2Modern Design Talk - Modern Furniture & Design Blog

Tricia Guild: Color Maven Releasing New Title 9/26

By: Holly Becker, decor8

I'm so excited that Tricia Guild, the queen of color, is due to release yet another book, Tricia Guild Pattern: Using Pattern to Create Sophisticated, Show-stopping Interiors, on September 26th.   I couldn't be happier, she's somewhat of a design celeb to me, a designer that I'd love to meet and chat with for hours because I can't imagine walking away from her feeling anything less than completely honored and thoroughly inspired.

In design school, we were taught color theory via the color wheel (of course), Pantone, the Colar-aid system, painting with acrylics until our fingers fell off, and by constantly studying everything we could about Tricia Guild, the color maven behind the Designer's Guild in London. Of course, we also had to explore the history of color, which I found fascinating, as well as the use of color throughout the ages and by culture, as well as how color affects mood in a space. If you're a designer, you well know that color theory is one of the most fascinating courses that you may ever take - for me, it stood out as the foundation to everything else that I was taught then, and what I continue to learn in school and as a practicing design consultant.

I don't even have to crack open Tricia Guild Pattern to know that I'll love it. I imagine it to be a page turning color fest. Pre-order your copy here at Amazon for only $25.

For your daily dose of design inspiration, visit Holly Becker's design blog, decor8, at http://www.decor8.blogspot.com
(images from amazon and designers guild)

Iannone : Sanderson : Signature 2.0 Console

Love the bee and flower design on the Signature 2.0 Console made of eco-friendly kirei board by Iannone Sanderson. So sleek and beautiful - a definate show stopper. $1,699

New Inhabit Wall Flats

Easily stick these fabulous Wall Flats on your wall for an unpdated modern sculpted look. Inhabit Wall Flats are made with 100% bamboo pulp. Bamboo is one of the worlds fastest self-replenishing resources. The process of molding the panels is chemical-free. Panels can be recycled.  $84 for 10 18x18 panals.

Agens & Hoss Silk Lamps

I was crazy for her pillows, then handbags, now I am crazy for the lighting. Agnes & Hoss brings her amazing silk colors and patterns to lighting - the Roots Double Arm Sconce, Roots Single Arm Sconce, Roots Table Lamp & Chandelier. Try mixing the amazing patterns.

Nama Rococo Wallpaper

By: Holly Becker, decor8


Nama Rococo wallpaper studio is a runway fashion show on your wall - it screams haute couture, look at me, I'm beautiful. Nama Rococo is bold, edgy, perhaps slightly over the top. Definitely Elle Decor worthy. Sexy wallcoverings are streaming out of London, Berlin, and Paris, so I was a bit shocked to discover that Nama Rococo is based in western Massachusetts,  as in, the countryside nestled within the Berkshires. I'll admit, I'm guilty of leaning on a common misconception that boutique style wallcovering must only come from the Euro crowd - scarf-waving designers mumbling orders to their assistants in thick delicious accents. Truth is, good design can be found anywhere these days, and with the growing number of American designers stepping up and proving that you can make a difference without the scarf and the accent,  design in the good old US of A is starting raising eyebrows (even mine) and attract a lot of attention. Let's face it, when it comes to design, America is only getting hotter.

The image above  shows off their French Dot paper in Ooh-La Black featuring "watercolor like" one-of-a-kind hand painting overprinted with black repeat. Love that it's shown on screens vs. on the wall. Perfect solution for apartment dwellers that need mobile focal points. At $180 per sheet (25" x 38"),  you can paper one wall or a few screens and viola! you have art and a decadent focal point.

To learn more about Nama Rococo , please visit their website.

For more design inspiration and products for your home, visit Holly Becker's design blog at http://www.decor8.blogspot.com

(image from nama rococo)

Modern Las vegas

2Modern Design Talk is going to take you on a little tour across the United States, looking for the best in modern lifestyle resources by major metropolitan city. We are starting with Seattle and zig-zagging our way to New York. If you have any suggestions for our directory, which we will be constantly improving and adding, please let us know by providing comments to the posts.

Modern Las Vegas

One of the newest members on Las Vegas Blvd. is the Fashion Show Mall. Las vegas is getting more and more modern with its architecture and there is plenty of it to see while you are there.

