The "Jewelry Effect" Hits Everyday Design

Jay Johnson - We're seeing the strong trend in everyday objects to guild the lily by adding a jewelry element. Today's design must be both beautiful and functional. Take a spatula, for instance. We could have a boring, traditional stick of wood with a white rubber spreading tip affixed to the end, or we could add color and interesting materials like bamboo or steel or resin to really make the object pop and distinguish it from the ordinary.

UK artist Damien Hirst's diamond-encrusted skull, 2007, helped start the trend

Enter the jewelry effect. We're seeing precious and semi-precious stones added to art, like Damien Hirst's diamond skull (above), and everyday objects to greatly increase both their bling and price tag. Click on each photograph for more info on the be-jeweled items.

Vertu: diamond-covered model is costliest cell phone in the world

The Natural Sapphire Company: $700,000 for its white gold and sapphire-encrusted iPad caseIndia's Nano Car: the cheapest car in the world has a gold, silver, semi-precious stone edition

HYLA Vacuum: $21,900 model boasting 32,000 Swarovski crystals

Dussault jeans: $10,000 denims boast gold, diamond, ruby wallet chains

We thank Sheffield School, New York, NY, for permission to reprint this post. Sheffield began as an Interior Design school in 1985, and then expanded our course offerings to train people in other design-related fields, including Feng Shui, Wedding and Event Planning, and Jewelry Design. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any school in the world.

Request a free Sheffield School catalog describing our distance education courses.

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House-Up Builds New Green Homes from Shipping Containers

Irwin Weiner ASID - I'm always fascinated with the home design and building process, and a group in northern France called House-Up has got the formula right. They use recycled shipping containers as their primary building source, and their custom-built homes are greener and more modern looking than most new construction on the market - at an average of 20% less cost, with construction completed in 3 or 4 months.

Targeting the vacation and second home market in France, House-Up has a good thing going, and click here to read about other Shipping Container Homes or click on the top house photo (which isn't a House-Up project, but it also utilizes shipping containers). I love to see smart new housing solutions around the world! Our featured video today shows the House-Up design project, from shipping containers to interior design. Enjoy.

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3 Key Feng Shui Kitchen Design Principles

Irwin Weiner ASID - An open fire once cooked early man's food; now all of that meal prep is done in a modern kitchen. The hearthside or open fire may now be replaced by a modern oven and cooktop, but the principle of "fire for cooking" is the same. We still need air to prepare a meal - a well-ventilated place to cook our food is vital to avoid cooking fumes, smoke, and grease getting into other rooms of the house.

Feng shui has been applied to the kitchen - many times called "today's hearth" or "the heart of the home" - and we wanted to highlight 3 practical tips to help maintain this room as an inviting and comfortable place where people can gather, eat, and talk.

• Natural light - This is the best possible lighting for any kitchen. There is so much fire energy in the kitchen with the concentration of appliances that traditional feng shui advisors believe it's better to go with weaker fluorescent or natural light - as opposed to strong lights and particularly focused spots.

• Water and fire - Feng shui advises us to separate appliances that embody fire (stove, cooktop, extractor fan) and water (sink, dishwasher, washing machine, water purifier). If they can't be on opposite walls from one another, try putting them at right angles. As one feng shui book says, "The main principle to respect is never to put them side by side lest, like racing camels, they begin to fight." (from The Feng Shui Kitchen: The Philosopher's Guide to Cooking and Eating by Master Lam Kam Chuen with Lam Kai Sin)

• Calm atmosphere - Due to the strong concentration of opposing energies in a kitchen (think five versus water), feng shui experts advise that calm wall colors be used in a kitchen. Many consider white to be better than any other color; it's always a color that signals purity and cleanliness. Beige and pastels are fine, too. Earth tones work well in creating a good work atmosphere, e.g., light browns, beige, yellow. 

Perhaps your kitchen is A-OK, and you've gotten the feng shui in proper balance. What then? Design2Share's Feng Shui 101 columns provide monthly inspiration on the subject, along with easy-to-tackle "homework" projects. Check out March's new post from Franca Giuliani, our Feng Shui expert: 7 Ways to Better Feng Shui in Your Bathroom.

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Wish List: Design and Style Books from Assouline Publishing

Irwin Weiner ASID - I think everyone with style loves to indulge in the ultimate "designer porn," looking through the pages of a beautiful coffee table book that covers sumptuous design themes. That's why I'm putting Assouline Publishing on my Wish List this year. First off, they assert that "Assouline is more than a publisher. It's a lifestyle brand." Well, excuse me. They produce content on printed pages bound by two covers and a spine; that's a publisher. But I get their meaning. Their book content is swoon-worthy, to be sure, and I've selected some titles that will look good under any design-lover's tree. Click on a photo for more information ... and season's readings! 

 

 

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