show is made up of two design teams that are both given a replica of a the same room in a couple's home. The teams are challenged to create a unique design for the rooms under the client's specifications and are only given a full four hours to do so. The teams are given an advantage by having total use of the design warehouse for any supplies and furniture they might need.

Spoiler alert! If you have not seen the shows and are planning on catching up this is a spoiler alert about who has won and photos of the spaces!

The first week was Genevieve Gorder and Carter Oosterhouse on one team and Monica Pedersen and Eric Stromer on the other had to to create a living room for a couple who wants to have a space designed for conversation and entertainment. Although both teams designed great spaces, the winners were Genevieve and Carter.

BEFORE-

RUNNER UP-

WINNER!

Showdown is on Sunday evenings at 9pm Eastern/8pm Central on HGTV.

K Marsh

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In customize fabric Spoonflower

Customize your own fabrics with Spoonflower

Posted on Sunday, January 11, 2009

Have you gone into any fabric houses recently and thought you could design a better pattern then they? Well now you can put that to the test.

Spoonflower.com is a company based out of North Carolina that allows you to customize a design by choosing a pattern, creating and arranging your layouts and then having it produced on the 100% cotton which can be used for many projects such as pillows, bags, and even homemade dolls. Not only does their website assist you with arranging your design and layout, the costs for the material is extremely reasonable at only $18/yard and starting at $3 to ship in the US! Spoonflower also highlights their customers designs that are viewed and voted upon by other patrons. If your design is voted number one, it is highlighted on the website and made available for others to purchase for one week.

Here is a video giving an introduction to what the site is about and showing how the fabric is created:

To visit Spoonflower for more information and swatches go here.

K Marsh

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In bookshelf Stanislav Katz

Books Might be Deceiving

Posted on Saturday, January 10, 2009

Stansliv Katz has done it again. I had previously blogged about Stansliv's bookshelf which incorporated a bookshelf and lounge seat in the center. Here Stansliv showcases his creativity by creating a bookshelf that has fun bold colors and plays on eye-trickery.

The bookshelf which is very reciprocal of the 80's game "Qbert" is completely functional and is only twelve inches deep.

To read more about Stansliv's design check our his blog here.

K Marsh

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In bookshelf furniture lounge Stanislav Katz

Book-Self

Posted on Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Have you ever loved your books so much that you wanted to merge yourself into them, to blend your soul and the richness of the story together to become one being- one unit- that is beautiful and everlasting? Then you, my friend, seriously need a break. Relax on these Console Bookshelves, by the designer Stanislav Katz. They incorporate a typical set of bookshelves with a hot pink lounge center in the middle, perfect for reading and lounging.

Check out Stanislav's blog with more photos of his work here.

K Marsh

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In bookshelf furniture terminology vocabulary

What's that word? Etegere

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An étagère, pronounced ay-tah-jare', is a piece of furniture very similar to the English what-not which was extensively made in France during the latter part of the 18th century. As the name implies, it consists of a series of stages or shelves for the reception of ornaments or other articles.

Click here to see my blog posted with other terms.

K Marsh

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In NCIDQ quiz vocabulary

NCIDQ test information

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Upon my many web searches I found this one site that tests your knowledge of design terms that are used on the NCIDQ. Click on the following link and try the quizzes to see how good your knowledge is so far!

http://www.harpercollege.edu/doit/examples/VocabMatch1.html

K Marsh

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In termanology

Tomato: Tomatoe- Design Terminology

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In every profession there is a lingo, a professional language, that adds that extra "umph" and sense of value to your conversation.

Using these words in the industry will definitely show that not only do you know how to walk the walk, you can talk the talk! Try these word substitutes to add a layer of cool to your professional cake:

Instead of -----Use
Couch----- Sofa
Coffee table ----- Cocktail table
Vase----- Vase (pronounced v-ah-se)
Curtains----- Window Treatments (the term curtains only used when in a kitchen)
Bookshelf----- Etegere**

More to come.....

K Marsh

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In vocabulary wood

Let Me Grade Your Wood

Posted on Monday, January 5, 2009

Let's take this time to appreciate a major element in design that has been bestowed upon us by mother nature: wood.

With its variety of shapes, sizes, and species there is so much to know about wood it's hard to know where to begin! In this blog I'm going to discuss one of the "G"s of wood- Grade.

The grading of lumber is determined by how many defects and imperfections are in the wood. The clearer the wood, the higher the grade. Here is a breakdown of different grading:

Clear- to have clear wood is to have wood virtually free of any defects.
Select- is a grade lower than clear because it has some natural defects such as knots
Common- has even more natural characteristics like select grade that are chosen to highlight the defects in the wood. There are two variations- Number 1 Common and Number 2 Common: No 1 Common showcasing various colors, knots and wormholes and No 2 showing the characteristics of the species of wood
First
First grade wood has the best appearance, natural color variations and limited character marks.
Second
Second grade wood is variegated in appearance with varying sound wood characteristics of species.
Third
Third grade wood is rustic in appearance allowing all wood characteristics of the species.