Handmade Goods Elevate Design Beyond the Ordinary

Irwin Weiner ASID - It's not a rarity to find a young, talented, good-looking interior designer shooting a professional video like the one we're featuring today - but I'll be darned if the video only identifies him as "Andrew," a bohemian, globetrotting interior designer who spans the gap between everyday-yet-exotic handcrafted products and multi-million-dollar interiors. If you know who this designer is, please drop us a comment so we can amend this post and link to his website. Many thanks!

At any rate, Andrew and videographer Samantha Schutz have put together an entertaining show about introducing handmade Japanese pottery into a high-end NYC sushi restaurant's design presentation.
 

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The New World Trade Center

Irwin Weiner ASID - The new World Trade Center complex of a memorial plaza and museum and multiple soaring office towers and a transportation hub is a construction project that many feared would never take place. But the new Trade Center is modern, bold, and fills a gap in Manhattan's skyline caused by the tragic loss of the original Twin Towers. At this time we remember what was, pray for peace, and look to the future with hope. The Memorial Plaza officially opens on September 11, 2011, with construction progressing on the other buildings and features.

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Today's Classic Design: Timeless Elements with a Twist

Irwin Weiner ASID - Every creative person needs to recharge batteries now and then. The following video completely plugged me in and inspired me ... and I wanted to share it with all our Design2Share readers. Roman & Williams is a NYC architectural and interiors firm, and they're the geniuses behind one of my favorite city spaces, the Ace Hotel (see photos above and below). Their video interview underscores the need for interiors to be timeless, incorporating classical design elements - travel around the world to get a sense of older design elements than we're used to seeing in the States - into something that evokes memory. But add a twist so the work doesn't become a copy.
 

When my clients compliment me on how well their interiors are "aging," I know that the timeless, classical elements we've incorporated into their project help keep their work from dating. Soon, all those granite countertops and no-wires-showing interiors are going to look like relics, while those interiors that have been artfully distressed and classically designed keep on wowing. Watch Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch of Roman & Williams and see what I mean.
 

 
 
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Update on September 1, 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.

New York's "Naked Hotel" Boasts Addictive Video-Screen Elevator

Jeff Goldberg / Ennead Architects

Irwin Weiner ASID - With the slight tilt to the two angled planes of NYC's fab Standard Hotel and the floor-to-ceiling glass windows in each room, guests need to watch how they trot around in their rooms! Many a passerby on the amazing High Line park (a converted elevated railway track) has gotten a glimpse of nude guests toweling off as they admire their room views, unaware that they're also added to the city's scenic interest. Adding to the amazing architecture from Ennead Architects, the Standard boasts elevators with LDS-trip video displays; come see MoCo Loco video of the experience. 

 Click here to subscribe to our daily design videos.

Update on July 13, 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.