Baccarat Video Showcases Elegant, Neutral Decor

Blou Je Te Vois Flou Zenith Chandelier, 24 Lights by Baccarat

Irwin Weiner ASID - I enjoyed this marketing video from French crystal manufacturer Baccarat. Aimed at showcasing the Baccarat Residences in the Dubai Pearl, it focuses on a room-by-room tour of a mansion decorated in a very subdued neutral style. Mirrored furniture, silvered and gilt furnishings, golds and beiges and tans and browns - everything emphasises two elements of the decor: the architectural bones of this luxurious space and the glitter and sparkle of the Baccarat accessories, including chandeliers, sconces, vases, wine and glass stems, and barware.

Bedroom in Baccarat Residences at the Dubai Pearl

Yes, it was a kick seeing the amazing Baccarat high-end product line highlighted like this, but it was also instructive to see how effective a neutral - or limited palette - decor can be when coupled with Hollywood Regency style mirrored furnishings and elegant crystal. The silvery and golden tones are picked up with reflected crystal surfaces and the whole is much more than the sum of its parts. That's a good goal for interior design, isn't it?

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World's Wildest Hotel Concepts Ever!

Irwin Weiner ASID - I call wild architecture "that Dubai phenomenon." It seems that this Middle Eastern philosophy of More Is More is catching on, and there are some amazing, futuristic concepts afoot for new hotels on land, in the ocean, in outer space, and - attention, Newt Gingrich - on the moon. Today's featured video will show you some of these wild hotel concepts, including The Waterworld in China (see above), an imaginative vision for a new hotel in a former quarry. 

But not all wild hotel concepts involve Dubai-style excessive architecture. Some hotels have concepts that are imaginative without being over the top, like Das Park Hotel in Austria (see photos above), where you can stay in a hotel room made from concrete pipes. In a similar recycling bent, how about staying at the Capsule Hotel in The Hague (below), where your floating hotel room is inside a bright orange survival pod?

Or how about the Hotel Everland, a single-room luxury hotel suite that is completely mobile - it's moved around from city to city, sometimes winding up on a beautiful lakefront, and other times winding on the roof of a building overlooking the Eiffel Tower in Paris or perched atop a contemporary art gallery in Leipzig?

So now that your concept of real hotels has been exploded, it won't be too much of a stretch to watch the following video and imagine staying in an undersea or outer space hotel, right?

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Fireworks for Grand Opening of World's Tallest Building

Irwin Weiner ASID - With the sad tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center Towers in NYC, the Pentagon in Washington DC, and the crashed flight in Pennsylvania, I wanted to look for anything to do with skyscraper design and construction. I found this silent time-lapse video footage of the grand opening two years ago of the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (a last-minute change from its original Burj Dubai name). Wrapping the building in fireworks, smoke, and lights was an exciting way to capture the soaring, graceful structure. While our hearts are heavy with the loss our Twin Towers and the many lives suffered in the 9/11 attacks, it still amazes me that we build taller buildings and push our engineering and architectural skills to new plateaus of achievement. The human spirit can't be vanquished.

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Update on September 8, 2011 by Design2Share

Super King Size Leather Beds: We just found a great collection of sleek leather bed designs. They add sophistication, whether your bedroom decor is traditional or modern. 

Featured Project: DIY Painted Headboard

Now is the perfect time to think about freshening up your interior space. With a splash of color here and a new piece of furniture there, it's easy to redecorate. Here's a quick, budget-conscious DIY design idea to help get you started.

Paint Your Own Headboard

Chances are if you if you purchased your bed frame as part of a bedroom set, the headboard is already included. If you don't want to put forth the extra cash, especially after paying for a pricey mattress, no problem! Painted headboards are a great way to add a pop of color to your bedroom.

Step 1: Measure the width of the head of your bed and mark it with blue painter's tape from floor to ceiling. Now, choose your color based on your desired color scheme. You obviously don't want it to be the same shade as your walls, but it should complement that color.

Step 2: Once you have your color, paint the wall, staying within the blue painters tape. Once the paint dries, if you choose to do so, you can detail with paint or with some removable wall decals from a company like Blik. For as little as $40, Blik makes easily removable wall decals in fun shapes like bookshelves, chandeliers, birds, etc. If this sounds like too much work, don't worry and leave your wall a solid color.

Step 3: Simply position your bed up against the painted wall, prop up some decorative Euro pillows in coordinating colors and patterns, and you have yourself a headboard. You might want to take this opportunity to invest in a new comforter or duvet in fun, light, spring colors. You'd be surprised at what a little bit of paint and some new bedding can do for your space!

Contemporary vanities and more at Decor Planet for your bathroom needs.

World's Most Expensive Fountain

InternetCont Ltd.

Jay Johnson - There's something wet and wild about water shows like the one at the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Befitting the world's tallest skyscraper is the world's costliest water show. Having seen WET Design's fountain shows at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, you're prepared for the Dubai Fountain extravaganza. The cost: $200 million for the 900-foot-long array with 6,600 lights. Enjoy this fountain show video; quite amazing!

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