Modern Furniture Stores:

Aggresive By Nature

Modern Art & Museums:

Guggenheim Hermitage Museum

Las Vegas Art Museum

Smallworks Gallery

Modern Architecture:

Fashion Show Mall

Ivana

Luxor

MGM Grand

Paris Hotel

Stratosphere

Wynn

Modern Architects/Designers:

AIA Las Vegas

Carpenter Sellers Architects

Domingo Cabeiro Architects

KGA Architecture

SH Architecture

YWS Architects

Modern Etc:

Fashion Show Mall

Las Vegas Outlet Center

Wolfgang Puck Restaurant

New Emma Gardner Rugs

The new Emma Gardner rugs are soft and bold at the same time. Love the above Flowers on Water. Also check out new Joy, Curio, and Swirl (below). Emma Gardner is RUGMARK Certified.

Nahui Ollin Handbags

Nahui Ollin Handbags: An Eco-friendly Fashionista’s Dream Come True

4 Top Reasons to buy the Bag celebrities everywhere picked up at Caravan at 2 Great Jones Street:

1.) They are one of the most eco-friendly bags on the market right now. Not only did the process of making the bags sustain the environmentally-friendly practice of recycling, it also yielded a fresh and innovative product. The designers, the Olga Abadi’s take on the crafting technique involves turning hundreds of candy wrappers and soda labels into fully functional, not to mention fun and stylish handbag. All materials are collected from small, independent factories near where the Abadi family lives in Mexico from the candy wrappers to the leather handles.

2.) Have a bit of South-American artisan tradition right in your closet for the summer. A frequenter of the cultural festivals near her local hometown in Mexico, it was here that designer Olga Abadi discovered the ancient Mayan technique of binding everyday materials into handbags. The result is Nahui Ollin, a specialty line of handbags inspired by age-old techniques with a modern look and feel.

3.) You can own an affordable one of a kind bag. Each bag is hand-made from around 1500 individual wrappers and follows a process of folding, weaving and sewing each one into place – sometimes taking up to three days to make. Being that the wrappers are put into place one at a time, each bag is produced in its own color scheme and pattern, insuring that it is one-of-a-kind. The Nahui Ollin collection retails for $24 for the Itsy Bitsy coin purse to $190 for the Python-trimmed Keops.

4.) Nahui Ollin will add some flair to your spring/summer wardrobe.  The Nahui Ollin collection can be found in more than 60 existing color combinations including the kaleidoscopic Tutti-frutti, solid or two-toned metallic’s, Barcode and any and every color of the rainbow. The handles are in colorful leather, suede or raw woven thread with accents of silver, wood, natural seeds and stone beads.

Crafting The New American Dream

By: Holly Becker, Editor, decor8 http://www.decor8.blogspot.com

"The new American dream is much more entrepreneurial," says Kamenetz. "And it's about shaping ones own destiny: mobility, flexibility to do your own work, and the ability to have a career as an expression of who you are
as a person. "

Need some encouragement? The article, "Crafting the new American dream - It's still about `doing better than your parents' but the focus is on fulfillment", appeared in the June 11, 2006 BostonWorks section of the Boston Globe online, and I think you're going to like it.

When it comes to the new American dream, a house with a picket fence is no longer interesting to creative types. Many find that personal fulfillment and the joy obtained by doing what one loves is more important than living life merely to support a lifestyle. Who wants to work at a job they hate to pay a mortgage for a home they're barely in anyway (they're always in the office!).

The subject of doing what one loves.... Hmm. Interesting. Sure, a few things may need to be given up along the way, but working in a profession, one where passion and reward is involved, isn't as far off as one may think. This article has a lot to say on the matter, and provides encouragement to those who aren't taking the typical route to become successful. Here's a snippet of the article, "Crafting the new American dream - It's still about `doing better than your parents' but the focus is on fulfillment".

---begin article----

The American dream has changed. It used to be a college education, a steady job, a nice house (and a family to fill it), and a better financial picture than what your parents had.

There is a new American dream that is still about ``doing better than your parents," but not in a financial sense. This dream is about fulfillment.

Boston-based artist Ariel Freiberg just got engaged, and she and her fiancé are gearing up for this new dream. "We were brought up to think it's important to own a piece of property. It's how you build your life in this country. But buying a house is not a major goal for us. It is not what will make our lives secure and it will not help us define ourselves."

Click here to continue reading this article at boston.com

(image from the boston globe)

Koko Plastic Floormats

Koko plastic floor mats are perfect for summer - sand, dirt, beware! These bright mats easily brighten up  your space and keep the dirt and sand at bay. The Waves pattern is available in - Green/Purple, Pink/Orange, and Black/Ivory. The Optics pattern is available in Teal/Turquiose and Red/Pink. And love the Squares pattern in Black/White.