Modern Furniture Design with Fashion Vision from STUA

Irwin Weiner ASID - I was very taken by STUA's founder Jesus Gasca and the story he relates about his mother working for Balenciaga - "The most important element of the design is in the back." Hence, Gasca makes certain that the back of furniture items are importantly designed, particularly with chairs that are meant to be seen from all angles, as when dining or desk chairs are pushed in and viewed completely from the back.

I also like their unique take on design, being Scandinavian furniture with a Mediterranean twist, evoked by the company's headquarters in the Spanish resort town of San Sebastían. Today's video showcases STUA and Gasca's vision for the company, the thought that goes into individual furniture designs, his manufacturing process, and the all-important details that are part of successful design - part function, part beautiful sculpture. Click on each image for further product information.

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Decorating Fun: Start with IKEA, Finish with Something New

Stunning tricked-out IKEA kitchen cabinets (Apartment Therapy / House Beautiful)

Jay Johnson - When Apartment Therapy and House Beautiful start to include design details that feature modified or "tricked-out" IKEA fixtures and furnishings, then you know you have a serious trend on your hands. Modifying the clean design of IKEA's furniture, cabinetry, and other home goods has become a global pasttime as do-it-yourselfers and home designers make modifications to create custom looks from basic pieces. The kitchen cabinets in the photo above, for instance, never looked like that in the showroom or catalog; they were custom detailed and finished to elevate the look. Saving money on the basics is what IKEA is all about, but elevating and tricking-out the basics to create a one-of-a-kind end result is what interior designers and DIY homeowners are all about.

The Gallant wall storage shelves were tricked out to create a new media console (IKEA Hackers) 

This trend has become so hot that there's even a popular website documenting a wide array of tricked-out projects: IKEA Hackers. Here are a few tricked-out projects that really caught our eye. Click on each photo for more information.

High gloss red tabletops become a backlit headboard (IKEA Hackers)

Regolit lamp covered with paper muffin liners (IKEA Hackers)

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Active Lifestyles: Skateboard-Inspired Furniture and Architecture

The God Father Lounge Chair

Irwin Weiner ASID - Why shouldn't extreme sports like skateboarding influence the style of furniture and the way architecture informs how a home should be designed? Skate Study House is a unique collection of mid-century modern furniture, bowing to a love of California and everything to do with skateboarding.

The Comet Coffee Table

Designer Gil Le Bon Delapointe and architect Francois Perrin collaborated with others on a prototype home and community for skateboarders where everything from furniture to appliances stay out of the way of one's free access to skate up and down the walls and perform tricks on countertops and other surfaces.

Astro Clock, made from skateboard wheels and bearings

Today's featured video showcases the PAS House prototype in Malibu, CA, and Delapointe discusses the lifestyle features that are integrated into the furniture and architecture. As you know, Design2Share loves to showcase design that pushes the envelope; we think designing a home and furnishings around residents' personal needs, hobbies, and sports is a wonderful new direction.

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Gypsy Interiors: Intimate Portraits of Colorful People and Interiors

Irwin Weiner ASID - We love to show our readers how other people around the world live. You won't just get our take on interior design and decorating in the United States. (How boring would that be in a world alive with color and imagination!) I was delighted to find today's design video, featuring Roma (Gypsy) families from Bucharest, Romania in their homes. Carlo Gianferro's photographs were taken between 2007 and 2008 and they comprise a coffee table book called Gypsy Interiors: Contemporary Roma Portraits. Gianferro took portraits of individuals and small family groupings posing on stairways and in living rooms, dining rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, and bedrooms.

The interiors show a strong, in-your face decorating style. The patterns, colors, textures, and layering aren't for the feint of heart. Some of the interiors are extremely modern while others are quite traditional. All the rules of decorating are broken, which I personally love. What's the fun of decorating if you can't color outside of the lines? Above all, the photographs capture a sense of pride; these homeowners are showing off their homes, and their portraits are very intimate and inviting.

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